Thomas Cochran, Jr., was born July 31, 1843, in Brooklyn, New York. He was the
fourth of seven children of James Blair Cochran (1799-1858), who immigrated in
1819 from Kirkcudbright, Scotland, and Catherine Baylis (1816-1849).
In 1852 Cochran attended the City Academy of Brooklyn, then graduated from the
Brooklyn Polytechnic School (1859). He then entered New York University and was
awarded his degree June 15, 1863. During the Civil War, Cochran joined the
Seventh Regiment of New York Volunteers, the so-called "Kid Glove" regiment
comprised of young men from prominent New York City families. He never left New
York as he suffered from tuberculosis. He then attended and graduated from
Columbia Law School (fall 1863-May 17, 1865). Later that year he and his younger
brother Samuel (1845-1869) sailed to San Francisco via Cape Horn, also visiting
the Pacfic Northwest.
In autumn 1866 Cochran joined the New York law office of Man and Parsons, where
he apprenticed with Elihu Root (future Secretary of State under President
Theodore Roosevelt.) In November 1867 he married Emilie Belden Walsh
(1844-1924), whose family had long since established itself in the hardware
business in New York City. In 1869 the couple moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, to
alleviate Thomas's poor health. He established himself in the real estate
business with his college friend (and Emilie's brother) James R. Walsh and in
the insurance business with Henry H. Sibley, Minnesota's first governor. The
family joined the House of Hope Church, with Thomas serving as an elder and
teacher. In 1870 he was elected a lifelong member of the Minnesota Historical
Society, and in the 1880s and 1890s he served as a trustee of Macalester College
(St. Paul, Minnesota).
Cochran was very active in the early international YMCA movement, joining in 1863
and attending its 1889 international convention in Philadelphia. He had a
reputation as a strong and effective public speaker who, in July 1891, spoke out
against a prizefight scheduled in St. Paul. He was so effective in organizing
opposition that Governor Merriam was forced to cancel the event. Cochran was
also instrumental in the progressive development of St. Paul's Summit Avenue and
Midway district and actively supported the St. Paul City Railway in establishing
the first electrified rail transportation system from Victoria Street to Cretin
Avenue.
His businesses survived the economic panic of 1893-1898 and around 1899 he
created the Northwestern Investment Company, Inc., specializing in "Mortgage
Loans, Real Estate, Insurance." In 1906 his company was involved in a loan of
$500,000 to George D. Dayton, founder of the Dayton Department Store chain.
Thomas and Emilie raised six children at 59 Western Avenue, St. Paul: Alexander
Robertson (1869-1893); Thomas III (1871-1936); Emily (1872-1924), who remained
unmarried throughout her life and who, against her family's wishes, converted to
Catholicism with the support of Archbishop John Ireland; Williams (1876- ), who
joined the Thirteenth Minnesota Regiment and fought under General Arthur
MacArthur in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War, and who later
married Theodora von Duhn (1898- ); Moncrieff Mitchell (1879-1931), who married
Margaret Turner Davis (1881- ); and Louise (1881-1968), who married Arthur
Harold Savage (1872-1933?).
Thomas Cochran III (1871-1936) was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, but was soon sent
east for his education, attending Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts,
before entering Yale College and graduating in 1894. While at Yale he
established himself as something of a football player, suffering several
injuries and going on the lecture circuit during fall 1894 to speak about
"Foot-ball at Yale" and "Athletics up to date, Season 1894-95." However, Thomas
III soon became a successful businessman, helped eliminate his father's debts
accumulated during the depression of 1893-1898, and founded the Ardsley Hall
Company (an investment firm) in New York City around 1904. By 1913 he was vice
president of the Astor Trust Company, and in 1914 he became president of the
Liberty National Bank of New York. In 1917 he was made a partner in the
investment banking firms of J. P. Morgan and Co. and Drexel and Co. While his
business and investments profited immensely and he became a wealthy man, Thomas
III was also a generous and life-long supporter of Phillips Academy and several
charities, and gave generously to his mother and siblings.
