Cockrell Family Document of 1890
Posted 30 Nov 2009 by Lydia Smith
"Cockrell Family Document of 1890." Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/2261448/person/-1608915455/media/a6fd91bc-0951-446e-ac71-0ea25ecb492f?indiv=try&h&_phsrc=Sgq2371&pid=-1608915455&db. Accessed 2 Jun. 2023.
[The F.G. Cockrell Document of 1890 and notes were posted on Ancestry.com's Cockrell family message board by Bella M. Hughes in two parts. Posts dated 19 Aug 1999. Go to Ancestry.com Cockrell family message board or web address at: boards.ancestry.com/surnames.cockrell/453.454/mb.ashx]
F. G. Cockrell Document of 1890 [part 1]
By F. G. Cockrell, Jr.
East St. Louis, Illinois. September 29, 1890.
The origin of the Cockrell family, as I have understood it, was of Welsh extraction. It is said
that John Cockrell came to this country from Wales, but I have been unable to learn the date of his
landing, nor do I know whether he was married before or after his arrival. He settled in Maryland, and
raised two children, so far as known. They were Moses and Simon Cockrell.
From the best information I have been able to obtain, I have located John Cockrell's birth,
about the year 1717.
Simon Cockrell, his son, as will be seen further on, must have been born about the year 1742.
He moved to Virginia, but Moses remained in Maryland, and I know nothing of his descendants.
Simon Cockrell married Magaline, or Magdaline Vardimon in Virginia, and while there they
lived in Powell's Valley. She had a brother, whose name was Jeremiah Vardimon, who was a
celebrated Baptist preacher, and this is where the names, Jeremiah, and Vard, or Vardimon, originated
in this branch of the family. Simon Cockrell and Magaline raised the following children:
Moses Cockrell, John Cockrell, Simon Cockrell, Elizabeth Cockrell, Celia Cockrell,
James Cockrell, Jeremiah Cockrell, Sally Cockrell, William Cockrell, Daniel Cockrell, Alexander Cockrell,
Morgan Cockrell and Joseph Cockrell.
All of the above named children came to Kentucky, with their parents, except
Moses Cockrell, who remained in Virginia, where he married, and so far as I have been informed, raised
two children, David Chadwell and Elizabeth Cockrell. He met his death by falling in a salt well.
When Simon Cockrell Sr., and his family immigrated to Kentucky, they settled near the three
forks of the Kentucky River, and the location was afterward in Estill County, and Irvin was the county
seat.
According to the best light I have, the children of Simon Cockrell, Sr., and Magaline Cockrell,
married as follows:
Moses Cockrell married Mary Chadwell in Virginia, and lived and died there.
John Cockrell married Milly Ally in Virginia, came to Kentucky with his father, and from thence to Missouri to hunt and trap, where he was killed by the Indians.
Simon Cockrell, Jr., married Polly Smith in Kentucky, and died in Breathitt County of that State; and Jeremiah Cockrell married Sally Sowards, and died in the same county and State.
William Cockrell, my grandfather, was born in 1785, in Virginia. He married Nancy Wright, who was born April 27, 1789, near Culpepper Court House, in Culpepper County, Virginia; they were married in 1812, near Boone's Station Kentucky. He afterward moved to Missouri, about 1838, settled in Jackson County, and lived there until his wife died, when he went back to Kentucky, and lived and died in Breathitt County, in 1862.
Daniel Cockrell died in Jackson's army in New Orleans, about 1813, but left no children, so far as known.
Alexander Cockrell married Sarah Helm, in Indiana, came to Illinois, where they raised a large family; thereafter they moved to Missouri, and from there to Kansas, where he died.
Joseph Cockrell married Nancy Ellis in Kentucky; moved to Missouri, where he died in 1837, in Johnson county.
James and Morgan Cockrell were married and lived and died in Johnson County, Missouri, but where or whom they married, I do not know,
except that the second wife of James Cockrell, whose name is now Nancy Hall, resides at Fulkerson, in Johnson County, Missouri.
Elizabeth Cockrell married Absolom Sargent and moved to Illinois, where she is supposed to have died.
Sally Cockrell married Presly Davis and moved to Illinois, where she died. The writer saw Uncle Presley Davis in Coles County, Illinois, in 1869. He was then ninety-four (94) years old, which would place his birth about the year 1775.
Celia Cockrell married William Callahan, moved to Missouri in an early day and died there.
