Henry Newton Cochran's diary, part 1

Before I launch into this fascinating history, I'd like to mention something in conjunction with its location ... Campbell County.

I received my newsletter from the Old Campbell County Historical Society a few weeks ago, and it mentioned that they were going to rededicate and open their research room this Sunday (July 20).

I, for one, am thrilled. That much needed and rich-in-history facility has been closed for too long! I know many in the area will be glad to be able to research the many resources available there.

The newsletter also mentioned that the society, while rich in membership of folks from out of state, is lacking in membership of local people ... in other words, they need warm bodies to help.

If you live in the area, and had ancestors in Campbell County, you might want to attend their meeting and rededication this Sunday at 3 p.m. They meet in the old Campbell County Courthouse, across the railroad tracks from the main business area, in Fairburn. The public is always invited.

Now, for the main topic of this week's column.

Here, we have the diary of Henry Newton Cochran, an ordinary, hard-working Georgia farmer, born in 1848 in South Carolina, and died in 1925 in Campbell County. The diary was begun in 1907 and recounts much of Henry's life in his younger years. I will present it in several parts, exactly as it was written by Henry. The first part begins now:

"The subject of this sketch being requested to write out a sketch of the ups and downs of his past life, will undertake the same with many misgivings on account of a knowledge of his inabilities and knowing that many who read it will think it egotism. Be that as it may what ever I write will be the truth, so far as it goes.

"I Henry Newton Cochran, was born Dec. 15, 1848 at 10:00 a.m., in the Abbeville Dist. of S.C., on a farm known as the Betsy (Betts ??) Eaton place. My father George Cochran was a native of Edgefield S.C. My mother's birth place was near my own. They had both had previous marriages. My mother's maiden name was Weed, and first married a man named Gray, at the age of 16.

"There were six children born to the union with father who lived to adult manhood and womanhood. Two girls and four boys, the others died in infancy. I was the youngest of the six.

"My parents immigrated to Campbell County Georgia about the year 1853. They remained here for some twelve months and returned to S.C., where they began to think of their Ga. home and returned back to Campbell Co. about the year 1855.

"The two girls and the two youngest boys being the only ones who still made their home with the Old Folks. Henry was very fond of his mother and nearly a constant companion up to the age of 12 years. To her I owe in great measure the sympathy that I have always felt for my fellow man.

"When the War Between the States broke out I was to young to go, although all of my brothers enlisted and served the confederate cause throughout it's (sic) entire duration.

"I after seeing soldiers passing, would think that I would enjoy the camp life, but I had a hard job on my hands taking care of our aging father and mother.

"I often think of the times that I would come home on Saturday and meet my father and mother after a hard weeks work where I had been hired out five or six miles away. Oh how sweet it was to sit down with them to the frugal meal and enjoy the few hours of my stay until Sunday when I had to return to my (hired hand) labor.

"I found many ways of enjoying myself with the boys on the farms where I was employed, and play off pranks of mischief on each other and the members of the household. I will mention a few of them here.

"While at work at L.L. Kidds it was fun for his son Andrew and myself to ride the oxen as we went to and from the field. Many is the time after we had passed over the hill at Antioch Church for one of us to get on the steers them being hitched to the wagon and go galloping off wagon and all to the field over gullies or anything else that might be in our way. These are all pleasant memories that come to my mind. As of now I am writing about something that occurred near our old church Antioch. I will say that some of the most pleasant memories of my life were spent there at Sabbath School under the guidance of Abram Miller and Milton Miles two old fathers that I thought the world of.

"When I was about twelve years old I attended Sabbath School at Antioch and remember a prize was offered, or in other words we were furnished a little green card containing a verse from the Bible for each lesson recited from memory in our catechism. Then for six green cards we were given a red card. When we had received six red cards we could go to the library and buy any book it contained. Hill Harrison and myself were in the same class and were trying to secure a book. On one occasion Sabbath school went over for one Sabbath which gave us two weeks to commit to memory our lesson.

"When Bro. Miller had heard a few sections he closed the Catechism thinking we did not know any further, but we requested him to hold on as we knew more, he heard some more and again closed the book. Saying that he was sure that we did not know any further. We insisted that we did and had him go on until we had recited twenty-four sections each, which with the twelve we had on hand made thirty-six. These twenty-four we memorized at once and called Bro. Miller back to our bench and asked him to hear them which he did and gave us the six red cards that we so much desired in order to get our book. When we had received the six red cards we immediately memorized them and asked him to come back and hear us as we were anxious to carry the books home with us. He did so, and I can see him now in my imagination coming toward us with his arms filled with books from which we could make our selection. You can be sure that we carried those books home filled with glee."

Thanks to Bill Cochran (saltercoc@aol.com) for this wonderful diary. More next week.

Send your south metro Atlanta family histories to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; E-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!

(Judy regrets that time does not permit her to do personal research for others.)