Jeremiah Cook1

M, #10263, b. 1791, d. 12 April 1831
Pedigree
Last Edited11 Mar 2023
Birth*Jeremiah Cook was born in 1791 at Wiltshire, EnglandG. 
Marriage*He married Mary Jane Sutton on 29 September 1809 at England. 
Death*Jeremiah Cook died on 12 April 1831 at Upper Swan, Western AustraliaG; Influenza - unlisted in "A Colony Detailed." 

Family

Mary Jane Sutton b. 1792, d. 1 Apr 1848
Children
Immigration*Jeremiah Cook immigrated on 1 February 1831 on the ship Drummore.. 
Note*Cook Jeremiah born 1790, Kennett Wiltshire died 1831. Arrived "Drummore" 4.2.1831 as an indentured shepherd to William Tanner, with wife Mary, born 1791 and their ten children, Elijah born 1810,(in Wiltshire England ) Charlotte, born 1812 (married W. Bishop, 1834), Jane, born 1813 (married John Fleay in October 1832), Henry, born 1816, Phoebe, born 1818 (married Thomas Wallace in July 1837), Sarah, born 1821 (married Alexander Dewar in November 1838), Mary Ellen, born 1828 (married Joseph Hale in 1850) and Harriet, born 1829. Jeremiah died of influenza in the Tanner household 12.4.1831. His wife and daughters remained employed with Tanner as Nursemaids and Cook.

SUPPLEMENT TO DICTIONARY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIANS 1829-1914
VOLUME 1 EARLY SETTLERS 1829-1850 COMPILED BY PAMELA STATHAM. 

Citations

  1. [S25] Jennifer Gardner, A Farming Family - The Fleays of Western Australia (n.pub.).
  2. [S55] Rica Ericson, compiler, Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre- 1829-1888 Vols 1-4 (Nedlands, WA: UWA, 1988). Hereinafter cited as Bic Dic Vols 1-4.

Mary Jane Sutton

F, #10265, b. 1792, d. 1 April 1848
Pedigree
Last Edited11 Mar 2023
Birth*Mary Jane Sutton was born in 1792 at England. 
Marriage*She married Jeremiah Cook on 29 September 1809 at England. 
Marriage*Mary Jane Sutton married an unknown person in August 1832 at Perth, Western AustraliaG.1 
Marriage*She married Henry Randall on 28 August 1832 at Perth, Western AustraliaG.2 
Death*Mary Jane Sutton died on 1 April 1848 at York, Western AustraliaG.2 

Family 1

Jeremiah Cook b. 1791, d. 12 Apr 1831
Children

Family 2

Henry Randall b. 1773, d. 15 Dec 1847
Child
Immigration*Mary Jane Sutton immigrated on 4 February 1831 on the ship Drummore.. 
Census*She appeared on the census of 1 July 1832 at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG; possibly #1063, 39, single, Surrey, England, Servant - this is the only possible otherwise she was not listed.3 
Census_1837*She appeared on the 1837 WA census of 30 December 1837 at Upper Swan, Western AustraliaG.4 
CensusWA Census 1832
WA Census 1837

Citations

  1. [S55] Rica Ericson, compiler, Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre- 1829-1888 Vols 1-4 (Nedlands, WA: UWA, 1988). Hereinafter cited as Bic Dic Vols 1-4.
  2. [S199] WA Family History, First Families of the Swan River Colony, CD-ROM (Bayswater, WA: WAGS, 2006). Hereinafter cited as First Families.
  3. [S127] Ian Berryman, A Colony Detailed The First Census of Western Australia 1832 (North Perth: Creative Research, 1979). Hereinafter cited as A Colony Detailed.
  4. [S128] Govt Correspondence, Colonial Secretary's Office of WA (Perth: WA Govt, 1837). Hereinafter cited as CSO - WA Census 1837.

Thomas Cook

M, #10266, b. 1770
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012
Birth*Thomas Cook was born in 1770 at England. 
Marriage*He married Susannah Abbs on 16 January 1804 at Ormesby, St Margaret, Norfolk, England. 

Family

Susannah Abbs b. 1770
Children

Citations

  1. [S55] Rica Ericson, compiler, Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre- 1829-1888 Vols 1-4 (Nedlands, WA: UWA, 1988). Hereinafter cited as Bic Dic Vols 1-4.

Susannah Abbs

F, #10267, b. 1770
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012
Birth*Susannah Abbs was born in 1770 at England. 
Marriage*She married Thomas Cook on 16 January 1804 at Ormesby, St Margaret, Norfolk, England. 

Family

Thomas Cook b. 1770
Children

Citations

  1. [S55] Rica Ericson, compiler, Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre- 1829-1888 Vols 1-4 (Nedlands, WA: UWA, 1988). Hereinafter cited as Bic Dic Vols 1-4.