All of the above sons of Simon Cockrell, Sr., prosperous farmers. They were men of integrity and respectability, and some of them were quite wealthy. In those days it was customary for every man to own a gun, and hunt. They were all able-bodied and courageous, but never engaged in controversies, unless absolutely necessary. The three daughters also married well-to-do farmers.
William Cockrell, like his father Simon Cockrell, Sr., was a Baptist preacher.
He was an educated man for his day, having attended the "Crab Orchard School" in Kentucky, for a
number of years. He was a talented, gifted man; a fine speaker and a great singer.
I learn from F. M. Cockrell, United States Senator, from Missouri, that his father,
Joseph Cockrell, died in 1837; that Simon Cockrell, Sr., died thereafter in Jackson County, Missouri,
somewhere between 1838 and 1842, at the age of ninety-seven (97); if he died in 1839 at the age of
ninety-seven (97), this would make his birth year about the 1742, and assuming that his father,
John Cockrell was twenty-five (25) years old when he was born, would place John Cockrell's birth about the year 1717.
If this is correct, we stand at the distance of about one hundred and seventy-three
(173) years from John Cockrell's birth.
During this time, history and civilization have made their greatest progress.
1717 was before the birth of Washington, George III, Edmund Burke, or Napoleon Bonaparte; before
the Revolutionary War, and before steamships of railroad travel or telegraphic communications had
entered the minds of men.
Thus far, I have given the history, as I have gathered it from my father, a son of the above
named William Cockrell, who is in his seventy-eighth (78) year, but still maintains a strong and
vigorous mind.
I have received a letter from Peter Cockrell, of South Omaha, Nebraska, who states, in
substance, that:
"The Simon Cockrell that Senator Cockrell speaks of in his letter, was an Uncle of my
father;" he says that, "his uncle, Simon Cockrell, was a Baptist preacher, and that he and his father
Edward Cockrell, crossed the Ohio River about 1805 or 1808, Simon going South in Ohio, and his
father, Edward, into central Ohio, his father being the youngest of five brothers.
Father is eighty-two (82) years old and lives near Galena, Ohio, where he has lived for
seventy-five (75) years; he tells me there were two brothers who came over to this country with
Lord Baltimore; they were Scotchmen, one settled in Virginia and the other in one of the Carolinas.
The Virginia family had five sons, may be only four, as father is a little mixed; if five, their
names were John, Presley, Peter, Simon and Edward Cockrell. It may be, that Peter was Simon Megis,
and that there were but four; he is certain that they were all Revolutionary soldiers. I never learned
their father's name.
John Cockrell, of this family, was a lame man, and lived in Maryland at one time. My
grandfather's death resulted from the kick of a horse, when my father was twelve (12) years old.
The Carolina family immigrated South; Mark B. Cockrell, who lived and died in Nashville,
Tennessee, was of this family; I saw him during the war.
The John A. Cockrell of the "New York World," is an own cousin of my father; his home
was in Adams County, Ohio. I met his father during the war; he was a Colonel, and afterward a
member of the Ohio Senate. John A. Cockrell was clerk of the House some time, and I met him there.
Three brother's of my father's family came to Ohio, Edward, Peter and James. Isaac remained
in Virginia, and was drowned in the North branch of the Potomac River.
Was your father a Revolutionary soldier? If so, this would seem to be conclusive, as John,
Presley, Peter and Simon Cockrell, above named, were all Revolutionary soldiers.
My father has been a very powerful man, and so were all of his brothers, but they were all honest, peaceable, law-abiding citizens.
I have also a letter from A. W. Cockrell, of Jacksonville, Florida, who states that his
grandfather, Dempsy Cockrell, was born in 1809, and that he and his younger brothers, Samuel,
Nathan, Macmillan, William and Emerson Cockrell, are of the same generation as my father, and
Senator Cockrell of Missouri, that Dempsy Cockrell's father, Nathan Cockrell, and his brothers, Moses,
David, Jonathan, Jeremiah and William Cockrell, were of the same generation of my grandfather
William Cockrell and his brothers, Moses, John, Simon, James, Jeremiah, Daniel, Alexander, Morgan
and Joseph Cockrell.
Then it follows, he says, that "The father of Nathan Cockrell, was of the same generation with
Simon the son of John from Wales, and if so, it is quite possible that this ancestral father, was none
other than John's son, Moses, who remained in Maryland. This possibility is not only strengthened
by the purity on the spelling of the family name, but also, by the remarkable similarity in the given
names, of biblical origin, and the tenacity with which they all clung to the Baptist faith, as well as
physical characteristics, such as big bone, height, and erectness."
