The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1891-03-26
HISTORICAL "REMINISCENCES.
No. 8.

veteran townswoman Miss Nancy Coch-
ran, of the Justly earned honor OF being
the Oldest lady in town. She was born
year earlier than he said or in June IL,
1876. This gives her the precedence IN
point of age over all other ladies in town
and we may add here as partial compen-
sation for the wrong done that she is
probably the Oldest lady, with one excep-
ton, in the county, Miss Asenath Bennett
of Brattleboro having recently passed her
tooth birthday.
Somebody has said that history is BIZ
ography with its brains knocked out
Certain il is that local histories have an
added interest when it is well spiced with
biographies and genealogies. In this pa
per we will give some items of the Coch-
ran family and of Miss Nancy in partic-
ular
David Cochran first appears in the his
toty of Londonderry in the spring OF
ll772. He had come with Col. Rogers,
with William Cox and Joseph Ougterson
from Londonderry, N. ii. and settled
down for the time being in the eastern
part of the town. They returned to New
Hampshire in the fall and returned again
to Vermont in the following spring, re-
inforced by several others. When Col
Rogers land which comprised nearly the
whole town, for he had sold but little OF
| it, was confiscated, the Legislature of
Vermont subsequently appointed COM
mittee consisting of Edward Aiken, Sam
uel Fletcher and Joseph Tyler to sell the
land, and among the parties that bought
parcels of it was David Cochran. On
March II, 1881 as per records in the Town
Clerks office he purchased two parcels,
one containing 156 acres with allowance
of five acres to one hundred for roads,
for which he paid ELS, 6s lawful money,
and the other containing l4S acres for fl2
lawful money. The locality of these
lots is defined in such way that it is diff
ficult now to tell where they were situa-
ted He probably had other land also
which he had obtained from Col. Rogers.
| He held the farm now known as the
Faulkner place at an early date and before
he commenced to cleariit, exchanged with
Nehemiah Howe who at the time owned
the present Jonas Hunting place. II
was on this latter place that David Coch'
ran lived and reared large family. His
children were twelve in number, John who
married Polly Butler of Weston, Edware
who married Esther Gibson of Grafton
David married Polly Blood of Windham
James married Safety Cook of this town
ahner married Hannah Woods, sister o.
Dea. Woods, Isaac married Zoroda A
Morton, Mary married Arlington Gibson
Susan married Dea. David Richardson
Betsey marrien DR.. John Gibson, Name,
remains unmarried, and two died in in
fancy.
OF the children of the foregoing, JOIN
had the following: Hannah, Ira, Rodney
Luther, Betsey, Mary and Almira.
Edwards children were: Rebecea
Esther, Aurilla, Mary, Fanny, Lucy
Warren, Isaac, Edward, Abram, Sarah
David's children were: Harvey, Gil
man, Miranda, Abigail.
James children were: Lucretia, Isaac
Mary and Edward.
Abners children were Bella and David
Isaac's children were: John, Mary, Ed
ward, Sally and Nanny.
, John is minister and lives in Texas
3 Warren and Abram, children of Edward
are also ministers and live, the former
Omaha, and the latter in Greenwich, \
G Y. Of the large number of defendant
9 of David Cochran his daughter, Name.
is the only one now living in this tow
and the only survivor of her fathers fan
lily.
It For about twelve years Miss Cochrs
has found a pleasant home in the fami
of Henry H. Collins, whose grandmoth
II Gibson was Miss Cochran's sister. Mi
Cochran is lady of intelligence and r
finement and in her early days enjoyed Il
- best educational advantages the times a
ls forded. They were not equal to t
20 present of course in every respect but
1t some others may have been superic
=, For instance while she attended t
young ladies Academy in Middlebury
1914, beside the usual studies she W
taught "good manners" such as how
70 enter and leave room properly, how
u shake hands ETC., little matters that a
o. grace and beauty to department She W
10 wont to take the trip to Middlebury,
of distance of about 100 miles by stage,
Journey that required about twenty-fo
hours. The horses were changed eve
ten or fifteen miles. In 1921 she went
TO Cumberland Co. Va. where she taus
c. but two years. In 1926 she again W.
o. South where for three years she taught
private families and afterward to
charge of an Academy in Roanoake
Va. She has spent most of her life
teaching, the time between 1914 and Il
being devoted almost exclusively to t
Oh calling. She returned to Vermont in 1
elr from Woodstock, ILL.,, where she liz
re- for some time and has remained h
a since.
e Miss Cochran retains her mental ;
also her physical powers to remarka
'io degree considering her great age.
air can see very well without glasses. He
no readily and has very good appel
AN She is quick witted, genial and pleas
IA in conversation and bids fair to round
the century. She is a member of
'h- Congregational church of which her
ther many years ago was a deacon;
in the peaceful hope and joyful antici
in ton of the Christian believer she 10
EEK forward to the call of the Master to &C
hit up higher. ENQUIRER
She Understood.
Mrs. Muggins-And so you are
yh. actorl What are you playing nowG
- Handsome Stranger-The dual r