Name/Title
Cooper family: Robert George & Margret (Rauk) Cooper, 1878 pioneers of Belmont Township, Traill County, North DakotaEntry/Object ID
2026.161.1Description
This family history folder contains document describing the lives of Robert George and Margret (Rauk) Cooper, who were pioneers of Belmont Township.
Robert 'George' Cooper was born in Orono, Ontario Canada on 19 November 1854 (see biographies). In 1878, George filed a land claim in the southeast quarter of section 7 in Belmont Township (see 1900 map), where he established a farmstead. When the 1880 US Census was taken on 3 July in Belmont Township, George was recorded as age 23 and a "Wagon maker". In 1881 Robert George Cooper married Margret Rauk.
Margret Rauk was born on 16 March 1862 in Mitchell County, Iowa and was baptized on 22 June 1862 at St Ansgar's First Lutheran Church [ELCA birth-baptism records]. St Ansgar is located in northeastern IA, about 60 miles southwest of Rochester, MN. In the 1870 US Census for St. Ansgar Township in Mitchell County, Margret (Mary in census) was recorded as age 9. In 1877, Mary moved with her parents and siblings to Dakota Territory. In the 1880 US Census collected in Traill County, Dakota Territory, in Township T148N, R49W (Belmont), Margret was age 19 and resided with her parents Knut, age 56, and Mattie (Lien) Rauk, age 58, on the Rauk farm, along with her older brother Christian Rauk, age 24, and uncle Bendict Rauk, age 45. A year after the 1880 census, Margret married R. George Cooper.
Interestingly, in the 1885 ND Census for Belmont-Buxton in Traill County, Dakota Territory, Margret (Rauk) Cooper was serving as "Housekeeper" for her older brother Carl Rauk, who was farming other land in Belmont Township. In 1885, Mary's daughter Lottie and son Francis (Frank) were with her on Carl Rauk's farm.
Robert George and Margret (Rauk) Cooper had 11 children (see biography), including Lottie, Frank, George, Maude, Edwin, Roy, Wilbur, Robert, Arlone, Hazel, and Charles. Their lives are briefly described below, with dates of birth from records in an Edwin Cooper family album:
1. Charlotte 'Lottie' Rodella Cooper was born on 1 July 1882. In the 1885 ND Census for Traill County, Dakota Territory, Lottie was age 3. In the 1900 US Census, Lottie was listed as age 16 and on the home farm with her parents and siblings. Lottie was not in the 1910 US Census for Belmont Township because by 1909 she was residing in Grand Forks, ND, where at age 27 Lottie was employed as a schoolteacher [1909 City Directory]. Lottie later moved to Montana and had married Fredrick (Fred) August Priess, who was born on 16 December 1881 in Evansville, MN. In the 1920 US Census, Fred, age 38, and Lottie, age 37, lived on Baker St in Ismay, Custer County, MT, where Fredrick was a "Dry goods Merchant". By 1920, they were raising an adopted daughter, Ethel M. Priess, age 10, and a son Leroy F. Priess, age 1, who was born on 14 August 1918 in Ismay. By the 1930 US Census, Fred, age 48, and Lottie, age 47, and children Ethel, age 20, and Leroy, age 11, had moved to a farm located near Belfield in Stark County, North Dakota. Lottie's niece, Vernola Copper, age 14, daughter of Francis and Marie Cooper, was also recorded in the household. By 1935, and in the 1940 US Census, Lottie, age 57, was a widow and was renting a home in Wibaux, Montana. Lottie was operating a "Dry Goods" business with help from her son, Leroy Priess, age 21, who worked as a "Clerk". Lottie's husband, Fred Priess had died on 5 February 1937 in Wibaux, MT, and was interred in the Wibaux Cemetery [US FaG info]. In the 1950 US Census for Wibaux, Lottie at age 68 continue to operate her "Dry goods" retail business in Wibaux. Lottie (Cooper) Priess died at the age of 80 on 3 April 1963 at the Beach Rest Home in Beach, Golden Valley, North Dakota [ND Death Certif.]. Lottie was interred at the Wibaux Cemetery in Wibaux, MT.
2. Francis (Frank) Cooper was born 28 January 1884. In the 1885 ND Census for Traill County, Dakota Territory, Frank was age 1. In the 1900 US Census, Frank was listed as age 17 and on the home farm with his parents and siblings. By the 1910 US Census, Frank, listed as age 25, was farming with his brother George Jr, on his uncle Christian Rauk's farm in Belmont Township, which was located in the southwest quarter of section 8. In 1911, Frank Cooper married Marie Elsie Peterson, who was born on 25 March 1884 in Reynolds, ND. Frank and Marie had seven children: Clifton R. Cooper (1912-1976), Vernola (Cooper) Evenson (1915-1984), Marion (Cooper) Latendresse (1916-2011), Jay Cooper (1920-2000), Donald W. Cooper (1921-2006), Vance Cooper (1923-1981), and Ruby Joy (Cooper) Christianson (1925-2007) [US FaG info]. Marie (Peterson) Cooper, died, age 78, in Mayville, ND, and was interred in the Bruflat Cemetery in Portland, ND. Frank Cooper lived to the grand age of 96, passing away on 8 July 1980. Frank was interred next to Marie in the Bruflat Cemetery, Portland, ND.
