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October 6th, 2014 - This update relates primarily to the page "The Wandering Coopers", and in particular to Francis Aspinall Cooper:
In my Mother's hand-written family tree she showed Francis Aspinall Cooper as having had two wives - "Lizzie" and Christina Elizabeth. I found documentation and other Ancestry members' trees recording Christina (or sometimes Christine) Elizabeth Sutherland from Scotland as being Francis's wife, and "Christine E/Elizabeth" appears with Francis in the 1901 and 1911 censuses. I couldn't find any trace of Lizzie and could therefore only assume that it was an abreviation of Elizabeth, and that Lizzie and Christina Elizabeth were one and the same. From the information I had when I wrote "The Wandering Coopers", I had deduced that Francis Aspinall Cooper travelled to Argentina in the 1880's and made (and lost) a fortune building railways. Evidence of his having been in Argentina consisted mainly of the fact that his first child, James Stewart Cooper, was born in Buenos Aires in about 1887, and that I'd been unable to find any trace of Francis in England after his appearance in the 1881 census until the marriage of his sister in 1892, in which he was recorded as a witness.
Continuing the search for information, I tried to find something connecting Francis with railways in Argentina. So far I haven't found anything, but I did find something very valuable that I wasn't looking for: a record from St John's Anglican Cathedral in Buenos Aires detailing the marriage of a Francis Aspinall Cooper on September 24th 1885 to an Eliza Farrell from Ireland! I found Lizzie - my mother was right! This was a good find, but combined with further finds it also added to the confusion. In the 1911 census Francis and Christine (or Christina) show as having been married for 22 years, and having had 9 children. The children I had established were: James Stewart 1887, Louisa 1893, Eileen Leon 1894, Beatrice Elsie 1898, George 1900, Francis (Frank) Aspinall 1903, Harold John 1904, Thomas 1906, Alfred 1909, and Arthur 1912. That's a total of 10 children, young Arthur having been born after the 1911 census.
The puzzle thickens here from a couple of points. Firstly, if Francis and Christina had been married for 22 years in 1911 that puts their marriage in 1889, about two years after the birth of James Stewart. No big surprise there really, except that James Stewart was born in 1887, Christina was born in 1869, making her just 18 years old at his birth. A little unusual, even for that period. And what about Eliza Farrell, who married Francis in 1885 in Buenos Aires? Was she James Stewart's mother? It seemed very likely that she was, but the question in the 1911 census was "Number of children born to this marriage", and the answer appears to have included James Stewart.
So let's assume that since they all lived together at least until 1901 (James Stewart was living elsewhere in 1911) they simplified matters and for the census they counted all Francis's kids irrespective of who their mother was. But then I made another interesting discovery: the Argentine Census of 1895 recorded the following:
- Francis Aspinall Cooper, born 1859 in England, married in 1885 with Elizabeth(?) born 1855 in England, counted in 1895, Father of:
- James Stewart Cooper, born in 1887 in England - perhaps Francis didn't want James to be seen as Argentinian
- Margarita Cecil Cooper, born in 1889 in England - this is a new one
- Leonisa Cooper, born in 1893 in England - this has to be Louisa
- Aileen Leon Cooper, born in England in 1894 - just a slight difference in spelling
The record goes on to detail "Family Notes" which essentially goes through the family one by one. Francis was 36 years of age, non catholic, father of four children, married 10 years, could read and write; Eliza (as written this time) was 40 years old, catholic, mother of four children, married 10 years, could read and write, and so on. Interestingly, Francis's occupation is recorded as "Lanero", which appears to translate as "Woolman" or perhaps "Wool Dealer".
These discoveries left me with more questions than answers:
- If Francis was still married to Eliza in 1895 how could he have been married (even de-facto) to Christina for 22 years in 1911?
- What happened to Margarita Cecil? I have seen no other trace of her anywhere so far. I have found some Margaret Cecilia's but none so far that really stack up. If she was born in England, that places Francis in England in 1889, but she may have been born in Argentina like James Stewart
- What happened to Eliza? Did she die, did they separate? While divorce or at least separation is possible, it seems more likely that Eliza died some time after 1895, leaving Francis with the four children mentioned in the Argentine Census.
- If Francis and Eliza were together in 1895 for the Argentine Census, and if Christina and Francis had been married for 22 years by the 1911 England Census, that leaves an overlap of six years where Francis would appear to have had two wives. There is little doubt that at least one of the records I have is inaccurate - most likely, in my opinion, the 1911 Census showing 22 years of marriage.
