Lawrence and Lydia (Townsend) Copeland, of Braintree, Massachusetts (1651), had a family of nine children. Three of their sons, Thomas, William and John, lived to manhood and are the progenitors of nearly all the Copelands in the United States.
(II) William, son of Lawrence and Lydia (Townsend) Copeland, was born September 15, 1656; married, April 3, 1698, Mary, widow of Christopher Webb, Jr., and daughter of John and Ruth (Alden) Bass. Ruth was the daughter of John Alden, the Pilgrim. William and Mary Copeland had eight sons and one daughter.
(III) William (2), son of William (1) and Mary (Bass) (Webb) Copeland, was born March 7, 1695; married, June 15, 1718, Mary, daughter of Richard and Rebecca (Micall) Thayer. They had seven children.
(IV) William (3), son of William (2) and Mary (Thayer) Copeland, was born December 6, 1730; married, May 3, 1753, in Brooklyn, Connecticut, Sarah Smith, and lived in Thompson, Connecticut. They had probably twelve children.
(V) Jonathan, son of William (3) and Sarah (Smith) Copeland, was born September 29, 1757; married (first), March 9, 1780, Esther Chapman, of Hampton, Connecticut; she was born January 12, 1761, died April 15, 1795. Jonathan married (second), May 22, 1795, Sally Chollar (or Collar), who died June 11, 1826. Children of first wife:
- Jonathan, born November 15, 1781.
- Esther, April 11, 1783, married Daniel Corbin, died November 21, 1870.
- Jonathan, October 16, 1786, died December 5, 1858.
- David, September 8, 1788.
- Eunice, March 8, 1791, married Harvey Adams, died September 5, 1864.
- Royal, March 20, 1793, married Harriet Hyde, died March 2, 1866.
- Elizabeth, March, 1795.
Children of second wife:
- Sally, born April 10, 1798, died October 30, 1843.
- Abigail, April 19, 1800, married Ichabod Upham, died January 2, 1882.
- Asa, October 26, 1801, died August 26, 1820.
- Abiel, May 3, 1803, died May 10, 1863.
- Elizabeth W., January 26, 1805, died September 29, 1869.
- Daniel, November 13, 1806, married Pamelia Hibbard, died May 22, 1882.
- Cynthia, November 14, 1808, died December 11, 1808.
- Joel, November 20, 1809, died June 24, 1886.
- Amasa, January 7, 1812. died May 22, 1859.
(VI) David, son of Jonathan and Esther (Chapman) Copeland, was born September 8, 1788, died June 10, 1878; married, June 29, 1814, Martha Shepard. Children:
- Jonathan, born February 20, 1816.
- Gerry Shepard, July 2, 1819, died December 10, 1873.
- Martha, July 26, 1821, died August 4, 1821.
- William Eaton, June 15, 1823, died May 10, 1882.
- Mary May, December 5, 1825, died June 23, 1827.
- Mary, February 19, 1826, died March 15, 1828.
- Mary Jane, January 30, 1830, died November 29, 1905.
- David, August 17, 1832, died September 16, 1890.
- Martha, June 28, 1835, died September 7, 1843.
(VII) Jonathan (2), son of David and Martha (Shepard) Copeland, was born February 20, 1816, died December 9, 1890; married, January 30, 1844, Kezia, daughter of John and Kezia (Failing) Clark, of Schenectady, New York. Kezia (Clark) Copeland died August 8, 1885. Children:
- Martha E., born February 21, 1845, died October 16, 1846.
- J. Clark, April 26, 1847; married (first), July 20, 1869, Lottie A. Schenck, who died May 25, 1870; child,
- Grace Augusta, born May 24, 1870;
- Edward Payson, October 9, 1849, died September 13, 1876.
- William Henry, September 5, 1852; married, October 12, 1881, Julia Burchard.
- Emma Catharine, April 3, 1854.
- Mary Kezia, October 18, 1856; married, December 29, 1886, Frank Holley; children:
- Ralph, born January 29, 1889, and
- Alma Kezia, February 8, 1893.
- Alice Moore, October 26, 1861, died September 23, 1889; married, May 6, 1885, J. R. Hawley; child,
- Kathleen Alice, born February 27, 1887.