We are researching the unknown parents of Nancy Cochran, spouse of Isaiah Pickett, son of Micajah Pickett, who lived in Rutherford County. Robert Cochran, son of John Cochran and Rebecca Lindsay, lived in Rutherford County during the time that the Picketts lived there. We have found no link (neither documentation nor DNA) between this family of John Pickett and Rebecca Lindsay and the Cockerham-Cochran line that we are researching, but we keep this family here in our notes so that we can keep descendants of this family separate from the Cochran-Cockerham family of Rutherford that we are researching.
1781 John Cochrane purchased land in Lincoln County, North Carolina, from John and Margaret Seagle. [1]
1790 Sam'l Ashe esquire our Governor Captain General and Commander in Chief at Raleigh, acting for the treasury of North Carolina, granted 100 acres of land in Rutherford County, North Carolina to John Cockrum [John Sr or John Jr?], on December 23. The tract was on White Oak Creek, by Michael Hawkins corner and Ruckers corner. [2]
1794 John Cochran of Lincoln County wrote his will on November 24, 1793. The will was proved in 1794. The will named wife Rebeckah and mentioned raising the small family. Son Robert and daughters Margret and Rebeckah received one shilling each proclamation money. [3] Rebecca Cochrane was named as a devisee of John Cochrane in Lincoln County, North Carolina, citing file C. [4]
1795 In a deed dated June 17, in Lincoln County, Rebecca Coughran, widow of John Coughran, deceased, gave her rights to the estate of John Coughran, either as a lawful wife or by his will and testament, to the heirs of John Coughran, lawfully begotten. [5]
1806 A suit of trover between Henry Slinkard and the heirs of John Cochran was recorded in Lincoln County, North Carolina. The file is 86 pages long. Henry made statements about Rebecca, who was not part of the suit, and stated that son Robert, daughter Margaret, and daughter Rebecca were to receive 1 shilling each. Rebecca Junr was named. At the October session, 1805, Robert Cochran, John Cochran, William Cochran, John Dunbar and Margaret his wife, Lewis Johnson and Ann his wife, Henry Barkly and Mary his wife, and Susannah Cochran by her next friend Robert Cochran complained by their attorney Robert Williamson of Henry Slinkard. The will of John Cochran deceased was recorded [6]:
... my son Robert Cochran I have him one shilling. Likewise Margaret Cochran one shilling and Rebecca Cochran one shilling. ... beloved wife Rebecca ... before her marriage with the said Henry Slinkard ...
A biosketch reports: [http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/5801399/person/-1392075883/story/283cc7e1-3ae8-4058-b355-7a2620c59400]
1st Generation - John of Lincoln County. John Cochran Sr., born between 1725 and 1750, was from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He married Rebecca Lindsay. John and Rebecca moved to Rowan County, North Carolina probably between 1772 and 1781, where he was a planter. In 1781, John and Rebecca purchased 150 acres of land, in what was then Lincoln County, just south of the old Rowan County, from John Seigel. On the deed, the land parcel was described as being on the headwaters of Duharts Creek, on Seigel's Creek, near Catawba Springs. The land described in that deed lies in what is now Gaston County, in the center of the city of Gastonia. The headwaters of Duharts Creek is now near Exit 21, along the interstate I-85. Two of John's neighbors in Lincoln County were Christian Like and Samuel McMinn. Court records tell us that the relationship between John and his neighbors was not always amiable. In 1786, an assault charge was levied against John Cochran by Christian Like, claiming that John had struck and injured a female relative of his. In 1791, Samuel McMinn was awarded damages in a slander suit brought against John. According to court documents, John had claimed that Samuel McMinn had "buggered his own mare." In 1789, John Cochran received a grant for an additional 50 acres, adjacent to the land he had purchased, from the government, probably for service during the Revolutionary War. He later apparently acquired an additional two hundred acres in Lincoln County, but the details of the acquisition and the exact location of the land is unknown. John Cochran Sr. passed away between November 1793 and April 1794. John Cochran's will stipulated that his estate be used for the "raising of my small family and schooling of them, and that each child have an equal share"; and Rebecca was listed as the sole authority in disposing of the estate, and providing for the children, some of whom were still minors, at the time of John Cochran's death. About two years after John's death, in December of 1795, Rebecca remarried to Henry Slinkard. Henry was born in 1733, in Germany. His actual name was Frantz Heindrich Schlenker. Henry originally immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1753, aboard the ship "Leathley", and resided in Lancaster County. Later, Henry and his family moved to Maryland, and then moved to North Carolina. Henry joined the NC militia in 1780, and served under General Rutherford as his personal servant. Rebecca had legally waived her rights to John Cochran's property, in favor of his children, six months prior to marrying Henry Slinkard; and in 1799, John Sr.'s children sued Henry Slinkard, claiming that he had appropriated portions of John Cochran's property that rightfully belonged to them. The several resulting lawsuits weren't completely settled until 1816.In 1814, Henry Slinkard and Rebecca sold the two hundred acres in Lincoln County to Samuel McMin for the amount of $290.00; and in 1816, Henry Slinkard, along with two of John's heirs sold another 200 acres belonging to John Cochran Sr. to Samuel McMin for the amount of $300.00. These land sales were probably in response to the law suits.The Slinkard family was strongly opposed to slavery, and most of them eventually left the south and moved to Indiana. Henry remained in North Carolina with Rebecca, and died in Lincoln County, NC, in 1823.
