12th child of Capt. Robert & Jane Hamilton Cooper. When his father died, he was almost 8yrs. old. His mother Jane Hamilton Cooper left with many small children from Chester Co. So. Carolina in 1804 and came t Tenn, bringing Robert Melville, 3 daus and three other sons. She settle lst near Nashville, then moved to Williamson Co., in 1809 she moved to Maury Co. Tn. when it was still covered in cane.

Married Catherine Cooper Cooper 29 Mar 1816 Maury Co., Tn.;after he married his mother moved to Mississippi; he and Catherine had fifteen children (12 boys and 3 daughters)
Robert Melville was Private in Capt. Bird S. Hurt's Company, 1st Regiment Tennessee Militia(Col. William Metcalf) Smith's Brigade,Carroll's Division; Gen. Andrew Jackson's Army from Nov. 13, 1814 to May 13, 1815, and according to his own statement participated in the Battle of New Orleans on Jan. 8, 1815. On June 6, 1817, he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel and commandant of the 51st Regiment of the State Militia of Tennessee.

Robert Melville Cooper is noted for idenifying the remains of Merriwether Lewis, by the nails he made for the casket in a letter written to Col. Draper.

R.M. Cooper in 1810 opened the first stores in Mt. Pleasant. 1814 joined State Militia to fight with Andrew Jackson; 1816 married; 1819 was assessed for 113 acres on Cathey's Creek, but by 1821 had moved to Bainbridge Co. Miss. and stayed there until 1825 when he returned to Maury Co.; he owned a farm six miles south of Mt. Pleasant.

On June 30, 1845 he stated that he was 50 yrs old and sometimes employed by Lee & Hoge. In 1850 a new Masonic loge was formed at Hampshire and in March of that year Robert M. Cooper became the Worshipful Master. The lodge was chartered on 8 Oct 1850. He became the lst Co. Clerk of Lewis Co. and later served as the Clerk of the Circuit cort, his office was in Newburg, the county seat, he sold it on July 30 1850 to James S. Smith for $236.50.

Came the Civil War with its ravages, 10 of his eleven living sons went to war. One could not go because of a physical handicap, 2 were killed and 3 died from wounds, and four were severely wonded. Only one escaped unhurt.

He served as postmaster in Mt. Pleasant and was very active until his death. He died at the home of his daughter, Ellen Houser. He was an outstanding and honored citizen as were many of his children and their descendants.

I would like to thank Valeria for sponsoring this page and Sandra for the picture of Robert Melville Cooper.
One son Samuel Gwin Cooper is buried at Oak Wood Cemetery in Cook Co., Ill.