Thanks for your response. I'm afraid I always treat the IGI with great caution, and prefer to work with original records. Consequently my info about Coopers comes from the original Baptism, Marriage and Burial registers for Kempston. From these it seems clear that the Thomas Cooper buried in 1736 was in fact the fathwer of the Thomas buried in 1742. The former is described as "Thomas Cooper Senr" with occupation noted as "Victuallar". He, along with other members of the family line, is often referred to in the registers as "Cooper alias Farrer". I'm really after getting back beyond this Thomas, but so far have had no success! Any suggestions? Neither can I find any hints as to why the family carried the "alias Farrer" tag. Again, any help from anyone out there would be welcome.
Thus I think it is possible to reconstruct the family thus:-
Thomas Cooper Senr (alias Farrer) married Elizabeth (unknown), who died in 1736. They had the following children: Mary (b 1683); Elizabeth (b 1686); Sarah (b 1687- and assumed dead before 1694); John (b 1689- and assumed dead before 1697); Thomas (b 1690, and assumed died before 1692); Thomas b 1692- d 1742); Sarah (b 1694); John (b 1697- d 1700); Ann (b 1699- d 1699); William (b 1702- d 1703).
The Thomas Cooper born in 1692 married Mary (unknown), who died in 1744. They had the following children: John ("alias Farrer" b 1716- d 1782); Elizabeth (b 1717); Thomas (b 1724- d 1762); Jones (sic!)(b 1726- d 1731)
My branch of the family stems from the Thomas (1724-1762). Hia son, another Thomas (1751-1801) was born in Houghton Conquest, as was, in turn, his son William (1779-1861). The family then appears to have moved to Wilshampstead, where my gt-gt-grandfather and gt-grandfather were born.
There are lots of Coopers in Bedfordshire, aren't there? All very confusing. I don't suppose you have any leads on the Houghton Conquest or Wilstead lot do you?