- Francis was a joiner by trade, but supposedly made a fortune building railways in Argentina, yet his occupation in 1895, in Argentina, was something to do with wool or sheep. This may have been a fall-back for Francis, as the story goes that he had placed his fortune with Barings Bank which ran into serious trouble in 1890 and had to be bailed out by a consortium of banks co-ordinated by the Bank of England. Barings had been one of the biggest financers of Argentinian infrastructure development, including the building of railways, and when the Argentinian Government found itself unable to service its foreign debts, millions of pounds worth of Argentinian bonds bought by Barings for on-selling to investors became unsaleable in Europe. Although Barings was saved by the consortium, no doubt many depositors lost their cash in the meantime. It's possible that following that loss, Francis turned to a different trade for income. That is if he ever was in the railway construction business.
My Hypothesis
Francis Aspinall Cooper married Eliza Farrell in Buenos Aires in 1885, and they had four children: James Stewart, Margaret Cecelia, Louisa and Eileen Leon. By 1892 they had returned to England for Francis's sister's wedding, and probably stayed, most likely around Francis's former hometown of Southport, as Louisa and Eileen Leon were born there in 1893 and 1894 respectively. In about 1895 the family returned to Argentina, Francis having work or business there in the wool industry. By sometime in 1896 or 97 Francis had returned to England, again probably to Southport, but whether or not Eliza was with him is unknown, though his children almost certainly were. I speculate that Eliza probably died between 1895 and 1897, either in Argentina or in England. In the 1891 Census I found a Christine B Sutherland living at 277 Lord St Southport, a short distance from the old Cooper house in William St. This Christina's age is recorded as 23, not 22 as would be expected, and the middle initial is 'B' not 'E'. However, in the 1901 and 1911 censuses the "confirmed" Christina (spelt Christine) has inconsistent ages of 31 and 42 respectively. The initial B could either be an enumerator error, or at that time she may have referred to herself as Betty. Her birthplace is recorded as Scotland, and she is not a member of the household family but is recorded as an employee dressmaker along with several others. I suspect that Francis met Christina in Southport in around 1896, and possibly as far back as 1892 when he returned from Argentina for Harriet Emily's wedding. Whatever happened to Eliza, Francis and Christina got together in 1896 or 1897, and their first child was Beatrice Elsie, born in June 1898. Elsie is an abreviated form of Elspeth, or Elspet, which was Christina's mother's name. Francis and Christina left Southport before 1898, possibly because of friction or gossip about their relationship, and Beatrice Elsie was born in Moss Side, Manchester, where they were living in the 1901 census, and Francis was once again working as a Joiner.
This then raises the question of the 1911 census recording Francis and Christina as having been married for 22 years - it doesn't add up. The 1901 census didn't ask the length of marriage, so unfortunately there is nothing to compare with. I suspect they were never actually married at all, which though fairly common, was not usually made public and seldom admitted to in the early 1900's. Unmarried couples pretended to be married, women took on their defacto husbands' surnames, and were rarely challenged. It's worth noting that in the 1911 census the Coopers were living in Headcorn, Kent, a small, mainly agricultural town where they had a dairy farm. The enumerator was Lena Burden, who lived in Devon House, in High Street, Headcorn. Next door to her and her husband were her husband's parents. Thomas Burden was a miller and corn dealer - probably a highly regarded and very "proper" local family. Entering 22 years may simply have been a matter of "keeping up appearances", as the oldest child living with them in the 1911 census was Louisa, then aged 18. Interestingly, and perhaps coincidence, perhaps not, in 1911 Eileen Leon was working as a Dressmaker.
The Railways
There's no doubt that at least one of James Cooper's sons was involved in railway construction in Argentina, and up to now my research has led me to believe it was Francis Aspinall. You may recall Frank Seymour Cragg's letter in which he tells of Jim (unclear) building railways in Argentina and becoming a millionaire then losing it all through the Barings 'smash'. Frank Seymour Cragg also mentions that "Jim"'s younger brother Tom joined him in Argentina for a time. Having considerable evidence that Francis Aspinall Cooper spent a number of years in Argentina, but no evidence of his involvement with railway construction, I decided to have a closer look at his younger brother, Thomas Soanes Cooper.
