Vinson Jones Wrotten Cooper

"Vinson Jones Cooper,... was born Dec 27, 1834 at Hinds County, Miss. He came to Utah with the early settlers. He had many experiences with the Indians, whose language he could speak very well. He said he believed his life had been spared many times. An incident which I will relate: A party of the settlers formed to move west. In packing to move, a pig got lose, and in trying to capture it, someone threw a saddle stirrup and struck the pig. It fell dead. The family stopped to dress it, but the rest of the company moved on. They were all killed by Indians. He was in the Black Hawk War. He used to sent with important messages. In delivering one of these messages, he made one of the fastest, longest distance rides on record. He lived in Utah a number of years before moving to Oxford, Idaho, where he was engaged in farming and stock-raising. After living there for several years he moved to Basin, Idaho. He married Julia Ann Hawkins Nov. 8, 1867. He died at the age of 55, no doubt his life was cut short by the hardships he was called to go thru. He died at Basin, Ida. Sept. 5, 1889. He was the husband of two wives and the father of 21 children. He was of French and English extraction."

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