William Henry Cooper was born around 1812 in Ohio. He married a woman named Catherine, and they had at least seven children: John, born around 1840; Margaret, born around 1842; David, born around 1845; Truman, born around 1847; Mary, born around 1850; William, born around 1853; and Alla, born around 1857. They lived in Lima, Ohio, and Cooper worked as a farmer. By 1860, he owned $4,000 of real estate and $900 of personal property. A decade later, his wealth had grown to $10,000 of real estate and $500 of personal property. He died in 1894.