The John Cochran Sr. of our line immigrated from Lancaster Pennsylvania to Rowan County, NC, and lived there for an indeterminate amount of time prior to moving to Lincoln County. There is a fairly general consensus amongst Cochran-family genealogy researchers that John Cochran was related to a Samuel Cochran, who also immigrated to Rowan County, NC, from Lancaster County, PA, between 1755 and 1762. It is thought that John was either a nephew or cousin of Samuel, and either followed him to Rowan County or moved there with him. Samuel Cochran was born about 1722, probably in Ulster, Ireland. He married Sarah Woods and raised a family of seven children in Rowan County: Andrew, John, Samuel, Sarah, Margaret, and James. The names of his children is one of the supporting arguments for a connection between our line and Samuel's. Every name of Samuel's children was also used in our line. Samuel's son, John, is often confused with the John Cochran of our line, when researching land deeds and other court records. In addition to having the same name, they were born about the same timeframe. Samuel died about 1772, and Sarah died in 1776, both at relatively young ages, and both in Rowan County. Several of their children, including their son, John, moved to Kentucky.
… Thank you very much for taking the time to post this interesting and well-written summary of John Cochran and his family. I would like to point out that with regard to John's son Robert's family that "son Francis" was actually daughter Frances (who married Wiley John Norville and who inherited a slave from her father in the will) and also that Robert appears in the 1850 Rutherford County, NC Census and so the 1848 death date is in error. Like Robert Sr., Frances Cochran Norville is also buried at Brittain Presbyterian Church in Rutherford County. About 20 years ago, I came across information indicating that one of Robert's sons hanged himself in the barn while the family was at church and that another burned to death in a distilling accident. Do you or others also have this information or its source so that I can take another look at it and record it carefully? Robert Cochran Jr. was married to Wiley John Norville's sister Pamela/Permilia Norville." [Jeffrey Narvil]
Research Notes:
We are researching possible ancestors of Nancy Cochran, who married Isaiah Pickett in 1812 in Rutherford County, North Carolina. [7] Several of John Cochran's children lived near Rutherford County, North Carolina at about the time that Nancy Pickett and Isaiah Pickett were married there. Some have documented descendants with secondary DNA matches to Nancy Cochran.
Several shared Cochran DNA matches might all be descendants of John Cochran and Rachel Lindsay. One of the matches is a descendant of John Cochran and Rachel Lindsay through their son Robert. One of the matches was married in Gwinnett County Georgia, where Ninian Cochran, son of John Cochran and Rachel Lindsay lived.
1844 Jeptha Cochran and Elisabeth Bradley were married on November 10, at Rutherford, North Carolina. [8]
1857 Jeptha Cockerham and Katharine Melton were married on May 3, 1857 in Polk County, North Carolina. [9] [10]
1860 Jeptha Cochran (age 37, born in North Carolina) lived in Cooper Gap, Polk County, North Carolina, in a household with Katy C Cochran (age 34), Clingman Cochran (age 11), Wm J Cochran (age 9), Louisa Cochran (age 5), Amanda Melton (age 12), Jane Melton (age 10), and Infant Cochran (age 7 Months). Jeptha Cochran's occupation was farm. [11] William [grandson of John Cochran and Rachel Lindsay] and Rachel Cochran were listed adjacent.