James Harmer

M, #10268
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012
Marriage*James Harmer married Sarah Weedon. 

Family

Sarah Weedon
Child

Sarah Weedon

F, #10269
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012
Marriage*Sarah Weedon married James Harmer. 

Family

James Harmer
Child

David Rea

M, #10270
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012

Family
Child

Thomas George Cook

M, #10271, b. 1816, d. 18 October 1884
Pedigree
Father*Henry Cook
Last Edited10 Mar 2023
Birth*Thomas George Cook was born in 1816 at England. 
He was the son of Henry Cook. 
Marriage*Thomas George Cook married Cecelia Craigie Nicholson on 6 April 1843 at Toodyay, Western AustraliaG; reg: 63. 
Death*Thomas George Cook died on 18 October 1884 at Toodyay, Western AustraliaG; reg: 12860. 
Burial*He was buried at Toodyay, Western AustraliaG. 

Family

Cecelia Craigie Nicholson b. 1816, d. 25 Oct 1885
Children
Immigration*Thomas George Cook immigrated on 14 May 1830 on the ship Rockingham.. 
Census*He appeared on the census of 1 July 1832 at Swan River, Western Australia; #1162, 19, single, Sussex, England, Labourer, Rockingham, Levey.1 
CensusWA Census 1832

Citations

  1. [S127] Ian Berryman, A Colony Detailed The First Census of Western Australia 1832 (North Perth: Creative Research, 1979). Hereinafter cited as A Colony Detailed.
  2. [S55] Rica Ericson, compiler, Bicentennial Dictionary of Western Australians pre- 1829-1888 Vols 1-4 (Nedlands, WA: UWA, 1988). Hereinafter cited as Bic Dic Vols 1-4.

Cecelia Craigie Nicholson

F, #10272, b. 1816, d. 25 October 1885
Pedigree
Last Edited25 Apr 2014
Birth*Cecelia Craigie Nicholson was born in 1816 at Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland.1 
Marriage*She married Thomas George Cook, son of Henry Cook, on 6 April 1843 at Toodyay, Western AustraliaG; reg: 63. 
Death*Cecelia Craigie Nicholson died on 25 October 1885 at Toodyay, Western AustraliaG. 
Burial*She was buried on 26 October 1885 at Toodyay, Western AustraliaG.2 

Family

Thomas George Cook b. 1816, d. 18 Oct 1884
Children

Citations

  1. [S435] Irene Stewart,Scotland.
  2. [S65] Brian R Chambers, Cemeteries DB 2000 - Avon Valley., CD-ROM (n.p.: n.pub., 2000), Burial Records. Hereinafter cited as Cemeteries 2000.

George Edward Chitty

M, #10273, b. 4 May 1817, d. January 1852
Pedigree
Last Edited17 Jul 2021
Birth*George Edward Chitty was born on 4 May 1817 at Ashtead, Surrey, England.1 
Marriage*He married Helen Mary Jane French on 17 October 1834 at Seal, Surrey, England.1 
Death*George Edward Chitty died in January 1852 at Biuckland, Northam, Western Australia, at age 34.2 

Family

Helen Mary Jane French b. 1817, d. 8 Feb 1889
Children
Immigration*George Edward Chitty immigrated on 22 March 1843 on the ship Success.. 

Citations

  1. [S309] Ancestry.com, online www.ancestry.com, LHCourtney. Hereinafter cited as Ancestry.com.
  2. [S65] Brian R Chambers, Cemeteries DB 2000 - Avon Valley., CD-ROM (n.p.: n.pub., 2000), Burial Records. Hereinafter cited as Cemeteries 2000.

Henry Cook

M, #10274
Pedigree
Last Edited12 Aug 2009

Family
Child

Joseph Cooper

M, #10275, b. 1796, d. 15 November 1847
Pedigree
Last Edited13 Mar 2023
Birth*Joseph Cooper was born in 1796 at Gloucestershire, England.1 
Marriage*He married Elizabeth Wright on 21 October 1818 at Westminster, London, EnglandG. 
Death*Joseph Cooper died on 15 November 1847 at Woodmans Point, Western Australia. 
Burial*He was buried at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG. 

Family

Elizabeth Wright b. 1795, d. 26 Jul 1876
Children
Immigration*Joseph Cooper immigrated on 12 March 1830 on the ship Warrior.. 
Census*He appeared on the census of 1 July 1832 at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG; #943, 36, married, Gloucestershire, England, Wheelwright, Warrior, self.1 
Census_1836*He and Elizabeth Wright appeared on the 1836 WA census of 1 January 1836 at Fremantle, Western Australia. Calling of husband - victualler.2 
Census_1837*Joseph Cooper appeared on the 1837 WA census of 30 December 1837 at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG,Blacksmith, born Gloucestershire.3 
Note*Joseph Cooper

Owned the Cooper Mill ( Murray Shire ) was a Wheelwright and had a shop at Radcliffe
near Pinjarra.