It is known that Moses, Nathan, Jonathan, David, Jeremiah and William Cockrell lived in
Nash County, North Carolina, during the first part of this century, or the latter part of the last century,
but whether they came directly from Virginia, or whether they, or any of them theretofore lived in
Maryland, is not known, and whether they were all brothers, or whether Moses was the father of the
others, is not known, but it is known that Nathan Cockrell moved to Alabama, Green County, in 1818,
and that his brother Jonathan Cockrell subsequently joined him there, where they both died.
Jonathan's family, including among others, two sons, Nathan and Hilman, and two
grandsons, Jeremiah and Alexander, subsequently moved to Mississippi, where some of them may be
found, but their address is not known.
Nathan's sons, first above named, have descendants now in Sumpter, Green, Pickens and
Marengo Counties, Alabama.
Dempsey Cockrell settled in Sumpter in 1835, near Livingston, where my father was born and
lived, until he moved to Florida in 1880.
What became of the rest of the Cockrells of Nash County, North Carolina, is not known, but
I have an indistinct recollection of my grandfather stating that they moved West and North-west, and
left descendants in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas.
While in Northwest Virginia, about fifteen (15) years ago, I met two Cockrells from Texas,
but learned nothing of them.
I noticed in the University of Virginia catalogue, the entry, "R.H.M. Cockrell, born 1837,
lawyer, Memphis, Tennessee;" and in the list of students for the past session, "Thomas L. Cockrell,
Reedville, Virginia." The latter may be a descendant of your grand-uncle, Moses Cockrell, who
remained in Virginia.
Among the supporters of the great Virginia Resolutions, of 1789-9, I find Simon Cockrell, a
member from Russell County, who must have been your great-grandfather."
From W. A. Cockrell of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, I have received the following:
"I see Senator F. M. Cockrell says". "His uncle Simon Cockrell died in Estill County, Kentucky;" This
is incorrect; he lived and died in Breathitt County, Kentucky.
Logan Cockrell, a son of his was, for many years before his death, Judge of the Estill County
Court; he was a man among men.
Harrison Cockrell was also a very popular man. Logan Cockrell left about ten children, and
Harrison six. We do not know exactly what the relationship is between Simon Cockrell's family and
ours.
My grandfather, Moses Cockrell, died in Fairfield County, South Carolina, in the early part of
this century. He raised a large family of children.
Uncle John Cockrell moved near Louisville, Kentucky, and died there. He left no
descendants of the Cockrell name. Uncle Simon went to Mississippi, but all trace of him has been lost.
Uncle Jerry has a son at Dardanells, Arkansas, whose name is Jerry Cockrell, also a daughter,
Mrs. Smiley, at the same place.
Uncle Benjamin Cockrell's children are somewhere in Virginia. Uncle Thomas Cockrell died
young. Uncle Davis Cockrell, before his death, was a proprietor of the Gayoso Hotel, at Memphis,
Tennessee. Jerry Cockrell, one of his children, still lives a few miles back of Memphis.
Uncle Peter Cockrell was a doctor, went to Indiana, and was killed by a horse; he left no
children. Uncle James Cockrell went to Alabama, but I know nothing of his family at present.
My grandfather had three daughters. My father William Cockrell was born February third (3)
1862; he left five children, George B. Cockrell now of Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, Peter M. Cockrell of
Monta Vista, Colorado, Jerry Cockrell, the writer of this, W. A. Cockrell, and Benjamin F. Cockrell,
Senator of Kentucky.
I see on page four of your pamphlet, you say: "John Cockrell had another son,
Moses Cockrell who remained in Maryland. I am of the opinion that this was my grand-father."
Of course, this cannot be correct, for the reason that Moses Cockrell, who remained in
Maryland, was of a generation too far back to be the grandfather of one of the writer's generation; he
may have been the great-grandfather.
From Mr. William Cooper, Recorder of Adams County, Ohio, I have learned the following:
"The immediate ancestor, of the Ohio branch of the Cockrill family, was
General Daniel Cockrill, who emigrated from Loudon County, Virginia to Adams County, Ohio and settled near Youngsville in 1837, where he lived until 1865, when he died. He was a staunch democrat, and in 1848 represented the county of Ohio Legislature; he had the following children:
Joseph Randolph Cockrill, G. Jackson Cockrill, Lydia Jane Cockrill, Calhoun Cockrill,
Rebecca Ann Cockrill, Daniel Talmadge Cockrill,
Joseph R. Cockrill above named married Ruth Eyler.
