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John was the fifth child of eleven children of James Fountain (Jim) Cooper and Lucyann Missouri Levins Cooper. He was born March 05, 1889 in Holt, Florida. Jim named John after his father, John Jordan Cooper.
In his early years he was a farmer like most people in those days but he was also known to be a very good carpenter. Woodworking ran in the family for his oldest brother, Charlie, was quite a woodworker and one of his younger brothers, Tom, became a carpenter by trade. At one point in his life he owned and operated a livery and feed stables and ran the stagecoach line that ran between Holt and Atmore, Alabama. Besides being known to own the largest pecan orchards on the panhandle and growing some of the best scuppernongs in the area he was also known as the walking preacher. John became a Baptist Minister and during his life was the Minister of Argyle Baptist Church, Holt First Baptist Church and Hickory Hammock Baptist Church. Barbara Jean Cooper Fair, recalled that when her Grandfather John was pastor at the Hickory Hammock Church around 1935-1937, she would crawl around his feet while he preached there. He later preformed the marriage ceremony for his grand daughter, Barbara Jean Cooper in 1952. It has been said that during one year he had walked almost 1200 miles between the churches in the surrounding communities that's what gave him the nickname of the walking preacher.
John married his first wife, Katie Frances Susanna Wilson born July 31, 1893 in Holt, Florida, on September 6, 1908. They had two children, James Clarence Cooper and Etta Lucille Cooper.
John married his second wife, Mable Marie Barnes born September 23, 1917 in Milton, Florida, during March of 1938. They were married at the Barnes Home at Ward Basin. John and Marie had five children: John Jordan Cooper, Jr., Glenda Jean Cooper, Charles Barney Cooper, Nancy Jane Cooper, and Marsha Lynn Cooper.
John died April 14, 1968 in Pensacola, Florida. His final resting-place is in the Holt Cemetery, Holt, Florida.
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