William Clayton Cooper of South Dakota

WILLIAM COOPER > AMOS COOPER > FRANKLIN COOPER > WILLIAM CLAYTON COOPER m Mary Fairy Spaulding

You can read about the various Cooper's here.

Franklin Cooper, born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, came with his parents to Clark County, Illinois in the mid 1820s. He married Jemima Wilson, a much younger woman, on 14 Mar 1850 in Stephenson County, Illinois and they later came to Polk Township, east of Plainfield, in Bremer County, Iowa, where they farmed. Jemima Ann was born 31 Oct 1832 in Kentucky. Franklin died at home in January 1893 and was buried in Horton  Jemima lived on until 1908. They had 10 children, only four of whom survived childhood. Jemima traveled frequently in her last years visiting her children and also was involved in various groups like the GAR auxiliary and the Ladies Aid Society.

1890s Play in Plainfield - Jemima is second row, far right

Son William Clayton was born in March of 1862 in Stephenson County. He married Mary Fairy "Fairy" Spaulding on 10 Oct 1883 in Horton, Iowa. She was born in January 1864 in Iowa. The 1900 census has William listed as a "landlord." Fairy was involved in the Royal Neighbors and can be seen here on this float in 1900.

Plainfield Royal Neighbors, 1900: Fairy Cooper is 4th from left, front row

In 1907, the couple took a leap and left for Fort Pierre, South Dakota, where they would take a land claim. On a visit home, he told everyone about what a great deal it was, "There is plenty of good land around Pierre that anyone can get by remaining on fourteen months and paying 50 center per acre." His four adult daughters lived in either South Dakota or Nebraska with their families.

In 1915, William met with a tragic accident:

"The community was shocked and saddened by the death Saturday morning of Wm C Cooper, a well known resident of our town. Mr Cooper was assisting his son-in-law on a farm near Carpenter, Friday evening when he threw his fork down from the stack and immediately sprang down. The fork stuck in the ground, the handle standing upright and Mr Cooper was impaled on the handle. He was taken at once to the Watertown hospital, but died the next morning at 8 o'clock. He leaves a wife and three married daughters as well as a number of grandchildren to whom their grandfather was an especially dear playfellow and friend. Funeral services were held at Carpenter Monday afternoon."
Huron Weekly State Spirit
Thursday, August 26, 1915, Huron, South Dakota

Her daughter Edith Cooper Zwanziger lived in Huron near her mother and in 1930, her grandson, Lawrence Zwanziger lived with his grandmother. Mary died in a Huron, South Dakota hospital 01 Apr 1948.