Lydia Jane married Leven Cannon.
Rebecca Ann married Alfred Eyler, (all of Adams County, and now deceased.)
G. Jackson Cockrill married Arabella Dunbar, and is living in Texas.
Calhoun Cockrill married Sarah Martin, and lives at Metropolis, Illinois, and
D. T. Cockrill married Sarah Palmer, and lives at Ripley, in Brown County, Ohio.
J. R. Cockrill's children were T. M. Cockrill, who died in 1870, leaving a son;
J. R. Armstead Cockrill, who lives with his mother at Hamilton, in Butler County, Ohio;
Esther E. Cockrill, who married Dr. John Campbell, at present residing in Washington D.C.;
Honorable J. A. Cockrell of the New York World, and
Sally M. Cockrell, who married a Stewart, and is now deceased.
Colonel J. R. Cockrill was twice elected to the legislature of Ohio, and was a member of
Congress, during the administration of Buchanan, and his brothers and sons served with distinction in
the late war."
D. D. Cockrell of Batchtown, in Calhoun County, Illinois gives the following information:
"My father died in Abion County, Tennessee on the 28th day of February, 1863; his name was
Jessee Cockrell, his father's name was Moses Cockrell, who died in Virginia. His grandfather was
Peter Cockrell, and I think his great-grandfather was John Cockrell.
My father in writing to me in 1858 said: "My relatives live all over the Southern and Western
States." He had several uncles who moved West when he was a small boy; he never saw but one of
them and this one lived near Louisville, Kentucky; his name was John Cockrell.
My father's relatives settled principally in Kentucky and Ohio. Peter Cockrell was also a son
of John Cockrell, and lived near Chillicothe, Ohio.
As far as I remember, my grandfather's brothers were John, Elijah, Jerry, Peter, and Jessee,
and one sister, Florence Cockrell.
My father's aunts and uncles, whom he knew, when he wrote me in 1858, were Sarah and
Hulda Cockrell, Joseph J. Cockrell, and Benjamin H. Cockrell.
Jerry Cockrell who lived in Virginia, had a son killed by being thrown from a horse.
I wrote to my grandmother, on my father's side, up to the war, and in 1860 received my last
letter from her; she was then seventy (70) years old, and lived at Bloom Hill, Virginia; she used to have
a great many Negroes, but whether she disposed of them before the war or not I do not know; she told
me that I had uncles, Joseph and Benjamin, and two aunts, Sarah Brawner and Hulda C. Weedon,
living near Manassa Station, on the Orange and Alexandria Railroad.
I was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1836, and my father, Jessee Cockrell thereafter moved to
Kentucky, where two brothers and one sister were added to the family; two of my sisters died before I
was born.
My father married Nancy Davis in Virginia. I will write to Virginia before long, and find out
anything that will be of any benefit to you, I will forward the same."
Lulie M. Cockrell of Ezel, Kentucky, writes as follows:
"My father B. L. Cockrell is now about sixty (60) years of age; I quote his words.
"My father Simon Cockrell moved from Virginia to Breathitt County, Kentucky, lived and died there.
His father before him was also Simon Cockrell, who lived in Virginia, and had several sons, Daniel,
Joseph, Alexander, and Moses who was killed in a salt well, Jeremiah, William, and my father
Simon Cockrell.
Most of my uncles went West; I do not know where they settled; William Cockrell went west
and afterward returned to Breathitt County where he died.
My father did not live in Estill County, but lived and died in Breathitt County. His tomb is yet
to be seen near his old homestead in that county. He had a large family of sons, Joseph, J. V., Milos,
James, E. L., Harrison, McKinley, Simon, Henry and myself, W. A. Cockrell. He had two daughters,
Paulina and Louisa Cockrell.
Paulina married a Bohannan, moved to Texas and died there. Her daughter married
Senator W. H. Swain, and I believe they now reside in Austin, Texas.
Louisa's children are all dead but one daughter, who married a Mr. Fratman, and now resides
in Owingsville, Kentucky.
Joseph Cockrell went west and I have never heard of him since, J. V. Cockrell moved to
Missouri and settled near Platte City, raised a large family, but I cannot give their names.
