Mrs. Sherman and Papa Jack: The REAL parents of the Little Colonel

The characters of “Mrs. Sherman” and “Papa Jack” were the parents of The Little Colonel in the series of books.  In real life, they were
the parents of Hattie Cochran, the little girl on who the series “The Little Colonel” were based.

We’re not sure, but this Kate Matthews photo could be “Mrs. Sherman” (Amelia Cochran) Circa 1900-1910  For now, we have to classify it as unidentified Photo from the University of Louisville Photographic Archives, Kate Matthews Collection	Mrs. J. Hoadley Cochran (Amelia Weissinger Cochran) “Mrs. Sherman” – mother of the “Little Colonel”	Mr. John Hoadley Cochran “Papa Jack” – father of the “Little Colonel”

The middle and right photos above, the earliest verified ones we’ve found so far, from about 1928 or just before, and long after the last of the Little Colonel books, and thus show Mrs. Sherman and Papa Jack quite a bit older than they would have been during the stories.  At the time they both lived at 2012 Lauderdale Road in Louisville,  and the pictures are from a newspaper article of the time.  Mrs. Cochran was “the Old Colonel’s only daughter.”

Photos from The Sunday Herald Post, Louisville, Kentucky, December 23, 1928