COCHREN FAMILY OF RENO CO., KANSAS

 

My grandfather was George Daniel COCHREN. He was born   25 Sep 1876 in Muncie, Delaware Co., IN  and died  9 Oct 1931 in Hutchinson, Reno Co., KS  He was buried  11 Oct 1931 Huntsville Cem., Reno Co., Ks. On 16 July 1912 he married Annie Byrthel Brown in Wichita, Kansas.

George Daniel Cochren 1876-1931

 

His occupation from 1912 through 1919 was farming. It is believed he, and his father and brothers may have been members of the Grand Army of the Republic (He was in the 'Sons of " organization and in the Odd Fellows of Hutchinson).

 

Shortly after their marriage Annie's family either moved or were residing in Coffey Co. During that time, however, in Reno Co. on 14 Nov. 1914 he entered into an agreement to work a person's land for a percentage of the harvest.

George is listed as a farmer in 1915 Halls Summit, Coffey, Kansas  He also helped his brothers and in-laws harvest their crops in around the Enterprise, Partridge, Plevna and Sylvia areas. Around 1917 he is thought to have worked for the railroad.  In 1919 with a growing family he bought property in Plevna (Property 1919 Plevna Twp., Reno Co., KS ;General Index to Deeds: Reno Co., KS Property 1919 Plevna, Reno Co., Ks ).  From at least 1920 to 1930 he was the Janitor  for the Plevna Public School in Plevna, Reno Co., Kansas.

 

George, James I.,
and Charles E. Cochren

Census records show him in 1877 Hunstville, Reno Co., Ks; 1880 Enterprise Twp., Reno Co., Ks ; 1910 in Huntsville Twp., Reno Co., Ks; In 1917 he may have been living in Harris, Ks, perhaps while employed by the railroad.; 1920 Plevna, Reno, Kansas ;  1930 Plevna, Reno Co., Kansas

He was the son of Civil War Veteran Newton Jasper COCHREN b: 18 Sep 1842 in Delaware Co., IN
and  Lucinda DRAKE b: 27 Jan 1839 in Starke Co., IN

Anne Byrthel BROWN b: 16 May 1889 in Garnett, Anderson Co., KS. She was the daughter of Burgess Franklin Brown and wife Ruhama Isadora Fenton Brown.  They were wed  16 Jul 1912 in Wichita, Sedgwick Co., KS.  She had been previously married to Perry M. King and had one son who died.

In 1931, after a short battle with stomach cancer, he died in Hutchinson, Reno Co., Ks.

 

 

 

 

 

Children

1. Infant COCHREN, b: about 1913 d:1913 Coffey Co., Kansas
2. Elva Ethel COCHREN b: 24 May 1914, Coffery Co., Kansas
3. Velma Dora COCHREN b: 16 Apr 1915 in Halls Summit, Coffey, Kansas
4. George Valjean COCHREN b: 10 Dec 1919, Plevna, Reno Co., Kansas
5. Stillborn COCHREN b: Apr 1929 in Plevna, Reno Co., Kansas

Plevna School while George was Custodian and his children students., ca. 1920's

Sources:
Death certificates
Marriage Certificates
Census records
Deeds
Family documents (Photos, papers, etc.)
For information and images on Plevna see this page.

The "Other" Brown Family of Warren County, Tennessee, part 1

Our history is filled with migration. People moved from one place to another with great freedom and endless dreams of the possibilities.  These were actions often denied them in the lands from which they had or their ancestors had sprung.  What this means, however, is that often whole family groups may be a place for a few years to a few decades and no one knows they were there except for tracking family genealogists who nose for family lines competes well with any bloodhound.

