Logan, West Va. Feby. 23, 37

Mr. Eugene Alan Cooper, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Dear Son:
      A letter addressed to Dick came under my observation., and as it was
lying about exposed for all the world to see, apparently, I took the liberty
of reading it, and I noted your request for information regarding your
maternal ancestry.
      I am sorry to confess that I know much less about the subject than
probably I should. In my early days I heard your grand-mother Cooper recite as
much of her family history as she knew, but to me it didn't seem very
important. We lived rather far from most of our kin on both sides, we being at
Burnside, south of the river, while most of our kin on both sides lived either
on or about 'Fishing Creek, northeast of Somerset, or near Science Hill, my
mother's early home, north of Somerset -- outside of the many uncles, aunts
etc.,mostly on my mother's side, who had moved away years before, to Illinois,
Missouri and other places.
      After I became old enough that I should have taken more interest, I
seemed usually to have my mind occupied more with matters of the heart than
with family trees until my marriage at the age of twenty, after which I
naturally had more to distract my mind from the subject than before.
      Your Grand-mother Cooper, before her marriage, was Sarah Elizabeth Reid.
Her father was George T. (probably Thomas, for his father) Reid. His father
was Thomas Reid,, and Thomas Reid's father was Alexander Reid, a Scotchman and
some-time sailor, who settled in Virginia.
      Your great-grand- father Geo. T. Reid married Sarah Elizabeth Bishop.
He was born in 1806, and she in 1904. Your grandmother, born in 1850 May 21 I
think, was the youngest of several children, thirteen I think, born of that
union. The eldest was Josiah, who married and moved to Illinois and then to
Missouri. Others were Tom, Will, Jane, Charles, Amanda, Katherine. some died
young.
      Your great-grandmother Reid, nee Bishop, was the daughter of George
Bishop, whose father was Thomas Bishop, but I don't know about the maternal
side. You had a great-great-grandmother Margaret Gastineau, but I don't recall
whether she was on the Cooper or Reid side. By the way, "Reid" in the Scotch
of it. The English forms are Read, Reade, and Reed.
      The rather romantic Dave Matthews was brother to my father's (Weems
Lucien) mother, and was my great-uncle. He was a noted hunter and adventurer,
who seemed to be most at home, or to find interest and entertainment, in
places and situations that men of even reasonable prudence would wish to
avoid. In his day the Indians were no longer as dangerous as they had been in
the previous generation, it being usually extremely unhealthy for them to
cross the Ohio and be discovered south of that stream, though from both north
and south they were still a factor to be reckoned with but the
still-almost-unbroken wilderness held adventure in plenty.
      Dave's favorite quest was the black panther, which most ferocious
species of cat chose extermination rather than migration westwardly as did its
less dangerous tawny cousin, the puma, which went west with the deer.
      Dave killed panthers both for the bounties he received and for the
sport, going it alone and spending much more time out-of-doors than in. The
rutting season he found to be most profitable, for the animals then were very
bold, making night hideous with their screams and taking little care to
prevent being seen. Useless to state, they were then most dangerous.
      It is not generally known how plentiful and dangerous they were. My
mother told that when she was about nine years old, in 1859, her father heard
something among the chickens roosting in the orchard near the house. Panthers
were not so numerous as they had been, and grandfather thought it was probably
some smaller animal. The moon was shining. He  went out without his gun, and
my mother-to-be followed. Before he came too near, he saw it was a panther. He
stood still and told her to return quietly and send her older brother out with
his gun. He then made the boy go back indoors, and holding the gun at ready,
himself slowly retreated to safety. The panther lay along a limb, waving its
tail and waiting, for it liked to strike its prey at the first leap, and
grandfather Preferred to outmaneuver it to risking a shot by moonlight.
     When I was small, in the eighties, panthers could still be often seen or
heard in the woods in mountainous sections, and mountain travel at night was
strictly limited; and as late as 1894, when I was 15, I am quite sure that I
came close to encountering one -- nothing else, I think, could have made the
kind of cry and noise I heard -- near the foot of the "Knob," a bald hill or
mountain where ended a range of hills extending from the Cumberland river,
being near my mother's girlhood home where an uncle lived. I was trying to
find my way, horseback, by a road through the woods to my uncle's place when I
heard the thing in front of me. My horse, or rather a mare in foal, was tired,
too tired to be forced into a run past the tree up which I had heard my
what-is-it scramble, uttering a woman-like "yee-oop," which shall be my
excuse, if any be needed, for disgracing my Matthews blood.
      Many were the tales that I heard of Uncle Dave's experiences,among which
bear hunting were merely a harmless pastime, engaged in only to procure food or
to protect women and children and domestic animals.
      It was related, too, that there was in those parts a man who must have
been a prototype of Carnera or Jess Willard, who was considered so dangerous
as a foe that the legislature passed a special law on his account, making it a
felony for him to strike another man with his closed fist. Uncle Dave had
nothing against the man, but became tired of having the man considered the
champion without earning the title fairly and squarely, and challenged him to
battle. The legal restrictions did not apply in case the giant Roark were
struck twice in succession before he took action; so Uncle Dave smacked him
smartly on both sides of his face, as a necessary preliminary.
      I don't know what the rules were, but they battled long and fiercely;
and Uncle Dave finally was knocked senseless and lost the fight; but he soon
recovered and was as cooky as ever, while Roark claimed to be injured
internally and would never entertain another challenge.
      Uncle Dave was riding out very early one morning and met another mounted
man at a stream where both stopped to water their horses. "What might your
name be, Stranger?" asked Uncle Dave, according to the custom and language of
the section and of the times.
      "Early," the man curtly replied. "what's yours?"
      "Soon-get-up-in-the-morning," answered Uncle Dave, who thought the
stranger had given him a "smart" answer.
      Both felt very much offended, each believing that he had good reason,
and no words were wasted until both had about as much pommeling as could be
desired. While they paused for breath, it came out, to the astonishment of
both, that each of them considered himself the aggrieved party, and then
explanations and apologies were made by both; and a. lifetime friendship was
the result, formed on the basis of mutual respect.

