Cocanougher, Russell D., Cocanouqher Family History, 1721-1986. Author published, Stillwater, OK, 1986. 294 pp. (Out of print (2)) This book concentrates mainly on the descendants of George Cocanougher, son of Jacob Cocanougher and Neley Silvertooth. The earlier family history is based somewhat on legends, but the data concerning George and his descendants appear to be accurate. Included are many family group sheets and pedigree charts, as well as newspaper articles, photos, photocopies of relevant pages from censuses, ship lists, letters and maps. There are hundreds of names in this book, but, unfortunately, there is no index.
Cokonougher, Ralph William, History and Genealogy of the Ancestors and Relatives of Ralph William Cokonouqher. Ralco Pub. Co., P.O. Box 245, New Holland, Ohio, 1979. ? pp. On pages 2-9, the author prints pedigree charts of his Cokonougher line from himself, born 1948 in Ross Co., Ohio, back to Adtson Elsworth Cokonougher, born 1824 in Virginia, and Adtson's wife, Elizabeth Shoemaker, born 1820 in Ohio. Some of the charts trace Ralph Cokonougher's maternal lines. This compiler has only sixteen pages of the work, but it appears there may be additional pages and possibly an index. There is no documentation, at least not in the first 16 pages.
Coughenour, Dwayne (deceased, 1990) Family Group Sheets. Dwayne was a Coughenour family historian, who produced a large number of Coughenour Family Group Sheets that have been widely circulated. Over time, as Dwayne obtained more data, he revised these sheets, some of them several times, rendering the older sheets inaccurate. These revisions, plus the fact that some of his conclusions were based on circumstantial evidence, suggest that those possessing these Family Group Sheets should note the compilation dates and be aware that there may be more recent ones. Further, it would be prudent for the researcher to verify the information for himself if he plans to rely on the accuracy of his data.
Coughenour, Izora S., Ralph Stauffer Coughenour, His Forebears and His Children. Author published, 1961. 56 pp. (Out of print (2)) In pages 1-12 in this book, the author traces her husband's Coughenour line from Joseph Coughenour, son of Jacob and Mary (?Sheetz) Coughenour, to John who m. Catherine Moyer, to Isaiah who m. Susan Blough, to Benjamin Franklin who m. Catherine Stauffer, and, finally, to her husband, Ralph Stauffer Coughenour. There is a serious lack of documentation, and it seems as if most of the information was received from other researchers, who relayed some inaccurate myths. As a result, there are enough critical errors in this booklet that readers should be cautioned to validate the information for themselves. There is an index.
Evans, Robert Lee, History of the Descendants of Jacob Gochenour. First printing, 1977. Reprinted 1994 by the Jacob Gochenour Family Reunion, Rt. 1, Box 273, Mauertown, VA 22644. 701 pp. This book traces the descendants of Jacob Gochenour who settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the early 18th century. The events are very well documented, and the author was careful not to make assumptions without sufficient evidence. In Chapter 16, he mentions "stray" Gochenours for whom he had not found any connections to other known families of the same surname. This is one of the better and more reliable histories.
Furlong, Roland Dulany, Dulany-Furlong and Kindred Families. McClain Printing Co., Parsons, WV, 1975. 544 pp. On pages 266-272, the author discusses the Coughenour families of Somerset and Cambria Co., PA. Except for three small references, the work is undocumented, and the author claims to have obtained his information from Mrs. Izora Coughenour and Mrs. Francis Gary, which may explain why he duplicates their errors. The other families in this book seem to have been researched more carefully and their data are more extensive.
Garber, Judith Beery, Beery Family History. Brethern Pub. House, Elgin, IL, 1957. 783 pp. (Out of print (2)) An intensive study of the Beery/Bieri family, whose Mennonite immigrant ancestor came from Berne, Switzerland, in 1727 and settled in Lancaster Co., PA. Both the VA and PA Coughenours were associates of the Beerys, and three references in this book pertain to both families. On pages 29 and 54-55, the history of Elizabeth Gochenour, who married Abraham Beery, appears. She and her brother John, who married Barbara Beery, sister of Abraham, were children of Jacob Gochenour of Manheim Twp., Lancaster Co., Pa. On page 84, there is a description of a complicated Rockingham Co., VA, land-switching arrangement involving John and Barbara Gochenour, Abraham and Elizabeth Beery, and parties named Pence, Moyers, Pulse and Hogan. The bulk of the material concerns Beery descendants, but is relative to the Gochenours because of the parallel lives of the two families. Well documented and indexed.
Gingerich, Hugh F. and Kreider, Rachel W., Amish and Amish Mennonite Genealogies. Pequea Pub., Gordonville, PA., 1986. 848 pages. The authors have traced all known Amish and Amish Mennonite immigrants' descendants down through 1850, especially in Somerset Co., PA. Lineages are given for the following persons who married Coughenours: Isaac Miller (m. Emma Coughenour), Susannah Blough (m. Isaiah Coughenour), Elizabeth Yoder (m. John Coughenour), Mary Magdalena Ashe (m. Silas D. Coughenour)
Gochanour, Eileen, Bible Records and Family Records from the Files of Eileen Gochanour, Volume I. Wanda Warkins Allers and Eileen (Lynch) Gochanour, 2317 N. Fifth Street, Springfield, IL, 1986. 117 pp. The Gochanour section of this book extends from p. 96 through 102. It contains bible records for Mrs. Gochanour's family, i.e. her parents, husband, in-laws, children, etc. For the most part, dates are in the 1900s. The majority of the book contain records from many other bibles the author has collected. Some date back to the late 1700s, but most are from the 1800s. Indexed.
Gochnauer, Harry W., Michael Kauffman Gochnauer, 1860-1940. Pub. 1940. 142 pages. (Out of print (2)) This book concentrates on the descendants of Joseph Gochnauer, who died in 1764 in Hempfield Twp., Lancaster Co., PA. The author offers a reasonable amount of documentation, which he calls "exhibits," but, unfortunately, has not gathered enough information to allow him to reach correct conclusions in some cases. As a result, the early history he presents is not entirely reliable. The bulk of the book contains lines of descent, contributed by cousins, down through the early 1900s. The work is not indexed, but contains an organized glossary by which persons can be located through their identification numbers. There are hundreds of names of descendants listed.
Landen, George E., The Coughenour Family in America. Kinnear Pub. Co., Inc., Appomattox, VA, 1991. 136 pp. This book contains lineages of various Coughenour and related families. There is a general reference list, but no specific documentation. The contents were contributed by a number of individuals, some of whom apparently did not verify their data, so there are a number of errors throughout. It is an attractive, interesting book, useful as a general guide to the Coughenours. Researchers should verify extracted data which is not referenced.
Leitner, Gail, editor, A Current Family History of Clarence Earl Gouchenour and Clara Rhoda Davis. Pub. 1994 by Mrs. Gail Leitner, 2725 Stone Circle, Minnetonka, MN 55305. Approximately 122 pages. This is a well-done family reunion type of book which commemorates the 125th anniversary of the homesteading of the William Henry and Mary Ellen Gouchenour farm in Fredonia, Wilson County, Kansas. William Henry Gochenour was the descendant of Henry Gochenour, of Augusta County, Virginia. The book contains Pedigree Charts showing descendancies from the immigrant, as well as numerous photographs and Family Group Sheets of living descendants.
(1) The comments in this bibliography are solely the opinion of the author, and do not reflect those of the editor or any other person. (2) Books out of print may be obtainable through interlibrary loan, or may be available for purchase from Books on Demand, University Microfilms, Internatl., 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106.