In the 1880's various companies (mainly Goodspeed's but there were others) went into prosperous communities of some size and wrote the local history.  For a price you could have your pioneer family included.   Some were written by frustrated fiction writers whose poetic descriptions of the landscape and the early struggles is heavy on emotion but thin on facts, dates, and names.  Others were filled with names (often with just initials) but thin on any of the stories of who came first and who followed or what they did.  As a result, many of these histories are filled with lots of information on families (biographies) but they are heavy on assumptions, legend and filled with bad information (names misspelled, wives maiden names misidentified, etc.).  Since those who included their biographies had to pay for that privilege that immediately limited who might include their story or line. The wealthy in a community were included but not the rank and file in most cases.  Thumb through any of these at the "Biography" sections and you will see this demonstrated.  This is often still the case in county genealogy websites where they base their information on these well known individuals or those who were long term in the county to the exclusion of others.

 Looking over early tax lists, marriage lists, and land deeds are names that it was clear were there, sometimes for a generation, before they moved on.  They built the area and then headed for 'something more' due to drought, high costs of life, death, or the lure of what was over the other hill.

As a result, some researchers often assume that because only one family of a name was in "the book" there were no others.  Sometimes they assume that there could be no relationship because none made it into the book.  The truth is that often when a man or woman might have several spouses, the first born children might have gone away and been basically forgotten.  New families were created and new wives might not know about those earlier children.  The offspring left might never know that they had a half-brother or sister out there.  The same with cousins.  In some documented cases, the very spelling of the name changed to just such a separation of family lines.

In Warren Co., Tennessee there is a group of BROWN family members whose relationship is unclear but there are teasing elements of family legend that may bear a closer look and with fresher eyes.

There was another Isaac Brown (in fact several in TN).  This particular line is first known to be in the county due to the birth of the oldest son.

1829 Aug— Age: 23; Warren Co. TN; Eldest son born here          

 

1830 — Age: 24Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee, United StatesIsaac Brown Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Nashville, Davidson, Tennessee Free White Persons - Males - Under 5: 1 Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29: 1 Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 1 Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19: 1 F
   
1836 — Age: 30Warren, Tennessee, United States      

1838 — Age: 32Warren, Tennessee, United StatesIsaac H Brown Year: 1838 Residence: Warren, Tennessee      

1840 — Age: 34Warren, Tennessee, United Statesme: Isaac Brown Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Warren, Tennessee Free White Persons - Males - Under 5: 2 Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9: 1 Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14: 1 Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39: 1 Free White Person      

1841-10 Dec— Age: 35 Phelps, Co., Mo, United States10 Dec 1841 Acres: 84.4 Meridian: 5th

His children:

Ptolema Philadelphus Brown1829 – 1903
Juan Fernandez Brown1831 – 1850
Archimedes Brown1834 – 1863
Selticana Brown1834 – 1900
Lycurgus Brown1836 – 1882
Elsinor Odensia Brown1838 – 1910
Mithero Berzanes (BarJames) "M.B." Brown1840 – 1910
Mary A. Brown1843 – 1887
Marcellus Brown1845 – 1933
Fascilina Brown1847 – 1885
Marcius Sabinus Brown1849 – 1912
Leonidas Hannibal Brown i1852 – 1897

Isaac died in 1892 in Texas Co., Missouri

To be continued...

BROWN faces

Recently, one Brown line of ISAAC HAIRIE BROWN (1806-1892) of Warren Co., TN and Texas Co., Mo. discovered a connection to Halopgroup J-M172.  A female descendent of this same Brown line had earlier reported a halopgroup of U5a1a1.  What is needed is for more known descendents of this family to have their DNA tested in order to establish relationships and origins.  Until then, however, the family face may have to step in and provide possible visual traits and common features.

Isaac Hairie Brown (1806-1892)

His son, Ptolemy Philadelphius Brown, aka P.P. Brown

Isaac's son, Archimedes Brown, died in the Civil War

Marcellius Brown, son of Isaac

Son of Isaac, Marcus Sabines Brown

Grandson of Isaac, Samuel M. Brown

Grandson of Isaac, Burgess Franklin Brown