Bios: DAVID P. COOPER: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

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  Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lawrence Co transcribers.
  Coordinated by Ed McClelland

  Copyright 2004.  All rights reserved.
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
 
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  Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
  Lawrence County Pennsylvania
  Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
  
  An html version with search engine may be found at 
  
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/lawrence/1897/
  
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    DAVID P. COOPER,
    
    [p. 201] a retired farmer who lives at No. 165 North Jefferson Street, New
  Castle, Pa., is the son of James Cooper and grandson of Robert Cooper, who
  was born in County Down, Ireland, and came to America about 1790. He married
  his wife on his native soil, and four children were born to them there and
  five after their settling in this country. Their names are as follows:
  William, Robert; John; Richard; James; Joseph; Peggie; Margaret; and
  Elizabeth. Our subject's grandfather was a weaver by trade, but after coming
  to this country, and locating near Philadelphia, he did not follow his
  aforetime trade, but took up agricultural pursuits; after a stay of four
  years at the above-mentioned place, he moved to Washington Co., Pa., where he
  remained one year, going from there to Allegheny Co., Pa., where he followed
  agricultural pursuits the remainder of his natural life.
    
    His son, James Cooper, was born in Allegheny Co., Pa., in 1796, and in 1843
  moved to Lawrence County, where he secured a farm and identified himself with
  the agricultural interests of the town and county, departing this life in
  1861. His wife, Elizabeth McLister, who died at the age of seventy-six, bore
  him seven children, four girls and three boys.
    
    David P. Cooper was born in Finley township, Allegheny County, July 4,
  1830. He came with his parents when they moved to Lawrence County, and
  started in life for himself at the age of fourteen as a driver on the canal,
  receiving promotion until he was captain of the packet. After saving up a
  comfortable sum of money he took to traveling, and when only twenty-one years
  old had been in twenty-two States and three territories, and had seen an
  unusual amount of the world for one so young. While he was on the canal, he
  was a popular and familiar figure, and it is stated that be knew every person
  in New Castle, and was well acquainted with residents along the canal and with
  the traveling public. The period between 1860 and 1862 he was touched with the
  oil craze and speculation, and was employed in drilling many wells in
  Pennsylvania and in Canada. In 1864, when the Idaho gold mines were opened up
  and golden possibilities of the future rose up before those who were of
  sanguine temperament, Mr. Cooper started for that territory to realize sudden
  wealth if possible, leaving St. Joseph, Mo., May 5, 1864, and reaching
  Virginia City, Idaho, Aug. 27, 1864, traveling with three pair of oxen. Our
  subject walked the entire distance, carrying his gun, for he thought that the
  animals had plenty to do in drawing the carts and supplies.
    
    Upon his arrival in the El Dorado of his hopes, he found the country to be
  very uncivilized, at least when compared to the life and conditions to which
  he had been accustomed, and to hang a man was of daily occurrence. One
  thrilling incident, which goes far to show how very rude and even dangerous
  were the conditions of life there, and which has served as the theme of a
  truthful story, was related to us in substance by Mr. Cooper as follows: Some
  seventy-five miles from Virginia City was a village, Banic, which was reached
  by stage running at regular intervals. Between the two places was a canon,
  where it became a frequent occurrence for the stage-coach to be held up, and
  the passengers relieved of their valuables at the muzzle of loaded guns. One
  day, a merchant of Virginia City, desiring to transact some matter of
  business in this neighboring village, became a passenger on this local stage
  line; when the coach approached the dismal spot, the scene of many highway
  robberies, sure enough they were held up in true Western fashion, and asked
  to "shell out" whatever they had with them in the shape of watches, jewelry,
  and money, which you may be sure was acceded to very promptly, accentuated as
  the request was by the shining barrels of some half dozen guns leveled at
  them. When the destination was reached the merchant approached the sheriff of
  the county to secure assistance in the recovering of his lost articles, and
  was somewhat surprised to meet with a curt refusal to aid in anything of that
  sort, the officer claiming he had no control over such men! As the merchant
  desired to take home with him quite a sum of money, he explained to the
  sheriff what he wished to do and asked for a guard to pilot him home and help
  him to protect his money from the highwaymen. The sheriff refused to even
  consider this, and the merchant was about ready to give up the idea of taking
  anything of value with him, when he found a man in search of work, and after a
  few moments conversation, arrangements were completed for the man to accompany
  him back to the city; he also explained the danger to him, and they provided
  arms for their defense. They started towards home, and when they reached the
  canon, the driver was commanded to hold up his hands by the desperadoes, and
  when the stage came to a standstill, the door was opened by one of them, who
  to his great surprise found a rifle aimed directly at him ready for action.
  He was forced back, and they journeyed home with no farther molestation. The
  merchant studied over the refusal and indifferent actions of the sheriff, and
  the more consideration he gave to the vexed question the more certain was he
  that the sheriff knew more about the gang of desperadoes than he cared to
  admit, and this growing suspicion of the sheriff prompted him to call
  together the first business men of Virginia City and explain to them the
  circumstances, and give them the result of his conclusions. They at once
  resolved themselves into a vigilance committee, formed an armed body of men,
  went back to the sheriff's home, surrounded his place, and searched the
  premises. In his keeping was found certain and indisputable proof of an
  organized gang for the systematic robbing of the people of the two places. No
  mercy was shown. The sheriff was hanged and his associates in crime hunted
  down and treated likewiseseven meeting death in the sheriff's own village
  and more than twenty in Virginia City. If there were any of the gang left,
  they must have thought that other places wore a more inviting appearance and
  cleared out, for no more trouble was experienced with them, and the entire
  territory made better by the riddance of a dreaded class of people by the
  somewhat rash and foolhardy act of the merchant in braving death by resisting
  them.
    
    After Mr. Cooper spent three years in the wild west, he returned to his
  native State, married and settled down on a farm just outside the city limits
  of New Castle. A farm was bought by him and his brother, which was later
  developed into a large limestone quarry; they derived a comfortable income
  from leasing the property, for they did not care to quarry themselves. Our
  subject married Annie Casey. In 1890, he built a comfortable residence in the
  city on North Jefferson Street, and has lived there since.