Georgia and Georgians - the Digital Library of Georgia

. GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS 2917The old land grant, of 100,640 acres, dated 1795, was made to WilliamCochraij,, the grandfather of A. E. Cochran and Wm. Tate, county grantee inNorth Carolina, and has already been referred to. This estate has been in litigation for a number of years, and it was for the purpose of looking after hisinterests in it that Mr. Cochran returned in 189£ to Georgia, and since then hehas regained a part of the land deeded to his ancestor in North Carolina. Mr.Cochran has invested heavily in real estate in-and around Waycross, and hasdone much to develop this section of the state. In later years he has found itnecessary to give nearly all his time to his capitalistic interests, but not to theexclusion of his practice as a lawyer.Mr. Cochran married Sarah Marshall in California. The only child ofthat union is Arthur Pym Cochran, who was born at Healdsburg, California,in 1892. He is a prominent fruit grower in the Russian River Valley, andjointly with his wife is one of the very wealthy young men of the state. In1915 his crop of dried prunes netted him $8,750. This son married Miss Gertrude Coffman, a daughter of one of the leading capitalists of the state, residing at Healdsburg and she is a granddaughter of Squire Wilson, one ofCalifornia's noblest and wealthiest pioneers.In 1898 Mr. A. E. Cochran married Miss Jennie M. Marshall, of Waycross,Georgia, a daughter of Rev. J. M. Marshall. Mrs. Cochran died December21, 1913. Her only child is Eugenia M. Cochran, born at Waycross in 1900and now attending the public schools there.Mr. Cochran is active in church affairs, is a member of the County andState Bar associations and the California Bar Association. He was a member ofthe democratic state executive committee when Governor Budd was elected governor of California, and in 1898 he was presidential elector for Georgia, theelection returns showing his vote the highest. He is now practicing law atWaycross and also raising Sea Island -cotton.WRIGHT T. PATJLK. Every community represents the lives, the character,the activities and the influence of a number of people, and a flourishing townor city is usually the product of enterprise on the part of its citizens ratherthan any specially fortunate conditions and environment. Perhaps morethan any other individual factor the business energy and public spirit ofWright T. Paulk have entered into the prosperity and development of thelittle City of Fitzgerald. Mr. Paulk was one of the pioneer business mento locate in that village at the beginning, and has steadily made his owninterests work for the welfare of the community.He was born on a farm in Irwin County, Georgia, April 5, 1873. Sincehis birth Irwin County has been divided to make both Irwin and Coffeecounties, and his birthplace was in that part still known as Irwin County.As a boy he spent his years without greatly dissimilar circumstances to thoseof other boys of his age, though it was noted that he showed a particularleadership among the boys of his neighborhood and gave evidence of someof the ability which has since distinguished him. He attended his studiesin the little country schools and also employed his energies on his father'splantation. He was also a student in the Gordon Institute at Barnesville,and from that school entered upon his commercial experience in the generalmerchandise business at Minnie postoffice in Irwin County. He conductedbusiness there successfully until 1895.In that year the Village of Fitzgerald was established, and he at oncerecognized its possibilities and advantages, and with no hesitation he movedto the new town and identified his own fortunes with its future. He acquiredconsiderable land in the village and erected one of the first store buildings,in which he opened a stock of general hardware. Mr. Paulk was active asa hardware merchant at Fitzgerald until 1903, when he sold out, but thebusiness is still known as the Paulk Hardware Company. Mr. Paulk then