Thomas III married Martha Andrews Griffin (1871-1914) in September 1910. They had
one child, Emmy Lous, who died the day of her birth. Martha died in May 1914,
and Thomas III remained a widower the rest of his life.
Biographical data on Thomas Cochran, Jr., was taken from James Wallace
(1849-1939), Thomas Cochran: Man, Churchman, Citizen,
Gentleman, and Friend, (St. Paul [?]: s. n. 1927); and James Hodge
Callender, History and Genealogy of the Cochran Family of
Kirkcudbright and New York, (New York: Private printing, 1932).
Biographical data on Thomas Cochran III was taken from Claude M. Fuess
(1871-1936), Thomas Cochran (Andover, Mass.
[privately printed], 1937); and Who Was Who In America,
volume 1: 1897-1942 (Marquis Publications, 1968).
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The correspondence from the 1850s consists of a few letters describing Thomas
Cochran, Jr.'s experiences at the City Academy of Brooklyn and a single
letter to Emilie Belden Walsh from Emily M. Brown [an aunt?] describing what
it means "To be a Christian . . . ."
The 1860s files contain various ephemera from the Eucleian Society at New
York University (NYU), and various church and YMCA flyers. Twenty essays by
Thomas Cochran, Jr., while a student at NYU (such as "Muscular
Christianity," "The Liberty of the Soul," and "General McClellan") are
present as well as compositions by Emilie Belden Walsh and a variety of
family letters to both Thomas, Jr. and Emilie from relatives and
friends.
In addition, in 1863 Thomas, Jr. and Emilie began a prolific correspondence
which continued unabated after their marriage in November 1867. Part of this
correspondence consists of a journal kept by Thomas, Jr. on his trip to
California and Oregon with his brother Samuel (November 12, 1865-May 6,
1866). The journal details their trip around Cape Horn on the clipper ship
Young America; a description of San
Francisco and the mercury mines near San Jose, California; an excursion to
Oregon, including visits to Astoria and Portland, and a week-long voyage up
the Columbia River as far as Wallula, Washington (including descriptions of
the Nez Perce Indians encountered enroute); and a visit to some of the giant
sequoia stands and the Yosemite Valley in California. In addition, Thomas
recorded a conversation he had with a man who described (as he perceived
them) the rather unpopular political and real estate machinations of John C.
Fremont (1813-1890) within the state of California. Other folders reflect
familial concerns over the early death of Samuel in Rome in March 1869, and
specific friendships such as that between Thomas and James R. Walsh
(Emilie's brother), and between Emilie and Fanny Comstock.
Much of the correspondence in the late 1860s revolves around Thomas, Jr.'s
decision to move west to St. Paul, Minnesota, for health reasons (he
suffered from tuberculosis).
The correspondence of the 1870s is dominated by the many letters exchanged
between Thomas and Emilie. These describe the couple's growing family (the
six children were born between 1869 and 1881), and the strains on the
marriage occasioned by Thomas, Jr.'s frequent travels related to business
and the YMCA (see the June 11, 1870, letter from Thomas to Emilie consoling
her after she reported that a man named "Kurtz" had made improper advances
towards her). Most of the other folders in this decade contain letters from
a variety of relatives.
The number of letters between Thomas and Emilie grow relatively sparse by the
early 1880s, as the correspondence shifts to letters between them and their
growing children. Many of the letters detail problems with servants,
business interests, academic performance, concerns over health and Christian
education, and a wealth of minutiae associated with a well-to-do and
socially prominent family.
Alexander Cochran, the oldest of their children, was a sickly boy who was
sent on at least two trips overseas before dying in Rome in 1893, just a few
days shy of his twenty-fourth birthday. He kept a diary of his first
excursion, an around-the-world trip on a steamer. The fragmentary record
includes entries (March 3-May 18, 1892) as well as a local passport he was
issued by the United States Legation in Tokyo on June 1, 1892.
