None of the following has been substantiated by Aerofiles, but it has made the rounds on the Internet, finally showing up in our emailbox, and this is presented here merely as another possible contention in historical data for whatever value it serves. Judge for yourself, but note that there are no names, dates, supportive evidence, or supplied reference source:

"Jackie Cochran was not an orphan nor was she adopted. She was born May 11, 1906. Jackie was close to her sister Mamie Pittman, and even had Mamie move with her husband Jesse Hydle to her home in Indio, California. Mamie and Jesse lived in DeFuniak Springs, Florida before moving to California. All of Jessie and Mamie's children knew Aunt Jackie. They have family pictures with Jackie and kept many of her letters. Jackie used to send her sister, Mamie, flowers on her birthday. Like the movie stars, Jackie changed her name to Cochran. The Pittman children, including Jackie and Mamie, grew up together in the same home. They had the same biological mother and father and lived with the same parents. There were no adopted children, not foster children, and none of the children were adopted out, sent out or fostered out."

Conversely, these following are quotes from various sources:

"Cochran's earliest memories are of life with a foster family on what she called "Sawdust Road," but what was, in fact, a lumber mill town in northern Florida. In her autobiography she remembered having no shoes until she was eight years old, sleeping on a pallet on the floor and wearing dresses made of cast-off flour sacks..." -- PBS 'American Experience'

"Jackie Cochran was born in Florida in 1912. Orphaned as an infant, she grew up poor with dreams of one day being wealthy enough to travel the world. As a teenager, she left her foster family and went to work for a beauty shop..." -- Western Reserve Historical Society

"Little is known about Cochran's life. She was born in Florida sometime between 1905 and 1910. Orphaned at an early age, she moved to Georgia, where she lived in poverty with a foster family..." -- US Postal Service, describing her 1996 commemorative stamp

"Orphaned early in life and with almost no formal education, Cochran learned to fly at age 22..." -- National Women's Hall of Fame

"Born somewhere around 1906 into a life of extreme poverty, the orphaned Jackie never owned a pair of shoes until she was eight years old... By the age of 14, fully self-trained and having selected her name out of the phone book, Jacqueline Cochran set out alone to win her fortune..." -- Women in Aviation