THE COTHRAN FAMILY
Information furnished by Louise C McLain,
Elaine C Harper, the 1900 Census,
George C Cothran of Corpus Christi, TX (indirectly)

The spelling of the Cothran surname has been generally the same since about 1810. Prior to that time and in most colonial records, the spelling varied: Coharon, Caughran, Coughran, Cohorn, Cochran, Cockran, Costhran, Cockhorn and Coharon, which no doubt made research most difficult.

Alexander Coughran/Coharon owned land in Orange County, North Carolina in 1752, considered first generation for this history, and his wife, Esther, had nine children: Mary M, John C, James L, Alexander, Samuel, Jean, Esther, Izebel, and Mather, all born in either Orange or Person Counties, North Carolina.

John C Cothran (2nd generation), born in Person County, North Carolina about 1753, and wife, Molly, had seven children, all born in Person County, North Carolina: William, James, John J, Stachall, Alexander, Mary and Jesse.

James Cothran (3rd generation), appearing on the 1808 tax rolls, this family owned 697 acres and three slaves at death, and there were eleven children, only nine identified: James, Samuel, Elizabeth, John, Nancy, Benjamin H, James I, Susan and Richard, all born in Person County, North Carolina, or Williamson County Tennessee, or en route.

Samuel Cothran (4th generation), and wife Polly Burton, were in Williamson County 1850 census records with ages of 51 and 50, with six children listed. This census record began a belief that Sam and wife had ten children with only six coming to Tennessee with them in 1843-44.

J Pleas Cothran (8 July 1828-2 Oct 1888), is the only child of Samuel Cothran for who we have any record. He came to the Versailles area and is the 5th generation. Born In Person County, North Carolina, J Pleas Cothran married Mary R Cothran (1836-28 Jan 1895), the daughter of Benjamin H Cothran and Mary Jones. Thus Pleas and wife Mary R were blood first cousins and became the parents of ten children: Joseph Wood Cothran, John W Cothran, Eliza Cornelia Cothran, Susan Cothran, James Cothran, Mattie Flora Cothran (who married John Maxwell and had Homer and Lake Maxwell), William Cothran Mace Cothran, Judith T (Aunt Jude) Cothran, and Benjamin Cothran. J Pleas owned 600 plus acres. He donated land for the Cothran Cemetery that has become a semi- public burial ground. J Please and wife are buried there.

Joseph Wood Cothran, six generations from his Scotch-Irish, Orange County, North Carolina. Ancestor, Alexander Coharon, was born 2 July 1854 and died 19 March 1933. Wood married Jennie Dora Taylor (6 Sept 1863-12 March 1923), the daughter of William Carroll Taylor and Martha Jane White. The Wood Cothran family first lived in the Versailles area in a two room log house with a dog-trot (open hall) separating the rooms, and located on a 160 acre farm soon after marriage. Several years later Wood and his father, J Pleas Cothran (5th generation), built a frame two-story house on the right about 5/8 mile from the Versailles store toward Mt Pleasant. The house still stands ans was owned and occupied for several years by the Grover Brannon family. Wood was a farmer, carpenter and taught handwriting. Wife, Dora Taylor, helped care for the ill among her neighbors with remedies of that day made from herbs, seed, berries, mustard, and other plants she grew and made poultices believed to cure infected areas. She died of pneumonia after returning from a visit to a sick neighbor on a rainy night. Several years later J Wood married Laura William Davis, her second too. She survived him a few years. Joseph Wood Cothran and Jennie Dora Taylor had nine children:

1 Mary S J (Lulu) Cothran married Mace Webb
2 Joseph Benjamin (Ben) Cothran married Alice Julia Puckett. Sister to mitt Puckett Cothran, and lived near Puckett store. (See Puckett family history.)
3 Emmie Beatrice Cothran married Will Maxwell.
4 Mattie Adelaide Cothran married Nicholas D Bellefant.
5 George Washington Cothran died an infant.
6 Nannie Lee Cothran married Washington (Wash) Burns.
7 Dasie White Cothran died at age two.
8 William Frank Cothran married Ethel Ray.
9 Sammie Gray Cothran died an infant.

Mace Cothran, born April 1874, brother of Joseph Wood Cothran, thus having the same Cothran ancestors and a 6th generation, married Malinda Jane (Mitt) Puckett in 1895. Mitt was born April 1879. Mace and Mitt lived about half way between the Mt Pleasant-Puckett Store Road and where the "ditch" lane meets now Highway 99. Mace, a farmer and excellent long ball hitter for the Versailles baseball team, lived only a few years after marriage and left "Mitt" a widow for close to fifty years. Their children were:

1 Susie Cothran born Feb 1896, married Alex Ralston and had three children.
2 Puckett Cothran, born Nov 1898, married Lytle Kelton, her 2nd.
3 Malinda Ann (M A) Cothran born about 1902, married Robert Dyer

Joseph Benjamin (Ben) Cothran (Sept 1881-1977), 7th generation, the eldest son of J Wood Cothran and Dora Taylor, attended Taylor School, played with the Versailles baseball team, married 20 Dec 1908, Alice Julia Puckett, the youngest daughter of James Nathaniel Puckett and Mary Frances White, landowners near Versailles and Puckett Store, sometimes erroneously referred to Needmore. Ben and Alice were deeded a 50 acre farm by the Pucketts. The farm contained house, barn and smokehouse and was known as the Hudson Place, located on the Mt Pleasant Road near the J N Puckett and Sons Store presently used for housing Veterans. Ben was a farmer, trader and operator of a grist mill for many years. Alice raised flowers, made quilts, played t he church organ and sang. The organ remains in the family. Following wife Alice's death, Ben remained in the family home, continued to raise cattle and chickens, and prior to the time of his death was the oldest resident in the Tenth District including the Versailles area, at age 96.

Ben and Alice Puckett Cothran had eight children. Four children died young: Elizabeth, Fred Francis and infant twins. The other four are:

1 Bennie Mai Cothran married George Ralston
2 Rubye Elaine Cothran married Joe Black Hayes, Sr.
3 John Benjamin Cothran married Emily Frances Igor
4 Alice Louise Cothran married Thomas Jackson McLain

All four are now living. Mai is widowed and all except John Benjamin have families of their own.

Frank Cothran, 7th generation, youngest son of Joseph Wood Cothran to reach adult age, and wife, Ethel ray, also raised a family in the Versailles area in the vicinity of Mt Pleasant. Their twelve children were: Frankie Lee, Agnes, Annie Laura, Walter Erin, Jerry, Sam, Becky, Howard, Chris, Joe, June Dale, and Jean. Frank Cothran was a farmer, a logger and a talented baseball player. Frank and son, Joe, are the only ones not now living (1982). All left the Versailles area. Most are in Nashville. All have families.