Miles Cockrell also went West. James Cockrell lived and died in Breathitt County. Two of
his daughters still live in that county. E. L., Harrison, and Simon Cockrell lived and died in
Estill County, and their families still reside there.
Harrison Cockrell was at one time Senator, and afterwards candidate for congress.
McKinley Cockrell died in Wolf County, Kentucky. Two daughters, who are married still
survive him and live in Hazel Green, Kentucky.
I am the only one, of my father's family, now living. My uncle, Jeremiah Cockrell, lived and
died in Breathitt County, Kentucky. He had two sons, Simon and Thomas. Simon went to Missouri,
and Thomas settled near Little Rock, Arkansas. He spells his name Cotrell.
Uncle Moses Cockrell had a son called David Cockrell, who settled in Tennessee, near
Cumberland Gap, and was living up to the beginning of the late war, since then I have lost sight of
him.
My mother was a sister or daughter of Jeremiah Vardimon, a noted Baptist preacher, this is
why the name Vardimon has been kept up in our family,'"
It may be said here, that the mother of the writer, B. L. Cockrell, could not have been a sister
of Jeremiah Vardimon, the noted Baptist preacher, for the reason that he was a brother of
Magaline Vardimon, who married Simon Cockrell Sr., in Virginia; besides I understand this
B. L. Cockrell to be a son of Simon Cockrell Jr., the son of Simon Cockrell Sr., who came from Virginia
to Kentucky in an early day, and Jeremiah Vardimon being a brother of Magaline Vardimon, the wife of
Simon Cockrell Sr., it would hardly be possible that his sister could have been the wife of
Simon Cockrell Jr. Again, I have always understood that Simon Cockrell Jr., married Polly Smith in
Kentucky. I should be glad to know whether this is correct or not. She might have been a
granddaughter of Jeremiah Vardimon; however, I shall not attempt to decide this now.
The above B. L. Cockrell continues:
"Uncle William Cockrell had a son named Felix Cockrell who went West, but I know nothing
more of him. The above is substantially correct.
Most of those of the past generation were in good standing, and some of them wealthy.
A great many of the present generation have varied from the proper way of spelling the name,
so that it will be difficult to trace them up, though many of them are our near relatives.
I do not know of a homely one in the family, and there are certainly some very handsome and
brilliant ones."
[F. G. Cockrell document of 1890 (part 2)]
From Jeremiah Vardimon Cockrell, who resides at Anson, Texas, and is a Judge of the
Circuit Court of the 39th Judicial District of that State, and a brother of Senator F. M. Cockrell of
Missouri, I derive the following:
"I remember very well your grandfather, Uncle William Cockrell, and recollect distinctly of
hearing him preach or exhort at meetings held at Judge Murrey's, in the neighborhood where I was
raised. If I am not mistaken, your father had two sisters.
I do not recollect their names, but one married a man by the name of John Edmonson, whom I
recollect having seen in my boyhood. Edmondson started to Oregon in about 1846 or 1847 and died in
the road. Your father had two brothers, Wesley and William Cockrell, who came to Texas in about
1845. William Cockrell, is still living in the Choctaw nation, but I do not know his address; he has a
son who lives in Fisher County; I see him occasionally.
Wesley Cockrell died in Dallas County, Texas, a few years ago; he has two sons living in
Dallas County, and Elmore is the oldest and owns considerable property in Dallas County; his
post office is Dallas, Texas. The other boy I have forgotten his name.
Your grandfather, William Cockrell settled in Jackson County, Missouri, about 1834 or 1835,
and built a mill on a stream called, "The Blue", and the place is still Known as the Old Cockrell Mill
site. I was with Wesley Cockrell during and since the war, a good deal, but do not remember of having
heard him say anything about his family.
Alexander Cockrell, one of the first settlers of Dallas, Texas, who was murdered there in 1856,
was my father's son and half brother to me, and Senator Cockrell, but not by my mother.
Mrs. S. H. Cockrell, his widow, has just left my house, and says, she always read
Wesley Cockrell's letters, and knows a great deal about your grandfather's people. My mother has a
brother living, or was a year ago, near Marshall, Texas, who is now about ninety (90) years old, and
while I have never seen him, yet, from letters received from him during and just after the war, I know
him to be a man of intelligence and good memory, and I will write him at once and, if living, I am sure
he will know something of our family history.
