George W. Cooper

     George W. Cooper was born on 23 February 1826 at Rush County, Indiana.¹ He was the son of James Cooper and Rebecca Updegraff. George W. Cooper married, at age 22, Lavinia Hartman, age 19, daughter of Sampson Hartman and Mary A. Omert, on Thursday, 5 October 1848 at Shelby County, Indiana.²
     George W. Cooper was a mill owner and farmer. He farmed in Shelby County, Indiana until 1854, then moved to Clark County, Illinois and bought a farm of 200 acres, two miles northwest of Martinsville. In 1863 he removed to Martinsville to take a half - interest in a mill that he bought from B.F. McKeen as a partner, he then bought out McKeen's interest a year later, then in 1879 he took H.G. McKeen on as a partner, at which time they rebuilt the mill, all new machinery and changed the mill from a custom mill to a mill with the capacity of about 200 barrels daily and storage capacity of 1,500 bushels. In 1881, Mr. McKeen sold his 1/3 interest to William Cooper, son of G.W. and the mill was known as Cooper and Son there after. They also had a cooper shop and manufacturing company of the barrels for their own use. For some time he bought and shipped stock from Martinsville, also bought and shipped grain for some years. He was a member of Indepentant Order of Odd Fellows and a Republican. A member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of which his Uncle Josiah Cooper was the minister.^1,3