Was Cooper a "Cooper" ? Specifically related to the coal mining Cooper extended family say in Virginia or West Virginia. We know that they looked at Cooper's in the north-west but did they explore Cooper(s) elsewhere? The Cooper lineage in Virginia started early - in the Shenandoah Valley on a mandate from King George in the 1700s, to settle 26 families in the area of Star Tannery, Virginia. (re- "Cartmel's History of the Shenandoah Valley") The family multiplied and spread quickly throughout the whole area, into Maryland and Ohio and then to points west, some became coal miners, and some eventually became engineers (geological engineers). There is, I believe, a genetic registry of this Cooper family. It would be an easy task for the FBI to compare Cooper genetic records with the DB Cooper genetic partial profile. It's a thought - here's one Cooper family plot from an 1871 township map that produced a mining engineer, an aviator in WWII, et cetera. Maybe DB Cooper used his real family name?     

The Cooper family has a long proud tradition - they fought in the Revolutionary War and defeated the British in the Shenandoah Valley and British Marines attempting to land on the Virginia Coast. Winchester Virginia and the Cooper name are almost synonymous. Winchester Virginia is one of the most fought-over pieces of territory in American history. Maybe Cooper's grudge relates to his family history and American history? Cooper's have been involved in American history since they stepped foot on American soil back in the 1700s and the events of the 1960s were no exception. The hijacker who hijacked Flight #305 used the Cooper name, for some reason. He might as well have used the name Washington, Adams, Jefferson, or Einstein, or Monroe! The name came into his mind for some reason.     He couldn't have picked a name that has more solid documentation. Was he aware of that?

Maybe 'Cooper' thought by going to to the Northwestern part of the USA and hijacking a plane, he would wake the Northwest hillbillies and bumpkins up, relaxing in their splendid superiority?   Maybe Cooper's act was a political act, conducted in an era of similar political acts?

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Was Cooper a "Cooper" ? Specifically related to the coal mining Cooper extended family say in Virginia or West Virginia. We know that they looked at Cooper's in the north-west but did they explore Cooper(s) elsewhere? The Cooper lineage in Virginia started early - in the Shenandoah Valley on a mandate from King George in the 1700s, to settle 26 families in the area of Star Tannery, Virginia. (re- "Cartmel's History of the Shenandoah Valley") The family multiplied and spread quickly throughout the whole area, into Maryland and Ohio and then to points west, some became coal miners, and some eventually became engineers (geological engineers). There is, I believe, a genetic registry of this Cooper family. It would be an easy task for the FBI to compare Cooper genetic records with the DB Cooper genetic partial profile. It's a thought - here's one Cooper family plot from an 1871 township map that produced a mining engineer, an aviator in WWII, et cetera. Maybe DB Cooper used his real family name?     

The Cooper family has a long proud tradition - they fought in the Revolutionary War and defeated the British in the Shenandoah Valley and British Marines attempting to land on the Virginia Coast. Winchester Virginia and the Cooper name are almost synonymous. Winchester Virginia is one of the most fought-over pieces of territory in American history. Maybe Cooper's grudge relates to his family history and American history? Cooper's have been involved in American history since they stepped foot on American soil back in the 1700s and the events of the 1960s were no exception. The hijacker who hijacked Flight #305 used the Cooper name, for some reason. He might as well have used the name Washington, Adams, Jefferson, or Einstein, or Monroe! The name came into his mind for some reason.     He couldn't have picked a name that has more solid documentation. Was he aware of that?

Georger, I don't know what you are doing researching the Cooper family in the Winchester, VA area, but if you come across any Barton, Beavers, or Mercer families in that area (specifically Clarke and Loudoun Counties) let me know.

I have a load of ancestors from that immediate area and things were in turmoil there during the Civil War as well as just before (and probably after the war also).

Some of my direct ancestors lived about 10 miles from the border of what became West Virginia when those Virginia counties decided to remain in the Union.  And about the same distance from where the famous John Brown tried to start an uprising and mainly succeeded in getting his neck stretched.

One of my direct ancestors from that area of Virginia ended up here in Arizona after the Civil War and became a prospector.  He was killed in an "explosion of powder" in the very early 1900s.

Yes the area has a very rich history. Yes, I have run across the Barton family name. One of the Cooper(s) or Richard(s) married a Barton. And the Bartons go back to England. One is actually in the Newton line. But then Newtons, Gibbs, Bartons, Coopers, Richards, (even a Hieronymous!) all wind up in America in the 1700s somewhere in the Virginia area. Its amazing. A relative of mine was a professional genealogist ... she edited a reprint of the original Cartmel's history. That is one way I know about this. I grew up hearing about all of this. As a kid I could have cared less, hated trips to Virginia, Boston, etc where the family members were working on family history. But I somehow absorbed the history, the names, then as an adult took it up myself as a hobby.

In any event 'yes' the name Barton I recognise ...

I have always wondered why Cooper picked that name - coincidence, family history, American history, Cooper comic. The name came into his mind for some reason. Would he have been so cavalier as to use his own family name? A genetic test would prove or dismiss it quickly.
 
