Cokonougher Family Reunion 1976

               This newspaper clipping documents the 1976 Ohio Cokonougher family reunion.  This was the first Cokonougher family reunion to have been held in Ohio in over 50 years.  Mrs. Viola Cokonougher planned, arranged, and hosted the reunion.  Viola continued to host the annual Ohio Cokonougher family reunions through 2006, after which her health prevented her from continuing the tradition.  There hasn't been any further reunions since.                                                                                                                         Starting in 1978, the Wisecup family was invited to the Cokonougher reunions, and the reunion became known as the Cokonougher/Wisecup reunion.  This was because the family reunions in the early 20th century had combined the Wisecup and Cokonougher families, and the older people wanted to continue the tradition.   Many of the Wisecups and Cokonoughers had also intermingled their families by marriage, and all of them lived close together in the same community at that time, so it had seemed natural to them to gather together at reunions and other celebrations.

Adtson Cokonougher's ancestors ?

          I have been unable to conclusively document the parents and other ancestors of my great-great grandfather Adtson (sic Addison) Cokonougher (sic Cohinour, Cohenour, Cohanour, Gochenour), despite my completing almost 40 years of research.  Adtson started out in Adams County, Ohio, but unfortunately most of the county records were lost in a fire when the courthouse burned to the ground.                                                    
          I started corresponding and comparing notes with a couple of other family researchers, Ena Cokonougher Mulford and Robert "Bob" Fetters, in the late 1980s.  They did much research in Adams county too, and deserve credit for their work.  Between the three of us, we uncovered a lot of information. 
          Ena managed to find and correspond with a Zelma Knauff (b. 6 Feb. 1916-d. 10 Mar. 2001), who was the descendant of a Caroline Cokonougher (b. 18 Dec. 1825-d. 19 June 1919).  Zelma had learned from her cousins Lucille Williams and Bessie Chenoweth, also descendants of Caroline Cokonougher, that Caroline was the sister of Adtson Cokonougher and the daughter of a Christopher (b. 11 March 1797- d. bet. 1848 & 1850) Cokonougher (sic) and Elizabeth (b. bet. 1796 & 1797-d. bet. 1850&1868) Cokonougher (sic).  That would make Adtson's parents also Christopher and Elizabeth Cokonougher.  Christopher's parents were another Christopher (b. bet. 1750&1760- d. aft. Dec. 1833) Cokonougher (sic) and wife Mary Magalean Longnecker (b. bet. 1760&1770- d. aft. Dec. 1833) Cokonougher (sic). 
          Bob Fetters was descended from another sister of Adtson Cokonougher and Caroline Cokonougher.  Bob utilized the information from Zelma and her cousins to trace the parents of Christopher Cokonougher Sr. to a Joseph (b. abt 1726- d.1810) and Mary Cokonougher (sic), and then to Joseph's father Jacob (b. abt 1696 in Germany - d. bet. 1752 & 1758 in PA.) Cokonougher (sic).
          The main problem for me is that the evidence for Christopher Cokonougher being the father of my g-g-grandfather Adtson Cokonougher is only oral history.  Oral history is pretty accurate when it comes to recent events, but not so much when it is more than a century old.  I would like to obtain, if it is ever possible, some kind of original written documentation that proves the connection between Adtson and Christopher, and I will not consider the connection proven until I do.  A good researcher always tries to obtain independent verification of oral testimony before completely accepting a story as fact.
          Reproduced below is a letter from Zelma Knauff to Ena Mulford that relates the relationship of Caroline Cokonougher to Adtson Cokonougher, as well as the parents of Caroline and Adtson.  Ena sent me a copy of the letter with permission to use it however I needed.  The letter doesn't list all of the children of Christopher and Elizabeth Cokonougher.