Mary Rudd Cochran Papers

The Mary Rudd Cochran papers primarily consist of biographical files, correspondence, financial and property files, professional records, writings files, and photographs. Though the papers cover many activities of her life, the collection mainly documents her private life as a member of an educated, upper middle class family.  Her personal files detail life as a child and into adulthood, which focuses much on the Cochran family and their interactions with two other great families of Oberlin, the Coxes and the Allens. Although her recollections of life in the Cochran family are interesting, her activities as a supporter of the advancement of women in society are also important. The collection provides a glimpse into the functioning of women's organizations in the early 20th century, their aims and goals, and in the manner by which educated female members became informed public citizens. Despite the rich variety of source materials, the Mary Rudd Cochran papers contain distinct gaps. Very little material exists documenting her career as a librarian, as well as her direct involvement with organizations promoting women's issues and world peace, including the Clermont County League of Women Voters and the Cincinnati Council of World Affairs. These records were donated to their respective institutions by Mary Rudd Cochran. Fortunately, her activities with the Cincinnati chapter of the Business and Professional Women's Club are documented in the collection.

The Mary Rudd Cochran Papers are separated into ten records series. The first two series deal with Cochran's own personal life and background. Series I contains autobiographical drafts and notes in an attempt to write her life story. Cochran's autobiography, which was started from a suggestion by a friend in the early 1970s, remained unfinished until 1996. Cochran's niece, Ellen MacDaniels Speers, completed the work by creating the 29-page word processing document included in the collection. Topics covered in the autobiography include her activities as a child and young adult in Mt. Auburn and Oberlin. The autobiographical account is textured with passages explaining the rich family history of the Cochrans, as well as anecdotes of the Cox, Cochran, and Allen families living in Mt. Auburn. Series II consists of biographical materials and vital records. Genealogy charts and correspondence offer an easy guide to the Cochran family tree, as well as a source for family stories. A clippings file, dating from the 1920s to the 1980s, provides an excellent source of biographical material that track Cochran's career as a librarian, as a member of the Cincinnati Business and Professional Women's Club, and her life and views as she approached 100 years of age. Other important documents of Series II include a 1946 copy of her birth certificate, Cochran's 1976 last will and testament, and six passports dating back to the 1920s. Also included is a copy of the 1900 census describing the Cochran household in Mt. Auburn.

Series III contains the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Cochran, spanning ninety years. Outgoing correspondence, dating between 1892 and 1980 (bulk before 1930), primarily contains letters to family members, especially her parents. The correspondence provides an interesting account of her travels to Europe in 1907 (May-July) and 1928 (which were integrated into existing correspondence files), as well as a glimpse into her daily life in Cleveland during the first World War and the Roaring Twenties. Included in Series III are a large number of incoming letters, which are separated into two filing units. The first filing unit contains 209 incoming letters from the Cochran family and extended family members. Correspondents include father William C. Cochran (20 items, 1893-1925), brother William S. Cochran (21 items, 1903-1963), grandmother Helen Finney Cochran Cox (6 items, 1898, 1904-1905), and aunt Hope Cox Pope (12 items, 1894-1936). The second filing unit contains all other incoming mail (1907-1982). Series IV contains files relating to Cochran's finances and provides an additional window to view as a member of the educated, upper middle class. Account books, dated from 1905 to 1975, minutely detail Cochran's personal expenses, investments, and real estate. These files reveal that Cochran often contributed to Oberlin College and the Shansi Memorial Association, as well as other numerous charities. Property files, mostly dating between 1940 and 1965, document the sale of property in Mt. Auburn and New Richmond and purchase of a cottage in Monroe, Ohio, in 1962. Other materials included in Series IV is the 1988 correspondence from the owner of the Cox property in Mt. Auburn seeking assistance from Cochran's nieces in refurbishing the home.

Series V documents Cochran's professional experiences as a librarian, as well as Cochran's personal and professional writings. Included here are Cochran's annual reports (1931, 1933, 1935) of the reference department at the Cincinnati Public Library. Not only are the reports the only materials in the collection that deal directly with Cochran's forty-year career as a librarian, but they also provide a glimpse of the work environment at the Cincinnati Public Library during the Great Depression. Other files include materials relating to Cochran's interest in the study and improvement of the state's correctional institutions' libraries. Her work as chair of the Ohio Library Association Committee on Libraries in State Institutions and its successor, the Committee on Institutional Libraries (dating from 1945 to 1962), is here, including her written findings and recommendations. Unfortunately, no material documents Cochran's activities at the Ohio Library Association or the American Library Association. Series V also contains writings of Mary Rudd Cochran, including a report (1945) and two articles (1918 and 1961) regarding correctional institutions' libraries, as well as a 1929 article on special collections that appeared in Library Journal.  Also included in the writings file is a 1956 history of the Cranston Memorial Presbyterian Church in New Richmond, Ohio, and a 1965 newspaper editorial describing the events that led to the creation of the Clermont County League of Women Voters.

Series VI reveals Cochran's involvement in the promotion of women's issues during the early decades of the 20th century. She took an active role in both the Cleveland and Cincinnati chapters of the Business and Professional Women's Club. Though no material survived documenting Cochran's participation with the Cleveland chapter, a great deal exists from her time in Cincinnati. Cochran actively sought to educate women and to promote their equal participation in American society by producing two radio scripts (1929 and 1942), writing a play (undated), and winning a 1925 contest for her essay "Five Reasons Why I Like To Work For Women." A small number of related files exist, mainly dating in the 1930s and 1940s, that include a 1938 annual report of the president written by Cochran, various organizational programs and publications (1939-1981) and a clippings file (early 1940s) describing the club's wartime activities.

Series VII documents Cochran's long involvement with her graduating class, Oberlin College, '03. Included here is an undated necrology containing obituaries and other biographical materials of some of her Oberlin classmates, as well as correspondence (1936-1973) with former classmates, and as class president. Contained in Series VIII are files relating to Cochran's trips to Europe (1962, 1964), South America (1946-1948, 1957), and Mexico (1930; with the Business and Professional Women's Club). Documents include a short travel diary kept by Cochran during her 1964 trip to northern Europe and a 1937 seven-page account written by a travel companion of a trip through the northeast United States and Canada.

Series IX consists of miscellaneous files relating to Mary Rudd Cochran. Notable documents of Series IX include letters of congratulation on her 100th birthday, dated 1981, class notes (ca. 1900s) of a library course taken at Oberlin College, and a file documenting the process of sponsoring a family to immigrate to the United States. Also included here is a large collection of published materials (1910s-1970s), which include the 1945 charter of the United Nations, travel brochures (undated), the constitution of Ohio, and 1963, 1973, and 1975 issues of The National Voter, showing Cochran's attempts to keep herself informed of current events and the American political process. Series X contains a wide variety of photographs, many from New Richmond, Ohio, that depict the area before, during, and after the building of her home in 1949-1950.  Other photographs include twelve images (1882-1981) of Cochran, as well as fifteen images (1883-1964) of Cochran in group poses. A small number of photographs document Mt. Auburn, Ohio, during the 1937 flood and during the early 1950s, which were taken as part of Cochran's research of her hometown.