Bill Crant

Excerpt from Dr. Seary's, Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, MUN 1977.

COOPER, a surname of England, Ireland, Scotland, and the Channel Islands, from Middle English cou per - maker or repairer of wooden casks, buckets or tubs. (Reaney, Turk).

Found widespread in England and Scotland by Guppy and Black, and by MacLysaght particularly in Co. Sligo.

In Newfoundland:

Family traditions: Charles, son of a West Country merchant, settled at Grates Cove about 1705 (MUN Folklore). -----, moved from Lower Island Cove to Cooper's Point, Grates Cove, about 1790 (MUN Hist.). John, ? from England, married and settled at Norman's Cove in the early l9th century (MUN Hist.). ----- , from Cornwall to Twillingate about 1847, later settled at Point Leamington (MUN Folklore). -----, from ? Hanson (unidentified), England, settled at Ireland's Eye about 1847 (MUN Folklore). [Samuel] -----, settled at Pushthrough about 1850 (MUN Folklore).

Early instances: William, planter of St. John's, 1706 (CO 194.4); William, of Spear Island, 1708-09 (CO 194.4); John and Richard, ? servants of Oderin, about 1730-35 (CO 194.9); Thomas, of Lower Island Cove, 1781 (CO 199.18); Edward, of Great Belle Isle (now Bell Island), 1797 (D'Alberti 7); George and son, proprietors and occupiers of fishing room at Grates Cove, Winter 1800-01 (Census Trinity B.); John, planter of Fogo, 1808 (MUN Hist.); Edward, of Ireland's Eye, 1814 (DPHW 64); Thomas Cooper(s), of Harbour Grace Parish, 1815 (Nfld. Ar-chives HGRC); Tom Cooper, planter of Catalina, 1818 (DPHW 72); Eleanor, of Twillingate, 1820 (USPG); John, of Trinity (Trinity B.), 1821 (DPHW 64); John, of New Harbour (Trinity B.), 1823 (DPHW 64); Edward, pioneer of Lance Cove (Bell Island), died 1825, aged 61 years (MUN Hist.); Patrick K., of Harbour Grace, 1831 (Nfld. Archives HGRC); William, of Blackhead (Conception B.), 1831 (DPHW 52A); James, of Kings Cove Parish, 1839 (Nfld. Archives KCRC); George, planter of Western Bay, 1839 (DPHW 52A); John, of Old Perlican, 1840 (DPHW 58); Henry, of Burgeo, 1846 (DPHW 26D); Henry, of Petty Harbour, 1847 (DPHW 31); John, of Scilly Cove (now Winterton), 1857, of Norman's Cove, 1858 (DPHW 59A); Michael T., cooper of Carbonear, 1871 (Lovell); John (and others), of Chapel Arm, 1871 (Lovell); Samuel, of Green's Harbour, 1871 (Lovell); James, of Mouse Island, 1871 (Lovell); Absolom and John, of Random Sound, 1871 (Lovell); James, of Three Arms, Twillingate, 1871 (Lovell).

Modern status: Widespread, especially in the Trinity North and South districts.

Place names: Cooper Bank 46-59 55-04; ----- Brook 48-42 55-13; ----- Cove 47-18 53-59, 47-35 54-13, 47-37 56-46, 47-39 54-08; ----- Head 47-20 53-54 (Labrador) 52-57 55-47; ----- Island 51-20 56-42 (Labrador) 52-55 55-48, (Labrador) 53-35 57-18; ----- Pond 48-46 55-13; Coopers Block (Labrador) 52-54 55-47; ----- Cove 47-35 54-12, (Labrador) 54-06 58-32; ----- Head 47-38 53-13; ----- Island (Labrador) 57-40 61-42; ----- Pond 47-39 53-29.

Early Instances: