The first Cooper to live in the Random Island area[Note 2] was Edward Cooper (born in 1781, sometimes referred to as “Edward I”) who moved to the community of Ireland’s Eye after marrying Ann (Nancy) Emmery in 1812[1][2]. We will consider them to be the “First Generation” of the Cooper Family of Random Island.
Edward I and Ann had at least 8 children (the “Second Generation”), several of whom stayed and raised large families of their own in Ireland's Eye or elsewhere on Random Island. In turn, many of Edward I and Ann’s grandchildren (the “Third Generation”) stayed and raised families in the area. Consequently, Edward I and Ann have a large number of descendants in the Random Island area.
There is some uncertainty regarding the earliest Cooper ancestor of the Random Island Cooper Family to have lived in Newfoundland. It seems most likely that he was William George Cooper, who is believed to have been born around 1758 in England[3], and who died in 1819 in Grates Cove. William George’s wife was Margaret Elizabeth Thomas who was born in 1760 in either England or Newfoundland, and died in 1842 in Grates Cove[4]. It seems likely that William George and Margaret moved to Newfoundland with their son Edward I in the late 1700s, and settled in Grates Cove.
However, there are reports of a Charles Cooper, son of a West County (England) merchant, settling in Grates Cove around 1705, and of another Charles moving from Lower Island Cove (Conception Bay) to Grates Cove around 1790. There are other reports[5] of Coopers in the Conception Bay and St. John’s areas in the 1700s, such that all of these other Coopers are candidates for early relatives of the Random Island Coopers in Newfoundland.
First Generation
There is a report[5] of a “George {Cooper} and son, proprietors and occupiers of fishing rooms at Grates Cove, Winter, 1800-01”. It seems plausible that this father and son were the William George and son Edward I noted above, and that this Edward was the one born in Lymington England in 1781 and believed to have been the first Cooper (Edward Cooper I) to settle on greater Random Island[1]. One family tree[4] indicates that Edward I first married Louisa Hodder (1785-1812) in 1805. In any case, Edward I then married Ann Emmery (1798-1883) in Trinity in 1812[1][2] and settled in Ireland's Eye.
Ann, also sometimes referred to as “Nancy”[1], was the daughter of Moses Emmery and Rachel Goldsworthy of Trinity. Moses was a sea captain based out of Trinity, St. John’s and/or Poole England. Records indicate that Ann was baptized in 1798 in Trinity, “a daughter to Rachel Goldsworthy by Capt Moses Emmery of Poole (illegitimate)”, and that Rachel and Moses married in 1805[2][6]. Thus, both Edward I and Ann provided a strong maritime heritage to their extended Random Island Cooper Family.
Edward passed away in 1868 and Ann in 1883. Both are buried in the Ireland's Eye Anglican Cemetery[2].
The abandoned community of Ireland's Eye in 1989[Credits 1]
Edward I and Ann (Nancy) raised at least 8 children (the “Second Generation”) in the community of Ireland's Eye[7]:
James who was born in 1814[1][2] and baptized in Trinity in November 1815. There are indications[3] that he married Mary Ellen Sullivan (b 1824) of Kings Cove (Bonavista Bay), they moved to St. John’s, and they had at least 2 children (and probably more [see below]). James passed away in 1859.
John who was born in 1817[1][2]. Three family trees[3] indicate that he died on Ireland's Eye in 1868, without any indication of a marriage or children.
Edward (“Edward II”) who was born in 1818[1][2], married Ann Patience Bannister (1823-1894) of British Harbour in 1840, and died on Ireland's Eye in 1899. They had at least 9 children on Ireland's Eye [see below].
William who was born 1822[1][2], first married Louisa Jaynes (1833-1879) of Trinity in 1850, later married Louisa Paul in 1885, and died on Ireland's Eye in 1900. William and his first wife Louisa had at least 8 children on Ireland's Eye [see below].
Rachel who was born in 1825[1][2], married Silas Loader (1819-1904) from Old Perlican, and died in 1910 on Ireland's Eye. They had 8 children in the community of Ireland's, 3 of whom had children on greater Random Island [see Loder Family].
Anne who was born in 1828[1][2], married Richard Miller in 1848, and died in Kerley’s Harbour in 1902. Information on any children has not been found.
Thomas who was born in 1831[1], married Mary Arabella Toope (1841-1917) in 1858, and died in 1910 in Ireland's Eye. They had at least 12 children on Ireland's Eye [see below].
