James Cooper was born July 16,1770 at New Luce, Wigtonshire, Scotland and died March 24 1856 at Newark, Lincoln Co., Canada West.  He was the son of John Cooper (1733-1772) and Janet McMicking (1739-1809).  On March 2, 1796 at Stamford, Welland Co., Upper Canada he married Elizabeth Hixon (1773-1885).

 

James and his brother Thomas bought the north 40 acres of his uncle's homestead (Thomas McMicking IV).  This likely occurred when Welland County was created in 1791 and that area was designated to be in Lincoln County.  James' land was in the midst of the battlefields during The War of 1812 and is now known as "Queenston Heights".  Although his cousins went to stay with the McGlashan family in Beaver Dams during the war, James, while serving as "indian scout" for the Lincoln 2nd Militia, sent his wife and five young children to stay with the Secord family in St Davids.  This was the home of the famed Canadian heroine, Laura Secord, and her family, and based on the timeline, James' family would have been living with Laura Secord at the very time she made her famous and historic trek to warn the British of pending American invasion, as recorded in Canadian history annals.

 

Children:

1  Jannet Cooper  (1797 - 1832)

2  John Cooper  (1799-1874)

3  Daniel Cooper  (1800 -?)

4  James Cooper (1804-Apr. 23, 1828)  

5  Timothy Cooper  (1806-1866)

6  Thomas Alexander Cooper  (b.Apr 2, 1817 - d.June 11, 1854, Newark

 

 

 

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Sources:

Records of R G McMicking Collection

Records of D Meighan  (Email to Reg McMicking)

Records of D McClellan  (Email to Reg McMicking)

Records of J Elliott  (Email to Reg McMicking)

Ref: House of Cowpar

Document: Obituary

Document Image: Gravesite Monument