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The John L. Cochran papers consist of:

• One report card (1879) from the secondary school Cochran attended before entering VMI
• One letter (dated September 4, 1880) from Cochran to his mother
• One diary with sketches (1881) that contains short and sporadic entries made while at VMI
• Four volumes of class notes (1882-1885) taken while Cochran was a student at Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania) and the University of Virginia, with some examples of poetry and sketches interspersed

This collection consists of three scrapbooks with contents compiled by Mary MacMillan and her son Charles MacMillan. The first contains scenes from a trip to Ireland, containing Mary MacMillan's pencil sketches of scenes and prints of Ireland mostly by James Howard Burgess. The second contains poetry and calligraphy from Mary MacMillan and others as well as collections of dried and pressed marine marine algae or seaweed, watercolors sketches and cartoons. The third consists of mica paintings made in India for British tourists, and were most likely collected by Mary's son Charles.

This collection includes poems and prose (manuscript and printed copies); A May Night Masque, written in 1872 for Ann Smith Academy; notebooks and scrapbooks. There is a Greek New Testament given to Preston by her father, George Junkin, and a glass plate negative of George Junkin's portrait. Additionally, Preston's scrapbooks include one volume of her printed poems and stories and one volume of her sketches and manuscript poems. There is also a broadside, and several sketches by her sister, Eleanor Junkin.

The account and barter book contains handwriting samples and aphorisms. Account notations are in British currency. Rum and molasses are the predominant products listed. It also includes a poem on the American Revolutionary War effort of New Hampshire's soldiers by William Proctor. The poem includes a mention of General George Washington.