I have written Jessee Cockrell, who lives in my district, and with whom I have talked about
our family, and while he knows nothing personally, he tells me his father, who is a very old man, claims
that he knows considerable family history. I think my brother is mistaken about the age of
grandfather, Simon Cockrell. I remember to have seen him once. He, as I remember, was ninety two
(92) years old, and grandmother ninety (90), and both died within thirty six (36) hours of each other,
and were buried in the same grave.
I met, during the war, in Arkansas, a very old man by the name of Thomas Cockrell, who
claimed to be a descendant, as I recollect, of Moses Cockrell of Maryland.
Judge Cockrell's father, of Arkansas, certainly knows a great deal about our family.
I understand he has been a man who has read extensively, and it is more than likely that he has taken
an interest in family history.
My district, in which I hold Court, is composed of fourteen (14) counties, containing thirty
(30) miles square in each, which causes me to travel about 1,500 miles every six months, in reaching my
appointments."
The above named William Cockrell, son of Simon Cockrell Sr., who married Nancy Wright as
stated, raised the following children, and the dates of their birth are given.
Felix G. Cockrell Sr., born January 1, 1813; Martin Cockrell, born September 13, 1814;
Wesley Cockrell, born March 22, 1816; Shelton Cockrell, born March 13, 1817;
Elizabeth Cockrell, born January 27, 1819; Claiborn Cockrell, born January 20, 1821;
Dulcena Cockrell, born January 11, 1824; Julia Ann Cockrell, born February 26, 1826;
William Cockrell Jr., born March 9, 1829; Nancy Cockrell, born March 21, 1832.
This family, except, F. G. Cockrell Sr., moved to Missouri and settled, as I have understood it,
in Jackson County, where Nancy Cockrell Sr. died, and Grandfather William Cockrell then went back to
Kentucky and lived and died in Breathitt County.
The names and dates of birth of his children, as given above, I have taken from his own
family Bible, which is now in the hands of my father, and may be said to be correct without doubt.
Of the foregoing children of William Cockrell, Martin Cockrell died with the cholera, near
St. Charles, Missouri, about August 1835.
Wesley Cockrell lived for years, in or near Dallas, Texas, but died recently. Shelton Cockrell
died somewhere in Missouri. Elizabeth Cockrell married a man by the name of Davis, and lived in
Kentucky. Dulcena Cockrell married a man by the name of Davenport, and it is said they lived near
Springfield, Missouri. Claiborn Cockrell died on the road to California in 1849. Julia Ann Cockrell
married a man by the name of Bolen, and died in Missouri. William Cockrell Jr. lives in the
Choctaw Nation. Nancy Cockrell married a man by the name of Dickinson or Edmonson, and moved to
Oregon, and is supposed to be now living in California.
Of this family F. G. Cockrell Sr., married Elizabeth Craig, in August 1832; she was born
January 2, 1808, and died in November 1865, their children were as follows:
William Cockrell, born July 1833, deceased; Savillah Cockrell, born May 25, 1835, deceased:
Wesley Cockrell, born December 28, 1837, deceased; James Cockrell, born January 19, 1840;
John Cockrell, born March 4, 1842; Samuel Cockrell, born April 28, 1844, deceased;
Claiborn Cockrell, born November 23, 1845; Simon Cockrell, born November 30, 1848;
F. G. Cockrell Jr., the writer, born November 17, 1850.
The above is all that I deem necessary, to set out at this time.
To assist in locating certain branches of the family, I have abbreviated the record somewhat,
and herewith present the following questions:
Have I been correctly informed, when I state that the first in this country, was John Cockrell,
from Wales who settled in Maryland and raised two sons, Moses and Simon Cockrell; or was it, as
Peter Cockrell of South Omaha states in his letter, that there were two brothers came over with
Lord Baltimore, that one settled in Virginia and the other in one of the Carolina's?
There are reasons why this latter view should be adopted, and there are reasons against it.
I think it is clear that there was a John Cockrell from Wales, who settled in Maryland; that he was born
about the year 1717, that he raised at least two sons, Moses and Simon Cockrell; that Simon settled in
Virginia, and that Moses, for a time at least, remained in Maryland.
When we consider what a generation has sprung from Simon Cockrell, of Virginia, who went
from there to Kentucky, and from thence to Missouri, may we not safely assume that Moses Cockrell
emigrated from Maryland to one of the Carolinas, and that a similar generation sprang from him?