Joseph Cooper arrived aboard the " WARRIOR " in March 1830. With him came his
wife Elizabeth (35 years) and their children, Elizabeth (7 years), Rebecca (5 years), Joseph
(3 years) and Mary Ann (6 months). The ship called in at Capetown and family legend has
it that Joseph Cooper purchased a number of white faced cattle and had them shipped
to Swan River, where they became known as "Copper's Breed". It was also said that
he introduced Dandelion or "Capeweed" from South Africa, believing it to have promise
here as cattle food. Neither the cattle nor the fodder plants are mentioned in his list of
imports for land valuation, but he could still have brought them in. Descendants state
that Joseph Cooper so liked the Cape that he nearly stayed there instead of coming on
to Western Australia.
By trade Cooper was a wheelwright and blacksmith, though he was an extremely clever
man and could turn his hand to many other things. This was just as well, for he planned
to become a farmer , and versatility meant the difference between having something or
going without. Like most settlers he came well prepared; the following list was presented to
the Department of Council and Audit for land entitlement: stock -nil, corn mill,
Blacksmith's bellows, anvil, vice, spades, maddock, scythes, half a ton of corn, large package
of sundry tools, chest of axes, nails, screws and hinges, garden seed, 1 1/2 cwt. of biscuit,
1 1/2 cwt. of beef, 1 cwt. of sugar, 1 cwt. of rice, 1/2 cwt. peas, and 2lb. of tea.
At the rate of forty acres for every 3 Pound invested, Joseph Cooper found himself entitled
to a grant of land to the extent of 840 acres. He obtained some town blocks in Fremantle
and applied for a situation below Point Walter with a villa grant in front to connect it with
the river. Unfortunately he could have only 165 acres there, for other claimants had
beaten him, so he decided to apply for land in the Murray district where Thomas Peel
was setting up his establishment. He was allowed to select the balance of his land
entitlement there- 675 acres on the banks of the Murray upstream from Habgoods
location number 9 and on the western bank. At this time the area had not been
accurately surveyed, but the block would have been situated south of Pinjarra one or two
miles upstream from the present East Coolup bridge.
With the native menace being what it was Cooper found himself in the same position as
many other colonists he feared to begin working his grant and so had to remained in
Fremantle. No doubt his skilled came in very handy, for craftsmen of his type were
much sought after. He built carts and wagons and in 1835 acquired a victualler's licence for
an eating house in fremantle called " The Plough ".


A granddaughter of Joseph Cooper once explained that the family was fortunate in
acquiring some gold dust and gold coins which saw them through their lean times. The gold
dust was given to Mrs. Cooper by a grateful passenger whom she had nursed through
a dangerous illness while aboard the Warrior, after the ship had left Capetown.
The explanation of how the gold coins were obtained is as follows:-

The sailors from the Men-of-War or other ships used to be very intoxicated & would take
your pigs from your styes squealing blue murder. When Grandfather left her to go to
Pinjarrup he charged a muzzle-loading gun with wheat & not shot, with instructions to fire
if anyone tried to molest her. On one occasion a drunken man came calling out he would
pull the canvas shutters down if the door was not opened. Although not knowing
anything about firearms , she pulled the trigger and let it off. The man began yelling out he
had been shoot. She could hear him for some distance. Next morning she investigated
the shutter and found a bag of money on the ground closely sewn up. Father never said
how large it was.
In 1836 Joseph Cooper asked if his grant could be relocated down stream from Pinjarra.
The Surveyor General agreed and gave him location 13, Situated immediately below
the townsite and on the western bank. The soil here was generally good and the block could
be reached by boat. Cooper called his farm Redcliffe, and according to the older members
of the family, he walked from Fremantle with his son Joseph (then aged about nine years),
to take possession. It is said that they led a cow down with them, having strapped their
baggage on her back, and that they spent a night at Browne's farm (Jim Jam) before moving
upriver to Pinjarra. A house was built near the river and land quickly cleared. Joseph Cooper
was to become the main wheatgrower in the district for many years, selling flour ground in his
hand-mill to the other settlers who were not yet self-sufficient.

In 1843 Joseph Cooper ( 58 ) began Building a windmill for grinding wheat at " Windmill Point "
on an island at the mouth of the Murray River where it entered Peel Inlet. He did most of the
work himself leaving the running of Redcliffe to his eldest son Joseph. Joseph Cooper ( 58 ) had
been a wheelwright in England before coming here, and it is said that he made some of the mill
machinery out of tuart timber before he died. The mill was completed by son's James and
Thomas. Cooper's mill was initially worked by sails and verbal history has it that the sails were
burnt bin a bushfire. The roof was movable to enable the sail to be set to the wind, but with
trade so brisk as it was, this source of power was found to be inadequate. Accordingly the roof
was fixed and a steam engine installed in a room built on the south side of the mill.