Johanna who was born in 1835 in Ireland's Eye[1][2], married James Baker (1836-1915) of Heart’s Ease in 1859, and died in 1902 in Trinity. They lived in Rider’s Harbour, Thoroughfare and Snook's Harbour, and had as many as 8 children [see below and Baker Family].
In the Lovell’s 1871 Directory for Ireland's Eye[2], an Edward is listed as a fisherman and a Thomas William as a planter (possibly, the Thomas or William above). For Thoroughfare, a James Baker (probably, Johanna’s husband) is listed as a fisherman. For Kerley’s Harbour, a Richard Miller (probably, Anne’s husband) is listed as a fisherman.
It is noteworthy that Edward I and Ann had at least 48 grandchildren, 45 of whom were born on greater Random Island[Note 2].
The following subsections provide further information on the families of the children of Edward I and Ann, including the 5 families raised in the Random Island area. Information is drawn from the various references listed in the References, including research by the author[Note 1] and communications with his second, third and fourth cousins descended from Silas and Rachel (Cooper) Loader of Ireland's Eye.
James Cooper and Family
Two family trees[3] indicate that James and Mary Ellen (Sullivan) had sons (members of the “Third Generation”):
John E who was born in 1843 in St. John’s, married Elizabeth Chidley (1852-1929) of there, and died there in 1907. They had 9 children (members of the “Fourth Generation”) there, including:
James Joseph (born 1871)
John Thomas (b 1875, married Bridget McAllister, 5 children)
Christopher (b 1880)
Francis (1880-1959)
Edward (1884-1961, married Alice McCormack, 8 children)
John Thomas and Edward raised their families in St. John’s but John Thomas and Rachel died in the USA.
James Joseph, Catherine & family[Credits 4]James Joseph who was born in 1844 in Trinity Bay, married Catherine Power (1853-1907) of St. John’s, and died there in 1921. They had 10 children there, including:
Mary Ellen (1876-1906, married Michael Rolls, 5 children)
Monica Anne (b 1878)
Patrick (1880-1880)
Katherine Gertrude (1881-1974, married Herbert Emerson, 6 children)
Anastasia Mary (1884-1948, married Floyd Snedecker, 1 son)
Mary Alice (b 1889)
Terrence Gregory (1891-1939, married Ida Doyle, 11 children)
Isabelle (1892-1971)
Ethel Mary (b 1895)
At least two of these married children moved to the USA.
There is also a Newfoundland baptism record[3] for a William Cooper born to James Cooper and Ellen Sullivan in 1847 but the location, and whether these are the same parents as discussed here, are uncertain. It appears that James did not live in the Random Island area after marrying Mary Ellen. He died elsewhere in Newfoundland in 1859, and there is uncertainty about when and where Mary Ellen died. It appears that they had at least 19 grandchildren.
Edward Cooper II and Family
Edward II and Ann Patience (Bannister) raised their family in Ireland's Eye, with children (all born there):
John who was born in 1843[1], married Mary Miller of Ireland's Eye and died in 1889. John and Mary had children:
Emmanuel (1873-1936) married Mary Elizabeth Watton (1904-1921) of Ireland's Eye in 1920[2]
Emily Miller (1876-1932). Emily had a son Ezekiel (b 1904), and then married Sydney Watton of Ireland's Eye and had 5 children while living on Ireland's Eye.[3]
Tryphena who was born in 1845, married William Watton (1838-1915) of Warwickshire England in 1895, and had at least one daughter Alice (1869-1953)[2]. Tryphena and William lived on Ireland's Eye where she died in 1921. Alice married Jonathan Piercey of Scilly Cove (now Winterton).
Joanna who was born in 1849[1] and married John Hogarth Newhook (1848-1926) of Trinity[3]. They lived in the Trinity area and had children:
James (1877-1960)
Helen (Ellen) (1879-1879)
William (1879-1879)
Charles Edward (1883-1964).
Joanna died in 1899 in Port Rexton.
Mary Anne who was born in 1850[6], married Joseph King (1841-1895) of New Bonaventure in 1870[1], and had 7 children while living there[7].
