Gilbert, Frank T. "Historic Sketches of Walla Walla, Whitman, Columbia and Garfield Counties, Washington Territory; and Umatilla County, Oregon." Portland, OR: Print & Lithographing House of A. G. Walling, 1882. p. a8. JAMES W. COCHRAN was born in Boone Co., Missouri, April 3, 1831. His father, John G., was a native of Madison Co., Kentucky, where he was born in November, 1799. He was a farmer by occupation, and James W. was raised to this profession. In 1852, on the twenty-sixth of October, he married Minerva J. Gooding, who died January 20, 1858, leaving two children named Delina J., born December 21, 1855, and John W., born January 6, 1858. He was married to his present wife December 27, 1860. She was a widow lady, with a child named Ida, her name being Cynthia A. Moss. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Cochran were born and are named as follows: Isadore, December 11, 1861; Robert L., June 2, 1863; Adelbert, June 20, 1865; Minnie, March 16, 1867; Ernest, June 16, 1872; George, December 2, 1873; Samuel, October 21. Of these three are dead, Minnie, Ernest and Robert. In 1864, Mr. Cochran left his Missouri home and came to Walla Walla with his family, where he remained for a year and then moved to Oregon. In 1867, he came back to this country, and settled on Dry creek on a homestead location, three miles up that stream from where he now lives. In 1879, he moved to the farm owned by him, upon which is located the depot at the terminus of the railroad now being built along Dry creek by Dr. Baker. It is ten miles a little north from East of Walla Walla, and is about one mile down the stream from the Dixie school house. At present, Mr. Cochran is the Dixie Post Master, and the office is kept at his house. His farm contains 350 acres and at the old residence three miles farther up he has 340 more, making 690 acres of land in all owned by him. It is all fenced and utilized by tillage and grazing. On the two ranches he has about 500 fruit trees. In 1879 he gathered front 450 acres of land in wheat, barley and oats, 14,600 bushels of grain, and this was the largest product per acre ever cropped on his land. When Mr. Cochran came back to Walla Walla in 1867, his possessions consisted of a span of horses, a wooden axle wagon, a family of six, and five dollars in money. The cash went for supplies and he started for the country without a cent. He took up the land as before mentioned, erected a little house, and then went to work making rawhide bottom chairs. Baker and Boyer took them from him and sold to the farmers of the country, and in this way he maintained his family for four years, when he began to gain headway and improve his land. Between that time and the present (1882,) he has steadily gained success until, through farming and operations in real estate, he has acquired his present property. * * * * Submitted to the WA. Bios Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith. Notice: These biographies were transcribed for the Washington Biographies Project. Unless otherwise stated, no further information is available on the individual featured in the biographies.