Unfortunately Cooper met an untimely death in 1847. The Perth gazette gave the details:-
We regret to announce another fatal accident, which happened on monday last, to Mr. Cooper
of the Murray, as he was proceeding to Fremantle with a bullock team, accompanied by his
wife and family. Shortly after passing Clarence the bullocks took fright, and Mr. Cooper who
was sitting on the shafts of the cart, was thrown off, and the wheel passed over him. When
taken up, he told his wife and family he was about to die, and spoke of his affairs. He expired on
reaching within four miles of Fremantle.

Taken from The Murray District of Western Australia a History By Ronald Richards. 
CensusWA Census 1832
WA Census 1837

Citations

  1. [S127] Ian Berryman, A Colony Detailed The First Census of Western Australia 1832 (North Perth: Creative Research, 1979). Hereinafter cited as A Colony Detailed.
  2. [S674] Govt Correspondence, Colonial Secretary's Office of WA (Perth: WA Govt, 1836), https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2029802883/view. Hereinafter cited as CSO - WA Census 1836.
  3. [S128] Govt Correspondence, Colonial Secretary's Office of WA (Perth: WA Govt, 1837). Hereinafter cited as CSO - WA Census 1837.
  4. [S309] Ancestry.com, online www.ancestry.com, Amanda Davis. Hereinafter cited as Ancestry.com.

Elizabeth Wright

F, #10276, b. 1795, d. 26 July 1876
Pedigree
Last Edited13 Mar 2023
Birth*Elizabeth Wright was born in 1795 at Essex, England.1 
Marriage*She married Joseph Cooper on 21 October 1818 at Westminster, London, EnglandG. 
Death*Elizabeth Wright died on 26 July 1876 at Pinjarra, Western AustraliaG; reg: 9006 80yrs.2 
Burial*She was buried at Pinjarra Saint Johns Cemetery, Pinjarra, Western Australia.2 

Family

Joseph Cooper b. 1796, d. 15 Nov 1847
Children
Immigration*Elizabeth Wright immigrated on 12 March 1830 on the ship Warrior..3 
Census*She appeared on the census of 1 July 1832 at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG; missing - List as missing in Ian Berryman's book.3 
Census_1836*She and Joseph Cooper appeared on the 1836 WA census of 1 January 1836 at Fremantle, Western Australia. Calling of husband - victualler.4 
Census_1837*Elizabeth Wright appeared on the 1837 WA census of 30 December 1837 at Fremantle, Western AustraliaG,Born Essex.1 
CensusWA Census 1832
WA Census 1837

Citations

  1. [S128] Govt Correspondence, Colonial Secretary's Office of WA (Perth: WA Govt, 1837). Hereinafter cited as CSO - WA Census 1837.
  2. [S632] Find A Grave, online findagrave.com. Hereinafter cited as Find A Grave.
  3. [S127] Ian Berryman, A Colony Detailed The First Census of Western Australia 1832 (North Perth: Creative Research, 1979). Hereinafter cited as A Colony Detailed.
  4. [S674] Govt Correspondence, Colonial Secretary's Office of WA (Perth: WA Govt, 1836), https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-2029802883/view. Hereinafter cited as CSO - WA Census 1836.
  5. [S309] Ancestry.com, online www.ancestry.com, Amanda Davis. Hereinafter cited as Ancestry.com.

Matthew Cooper

M, #10278, b. circa 1787
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012
Birth*Matthew Cooper was born circa 1787 at Cropwell Butler, Nottinghamshire, England. 
Marriage*He married Elizabeth Huskinson. 
Death*Matthew Cooper died at Cropwell Butler, Nottinghamshire, England. 

Family

Elizabeth Huskinson b. c 1787
Child

John Jeffcott

M, #10279
Pedigree
Last Edited23 Dec 2012
Marriage*John Jeffcott married Eliza (?) 

Family

Eliza (?)
Child

William Cousins

M, #10280
Pedigree
Last Edited12 Aug 2009
Marriage*William Cousins married Frances Pike. 

Family

Frances Pike
Child

Frances Pike

F, #10281
Pedigree
Last Edited10 May 2014
Marriage*Frances Pike married William Cousins. 

Family

William Cousins
Child

John Bonser

M, #10288
Pedigree
Last Edited30 Jul 2016
Marriage*John Bonser married Mary Bunton on 20 September 1819 at Whitwick, Leicestershire, England.1,2 

Family

Mary Bunton
Child

Citations

  1. [S86] Kim Hoddy,WA.
  2. [S154] Patsy Bonser & Danielle Bonser Deborah Bonser, A Place to Call Home - The Life of John Bonser (WA: Self, 1992). Hereinafter cited as Bonser.