If but one, and his name was John Cockrell, did he raise but two sons, Moses and
Simon Cockrell, or did he raise other sons? I think here is where the confusion arises.
It will be seen from Peter Cockrell's letter, that according to his father's recollection,
"there were at least four, and perhaps five, brothers; if five their names were John, Presley, Peter,
Simon and Edward Cockrell; and it may be he says, that there were but four, John, Presley, Simon or
Simon Megis and Edward Cockrell."
I imagine there were five, and that the names were John, Peter, Moses, (instead of Simon Megis)
Simon and Edward Cockrell.
In this letter, Peter Cockrell states, "that Simon Cockrell, the Baptist preacher, crossed the
Ohio River with his brother Edward Cockrell about the year 1805 or 1808; that Simon went south, and
Edward north into Central Ohio." This may indicate about the time that Simon Cockrell reached
Kentucky, but I think it must have been earlier than 1805.
Remember that Simon Cockrell married Magaline Vardimon in Virginia, that he raised his
family there, that they all came to Kentucky with him, or about the time he did, except one son, who
remained; remember, also, that his son John Cockrell, married Milly Ally in Virginia, and that his son
William Cockrell, my grandfather, was born in Virginia in the year 1785.
Now his sons and daughters would correspond with the generation of Nathan, Moses,
Jonathan, Jeremiah and William Cockrell of Nash County, North Carolina, mentioned in the letter
of A. W. Cockrell, of Jacksonville, Florida, and their father would have been of the same generation of
Moses Cockrell, who remained in Maryland.
Peter Cockrell's father, who resides at Galena, Ohio, while eighty two (82) years old, is only of
the generation of my father, who is in his seventy eighth (78) year, and therefore Peter Cockrell's
grandfather, Edward Cockrell, would seem to be of the same generation of my grandfather,
William Cockrell, and yet, it is not impossible, that he was the youngest brother of my great
grandfather, Simon Cockrell, who died in Missouri.
Simon Cockrell raised the following children: Moses, John, Simon, Elizabeth, Celia,
James, Jeremiah, Sally, William, Daniel, Alexander, Morgan and Joseph Cockrell, who have all been
accounted for above.
Clinton Cockrell of Platte City, Missouri, who is eighty one (81) years old says,
"his grandfather was Christopher C. Cockrell, and that he moved to Kentucky, about the year 1795;
and that his children were Joseph, James, John, Benjamin, Starks, Susan and Nancy Cockrell, and
another sister whose name he does not remember."
Can anybody locate this branch of the family? Whose son was Christopher C. Cockrell?
Observe that A. W. Cockrell, of Jacksonville, Florida, says: "It is known that Moses,
Nathan, Jonathan, David, Jeremiah and William Cockrell lived in Nash County, North Carolina, during
the first part of this century, or the latter part of the last century." Whoever can trace himself or
herself back to this line, let it be done.
W. A. Cockrell, of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, says: "My grandfather, Moses Cockrell, died in Fairfield County, South Carolina, in the early part of this century."
Now this Moses Cockrell must have been the Moses Cockrell spoken of in the letter of
A. W. Cockrell, of Jacksonville, Florida. He raised a large family of children, says W. A. Cockrell, of
Mt. Sterling, and then goes on and enumerates as his sons, John, Simon, Jerry, Benjamin, Thomas,
Davis and Peter Cockrell, that John settled near Louisville, Kentucky, Simon went to Missouri,
Jerry to Arkansas, Benjamin in Virginia, Thomas died while young, Davis settled in Tennessee, and
Peter in Indiana.
Mr. Cooper, Recorder of Adams County, Ohio, locates Daniel Cockrell, who settled in that
county, in the year 1837. Who can trace this family?
D. D. Cockrell, of Batchtown, Treasurer of Calhoun County, Illinois, gives his father's name as
Jesse Cockrell, of Virginia; that Jesse's father or D. D. Cockrell's grandfather, was Moses Cockrell, who
died in Virginia; and that Moses Cockrell's father was Peter Cockrell, who in turn was the son of
John Cockrell.
Here we get into trouble again. If it were not for one thing, I should say that Moses Cockrell,
in this instance, to be the son of Simon Cockrell Sr., and the one who lost his life by falling in a salt
well; but it is said that he was a son of Peter Cockrell, and that Peter Cockrell, was the son of
John Cockrell. Hence we come back to the question, did John Cockrell have more than two sons?