<edit> back in England one of the Ayscough's (sp?) married a Newton. He died. He died on Christmas Day. At length she married a John Barton. Their daughter Mary Barton married a surname you would recognise. I wont say the name here. But, the Barton son migrated to the colonies and settled first in Connecticut and then went to .... Maryland, then Virginia!  (Its like my relative once said laughing: all souls go to Virginia, at one time or another.)     

<edit-ii>  I dont know if the name Barton is in the list of 26 original families or not. I would have to go back and look at Cartmell's list to know. But, I wouldn't be surprised if it is ... I will look when I get time. But, is that book now available at Google Books? You might check the internet ...

Smoke Jumping begins....a 1940 film

The problem with the Cooper case is there is nothing, or very little, to actually hang your hat on! Just tons of bits and pieces and plenty of speculation, personal opinions, and that puts a personal with a historical interest in a very bad place. We know more about the Battle at Appomattox than we do the DB Cooper Hijacking!    That is hilarious and sad. But typical of the socalled Information Age.

We know there was a massive search in 1972, we have a bunch of anecdotes about that search, we know the search failed, or did it fail? We know the search was based on an professional appraisal (and a map) due to collaboration between the USAF, NWA airlines technical people, Boeing engineers, the FBI, and others. The 1972 search was based on the best information available at the time, we are told. We have literally almost nothing about the FBI's efforts in other venues searching for Cooper up to say 1976. We don't know who said what about anything or who did what in regards to anything, or how policy changed or stayed the same, we don't even know what policy was regarding efforts to find DB Cooper between the end of the search in '72 and say 1976 ... several authors have briefly alluded to some "conference" (The SanFrancisco Conference?)  that was allegedly held in 1976, then following this mythical "conference" none other than Ralph Himmelsbach of all people suddenly holds a "press conference" and announces 'We now think Cooper ailed about 12 miles north of Vancouver, or was it Portland, I don't remember... blah blah blah'. And of course socalled Cooper researches don;t tell us anything about this critical historical period which one might conclude means 'they don't know anything about anything about this critical historical period' ... blah blah blah.
         
It's a gap that historians of the Battle of Appomattox and 'The Life and Times of Grandma Moses' would not tolerate. Maybe Cooper sleuths need a course in 'How to Do History'! You can get those courses at your local community college and at Trump University! 

On the reverse side of this black hole, we do have a few comments from the common folk and villagers who were there, searching in one capacity or another in 1972. "We found nothing certain. It was very frustrating". or "Everyone was very frustrated." or "It wasn't too organized". or "We found a shoe." or "Maybe he didn't land here at all?" or "It was like looking for a needle in a haystack".

Nobody bothered to question Agent Carr about the search. Carr didn't say anything about the search or its affect on policy, on his own. Neither Kaye nor Gray nor Snowmman had anything of value to say. In his terse 1976 report Agent Himmelsbach doesn't explain why the 'search zone' is now being revised after so many years. And why is Agent Himmelsbach holding a press conference - he isn't in charge of the DB Cooper case! Was Agent Himmelsbach even on the search to know "anything" firsthand!?

Then in 1980 the same Himmelsbach will be out front in charge again, apparently! Speaking for everyone and everything! The Man in Charge. 

Is it all in the CLOUD - somewhere?

      

 
 

Question: Does the FBI still actually have the Amboy chute? If so, do they keep it, have they admitted to keeping it as evidence in connection with the Cooper case specifically, or just some unknown find they keep around for who knows what?

Howdy 73! longtime...

They ruled the chute out as Cooper's chute. nobody knows if they still have it. since it's still part of the case they will not discuss the chute finding. if they dismissed it as Cooper's, odds are they discarded the chute.

It's not the first chute found in connection with this case. it's just one of several found over the years.

I think you would get the same answer from the FBI if you asked them who suspect #3 was. he was dismissed, but since he's part of the investigation they will not discuss the suspect.

Yeah, long time, but rest assured, I'm following.
 
I know they dismissed it, but I was just curious if they even admit to still having it and having it solely because they consider it connected, in some fashion, to the Cooper case. If that's the case, then what they say to the public "it's not Coopers" and what they believe internally even if only a possibility, are two different things. Which, would then seem, sadly, to be just one more thing in Cooperville that cannot be relied upon, the one place you should be able to go for hard answers and not conjecture, the FBI, is, seemingly, a dead end.

Is there some statue of limitations that even if a case can legally be considered active under a John Doe suspect, after so many years, say...45...or 50, they should open up all files and evidence for public scrutiny or at least be able to petition for such? It is the FBI, a gov't agency, here to serve the people. The agency is not beyond public oversight. There's plenty of people willing to put some of that evidence thru more detailed analysis, and willing to spend their own money to do so.

There's so very little hard evidence, as being so much time has past, you cannot rely on anyone's personal account of anything that happened as so much of peoples memories can be easily altered even if they don't realize it with all the media about Cooper in the last 45 years. Hard evidence is the only thing that really can solve the case. Sadly, I doubt it will ever be solved.

I don't think they have any limitations on any case to opening it to the public. they will turn the case over to another department like the Marshal's office like they did the Alcatraz case.

Most surplus chutes are sold without the harness. as you stated, there are dozens of reasons why a chute turns up, but my question is why none of the involved have come forward. the silence of the kids is rather questionable IMO. they blab everything, and yet......silence?