Frank
W. Cooper, who is prominently
identified with the business interests of Macoupin County, is mine
superintendent and proprietor of a large general store at Nilwood. He was
born at Nilwood, Macoupin County, Illinois, January 11, 1863, and is a son
of Henry Cooper, one of the capitalists of this county.
The Cooper,
family is of English extraction. James Cooper, tin grandfather of Frank W.,
died in Australia, leaving a widow and five children. The widow later
married David Chappie, and died in 1884, in England, aged 84 years. Her
second and only surviving son, Henry Cooper father of our subject, was born
in England, December 25, 1825, and came to America in the fall of 1849. He
had been an employee of the Great Western Railroad Company of England and
was a practical railroad man when he landed in New York. His objective point
was the West, but Chicago did not offer sufficient inducements to make him
desire to make his home there. At Elgin, Illinois, where work was being done
on the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, he secured a sub-contract which he
finished in the spring of 1851, when he came first to Macoupin County, The
Alton road was then in couse of construction, and Mr. Cooper took another
sub-contract, this being for the grading and finishing of the road from
Carlinville to Alton. This also was completed satisfactorily and in 1851 he
was made foreman of the construction work from Springfield to Alton. After
the completion of the road, he settled where he still resides. In 1852 he
entered upon the business of supplying the Chicago & Alton Railway with
wood, purchasing first 40 acres of timber land. So successful was he in this
enterprise, that he then bought of the city of Alton 640 acres of timber
land, a third purchase being one of 400 acres of timber land in the Macoupin
Bottoms.
Each business effort of Mr. Cooper was better than the last
and thus he felt justified in taking his largest contract, this being the
supplying of ties to this railroad, involving the purchase of 2,000 acres of
timber land, all contiguous to the Chicago & Alton. Mr. Cooper still resides
in the vicinity of Nilwood, owning 1,000 acres of improved land here,
including much of the village, 400 acres of which property he has leased to
coal operating companies. He is a man of exceptional business ability. In
politics he has always supported the Democratic party. Fraternally he is a
Mason. In 1852 he married Mrs. Mary (Murphy) Dea, widow of Richard Dea, who
was born in Ireland. They reared seven children, our subject being the
youngest son.
Frank W. Cooper received his education at Nilwood and
in the State University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. He began his business
career as an employee of the Bell Telephone Company, first at Elkhart,
Indiana, then at Kankakee, Illinois, and later at La Salle, Illinois, after
which he returned to Nilwood and engaged in clerking. On October 21, 1888,
he became bookkeeper for the Nilwood Carbon Coal Company and in April, 1897,
with his brother Charles, purchased the mines, two years later becoming sole
operator through lease. On October 1, 1902 he disposed of the mines and
became superintendent. Since April 1, 1897, he has been engaged in a general
mercantile business at Nilwood and is prominently identified with the
majority of its enterprises, has been president of the village for four
years, on the School Board for nine years and treasurer of Nilwood since
1893.
On October 29, 1890, Mr. Cooper was married to S. Chassie
Cline, a daughter of J. W. Cline, a retired farmer of Litchfield, Illinois.
Fraternally he is a Knight Templar and a Knight of Pythias.
Extracted 2018 May 08 by Norma Hass from Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Macoupin County, Illinois, published in 1904, pages 544-545.
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