Thomas was born in Blackburn on March 5th 1863, before the Coopers moved to Southport. Like Francis Aspinall Cooper, Thomas trained as a joiner, and in 1881 he was 18 and living in William St, North Meols (Southport) with the rest of his family. From there on we have a gap of information about Thomas Soanes Cooper. He doesn't appear in the 1891 census, and while that in itself proves nothing, it does suggest that he may have been overseas, and Frank Seymour Cragg's letter suggests he may have been in Argentina for at least some of those 20 years. The Barings Bank episode which supposedly cost our railway-building Cooper his fortune happened in 1890 - it was sometimes referred to as "the 1890 Panic". Family folklore has it that whoever it was that made the fortune in Argentina lost it. But does that necessarily mean he lost all of it? Or could he have been clever enough to have saved some of that wealth - if not the millions, at least a few thousands? I would think so.
In the 1901 census we find a Thomas S Cooper living in Albert Rd, Southport, born in Blackburn in 1865, and recorded as a "boarder", living on his own means. Our Thomas was born in Blackburn in 1863, but again, these discrepancies happen a lot. I believe this was Thomas Soanes Cooper, most likely not long returned from Argentina, and having sufficient wealth to not have to work. Frank Seymour Cragg's letter says "....he became a millionaire building railways and was later joined by his younger brother Tom. Unfortunately, he had all his money in the Baring Bank which smashed and he lost the lot. He returned to England, did some farming and building and finally went to California where he ended up as a fruit farmer...."
I suspect it's quite likely that both these brothers worked in railway construction in Argentina, and both made a fortune and probably lost much, but not all of it. By the 1901 Census we have Thomas Soanes, aged only about 36 and "living by his own means" in Southport, and Francis Aspinall Cooper living in Manchester and working as a joiner. Ten years later, by the 1911 Census, Francis Aspinall had bought a farm in Headcorn, Kent. Thomas Soanes was still in Southport, but now married, with no children, and living in a 7-room house. His occupation is shown as "Unemployed (Retired) Builder", age 48.
It is fairly evident that both these men had accumulated some wealth by 1901, a little over a decade after the Barings crash, even if it wasn't all of the fortune they had made. Two brothers, both joiners, working together in Argentina, probably in partnership, but perhaps separately, returning to England when things turned sour, but almost certainly not penniless. I have no information on how wealthy Francis Aspinall Cooper ended up. But Thomas Soanes died in April 1939, aged 76. The value of his effects was £35,586 19s - quite a sum in 1939!
Francis Aspinall Cooper married Eliza Farrell in Buenos Aires in 1885, and they had four children: James Stewart, Margaret Cecelia, Louisa and Eileen Leon. By 1892 they had returned to England for Francis's sister's wedding, and probably stayed, most likely around Francis's former hometown of Southport, as Louisa and Eileen Leon were born there in 1893 and 1894 respectively. In about 1895 the family returned to Argentina, Francis having work or business there in the wool industry. By sometime in 1896 or 97 Francis had returned to England, again probably to Southport, but whether or not Eliza was with him is unknown, though his children almost certainly were. I speculate that Eliza probably died between 1895 and 1897, either in Argentina or in England. In the 1891 Census I found a Christine B Sutherland living at 277 Lord St Southport, a short distance from the old Cooper house in William St. This Christina's age is recorded as 23, not 22 as would be expected, and the middle initial is 'B' not 'E'. However, in the 1901 and 1911 censuses the "confirmed" Christina (spelt Christine) has inconsistent ages of 31 and 42 respectively. The initial B could either be an enumerator error, or at that time she may have referred to herself as Betty. Her birthplace is recorded as Scotland, and she is not a member of the household family but is recorded as an employee dressmaker along with several others. I suspect that Francis met Christina in Southport in around 1896, and possibly as far back as 1892 when he returned from Argentina for Harriet Emily's wedding. Whatever happened to Eliza, Francis and Christina got together in 1896 or 1897, and their first child was Beatrice Elsie, born in June 1898. Elsie is an abreviated form of Elspeth, or Elspet, which was Christina's mother's name. Francis and Christina left Southport before 1898, possibly because of friction or gossip about their relationship, and Beatrice Elsie was born in Moss Side, Manchester, where they were living in the 1901 census, and Francis was once again working as a Joiner.