Thomas Cochran III, the Cochran's second child, was the subject of much
correspondence, especially with respect to his education at Phillips Academy
(Andover, Massachusetts) and then at Yale. These included problems with his
grades, bad language, football injuries, poor class attendance, and concerns
over money. Of interest is a January 14, 1889, letter ("Confidential") from
his father concerning the possible involvement of his son with a friend who
had reportedly visited a bordello. In 1895 Thomas III penned several letters
describing a trip to Europe, where he spent three weeks in England and two
in France.
Emily Cochran, their third child, never married but became friends with the
American writer Henry James. He penned two letters (September 8, 1906;
October 22, 1908) to Emily, and his brother William, the psychologist and
philosopher, also wrote her. Emily also became enamored of the Catholic
church, to the chagrin of her family, but was supported in her decision to
convert to Catholicism by Archbishop John Ireland in a June 21, 1917,
letter.
Williams Cochran, the fourth child, joined Company C of the Thirteenth
Minnesota Regiment of Volunteers to fight in the Spanish-American War, and
kept a diary (June 27, 1898-February 1899). It describes the voyage from San
Francisco, via Honolulu, to the Philippines aboard the transport The City of Para; General Arthur MacArthur, their
brigade commander; garrison duty in and around Manila; problems with
smallpox, dysentery, and malaria; and the growing threat from Emilio
Aguinaldo's insurgents. The unit, however, apparently did little
fighting.
Moncrieff Mitchell Cochran, the couple's fifth child, married Margaret Turner
Davis on July 20, 1916 (though one letter suggests that they had wed as
early as December 30, 1913), and their correspondence is fairly mundane.
Louise Cochran, the last child, was a voluminous letter writer. She
corresponded constantly with her older brother, Thomas III, whom she
idolized as "King," and over the years 1907-1908 she received many letters
from an English admirer, James Ryley. During summer 1907 Louise kept a diary
describing her day-to-day experiences during the family's vacation at their
"Monedin" cabin retreat on Isle Royale. Finally, there are several letters
containing correspondence between Louise Cochran and Arthur Harold Savage
(1872- ), both before and after their marriage on May 10, 1910.
There are some miscellaneous papers, which include the 1889 proceedings of
the 28th International Convention of the YMCA, attended by Thomas Cochran,
Jr., and which also includes some letters from the 1870s relating to Thomas,
Jr.'s activities on behalf of the YMCA.
The Thomas Cochran, Jr. family and the Arthur H. Savage family correspondence
also contains a variety of interesting vignettes: a 5-page typescript
description of an attempted two-day circumnavigation of Isle Royale by "T.
C." in August 1904; many letters of condolence concerning the death of
Thomas Cochran, Jr. on Christmas Day, 1906; several anecdotes describing
Thomas III's generosity to his family (e.g., a Cadillac for his mother and
an offer to buy a house for Louise); correspondence between Thomas III and
his nephew Thomas Cochran Savage (1913-1988) complaining in part about the
shabby way in which the young lad had been treating his mother (Louise
Cochran Savage); numerous letters of condolence concerning the deaths of
Emily Cochran and her mother, Emilie Belden Cochran (April 8 and May 22,
1924, respectively); and correspondence between members of the Cochran and
Savage families and James Wallace, Thomas Cochran, Jr.'s biographer (circa
1925-1929.)
NOTE TO RESEARCHERS:
Both the Cochran and Walsh families used the same forenames (or close
approximations) repeatedly through several generations. Those more commonly
confused in this collection, their dates, and relationships are as follows:
Thomas Cochran (1806-1889), brother of James Blair Cochran and Catherine
Baylis (1816-1849); Thomas Cochran III (1871-1936), son of Thomas Cochran,
Jr., and Emilie Belden (Walsh) Cochran; Emily M. (Brown) Walsh (1816-1881),
mother of Emilie Belden Walsh (1844-1924); Emilie Belden Walsh (184-1924),
daughter of Alexander Robertson Walsh and Emily M. (Brown) Walsh; Emily
Cochran (1872-1924), daughter of Thomas Cochran, Jr., and Emilie Belden
(Walsh) Cochran.
