The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1896-07-16

The Life of Col. Samuel Smith Cooper

Leaves have their time TO fall,
And flowers to with. at the North
wind 5 breath,
And stars to Set-but all;
Thou hast all seasons for thine own,
0 Death.
The death of Col. Samuel Smith Coop
er, which occurred on Sunday afternoon,
June 81. removes one OF the oldest cit-
zens OF this section OF the country Col.
Cooper was in the 73rd year OF his age.
His death was the result of reflex action
of paralysis, from which he had been an
intense sufferer for four years. Col.
Cooper's past history has been as closely
identified with the prominent events of
this section Of the State as any man
who was ever reared here
Combining loyal and patriotic spirit
with splendid intellectually and cour-
teOus manners he was n representative
man VINO filled the many positions of
honor with grace and ease that always
reflected credit upon the plate assigned
him.
The noble scion OF an old Carolina
| family, it had set upon his brow the
shining seal of Southern chivalry, and
| cast his mind in a swerveess mould OF
| Southern manhood. OF splendid Scotch
| extraction his people had settled in this
State a number of years back and
| amassed considerable wealth. Among
his connections and relatives we find the
names OF Smith, Webb, Downeys, Kings
| hurry, Blount and Others. Col. Cooper
married when quite young man Sarah
| Elizabeth Watson, daughter OF Joshua
| Watson, of Nash county. At that time he
was we'll to do merchant and farmer of
| Franklin county. His wife was one of
the heresses of the Eastern portion OF
the State and she combined beauty, ele-
| gance and grace with her worldly pos
sessions. Previous to this he merchan-
! war was elected Colonel of the State
! terests of Granville county and every
| thing conducive to it's advancement, he
had numerous honorable positions con-
ferred upon him at different times.
| He was Magistrate for q number of
years and was also one of the II men,
bers OF the Granville Agricultural Club,
a club devoted to the agricultural in
| terests Of that section. Before that
body he read several original prOduc-
| tons on tobacco and cotton culture. In
| addition to this he was president of the
| Henderson Executive Agricultural AssO-
| citation and was one of the marshals each
! time Gov. Vance was elected Governor Of
the State. In addition his domestic life
| deserves mention He was an Affection
ate husband and father, kind and indul-
gent and always a true and loyal friend.
His beautiful country home of former
days in old Granville was the scene of
many splendid entertainments where he
dispensed hospitality as became Il gen
tleman of the old school,
| 1t was there that q number of the
most prominent men of the State were
entertained on different suspicious Oeca-
sions. In his declining days he loved to
have his former comrades gather around
him and talk OF those happy, by-gone
days of the sweet and vanished past
Everything was done by his devoted
family to make his last end happy and
peaceful and they gathered around him
ministering every sweet and thoughtful
attention. Among those who were sum-
moned to his bedside were his three Sis
ters Mrs l.. c. Edwards and Mrs. Henry
Bryan, OF Oxford, and Mrs. Dr.. p. w
Young, of Henderson. lie left two de-
devoted daughters and one son Mrs. W.
O. Shannon, Mrs. Melville Dorsey and
Mr.. C. NJ. Cooper, of this place, to whom
much sympathy is extended.
And when the sky low-bent in won
drous pity and the spice-aden zephyrs
told OF fields elysian, and the magnolias
soothed with odorous lullaby, while the
trees in sorrow draped their mourning
moss with the dcws of dawn divinely
weeping, and soft throated birds crooned
low of rest unending, the evening
clouds quivered with his passing soul on
its way to God. f. |. ). {.