By George Matthews Cooper Logan, Wva Feb 23 1937
                      From the writings of George Matthews Cooper.

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Let Brother Cloverlee tell em;

	I hold no license to preach , and have no wish to touch the Ark with
un-hallowed hands; but I reckon that being a Methodist, I have a right to
testify, and I want to back him up. 	Selfishness and self-indulgence are
father and mother to nearly all of the evils that beset us and there is no
cure for those ills but the remedy prescribed by preachers of the Word. There
are many who make the fatal mistake of trying to impose on the Lord God. They
presist in interfering with His plans and purpose, wiich are all for their
good, and seemingly expect to get away with it. A boat which will not answer
to the helm will answer to the rock; and a man who makes a monkey of himself
and plays a game of make believe that there is no hell, will get a knot jerked
in his tale,- and that applies to a nation too. 	Not that I take any stock in
any monkey doctrine. Evolution doesn't worry me- not any. I know that God
created man. Then someone tries to argue with me about how or when he did it
or how or when he did not do it. I say "All right , let it go at that." 	But
it makes me wroth to see authors of our school biologies and some teachers
too, but none in this country that I know of, thank God, go out of their way
to instill in the minds of our children the thought that the Bible is not
literally true. The ignorance and conceit displayed by some of these so-called
teachers of science would make a dog sick. They know nothing, absolutly
nothing, about the origin of even the simplest forms of life, but they see
likenesses and analogies and they see the variability and adaptability with
which God has endowed all of his creatures; and now if they could find out how
it all started, they would take out patents, and so leave God alltogather out
of it, which is what they seem most anxious to do. 	The pseudo-scientists
built a nebular theory of creation a few years ago, and it was considered
treason to doubt it, and they taught the theory in schools and colleges, until
they found that it tallied in every important particular with the Biblical
story of creation, and they began to formulate different theories. 	Persons of
mature minds know that there is a vast difference between litteral truth and
essential truth, but it is not to be expected that children will be able to
make the destinction. in a litteral sense I do not believe that " The
mountains skipped like rams and the little hills like lambs," but I do believe
that the occasion refered to was a joyfull one, and that was what the Psalmist
meant to say. 	I believe that the Biblical account of creation is essentially
true and that it is as near to actual truth as could be comprehended by the
people for whom the author was writing. If that be credulity on my part and
not a reasonable faith then those who disagree with me may make the most of
it. I will go farther and show just how credulous I am. We know that Asop's
fables are not litteraly true, and yet I claim that they contain more of
essential truth than the best encyclopedia. Litterly speaking, there is no
Santa Claus, but I claim that the Santa Clause that typifies to our children
the unselfish parental love that is akin to that which is devine, is a more
real character than many whose deeds the histories record. 	It is in the
Bible, and I believe it to be true, that I was born on May fifth, 1879, but if
someone doubt the truth of that stament, I shan't argue about it. It is in my
fathers handwriting, but let it go, it isn't important; but it is important,
to me at least, that I am here and what I may do about it. 	The choice is
mine. I may take the devils advice and put it off; I may judge myself
"unworthy of eternal life" and grade myself with the "brute beasts that
perish"; or I may aspire to a better, fuller life beyond the grave, by virtue
of being a desciple, though a very useless and unworthy one, of him that said"
My yoke is easy and my burden is light." I have worn the yoke all too easily,
I know, but I trust that a few yoke marks will show, and that they will be on
my shoulders, and not behind my ears. 	I believe that God has given of his