Thomas who was born in 1851[1], married Elizabeth Ann Piercey (b 1846) of Robin Hood Bay (near Port Rexton) in 1873, and died on Ireland's Eye in 1887. They lived on Ireland's Eye and had children:
Esrom (1874-1937). Esrom married Tryphena Jane Bailey of Ireland's Eye in 1894; they had the following children while living in Old Tilt (near Ivanhoe) and Traytown on Ireland's Eye[2][7].:
Eliel (1896-1920)
Samuel (1900-1988)
Eliza (1902-1981, married Willis Miller of Thoroughfare)
Herbert (1906-2006, married Emma Jane Miller of Ivanhoe)
James (b 1909, m Evelyn Watton of Ivanhoe)
Naomi Elizabeth (1876-1956)
Edward John (1878-1943).
Naomi may be the one who married Joseph Bailey and moved to Port Rexton[2].
James who was born in 1853, married Mary Ann Hodder (b 1860) of Ireland's Eye, and died there in 1913[2][3]. They lived on Ireland's Eye and had children:
Arthur Herbert (1881-1954). Arthur H married Ella Mills (b 1884) of Thoroughfare in 1904; and they had 2 children on Ireland's Eye before moving away to the USA.
Elias William (b 1884)
Amelia (1887-1893)
Rebecca Maude (b 1889)
Ralph Thomas (1891-1892)
Fanny Edith (1892-1945). Fanny Edith married Reuben Kelly of Black Duck Cove in 1916; they had 6 children while living there.
Willis (1893-1949). Willis married Sarah Kelly of Black Duck Cove in 1917; they had 1 son on Ireland's Eye before moving away and having 2 more sons and a daughter.
Albert who was born in 1856[2] and married Sarah Jane Crocker (1867-1963) of Deer Harbour in 1887. They lived on Ireland's Eye where they had children:
Eleanor (b 1892)
Henry Thomas (b 1893)
Edgar (b 1897)
Jesse Francis (b 1901).
Albert died in 1925 on Ireland's Eye and Sarah Jane in 1953 in St. John’s. Son Jesse and his wife Olive (nee Cooper, daughter of Edward IV [see below]) had 2 children and lived in Ireland's Eye until at least 1945[2], but died in Nova Scotia[3].
Edward (III) James who was born in 1859 and first married Elizabeth Hodder of Trinity in 1892. Elizabeth died in January 1894 on Ireland's Eye, apparently during the birth of daughter Gertrude (1894-1895)[2][3]. Edward III, listed as a “master mariner”, then married Mary Ann Toope (1866-1958) of Deer Harbour in 1894, and they had a son Cyril (1896-1970) while living in Old Tilt on Ireland's Eye[2]. Edward III and Mary Ann moved to Snook's Harbour in the late 1890s where they had sons Leslie (1899-1971) and Reuben J (1903-1966).
Cyril served in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserves, 1915-1919, in World War I. He married Sarah Walters (b 1896) of Placentia Bay in 1920, and they then moved to Massachusetts where they had 3 daughters[4].
Leslie (Les) married Susannah (Susie) Cooper (1899-1986, daughter of William Cooper [see below]) and stayed in Snook’s Harbour where they raised 4 sons [see below]
Reuben moved to Massachusetts in the 1920s and married Agnes Sparks (1902-1984) of Lower Island Cove in 1933; they raised 4 children in the USA[4].
Edward III died in 1948 and Mary Ann in 1958, both in Snook’s Harbour.
Arthur Robert who was born in 1864 and married Jane Parrott (1869-1909) of Scilly Cove in 1889. They lived on Ireland's Eye and had at least 5 children:
Plymouth Charles (1889-1961).
Plymouth married Miriam Miller (1893-1920) of Ireland's Eye in 1910; they had children:
Ralph (1910-1994)
Jane (1911-1911)
Pheobe Gladys (1914-1965)
while living there. Plymouth later married Harriet Kelly (1901-1975) of Black Duck Cove; they had children:
Muriel Gwendolyn (1922-1993)
Lorenzo (1924-1924)
Melvin Alderdyce (1925-1990)
Alexander Clayton (1926-1980)
Harrison Valentine (1928-1986)
Gene Sherill (1930-1988)
Dulcie Marie (1934-2010)
while still living on Ireland's Eye.
Mary Anne (1893-1952). Mary Ann married Henry Toope of Ireland's Eye 1914 and they had 10 children on Ireland's Eye, 6 of whom married.
