Family background
James Cooper was born in Graffham on 23 October 1792, the eldest child (of 10) of James Cooper (1770–1845) and Sarah King (1772–1840), who had married at St Pancras Church, Chichester on 22 July 1791.
James was baptised at Graffham church on 10 November 1792.
Marriages and children
On 22 September 1817, he married Mary Lambert at Graffham church, when he was 24 and she was 25. The marriage service was conducted by Revd. John Sargent. Their first child, called Mary after her mother, was born a few months later, and was baptised at Graffham on 25 January 1818.
In May 1820, Mary gave birth to her second child, Caroline. Mary died a few days later and was buried at Graffham on 7 June; on the same day, Caroline was baptised, but she died at only three weeks old, and was buried at Graffham on 11 June.
Two years later, on 18 May 1822, 29-year old James married Harriet Carter, aged 17. In her parish of Lodsworth. On the marriage register, James was described as a bachelor, rather than a widower. Their first child, Harriet was baptised at Graffham on 22 December 1822.
Harriet and James had a further seven children born in England:
James King, baptised 18 July 1824
Emma, baptised 26 February 1826
Henry, baptised 9 September 1827
Caroline, baptised 15 March 1829
Sarah, baptised 31 January 1831
William, baptised 4 November 1832
George, baptised 27 October 1834
Apart from William and George, who were baptised at Tillington, the other children were baptised at Graffham.
Emigration to Canada
James’s younger brother, William Cooper (baptised March 1796) had emigrated to Canada in 1832, not under the auspices of the Petworth Emigration Scheme but via New York. On 28 July 1832, William wrote from Adelaide (in Middlesex County, 150 miles west of Toronto) to his family at Graffham. In his letter, he says to James and his brothers: “this would be a good opportunity … to have come out to this country. I should like for all my brothers to come here, for here is plenty of work”.
In January 1836, James received a letter from his friends, John and Ruth Walden, addressed to him at Tillington. The Waldens had travelled under the Petworth Emigration Scheme in 1835 from their home at Climping, and settled at St Catharines, near Niagara Falls. The couple advised James and Harriet to come to Canada “as soon as you can”, “for the sake of your family, and do not live there in that distressed state”. Here “we can have anything we wish for”. Ruth advised Harriet to “bring your gingerbread mould with you … for I have never seen any … gingerbread … since I have been in Canada”. “It will be a good trade here.”
James and Harriet, and their eight children eventually sailed for Canada in April 1836 under the Petworth Emigration Scheme. They left Portsmouth on board the Heber, on 28 April 1836, arriving at Quebec on 5 June reaching Montreal four days later. From there they travelled on to Adelaide township, where they settled at Woodcut Farm, close to William Cooper.
James and Harriet had a further five children in Adelaide, including Cornelius, born August 1836 (two months after their arrival in Canada), Charlotte, born May 1838, and Charles, born July 1843. Four of their children died in childhood.
Soon after his arrival in Adelaide, James began to hold religious services at his home, described a a log cabin. In 1839, James left the Anglican church and became a Wesleyan Methodist; he was the first person in the Adelaide area to convert to the Methodist faith. The following year, he was of the men who assisted in building the first Wesleyan Methodist Church in Adelaide. He was appointed the leader of the first class formed at the church, a position he held for the next 45 years, until his death.
Harriet Cooper died at Adelaide on 6 December 1857, aged 52. He married for the third time to a widow, Mahetable Eastman née Miner (c.1806 – 1902).
James Cooper died at Adelaide on 12 May 1883, aged 90. He was buried two days later in the 4th Line Burial Ground at Strathroy, Ontario.
Letter to family
In May 1838, nearly two years after they emigrated, James wrote home to his parents and family in Graffham. A copy of the letter was forwarded to the Brighton Herald, who published it on 25 August 1838. [He had previously written home in 1836 or 1837, but this letter has not survived.]
After describing the difficulties of his first summer in Canada, he goes on to say: “thank the Lord, we are better provided for this year, having had plenty of grain for seed, for flour, and to fat our hogs”. He then describes in detail his farm and the large quantity of crops he now has planted (at least 23 acres in total), plus a substantial amount of livestock, including four cats and two dogs. The letter also talks about various friends and acquaintances from Sussex who hadsettled locally, including James Budd and his wife Mary (Carter), the sister of his wife, Harriet.