Ellen "Nellie" Weldon Cocroft (November 4, 1885 – June 27, 1986) was an American musical composer.
Nellie Weldon Cocroft | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ellen Estelle Weldon November 4, 1885 Quitman, Georgia |
| Died | June 27, 1986 (aged 100) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | N. Weldon Cocroft |
| Occupation | composer |
Early life edit
Ellen Estelle Weldon was born on November 4, 1885, in Quitman, Georgia, the daughter of Richard Weldon and Virginia (Massey) Weldon.[1] She was the eldest of three daughters, including Jeanivieve (b. 1893) and Minnie (b. 1896).[1] Her father, Richard, was a traveling salesman, although he also owned the Quitman Marble Company (since 1886).[1] In early 1904, Richard moved his family and the company twenty miles west to nearby Thomasville, Georgia, where he renamed his company the Thomasville Marble Company; among their products were memorial headstones.[1]
Career edit
Nellie graduated with a degree in piano and organ performance in early 1905, at the age of 20, from Breneau College (now known as Brenau University). She married Christopher ("C.C.") Cocroft (also a musician) not long after, in April 1905.[1]
Nellie Cocroft was a church organist and choir director in Thomasville. Her husband ran a music store, and published her compositions to sell in the shop under the name "N. Weldon Cocroft".[2]
Published works by Nellie Weldon Cocroft included "When the Birds are Singing in the Springtime" (1909),[3] "Pinywoods Rag" (1909),[3] "When the Autumn Turns the Forest Leaves to Gold" (1909),[3] "Georgia Cracker" (1909),[4] and "I'se Gwine to Highball" (1910).[3] No musical copyrights seem to have been filed by N. Weldon Cocroft after 1910.[5]
After a lengthy divorce in 1923-1924,[6][7] and upon losing custody of her son,[1] she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where she worked as a secretary in a law office until the late 1940s.[1] Not much is known about her after this date.[1]
Later life and death edit
She died in June 1986, at the age of 100, in Jacksonville, Florida. She is buried in Thomasville, Georgia.[1]
Her son, Charles Christopher CoCroft (1910-2001), continued the family's music publishing company until he sold the business in 2000.[8]
Cocroft's "Georgia Cracker", performed by pianist Nora Hulse (d. 2020), was included in Hulse's 2002 compilation Ragtime refreshments: 25 rags by women composers.[9] Music by Nellie Weldon Cocroft is played at the "Jazz & Swing Club" at the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bill Edwards. "Nellie Estelle Weldon Cocroft". Guide to Ragtime and Old-Time Resources. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Elliott Adams (May 1994). "The Story of Cocroft Music Company". The Rag Times (newsletter). pp. 1–4.
- ^ a b c d Library of Congress Copyright Office (January 1910). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical Compositions. New Series, Vol. 5, Part 3. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Library of Congress Copyright Office (January 1909). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical Compositions. New Series, Vol. 4, Part 3. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Library of Congress Copyright Office
- ^ "Superior Court Not in Session Today". Thomasville Daily Times Enterprise. April 17, 1923. p. 5. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "Mr. C. C. Cocroft Awarded First Decree in Divorce Case". Thomasville Daily Times Enterprise. October 21, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ "Charles Christopher Cocroft". Thomasville Times-Enterprise. 9 December 2005. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Ragtime refreshments: 25 rags by women composers. Nora Hulse. 2002. OCLC 129573472. Retrieved May 20, 2022.