HISTORY: Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia, Chapter 7, Cochran, Dauphin County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Bookwalter Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/dauphin/runk/runk-bios.htm _______________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Containing Sketches of Representative Citizens, and Many of the Early Scotch-Irish and German Settlers. Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Company, 1896, pages 94-96. _______________________________________________________________ THE COCHRANS OF PAXTANG. I. JOHN COCHRAN(1), of the house of Dundonald, crossed over from Paisley in Scotland to the Province of Ulster, Ireland, about 1570 - perhaps a little earlier. From him descended James Cochran(2), whose second son was Robert and fourth son John(3). Robert Cochran had a son Robert, called "Deaf Robert." From John(3) we have James(4), and in the subsequent generation Robert(5), called "Honest Robert." He had James, Stephen, and David of the sixth generation, who came to Pennsylvania and settled on the Octoraro, in Chester county. Concerning Stephen and David we have meager information. James Cochran(6) married his kinswoman, Isabella, daughter of "Deaf Robert." James Cochran died in DAUPHIN COUNTY. 95 1766 - his wife some years later. They had issue: i. Ann, b. 1724; m., 1st, Alex. Leckey; 2d, Rev. John Roan. ii. Robert, b. 1726; left a daughter, Isabella. iii. James, b. 1728; d. in April, 1768. iv. John, b. September 1, 1730; was Dr. John Cochran, surgeon general of the Revolution, and an intimate friend of Washington; d. April 6, 1807; m., December 4, 1760, Gertrude Schuyler, sister to Gen. Philip Schuyler, of the Revolution. v. Stephen, b. 1732. vi. Jane, b. 1734; m. Rev. Alexander Mitchell. 2. vii. George, b. 1736. II. GEORGE COCHRAN (James, Robert, James, John, James, John), the youngest son of James and Isabella Cochran, was born about 1736, on the Octoraro, Chester county, Pa. He settled on the Swatara, where he died about 1770. He married Annie Henry, daughter of Rev. James Henry, a Presbyterian minister, who came from the north of Ireland and settled at Pomoco, Md., about 1739. She died on the Swatara. They had issue: i. Israel, m. Isabel Hammel, and left one daughter, Jean; she married _____ Reaznor, of Erie county, in 1808, and died a few years after her marriage. Mr. Hammel, after his wife's death, removed to Ohio, leaving his daughter Jean with her uncle, John Cochran. ii. Sarah, m. William Robertson; removed to Danville, Montour county, Pa., where they died, leaving issue: John, Isabella, James, William, Samuel, Jane, and Mary. iii. Jean, m. William Thompson, and removed to Buffalo Valley where they lived until their death. They had Nancy, James, and Ruth. James became a Presbyterian clergyman, and was connected with the Huntingdon Presbytery. iv. John, b. 1761; spent his earliest years in Chester county, among his father's friends, where he received a good education and studied surveying. In 1792 he removed to Northumberland county, now Union county; from thence to Erie county in 1796 as deputy surveyor under Thomas Rees, who was the first State surveyor appointed by the Land Department of the Commonwealth for that county. Mr. Cochran surveyed and laid out the Erie and Waterford Reservations with tracts and farms in 1796-7. He purchased tracts 30 and 70 of the Erie reserve, and removed his family there in 1799. In 1800 he built a rude saw and grist mill on Mill creek, where is Dinsmore's mill, now Stewart's. Gov. McKean appointed Mr. Cochran deputy surveyor of Erie county, July 9, 1801, and subsequently, July 5, 1803, one of the associates judges of the county. He was appointed by Governor Snyder secretary of the Land Office in 1809; removed to Lancaster with his family, and