This then raises the question of the 1911 census recording Francis and Christina as having been married for 22 years - it doesn't add up. The 1901 census didn't ask the length of marriage, so unfortunately there is nothing to compare with. I suspect they were never actually married at all, which though fairly common, was not usually made public and seldom admitted to in the early 1900's. Unmarried couples pretended to be married, women took on their defacto husbands' surnames, and were rarely challenged. It's worth noting that in the 1911 census the Coopers were living in Headcorn, Kent, a small, mainly agricultural town where they had a dairy farm. The enumerator was Lena Burden, who lived in Devon House, in High Street, Headcorn. Next door to her and her husband were her husband's parents. Thomas Burden was a miller and corn dealer - probably a highly regarded and very "proper" local family. Entering 22 years may simply have been a matter of "keeping up appearances", as the oldest child living with them in the 1911 census was Louisa, then aged 18. Interestingly, and perhaps coincidence, perhaps not, in 1911 Eileen Leon was working as a Dressmaker.
The Railways
There's no doubt that at least one of James Cooper's sons was involved in railway construction in Argentina, and up to now my research has led me to believe it was Francis Aspinall. You may recall Frank Seymour Cragg's letter in which he tells of Jim (unclear) building railways in Argentina and becoming a millionaire then losing it all through the Barings 'smash'. Frank Seymour Cragg also mentions that "Jim"'s younger brother Tom joined him in Argentina for a time. Having considerable evidence that Francis Aspinall Cooper spent a number of years in Argentina, but no evidence of his involvement with railway construction, I decided to have a closer look at his younger brother, Thomas Soanes Cooper.
Thomas was born in Blackburn on March 5th 1863, before the Coopers moved to Southport. Like Francis Aspinall Cooper, Thomas trained as a joiner, and in 1881 he was 18 and living in William St, North Meols (Southport) with the rest of his family. From there on we have a gap of information about Thomas Soanes Cooper. He doesn't appear in the 1891 census, and while that in itself proves nothing, it does suggest that he may have been overseas, and Frank Seymour Cragg's letter suggests he may have been in Argentina for at least some of those 20 years. The Barings Bank episode which supposedly cost our railway-building Cooper his fortune happened in 1890 - it was sometimes referred to as "the 1890 Panic". Family folklore has it that whoever it was that made the fortune in Argentina lost it. But does that necessarily mean he lost all of it? Or could he have been clever enough to have saved some of that wealth - if not the millions, at least a few thousands? I would think so.
I suspect it's quite likely that both these brothers worked in railway construction in Argentina, and both made a fortune and probably lost much, but not all of it. By the 1901 Census we have Thomas Soanes, aged only about 36 and "living by his own means" in Southport, and Francis Aspinall Cooper living in Manchester and working as a joiner. Ten years later, by the 1911 Census, Francis Aspinall had bought a farm in Headcorn, Kent. Thomas Soanes was still in Southport, but now married, with no children, and living in a 7-room house. His occupation is shown as "Unemployed (Retired) Builder", age 48.
It is fairly evident that both these men had accumulated some wealth by 1901, a little over a decade after the Barings crash, even if it wasn't all of the fortune they had made. Two brothers, both joiners, working together in Argentina, probably in partnership, but perhaps separately, returning to England when things turned sour, but almost certainly not penniless. I have no information on how wealthy Francis Aspinall Cooper ended up. But Thomas Soanes died in April 1939, aged 76. The value of his effects was £35,586 19s - quite a sum in 1939!
Hello, my grandfather was Harold Jon Cooper and Frances Aspinall was his father. My grandfather's mother died when he was young but not sure exactly when. They moved to Virginia in the early 1900's. Frances was listed as a Sheepsman. From there the family move to San Bernadino, California where he bought some farm land. My mother has some of Francis A. Coppers carpentry tools. Just starting to research so will try to find more. Btw, where is that Jack Cooper in the picture from? My grandfather went by the name Jack. The English nickname of John which was his middle name.
ReplyDeleteHi there! Thanks for commenting!
DeleteFrom what you're saying, it looks like you and I are Third Cousins! Francis Aspinall Cooper was your Great Grandfather, and his brother, James Edward Cooper, was my Great Grandfather. As you've probably read, I've followed the movements of Francis Aspinall and his family with some interest, largely because my mother knew Francis's daughter Eileen and her brother Frank. I believe she stayed with them for some time in 1948.
"Jack" was (still is I think) a common nick-name for "John", and the Jack Cooper you're asking about was John Knowles Cooper, born in New York in 1889. He was the second son of James Edward Cooper, making him my Great Uncle, and your First Cousin Twice Removed. I think Jack is my favorite of the characters in my Family Tree - his was an interesting story, which I'm currently re-writing in light of recently discovered information.
Thanks again for commenting, and if there's any other info you might need or pictures (I have a few of various Coopers) please feel free to email me on Keith.Hamilton@Bigpond.com
Cheers