Much of this collection consists of personal letters among family members and
is replete with a variety of nicknames. The known aliases are as follows:
Children of Thomas Cochran, Jr., and Emilie Belden
(Walsh) Cochran:
Thomas Cochran III was commonly referred to as "King" by Louis Cochran; often
used "Jr." himself since he disliked "III", and after his father's death,
preferred Thomas Cochran without either the "III" or "Jr.;" Emily Cochran
(1872-1924) was called "Waity;" Williams Cochran (1876- )was called "Billy;"
and Louise Cochran (1881-1968) was "Tootie," "Toots," "Fish plate," and
"Chump" and derivatives.
Children of Alexander Robertson Walsh and Emily M.
(Brown) Walsh:
James R. Walsh was "Jim;" Margaret Walsh was "Madge," and "Maggie;" Minnie W.
Moir, friend of Emilie Belden (Walsh) Conchran was called "Min;" Martha
Andrews (Griffin) Cochran (1871-1914), wife of Thomas Cochran III, was
"Mattie," and "D;" Arthur Harold Savage (1872- ), husband of Louise Cochran
Savage, was "Nubbins," and "Swatty;" Theodora (von Duhn) Cochran (1898- ),
wife of Williams Cochran, was called "Teddy;" Moncrieff Mitchell Cochran
(1879-1931), husband of Margaret Turner (Davis) Cochran (1881- ), was
"To-Be;" Margaret Turner (Davis) Cochran (1881- ), wife of Moncrieff
Mitchell Cochran, was "Barg," and "Bargette;" and Elizabeth Robertson
(Savage) Snell (1919-1972), daughter of Louise Cochran Savage and Authur
Harold Savage, was called "Betty."
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 146.L.15.1B | 1 | Family correspondence, circa 1850s-1859. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Miscellaneous papers, undated and 1860-1869. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. student essays, circa 1860-1866. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | James Walsh letters to Thomas Cochran, Jr., circa 1860-1864. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Fannie Comstock letters to Emilie Belden Walsh, circa 1860s and 1862-1863. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Belden Walsh correspondence, 1863, May 1864-December 1865. 2 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Fannie Comstock letters to Emilie Belden Walsh, May 1866-November 1867. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Belden Walsh correspondence, January-December 1866. 2 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Cochran correspondence, June 1867-October 1869. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Family correspondence, 1867-1870. 6 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Miscellaneous papers, 1870-1879. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Cochran correspondence, circa 1870s. 4 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 146.L.15.2F | 2 | Family correspondence, 1871. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Cochran correspondence, 1871-1872. 2 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Family correspondence, 1872-1874. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Cochran correspondence, 1873-1875. 2 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Family correspondence, 1875-1877. 2 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. and Emilie Cochran correspondence, circa 1876-1887. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Family correspondence, circa 1878-1879. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. family correspondence, 1880. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Arthur H. Savage correspondence, undated and circa 1880. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Miscellaneous papers and family correspondence, 1881-1889. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. family correspondence, 1881-1889, circa 1890s. 9 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 146.L.15. 3B | 3 | Thomas Cochran, Jr. family correspondence, January 1890-1908. 17 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Louise Cochran diary, June 15-September 21, 1907. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Louise Cochran and Arthur H. Savage correspondence, August 1907-May 9, 1910. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran, Jr. family correspondence, 1909. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 146.L.15.4F | 4 | Thomas Cochran, Jr. family correspondence, January 1924. 4 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Arthur H. Savage family correspondence, May 10, 1910-1929, 1936, 1940. 7 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Thomas Cochran III miscellaneous papers, 1916, 1918. |
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The collection includes an unrelated hand-drawn colored political cartoon
(1806) lampooning a certain New York family (identity unknown) that was
found in a desk in Stamford, Connecticut.
