TOMBSTONE TUESDAY : JUDGE JAMES MCCOPPIN

TOMBSTONE TUESDAY : JUDGE JAMES MCCOPPIN (1821-1883)

In the history of Calhoun County, few men left their mark on both the maritime industry and public service as profoundly as James McCoppin. Born in England and trained as a shipwright, McCoppin brought his skills to the Texas coast during the formative years of Indianola, one of the state's most important Gulf ports. Over the course of his life, he helped guide vessels through Pass Cavallo, built ships, served as a justice of the peace, notary public, and ultimately became the first county judge of Calhoun County. His story is one of perseverance through personal tragedy, civic dedication, and the challenges of life on the Texas frontier. Through his work and leadership, McCoppin played an important role in shaping the community that flourished along Matagorda Bay during the nineteenth century.

James McCoppin was born in Liverpool, England on November 23, 1821 to Alexander Ambrose McCoppin. The name of James’s mother has been lost to time. Alexander made his living as a shipwright which was a skill he passed down to his son.  James married Isabelle Atkinson on December 20, 1840 in Liverpool. In 1842, their son Alexander was born and Isabelle died the same year.

On April 17, 1848, James married Anne “Mary” Hughes at the parish church of St Mary’s in the City of Chester, England. The marriage log lists James as a bachelor not a widower and Mary as a Spinster. Her father was listed on the log as William Hughes who was a Hatter while Alexander McCoppin, James’s father, was a shipwright.  Sometime before September 1849, James and Mary immigrated to the United States. Their daughter Alice Helen was born in New Orleans on September 14, 1849. Their son John was born in New Orleans on July 6, 1851.

 The family appears on the 1850 census living in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. James, the head of the household, was 30 and listed as a ship carpenter. His wife Ann [sic] was 26 and both were listed as born in England. In the home were two children, Allen [sic], 10, and Alice, 1. Allen was listed as born in New York with Alice, born in Louisiana. Two other men, unrelated to the family, were living in the home. Robert Paul was born in Scotland and Henry Gergens was born in Germany. Both men were listed as ship carpenters. This census is confusing as we know the son’s name was Alexander not Allen and his birthplace would only make sense as New York if his parents immigrated to the US, he was born and his mother died in New York, then his father returned to England where he met and married Mary. Also, James and Mary have two children both born in New Orleans, one in 1849 and one in 1851. Other records show the McCoppins arriving in Texas between 1852-1854 settling on the coast where McCoppin was one of the first boat pilots through Pass Cavallo for the Morgan Steamship Line.

By the 1860 census, the family was living in Indianola, Texas with James working as a ship carpenter. Alex was 18, Alice was 11, and John was 9. This census showed that James, Alex and Alice were born in England with John being born in Texas. These birthplaces are different from other censuses. James is listed as having $800 in real estate and $2500 in personal estate. Also missing from the census is Mary who died in childbirth along with the infant before 1860. The Slave Census of 1860 shows James McCoppin as having a black slave woman of 40 years old in the household. She was likely in the home to care for the children and household in the absence of their mother.

In 1870, the census listed James as a shipwright having $1000 in real estate and $2500 in personal estate. Daughter Alice was 20 and keeping house. Son John was 17 and working as a clerk in a store. Their birthplaces were accurate in this census with James born in England and Alice and John born in Louisiana.

McCoppin was appointed a commissioner of the Eastern District of Texas in 1870. By 1871, his name was appearing in newspapers authorizing auctions for debts as Justice of the Peace for Precinct 1 in Calhoun County. In March 1874, McCoppin was appointed as Notary Public by Governor of Texas Richard Coke. He served as secretary of The Democracy of Calhoun County in August of 1874. He was part of the committee for the Democracy of Calhoun County to select delegates to attend the state convention in January 1876. James McCoppins became the first judge of Calhoun County serving from 1876-1880. His term in office coincided with the rebuilding of Indianola after the devastating hurricane of September 1875.

The last census before James’s death was 1880. He was 59 years old and a ship builder. His son Alex at 39 was a pilot of a US survey boat. His daughter Alice was 30 and still keeping house. This census listed more information including that James was a widower. We also see that his mother, whose name we don’t know, was from Ireland and his father was from Scotland. 

James McCoppin died of heart failure on July 20, 1883 and was buried in the Indianola Cemetery with Masonic rites. In his lifetime he was a member of Indianola Masonic Lodge No.84 and Royal Arch Mason Ocean Chapter No. 177. He was also a member of the Episcopal church in Indianola.

A few months after the death of her father, Alice would marry Isaac Alexander Reed. He was the signal service (weather station) observer in Indianola and died in the hurricane of 1886. It is believed that Reed left a kerosene lamp lit in the signal office that caused the fire that engulfed downtown Indianola during the storm.

James McCoppin's life reflected the growth and transformation of the Texas Gulf Coast during the nineteenth century. From his beginnings in Liverpool to his service as a shipwright, boat pilot, public official, and community leader in Indianola, he witnessed and helped shape a period of remarkable change. Despite the loss of two wives and the hardships that accompanied frontier life, he remained devoted to his family and community. His leadership during the rebuilding years following the devastating 1875 hurricane secured his place in Calhoun County history. Though Indianola itself would ultimately succumb to the forces of nature, McCoppin's legacy endures through the records he left behind, the offices he held, and the generations of Texans whose lives were influenced by his contributions to one of the Gulf Coast's most significant nineteenth-century communities.

Written by Jennifer Shafer Wyatt

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