Nellie Weldon Cocroft

Nellie Weldon Cocroft
Born
Ellen Estelle Weldon

(1885-11-04)November 4, 1885
Quitman, Georgia, U.S.
DiedJune 27, 1986(1986-06-27) (aged 100)
Other namesN. Weldon Cocroft
OccupationComposer

Ellen "Nellie" Weldon Cocroft (November 4, 1885 – June 27, 1986) was an American musical composer.

Early life

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

Sheet music for "When the Autumn Turns the Forest Leaves to Gold" (1909) by N. Weldon Cocroft; illustration in greens and golds of a white couple standing in a forest with a dog.
Sheet music for "When the Autumn Turns the Forest Leaves to Gold" (1909) by N. Weldon Cocroft

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

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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Elliott Adams (May 1994). "The Story of Cocroft Music Company". The Rag Times (newsletter). pp. 1–4.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Library of Congress Copyright Office (January 1909). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Musical Compositions. New Series, Vol. 4, Part 3. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  5. ^ Library of Congress Copyright Office
  6. ^ "Superior Court Not in Session Today". Thomasville Daily Times Enterprise. April 17, 1923. p. 5. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Mr. C. C. Cocroft Awarded First Decree in Divorce Case". Thomasville Daily Times Enterprise. October 21, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  8. ^ "Charles Christopher Cocroft". Thomasville Times-Enterprise. 9 December 2005. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Ragtime refreshments: 25 rags by women composers. Nora Hulse. 2002. OCLC 129573472. Retrieved May 20, 2022.