afterwards to Harrisburg. He held the office nine years, when he returned to his home in Mill Creek, near Erie. He lived on this farm until his death, May 1, 1836. Judge Cochran's wife was Sarah Lattimore; she died about 1840. They had two sons: George, who died in December, 1827, unmarried, and Robert, who married, about 1820, Eliza Justice, by whom he had nine children. Robert Cochran was appointed by President Jackson, postmaster of Erie, February 26, 1833, filled it seven years; and was again appointed by President Polk, July 23, 1845, holding the office four years. He died on the old Cochran farm, in South Erie, December 9, 1869, aged seventy years. v. Annie, b. August 16, 1763, in now Dauphin county, Pa., d. April 12, 1857, at Winchester, Tenn.; married in 1787, Sankey Dixon, son of John and Arabella Dixon, born in 1762 in Londonderry township, Dauphin county, Pa.; died at Knoxville, Tenn., November 11, 1812, at the age of fifty. In the Paxtang assessment, north end, for 1749, the earliest we have, appear the names of William, Andrew, George, and John Cochran. Of George and his descendants we have spoken. The others were probably children of David or Stephen, previously referred to. 96 HISTORICAL REVIEW Later we find the names of Samuel, James, and William. ANDREW COCHRAN, of Paxtang, died at an advanced age in November, 1775; his estate was bequeathed to his children, his wife having previously deceased: i. Margaret, m., August 17, 1756, Thomas Wiley. ii. Jean, m. _____ Campbell. iii. Mary, m., November, 1774, Robert Whitehill. iv. Sarah, m. _____ Chambers. v. John. vi. Andrew. vii. William. SAMUEL COCHRAN, b. in 1732; d. April 8, 1816, in Middle Paxtang. He was a private in Captain Rutherford's company of associators in 1776 and 1777. He left a wife Margaret, and had issue as follows: i. [A dau.], m. John Hatfield, and had Margaret and John. ii. Margaret. iii. Jane. iv. Martha, m. William Forster, and had Samuel. v. Isabella, m. Philip Reichart. vi. Rachel. vii. William. JAMES COCHRAN was probably a son of Andrew Cochran, b. in 1742; d. July 16, 1822, and is buried in Paxtang. He was a private in Captain Rutherford's company of associators in 1776. He married, November 22, 1770, Mary Montgomery, of Paxtang, b. in 1744; d. August 6, 1803, and is also interred in Paxtang. They had issue, among others: i. John, b. 1773; d. November 16, 1845; m. Hannah Cowden, b. 1778; d. May 31, 1850. ii. Andrew. iii. Jane, m. Henry Peffer. JOHN COCHRAN, a soldier of Captain Murray's company of the Revolution, died in November, 1789; his wife Caroline died in April, 1804. They had John, who had issue: Lydia, Caroline, Ann, m. Jeremiah Crain, and Jamison We have the following disconnected data: WILLIAM COCHRAN, b. 1780; d. April 26, 1840; m., January 11, 1810, Rachel, daughter of Christian Gross. SAMUEL COCHRAN, Jr., was a private in Capt. John Rutherford's company of associators in 1776. He married, December 11, 1770, Mary Sherer, of Paxtang. His daughter Margaret married, October 20, 1803, David Mitchell, of Cumberland county. JACOB COCHRAN, of Chester county, died prior to 1785. His children, minors, Jacob, David, John, and Mary, were then residing in Dauphin county. David died January 21, 1809. John married March 3, 1804, Mary Hart, of Middle Paxtang. SAMUEL COCHRAN, of Chester county, was surveyor general of Pennsylvania from 1800 to 1809. He died at Cochranville, Chester county, Pa., May 3, 1829. His son Samuel, b. 1797; d. September 5, 1821, at Harrisburg. Among the Rev. John Roan's marriages are the following: Margaret Cochran and Thomas Wiley, August 17, 1756. Janet Cochran and Robert Whitely, April 24, 1759. Martha Cochran and Andrew Caldwell, October 1, 1771. Martha Cochran and James Robinson, September 12, 1769. Mary Cochran and Robert Whitehill, November 1, 1774.