John Cooper was born around 1820 in Stepney, Middlesex, England, the son of James Cooper. Convicted of housebreaking in 1841, he was sentenced to ten years’ transportation and arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, in late 1842 aboard the Moffat. A plasterer and stenciller by trade, he served his probation and received a conditional pardon by 1850. He was of small stature with brown hair, brown eyes, and scars on his face. Anne Tarr was born about 1816 in Gloucestershire, England. In 1849, as a widowed mother of one, she was convicted of felony in Bath, Somerset, and sentenced to ten years’ transportation. She arrived in Hobart in 1850 aboard the St Vincent, accompanied by her young son, David. John and Anne were granted permission to marry in early 1851 and wed at Bothwell shortly after. Over the following years, they had three sons: William Alfred (1851), John James (1852), and Frederick Robert (1855). John worked variously as a labourer and tenant in Bothwell, moving through properties on Dennistoun Road, High Street, and Dalrymple Street. The family maintained close ties in the community, and their sons all married and settled locally. Anne died in 1874 from phthisis at the age of 58 and was buried in Bothwell. John died three years later, in 1877, at age 57, from dropsy. He was laid to rest in the Bothwell Cemetery.

John Cooper, son of James Cooper.

b: abt 1820, Stepney, Middlesex, England; d: 9 May 1877, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 9 May 1877, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Spouse - Anne Tarr.

b: abt 1816, Gloucestershire, England; m: 26 Mar 1851, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 20 Mar 1874, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 20 Mar 1874, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Child of Ann Tarr:

1. David Henry Tarr - b: abt 1849, Somerset, England; bap: 22 Apr 1849, Somerset, England; d: 20 Jul 1902, Hobart, Tasmania; bur: 23 Jul 1902, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Jessie Wyatt, daughter of Richard Wyatt and Ellen Jones, b: 25 Apr 1849, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 14 Jun 1849, Bothwell, Tasmania; m: 17 Oct 1870, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 17 Dec 1888, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: aft 17 Dec 1888, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

Children of John Cooper and Anne Tarr:

1. William Alfred Cooper - b: 12 Jul 1851, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 2 Mar 1852, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 3 Jul 1926, Hobart, Tasmania; bur: aft 3 Jul 1926, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Margaret McCarthy, daughter of Peter McCarthy and Jane Gardener, b: 29 Feb 1856, Hamilton, Tasmania; m: 18 Jan 1875, Hamilton, Tasmania; d: 21 Feb 1937, Bothwell, Tasmania; bur: 22 Feb 1937, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.

2. John James Cooper - b: 30 Sep 1852, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 10 Apr 1916, Bothwell, Tasmania.

3. Frederick Robert Cooper - b: 27 Nov 1855, Bothwell, Tasmania; bap: 19 Sep 1857, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 16 Mar 1933, Hobart, Tasmania; bur: 19 Mar 1933, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania. Spouse - Hannah Mary Clay, daughter of Richard Clay and Bridget Allen, b: 12 Aug 1854, Brighton, Tasmania; m: 26 Jul 1875, Bothwell, Tasmania; d: 14 Apr 1942, Tasmania; bur: 16 Apr 1942, Public Cemetery, Bothwell, Tasmania.