The folder containing family genealogical and historical notes is valuable
for determining family relationships and for some anecdotal information
concerning Thomas Cochran, Jr.
Another folder contains undated personal correspondence from Emily Cochran's
sister and several sisters-in-law. This is followed by four folders of
undated personal and family correspondence.
There are nine folders of fragmentary letters and miscellaneous notes, which
have been organized by author: J. L Roberts, James Blair Cochran
(1799-1859), Emily (Brown) Walsh (1816-1881), Thomas Cochran, Jr., Emily
Belden (Walsh) Cochran (1844-1924), Thomas Cochran III, Emily Cochran
(1872-1924), and fragments from "various family members and friends." Of
particular interest is an early 8-page description of Virginia (circa 1830s)
by J. L. Roberts, who was probably a business associate of James Blair
Cochran. In addition, James Blair Cochran collected numerous short poems,
and biblical and mythological passages (circa 1830s and 1840s.) Some of
these may also be found in Folder 2 of the oversize items.
Emily Cochran, in addition to some correspondence, drew some pencil sketches
of objects and unidentified friends or family members in 1894 and 1895,
which have been retained in this collection. There is also a folder
containing three items of ephemera collected by the Arthur H. Savage family
in 1923.
The 18 folders of photographs are organized by individual family members,
unknown family and friends, and by place.
There is one folder containing dozens of visiting cards from family and
friends and advertising (business) cards. Another folder contains a child's
colored paper cut-out and several postcard pictures.
Finally, there are two folders of miscellaneous newspaper clippings and two
folders of other miscellaneous papers. In particular, the researcher will
find that the materials in the newspaper folders are a good source of
biographical information.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Location | Box |
| 146.L.15.5B | 5 | Political cartoon, March 1806. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Family genealogies and historical notes. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Emilie Cochran and sisters correspondence, undated. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Undated family correspondence. 4 folders. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | J. L. Roberts letter (fragmentary) describing Virginia, circa 1830s. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Fragmentary correspondence: |
| | | James Blair Cochran. |
| | | Emily (Brown) Walsh. |
| | | Thomas Cochran, Jr., undated. |
| | | Thomas Cochran, Jr., 1870s, 1894. |
| | | Emilie Belden (Walsh) Cochran, undated and circa 1878, 1992. |
| | | Thomas Cochran III, 1890s. |
| | | Emily Cochran. |
| | | Various family members and friends. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Emilie Cochran pencil sketches, 1894-1895. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Arthur H. Savage family. Miscellaneous ephemera, 1923. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Photographs: |
| | | Thomas Cochran, Jr., 1843-1906. |
| | | Emilie Belden (Walsh) Cochran, 1844-1924. |
| | | Thomas Cochran III, 1871-1936. |
| | | Emily Cochran, 1872-1924. |
| | | Williams Cochran, 1876-. |
| | | Moncrieff Mitchell Cochran, 1879-1931. |
| | | Louise Cochran Savage, 1881. |
| | | Cochran and Walsh family members, circa 19th century. |
| | | Unknown family members, undated. |
| | | Family members, friends and servants. |
| | | Unknown family members. Tintypes. |
| | | Unknown family members or friends, undated. |
| | | Isle Royale, circa 1900s. |
| | | `Monedin' summer cabin, Isle Royale, circa 1900s. |
| | | European vacation[s], circa 1900s. |
| | | Various subjects, 1906 and 1908. |
| | | Isle Royale and Lake Charles, La., 1907. |
| | | Various structures, undated and 1907 and 1923. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Calling and business cards, circa late 19th century. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Colored paper cut-out and postcard pictures, circa late 19th century. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Newspaper clippings: |
| | | Various dates. |
| | | Collected by Louise Cochran Savage, undated and 1920-1924. |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | Miscellaneous papers. 2 folders. |
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