3. George Cooper Jr. was born on 5 August 1887. In the 1900 US Census, George Jr. was listed as age 12 and on the home farm with his parents and siblings. In the 1910 US Census, Geroge Jr, listed as age 22, was helping his brother Frank, on his uncle Christian Rauk's farm in Belmont Township. Christian was age 57 and a brother to Margret (Rauk) Cooper. On 1 November 1911, George Jr. Cooper married Clara Mathilde Peterson at the home of her parents in Reynolds, ND [news, Grand Forks Herald, 12 Nov. 1911]. Clara was born on 12 February 1886 and was a sister to Marie (Peterson) Cooper. George and Clara farmed in Grand Forks County and had a daughter Fern (Cooper) Danielson (1912-1970) [US FaG info]. In the 1920 US Census, George Jr., age 34, was helping back on the home farm in Belmont Township with his 71-year-old father, R. G. Cooper and mother, Margret or Mary, who was listed as age 58. George Jr. and Clara farmed in Grand Forks County until his early death at age 51 on 5 October 1938 [ND Death Certif.]. On 8 October 1938, George was interred in the Americus-Saint Olaf Cemetery near Reynolds, ND [US FaG info]. Clara (Peterson) Cooper lived to age 62, passing away on 20 October 1948 in Grand Forks, ND. Clara was interred next to George in the Americus-Saint Olaf Cemetery, Reynolds, ND [US FaG info].
4. Maude Cornella Cooper was born on 5 March 1890. In the 1900 US Census, Maude was listed as age 10 and on the home farm with her parents and siblings. Maude Cooper was not with her family in the 1915 ND Census because she died, age 25, of chronic appendicitis on 29 April 1915 in hospital in Miles City, Custer County, Montana [MT Death Certif.]. Maude Cooper was interred with Cooper family in the Ringsaker Cemetery in Belmont Township in Traill County, ND [US FaG info].
5. Edwin (Eddy) Cooper was born on 13 September 1892 [see Catalogit Family History entry 2026.162.1 for information on Edwin Cooper's life].
6. Roy Cooper was born on 30 January 1895. In the 1900 US Census, Roy was listed as age 5 and on the home farm with his parents and siblings. In the 1910 US Census, Roy was recorded as age 15 and as a "Laborer at home", which was also the case in the 1915 ND Census for Traill County. In the 1920 US Census, Roy, age 25, continued to be listed with his family on the home farm in Belmont Township. Roy served in the US Army's 42nd Field Artillery, 14th Division. Roy Cooper did not marry and died at the age of 44 on 2 October 1939 in Polk County, MN [US FaG info]. Roy was interred with Cooper family in the Ringsaker Cemetery in Belmont Township, Traill County, ND.
7. Wilbur Cooper was born on 29 March 2997. In the 1900 US Census, Wilbur was listed as age 3 and on the home farm with his parents and siblings. In the 1910 US Census, Wilbur was recorded as age 13 on the home farm. Wilber was also at home in the 1915 ND Census for Traill County. Wilbur Cooper did not appear in the 1920 US Census because he passed away in 1917 at the age of only 19. Wilbur Cooper was buried with Cooper family in the Ringsaker Cemetery in Belmont Township, Traill County, ND.
8. Robert Emmet Cooper was born on 6 June 1899. In the 1900 US Census, Robert was listed as 11 months of age and on the home farm with his parents and siblings. In the 1910 US Census, Robert was recorded as age 11 on the home farm. In the 1915 ND Census for Traill County, Robert continued to live at home with his parents and siblings. In the 1920 US Census, Robert, age 20, was still recorded on the home farm with his family. Robert Cooper did not marry and died on 1 May 1962, age 62, in Polk County, MN [US FaG info]. Robert was interred with Cooper family in the Ringsaker Cemetery, which is located in Belmont Township, Traill County, ND.
9. Arlone Edith Cooper was born 15 June 1901. For some reason, Arlone was not listed with her family in the 1910 US Census for Belmont Township, but in the 1920 US Census, Arlone, age 18, was listed on the home farm in Belmont Township with her parents and siblings. On 7 September 1923, Arlone Edith Cooper married Luther A. Barrow in Grand Forks, ND [obituary info]. Luther was born on 4 August 1882 in Carroll County, Tennessee, and in 1911 had previously married Luna Adams [US FaG info]. In 1928, Luther and Arlone lived in Hebron, ND, which is located about 60 miles west of Bismarck, ND, and later in Belfield, ND, locate 22 miles west of Dickinson, ND; Luther was a telegraph operator for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Arlone and Luther had a son Charles Aden Barrow. In 1933, they moved to Beach, ND, where Arlone operated a woman's and children's clothing store with her sister Hazel (Mrs. Redmond). Arlone (Cooper) Barrow died, age 51, on 19 October 1952 after suffering for years with a rare form of arthritis. Arlone passed in the Johnstone Memorial Hospital in Beach, ND. After funeral services held at the Congregational Church in Beach, Arlone was interred in the Wibaux City Cemetery located in nearby Wibaux, MT. Luther A. Barrow lived to the age of 96, passing away in Kalispell in Flathead County, Mt, where his son Charles lived [obit Info, The Missoulian, 16 Jun. 1979]. Luther was interred next to Arlone in the Wibaux City Cemetery, Wibaux, MT [US FaG info].