1870 Jeptha Cochram (age 46, born in North Carolina) lived in Township 3, Polk County, North Carolina, in a household with Caroline Cochram (age 42), Clingman Cochram (age 23), James Cochram (age 19), Martha L Cochram (age 17), Doctur H Cochram (age 10), Louisa Cochram (age 6), and Columbus Cochram (age 3). Jeptha Cochram's occupation was farmer. [12]
1900 Jeptha Cockrum (born in North Carolina in May 1824, single) lived in Cooper Gap Twp, Polk County, North Carolina. Jeptha Cockrum's parents were both born in North Carolina. [13]
1790 John Cochran lived in Fallowfield Twp, Chester County, Pennsylvania, in a household with 3 males age 16 and over, and 3 females. [14]
Daniel Cochran [unknown relationship]: Fairfield
1786,1792 Daniel Cockran served on the petit jury in Fairfield County, South Carolina. [15]
1783 Dan'l Cockran witnessed and proved a deed in Fairfield County, South Carolina. [16]
1784 Daniel Cockran was granted 640 acres on Sandy River, Camden District adjacent to land of Wm Anderson. [17]
1786 Daniel Cockran witnessed a deed in Fairfield County, South Carolina. [18]
1797 In July, the personal estate of Dr. Daniel Cockran was sold by the admnistrator in Fairfield County, South Carolina. [19]
1820 Daughter Nancy Cochran and her four oldest children William, Licusinday, Samuel, and Polly Ann Cochran, were named in the will of William Lynch of Pendleton District [20]. Thomas Lynch was granted the land sold to Micajah Pickett in 1812 [21]. William Lynch Sr was named as the prior owner of land bequeathed to Isaiah Pickett in the 1823 will of Micajah Pickett. [22] Ann Cochran was named as a daughter in the 1842 will of widow Ann Lynch of Greenville District (not a good match for the widow of William Lynch). [23]
1826 John Cockrum sold land to Daniel Cockrum, both of Greenville District. [24]
1827 Daniel Cockrum sold land that he was granted by deed of gift from Hezekiah Cockrum. [25]
1811 William Fleming was appointed guardian of Robert N Cochran, age 4, son of Joseph Cochran, deceased. [26]
1830 Henry Barkley was the administrator for the estate of James Cochran, in Lincoln County, North Carolina. [27]
[1] Lincoln County, North Carolina Deed index for Cochrane, Deed 2-584 not found. Others quote from the deed. We seek a copy of this deed, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[2] Rutherford County, North Carolina, Deed 15-227, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[3] Lincoln County, North Carolina, wills and estate papers, [FamilySearchImage].
[4] Lincoln County, North Carolina, probate index, [FamilySearchImage].
[5] Lincoln County, North Carolina, Deed 17-299, [FamilySearchImage], [FHLCatalog].
[6] Lincoln County, North Carolina Estate Trover case, [URL].
[7] Janet and Robert Wolfe, Genealogy Page for Nancy Cochran, wife of Isaiah Pickett, [JRWolfeGenealogy].
[8] North Carolina Marriage Records, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].
[9] North Carolina Marriage Records, [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].
[10] North Carolina, Index to Marriage Bonds, 1741-1868, [AncestryRecord].
[11] United States Federal Census, 1860, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[12] United States Federal Census, 1870, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[13] United States Federal Census, 1900, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[14] United States Federal Census, 1790, [AncestryImage], [AncestryRecord].
[15] Brent H. Holcomb, Fairfield County, South Carolina Minutes of the County Court 1785-1799 (1981), 27, 57.
[16] Fairfield County, South Carolina Deeds, A-127, [FamilySearchImage], [FSCatalog].
[17] South Carolina Department of Archives and History, plat 6-56, [Image], [Search1], [Search2].
[18] Fairfield County, South Carolina Deeds, A-278, [FamilySearchImage], [FSCatalog].
[19] Brent H. Holcomb, Fairfield County, South Carolina Minutes of the County Court 1785-1799 (1981), 144.
[20] South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Series S108093, estate packet package 379, [Image], [Search1], [Search2].
[21] A. B. Pruitt, Abstracts of Deeds: Greenville Co, SC Books N,O&P (1823-1828) (2007), 78, 3263.
[22] South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Buncomb County North Carolina will B-38, [Image], [Search1], [Search2].
[23] South Carolina Department of Archives and History, Series S108093, Greenville District South Carolina will C-80, [Image], [Search1], [Search2].
[24] A. B. Pruitt, Abstracts of Deeds: Greenville Co, SC Books N,O&P (1823-1828) (2007), 91, P-72.
[25] A. B. Pruitt, Abstracts of Deeds: Greenville Co, SC Books N,O&P (1823-1828) (2007), 152, P-414.
[26] Lincoln County, North Carolina Estate Files, Joseph Cochran, [FamilySearchImage].
[27] Lincoln County, North Carolina Estate File, James Cochran, [URL].