William and Louisa (Janes) raised their family in Ireland’s Eye, with children[1][2][7]:
Rachel who was born in 1851, married Joseph Miller of Ireland's Eye in 1876 and died in 1897 in Thoroughfare[2]. Rachel and Joseph lived on Ireland's Eye and had children:
Son William and wife Deborah lived on Ireland's Eye and had at least 7 children[2]. Elisha married Blanche Ledrew of Burnt Arm, and they had 3 children while living in Ireland's Eye and Thoroughfare[7]. Louisa married Samuel Toope of Ireland's Eye, and they had at least 2 children while living there[7].
Edward IV (“Skipper Ned”) who was born in 1854, first married Mary Ann Pitcher (1850-1882) in 1879 and then married Mary Ann Brown (1866-1940) in 18843. Edward IV and his first wife had children:
Louisa (1880-1881)
Hugh (1882-1963)[2][7]. Hugh married Grace Toope of Ireland's Eye, and they had at least 1 daughter[7].
Edward IV and his second wife had children:
Gerald (1886-1886)
Rachel (1887-1967, married Gilbert Toope of Ireland's Eye in 1910)
Eunice (1889-1990, married Edgar Hodder of Ireland's Eye in 1906)
William (1891-1971, married Mary Miller of Kerley’s Harbour in 1920)
Louisa (1893-1985, married Llewelyn Toope of TrInity in 1915)
Edward (1895-1963, married Monica Toope of Trinity)
Thomas (1897-1897)
Gerald (1898-1978, married Lillie Myrtle Avery of Grates Cove in 1927)
Annie Florence (1900-1953, married William Miller of Kerley’s Harbour)
Olive Alexandria (1902-1995, married Jesse Cooper of Ireland's Eye)
Moses Egbert (1905-1978, married Maggie Miller of Kerley’s Harbour)
Maxwell George (1907-1911)
James Gordon (1909-1910)
Faith (1911-1994, m Ernest Toope of Ireland's Eye).
All of these children were born in Ireland's Eye. Son Edward served in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve, 1916-1919, in World War I[8].
Edward IV died in 1940 on Ireland's Eye.
William who was born in 1856, and married Emily Smith (1860-1946) of Elliott's Cove (formerly of Hant’s Harbour) in 1881 [see Smith Family]. William and Emily were among the early settlers in Snook’s Harbour where they had children:
Deborah (1884-1978, married John Mills, married Norman Smith)
Jessie (1887-1983, married Peter Hefford)
William (1889-1985) married Ethel Smith (1905-1977) of Apsey Brook; they settled in Elliott’s Cove and had a daughter and a son.
Alfreda (1891-1924)
Hayward (1892-1962)
Ephraim (1894-1961, married Margaret Horlick) and had 2 sons and a daughter.
Alice (1895-2003, married Attwood Smith)
Susannah (1899-1986, married Leslie Cooper) they had sons Eric (b 1922), Donald (1925-2019), Gordon (1932-2020) and one other (b 1940) all raised in Snook’s Harbour.
Hayward and Ephraim served overseas in the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in World War I, 1915-1918 and 1917-1919, respectively[8]. Hayward did not marry.
William and Emily passed away in Snook’s Harbour, as did most of their children, and are buried in the United Church Cemetery there.
Rosanna M who was born in 1859, and married Thomas Ivany (1860-1937) of Pease Cove in 1884. They settled in Ivanhoe on Ireland's Eye and had sons Elam (1887-1964) and William John (1892-1958)[1]. Elam married Edith Gertrude Luther of White Rock in 1910 and they had 4 children while living on Ireland's Eye[7]. William John married Lillian Paul of Sheave A’Stern Cove, and they had 7 children while living in Ivanhoe on Ireland's Eye. Rosanna died in 1916 in Old Tilt.
Thomas Cooper and Family
Notes
↑ 1.01.1John W Loder (JWL) is a great-great grandson of Rachel Cooper and Silas Loader Cooper of Ireland’s Eye. He has carried out extensive research on the Loder and his other ancestral families, including communications with his 2nd, 3rd, and 4th cousins descended from Rachel and Silas. He can be contacted at JohnWLoder@gmail.com
↑ 2.02.1The term “greater Random Island” here refers to Random Island with Ireland's Eye and nearby small islands included, while the term “Random Island area” refers to greater Random Island and communities on the mainland sides of Smith and Random Sounds such as British Harbour. This is in contrast to some works (e.g., the books by W.B.W. Martin, see References 8&9) which do not include Ireland's Eye as a part of Random Island.
Newfoundland and Labrador
England
