Portrait and Biographical Album of Fulton County,
Illinois: containing full page portraits and biographical sketches of
prominent and representative citizens of the county: together with
portraits and biographies of all the presidents of the United States,
and governors of the state; Biographical Pub. Co., Chicago, IL; 1890;
page 329; Transcribed by Margaret Rose Whitehurst
William S. Cooper. Among the rising young men of Fulton
County, native and to the manor born, none is more worthy of
representation in this Biographical Album, than this gentleman. He
comes of good old New England blood, and of Revolutionary stock. His
father, Francis A. Cooper, was born in Pennsylvania, December 4, 1834.
He removed with his parents to Coshocton County, Ohio, when he was
about eight years old, and there he was reared on a farm. In 1854, he
emigrated to this county, and being a man of considerable education,
and of a fine, well-balanced mind, his services were gladly accepted as
a teacher by the pioneers whom he found here. He also gave his
attention to farming, renting land for about three years, when he
purchased eighty acres on section 22, Woodland Township. There were but
little improvements on the place at the time he purchased it, but in
the years of hard labor that followed he cleared and improved the
greater part of it, and thus greatly increased its original value.
Mr. Cooper was married to Miss Angeline Potter, December 9,
1862. Her father was born in Pennsylvania in 1810. He was a farmer and
came to this county with his family in 1854. He purchased a tract of
land in Woodland Township, where he lived until his death at a ripe old
age in 1865. He was a man of sincere Christian principles, and a member
of the Missionary Baptist Church nearly all his life. He was decidedly
a Republican, in his political views. The maternal great-grandfather of
our subject was a native of New England, where he carried on farming.
He served in the Revolution. The Potter family came from England in
early Colonial times.
The father of our subject was a Democrat in politics, and was
active in local affairs. He held the office of Clerk of the township,
and other minor offices. His death, April 12, 1866, called hence one of
our most stable and respected citizens. The mother of our subject is
still living, and makes her home on the old homestead. She is a woman
of true Christian piety, and a valued member of the Baptist Church. She
has two children, William S., and Francis A.
William S. Cooper was born December 2, 1863. He has farmed the
home place for ten years, and is raising some stock of good grades. He
has just completed a fine frame house, which has cost him $1,000. He is
decidedly with the Democratic party in politics, and is now serving his
third year as Clerk of Woodland Township. His clear, intelligent mind,
his tact and business qualifications, eminently fit him for this
office. He is finely educated, having been a close student of books
since he gleaned his early education in the district schools. He is a
fine penman, and this gift was assiduously cultivated while he was in
attendance at the Valparaiso Business College during the winter of
1889-90. He is still a student in that college, and will complete his
course and be graduated the coming winter.