spirit to men willing to receive and be governed by that spirit, and to such
men have been revealed spiritual truths such as men ought to know; and I
believe the the authors of the books of the Bible were such men. Such men as
those never meant to speak otherwise than truly, But it may be possible that
not all of them were as careful as the Apostle Paul to distinguish between
"Thus saith the Lord" things and things that were their own personal beliefs.
	The Bible was not written to give information about mundane matters, but
those who wish to know anything of the meaning and purpose of life, present or
future, and of spiritual truth, will find all that they need to know in no
other book. 	Casual knowledge of religion avails nothing. Those who wish to
live agin must acquire a personal knowledge of it. (some may be astonished to
know learn that the expression "immortal soul" is not found in the Bible.)
Intellectuality is not required, but willingness to do right is essential. "
God is a rewarder of them that dilligently seek Him." Undoubtedly the besy way
to seek Him is regularly to attend all of the services of the church of your
preference. 	About the worst thing to do is to engage in doctrinal argument.
Paul says that Christian people should speak the same thing, but he does not
mean that we should try to think just as we do about everything. On the
contrary, he means, I'm sure that we should promote harmony and avoid strife.
When Jesus met the woman at the well and began to probe her sinfull soul, she
tried to dodge the question by starting a doctrinal argument. They will do it
every time. But Jesus swept that Junk aside and made her face the issue. 	Now
don't ask me which church you should attend, for I can't take these
denominational differences very seriously. Nearly all Christian churches
believe alike on what I regard as essential doctrines. No church membership
card will admit you to where you want to go, but any evengelical church can
help you much, and the church with which you are in fullist sympathy can help
you most. I stand squarely behind any of my foregoing statements, but when I
talk about denominations don"t take me too seriously. 	I was reared a Baptist,
and was raised on the Bible, Pilgrims Progress, The Bible Looking Glass, and
Theodosia Earnest, but during my boyhood days Baptist run with the dry cattle
until twelve years old though they rode strict herd on them. My father died
and I became too wild. Baptists are particular about the company they keep,
and when I did come in for my salt, my wife got the Methodists to take me in.
	The Baptists give you a lifetime diploma, if you make good grades, but if you
are a bad actor, in some places they kick you out of school. The methodist
certificate is good only during good behavior, but no matter what you do, you
may continue in school if you will let them pray for you. They are patient
with backward pupils, and if you are any good at all, they will see you a
Christian before they quit. The devil is mightily afraid of both the Baptist
and Methodist armies, and he has a right to be. 	The Presbyterian  army will
go forth and smite the advisary hip and thigh and chase him until his tongue
is hanging out, and then they will say, "The Lord has won a great victory. We
wish there was something we could do, but we are only unprofitable servants.
	The Deciples army move only on written orders, but how they can move when
they get started. 	The Holiness soldiers are wonderful shock troops. They no
more fear the devil than a cat fears a mouse. 	The Salvationists are
professional soldiers. They live in trenches and fight all over no man's land
and they take great many prisoners. 	There are many good armies besides those
I have mentioned. Some armies have been known to snipe at each other, and when
that occurs, the devil holds a celebration. If the Lords soldiers would fight
the devil and never each other, the devil wouldn't have a chance. 	The sign
says, "Join the army and see the world," or is it the navy?- but I would say
Join one of the Lord's armies and see a better world.

      From the writings of George Matthews Cooper...
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Both received over email from Dan Cooper, Feb. 1999. (dancooper@intermediatn.net)