10. Hazel Gleneva Cooper was born 9 November 1903. In the 1910 US Census for the Cooper home farm, Hazel was recorded as age 6. In the 1915 ND Census for Traill County, Hazel was on the home farm with her parents and brothers. Hazel was age 16 in the 1920 US Census taken in Belmont Township. Hazel Cooper married Louis Parnal 'Tim' Redmond. Tim was born on 1 July 1897 in Bernard, Iowa. Tim and Hazel lived in Beach, ND, where she operated a woman's and children's clothing store with her sister Arlone [obituary info]. Tim Redmond died, at 73 on 9 March 1971 in Glendive, Mt, and was interred in the Cemetery in Wibaux, MT [US FaG info]. Arlone (Cooper) Redmond lived to the age of 76, passing away in Mayville, ND [US FaG info]. Hazel was buried with Cooper family in the Ringsaker Cemetery, Traill County, ND.
11. Charles Preston Cooper was born on 21 November 1917. In the 1920 US Census, Charles was age 2 and lived with his parents and siblings on the home farm in Belmont Township in Traill County, ND. In the 1925 ND Census, Charlie was age 7 on the home farm. In the 1930 US Census, Charles was age 12, and resided with his mother, Mary, on the home farm, which was now operated by his older brother Edwin Cooper. In the 1940, Charles Cooper was age 22 and renting a room in a house in the Village of Buxton, ND, where he was employed as a "Telegrapher" for the "Railroad". By 16 October 1940, when Charles registered with the US Selective Service with the Local Board in Hillsboro, Traill County, ND, he stated that he was still residing in Buxton, ND, and employed by the Northern Pacific Railway. Charles served with the US Army during WWII in the Seattle, WA, region. While in the US Army, Charles Preston Cooper married Cynthia Elizabeth Spilman on 9 February 1945 in Seattle in King County [WA Marriage Certif.]. Cynthia was also serving in the US Army. Cynthia Elizabeth Spilman was born on 8 May 1922. In the 1950 US Census, Charles, age 32, and Cynthia (Spilman) Cooper, age 28, resided on 46th NE in Seattle, while Charles was employed as a "Service Station Attendant". Charles and Cynthia had a son, Charles J. Cooper, age 2, in this 1950 census. Charles Joseph Cooper was born on 21 November 1947. In 1955, Charles and Cynthia Cooper had a second son, Kendall Warren Cooper, in Montana, who was born on 19 June 1955 in Billings {MT Birth Record]. From obituaries for Charles' brothers, we know that in 1986 Charles P. and Cynthia E. Cooper lived in Kaslo, British Columbia, Canada. From Canadian Phone Directories, we know that from 1995 to 2002 that Charles P. Cooper resided along Hwy 31 by Kaslo, BC.
During difficult times in the 1920s, R. G. Cooper, also known as George Cooper, declared bankruptcy at the District Court in Fargo [news, Hillsboro Banner, 13 Mar. 1925]. Three years later at age 73, Robert George Cooper passed away on 6 July 1928 in Polk County [data, MN Death Index]. R. George Cooper was interred in the Ringsaker Cemetery (see Monument and grave-marker photos).
After her husband's passing, Mary (Rauk) Cooper remained on the home farm in Belmont Township, which was now farmed by her son Edwin Cooper and his family. In the 1930 US Census, Mary was age 68 and in the 1940 US Census, age 78, on the home farm. At age 87, Mary continued to reside with her son and family on the Belmont Township farm [1950 US Census data].
We are fortunate that in her later years in the late 1940s or early 1950s, Margret (Rauk) Cooper reflected on her memories and wrote three stories on life in early times, titled:
1. The Rauk families pioneering in Iowa,
2. Reminiscence of bygone days, and
3. The following is to commemorate certain events in the early history of Frog Point and later the coming of the old settlers around Frog Point.
These three reflections are signed by Margret but were not dated. These three stories are also included in TCHS Catalogit family history entry 2026.
Margret or Mary (Rauk) Cooper died on 27 June 1956 at the grand age of 94 in Polk County [MN Death Index]. Margret was interred in the Ringsaker Cemetery (see grave-marker photo).Acquisition
Accession
2026.161Source or Donor
David and Lenora Bjorge, TCHS (Traill County Historical Society)Location
* Untyped Location
Resource RoomBuilding
Plummer House
