Family Histories
Cochran County, Texas
Proud member of...
Nominate a county
Find this site useful? Nominate Cochran Co., or any other county, for County of the Month by clicking the icon below.
OTHA & JENNIE B. DENNY
Otha and Jenny B. O'Dell married on August 10, 1933. Their first home was in New Mexico about two and one-half miles west of Bledsoe. Otha worked with his Papa in a grocery store
in Bledsoe. Otha and Jennie B. had two sons, Jim was born August 31, 1934 and Jon was born June 18, 1937.
In 1935 they moved to the Frost place which was about eight miles south of Bledsoe, and lived in an old railroad box car. Otha raised hogs, milked cows, sold cream and farmed for Mr. Frost. In about 1939 Otha and Jennie B. moved
to Bledsoe and Otha worked with Alvie Harris. They operated the local road maintenace equipment. Alvie drove a tractor and pulled the road grader that Otha operated. Otha was paid fifty cents per day. While living at Bledsoe
, Otha and Jennie B. became life long friends with Alton and Fay Ainsworth. Alton cosigned a bank note for enough money for Otha to buy a few cows - starting the Denny's life long career in cattle ranching.
In 1940 Otha and Jennie B. leased the Ott Anderson place five miles southwest of Bledsoe and moved there. During World War II they ran the school buses to the Pitchfork, New Mexico school, raised cattle and Jennie B.
sewed fancy gowns and robes which were marketed through Hemphill-Wells of Lubbock. She also made fancy western shirts for Fern Sawyer, of the Sawyer Ranch at Crossroads, New Mexico.
In 1948, while continuing to ranch, they purchased the Wille Griffin grocery store in Bledsoe. After running the store for several months they sold it to D. N. Marshall. The store burned soon after he bought it.
Otha and Jennie B. moved one mile east of Bledsoe in 1951. They continued to ranch in New Mexico and started farming several pieces of land around Bledsoe.
After a long illness, Otha died from cancer on October 17, 1956 at the age of forty-seven.
Jennie B. campaigned and won the position of Cochran County Tax Assessor-Collector in 1956 and served for eight years. She continued to live at Bledsoe and ranch.
In 1965, after leaving the tax office, Jennie B. did a lot of traveling, seeing much of the United States and several foreign countries. She also took up big game hunting and on a trip to Alaska she killed several
large animals, including a bear.
She was a good neighbor and had a good sense of humor. She said she had been to two goat ropings and a County fair. A few years ago a driver missed the curve just west of her house and turned over a truck load
of cattle. In the wee hours of the morning she was up making coffee and cooking bacon and eggs for those working to round up the cattle. She never lost her pioneer spirit.
Jennie B. spent her last years enjoying her friends, family and her registered Hereford cattle. She died after a short illness on August 9, 1985.
Submitted by Jon Denny.
This family history came from Cochran County Legacy Vol. I Copyright Cochran County Historical Commission. Published with permission. The information contained on this page may not be reproduced or published elsewhere without the express written permission of the Cochran County Historical Commission
If you have a family history you would like included on this page, please email me.