Cooper brothers

According to John Chase: "The four Cooper brothers came to Santa Cruz County in the early 1850s, and all engaged in merchandising; Thomas S. (1827-1893) and James A. (1822-1878) in Watsonville; John L. (1829-1887) and William F. (1823-1894) in Santa Cruz. The Cooper family came from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. They were related to author James Fenimore Cooper and, further back on the family tree, descendants of James Cooper of Stratford-on-Avon, who arrived in America in 1680. John Cooper, known as “Fatty,” was “a good-natured if somewhat straight-laced man.” William was known as a friend to the mission Indians and in 1876-78 was the first mayor under the reorganized municipal government [charter city]. The two brothers opened their general store in Santa Cruz in 1850 with goods transported across the plains by William."

• John L. Chase, The Sidewalk Companion to Santa Cruz Architecture (4th ed. 2023), Chapter Five, item (57), page 169-170

Parents Thomas J. and Martha followed the brothers to Santa Cruz, and are buried with John and William in Evergreen Cemetery. Thomas and James are buried in Watsonville where they lived. William Burton Cooper (no local burial found), a son of James, has a bio in Guinn. Uncle Cooper, Franklin (1813-1895) Cooper also came to Santa Cruz County, was a Soc. of Pioneers member, and has a bio in Riptide.