[continued from previous page]
She was married to Robert Randolph Cotten, of Edgecombe county, March 14, 1866, and in 1869 the couple moved to this county. Their home, Cottendale, eight miles from this city, has since that time been one of the social centers of the county. Sixty-six years of happy companionship were ended by Col. Cotten's death last fall.
Mrs. Cotten is survived by two sons, Col. Bruce Cotton, of Baltimore, and Preston Cotten, of Boston; two daughters, Mrs. Russell Wiggins, of Winchester, Mass., Mrs. Douglass B. Wesson, of Springfield, Mass., and several grandchildren.
Mother of Federation.
Mrs. Cotten was 82 years of age at the time of her death. She was one of the State's most outstanding women and was familiarly known as "the mother of the North Carolina Federation of Womens' Clubs." This title was the outgrowth of her activity in the early life of the federation in this State. She was the first president of the North Carolina Federation of Clubs and until her death was honorary president of the organization and one of its chief advisers in all activities.
One of her outstanding works in this line was the Women's Club Student Loan Fund, which was grown in popularity and usefulness. As recognition of her services there are dormitories bearing her name at the North Carolina College for Women at Greensboro and the East Carolina Teachers' College in this city.
As an author Mrs. Cotton achieved notable success, especially with her history of the federation and her legend of Virginia Dare, the "White Doe." Other products of her prolific pen included Negro folklore under the title of "Tales of Aunt Dorcas Told Little Elsie."
At the time of her death she was devoting her literary talents to the compilation of a local history.
Her love for the early North Carolina history prompted her to write the Legend of Virginia Dare and it was the result of her efforts that a sculptor was persuaded to present to the State Museum at Raleigh the statue of Virginia Dare.
Voted a Leader.
Prior to the Sesqui Centennial exposition at Philadelphia, Mrs. Cotten was voted by the North Carolina Women's Committee as one of the four North Carolina women honored for notable work in literature, music, art and civics. Despite her age Mrs. Cotten continued to take an active part in civic and club work and was an inspiration to other women of her State.
Aside from her activities of the State Federation of Women's Clubs, Mrs. Cotten was the first president of the End of the Century Club of this city. She was also president of the Pitt County Federation of Clubs which established an endowment loan fund for Pitt county girls at the Eastern Carolina Teachers' College. She was a member of the Mothers' Congress.
Mrs. Cotten was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal church of this city and was active not only in the social life of the community, but throughout the many sections of the State where her influence in public club work had been felt.
[Handwritten note at top of copy: "Died May 4th 1929"]
Copy of obituary submitted by Virginia Roberts, 17 Feb 1990. Transcribed by Susan Shields Sasek.
All of the content on my web site is copyrighted, either by myself, the submitter or the source. The content is not public domain and is being made available for personal genealogical research only. No portion or content of either my web site or message board may be copied, redistributed, included or used in any format for any commercial or profitable purpose without written permission of the copyright holder for each instance.
My sincere thanks to my "genealogical angels" -- all of the special people who have helped me in my genealogy research and those who have generously sent me their research and records to be shared with others. Please see the contributors page to view some of their names.