On William Cochran DLC about 2 miles N. of Brownsville. BLM shows Cochran D.L.C. in this section (19), as well as in 13S 2W 24.

The following information is transcribed from the WPA Linn County Cemetery Survey, researched & prepared by Leslie L. Haskin on 3/20/1940:

This is not a cemetery but an individual burial on privately owned land. It is among the very early burials in the Brownsville neighborhood.

The grave, or graves, are situated on the original William Cochran D.L.C., now [in 1940] owned by T. J. Woody, in section 19, Township 13 South Range 2 West in Linn county. This is on the old Oregon Territorial Road about two miles north of the town Brownsville.

The graves are on the east side of the old road and lie in the yard of a farm tenant house and very near to the back door. As related later, there are reasons why the exact spot cannot now be definitely fixed....

It is impossible to locate the graves exactly. About the year 1919 or thereabouts this place was sold by William Cochran Jr., son of the original owner, to Mr. T. J. Woody. During this transaction no mention was made of the family burying ground not [sic] was Mr. Woody aware of its existence. When, after buying the land, he did discover the graves he was much displeased. Having bought the farm partly for speculative purposes he feared that the presence of the graves there might hurt future sales. He therefore requested that Mr. Cochran have the bodies removed. This was attempted but because of the long period of time which had elapsed "nothing could be found, no, not even so much as a nail." Perhaps no coffin nails had ever existed as at the early date of the burials it is easily possible that only wooden pegs had been used in the coffin construction.

Failing to find any bodies to remove the workers were in a dilemma. An agreement was finally made that the grave stones should be dropped into the pits, the whole covered up and refilled and leveled off and the matter never more mentioned.

The graves are therefore still there and the grave stones with them buried deep in the ground. The present owner of the land doubtless would be displeased to know that even this record had been preserved.

The history of the burials is as follows- "William Cochran was born in Madison County, Ky., in 1813. In 1818 he removed with his parents to Missouri where he grew to manhood and married Miss Polly Johnson, daughter of Samuel Johnson. This marriage occurred in1834.

In 1847 Mr. And Mrs. Cochran started for Oregon by ox team. At The Dalles they sawed out lumber by hand with which to build boats to descend the Columbia River. At the Cascades they lost a part of their boats. They were forced to hire a man with a small skiff to continue their journey. They remained at the mouth of the Sandy River until February. They then proceeded down the river and rented a place in Clackamas County. When he arrived there he had but one dollar. He remained on his rented farm until July, 1849 when he came on to Linn County. Here he settled north of Brownsville and bought the farm where these burials are located--rather, he bought a squatters rights and completed title to the claim. In 1854 his wife, Polly Johnson Cochran died and was buried just across the old Territorial Road from her home. It is also believed that one or two of her children are also buried here.

One son of this woman still [in 1940] lives at Albany, Oregon. He is William Cochran Jr., and he was born on his father's old claim in 1851. He was about three years old when his mother died.

(Note 1. The pioneer pronunciation of the name Cochran was "Caw-horn". Many Brownsville old-timers still pronounce the name in that way.)

(Note 2. The section and township description of this old burial may not be correct. The old Territorial Road at this point meanders very close along the Township line. The description given is believed to be correct but without an exact survey it is impossible to know. The grave may be across the line in Section 24, Township 13 South Range 3 West.)

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References used to prepare these cemetery pages are provided.
Lisa L. Jones prepared and is solely responsible for the content of these pages. 
Copyright 2001.