My answer is, he certainly did, so that if he had a son whose name was Peter, who had a son
Moses, whose son was Jesse? Then we are carried back to the letter of Peter Cockrell, of
South Omaha, who states that there were five brothers, and that one of them was Peter Cockrell.
He states: "My father, Jesse Cockrell, had several Uncles who moved West; he never saw
but one of them, and that one was John Cockrell, who settled near Louisville, Kentucky, and his
father's name was also John Cockrell. Here it seems, that we again find the five brothers, mentioned in
the letter of Peter Cockrell, of Omaha.
With regard to the letters of Lulie M. Cockrell of Ezel, Kentucky, written for her father,
B. L. Cockrell, and the letter of Judge Jeremiah V. Cockrell, of Anson, Texas, the writer can place these
properly.
Jeremiah Cockrell of Dardanells, Arkansas, a young man, writes a nice letter, and frankly
admits that he is not posted in family history, but hopes to be able to assist in the near future. I take it,
that he is a cousin of W. A. Cockrell of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and that they are descendants of the
Carolina family.
John Cockrell of Montgomery City, Missouri, states that he is sixty five (65) years old, that
for three or four generations back his people were from Virginia, and originally from England; that they
settled in Northeast Virginia, on the Chesapeake Bay, near the mouth of the Potomac River; that his
grandfather was Lyttleton Cockrell, that his father's name was likewise Lyttleton, and that he has a
brother of the same name who resides at Burgess' store, Northumberland County, Virginia. He says
his father died in Iowa in 1876, being then seventy four (74) years of age. According to this, he must
have been born about the year 1802, which would make him of the same generation of my father, and
consequently his father, Lyttleton Cockrell, must have been of the same generation of my grandfather,
William Cockrell.
He remarks that his grandfather, Lyttleton Cockrell, by two marriages raised sixteen children,
and that he has seen of those, Thomas, John, Robert, Effie and his uncle, named Joshua Cockrell, and
a great uncle, named John Cockrell, who lived in Virginia during the war of 1812, and was a very
wealthy man, then fives his own brothers and sisters and their different addresses, but it will not be
necessary to give them at this time.
There are many things that suggest themselves to the writer, but in a mere skeleton, or
prospectus, he cannot afford to devote the time or the space to present them all. He must depend
upon the members of the family to scan closely, everything relating to names, dates, marriages and
conclusions, and whatever there may be that is incorrect it will be more than a pleasure to the writer to
have it corrected.
I have endeavored to send out, to those interested in the family history, as much information,
in a systematic form, as I possibly could, knowing full well, that life is uncertain, and that it is hardly
within the range of probability, that any other member of the family could ever secure all the details
which I now posses, and should anything occur to me, that I might not finish this work, I hope and
trust that some other member of the family will see that it is consummated.
All that I have done will be cheerfully given to attain the end in view; and all that I shall ever
ask will be that my own family shall not be left out.
I am proud of the Cockrell name, and desire above all things, to instill into my children this
same pride, that wherever they may go, or be placed in life, there shall be stamped upon their faces,
that same candid, honest and charitable expression that has characterized the family for over one
hundred and fifty years. It involves an education, that in this day and age, is sadly neglected.
The world is full of unrest and discontent, and my judgement is, that it may be attributed in
no small degree to the fact that mankind has drifted and is drifting away from the moorings of family
ties, honesty and confidence. It has been said that this has ever been, most and will be, the fate of the
human race. If so, it is a sad fate. One thing is certain, that our entire social, political, and educational
system is leading toward false and pernicious results.
Hence, as a humble individual, I desire, if I can, to adopt a different course with those who
are to come after me.
Bear in mind that a tombstone or an old family Bible may lead to information; old persons may
yet be living in various neighborhoods where Cockrell families have resided who can throw light upon
the subject. Let everything be consulted.
I remain yours respectfully,
(signed) F. G. Cockrell Jr.
Note by Flossie Cockrill McNichol:
I copied this from the original on March 8, 1945. There was a notation in pencil on the first page “To be returned to A. W. Cockrell Jr., Jacksonville, Florida”.
Simon Cockrell who m. Magdaline Vardiman was a brother of Susan Cockrell. They were the children of John Cockrell and his first wife who died when Simon was about two years old. He never knew his father, only that his name was John. Simon’s half brother, John Cockrell Jr., of Tennessee, was the son of John Cockrell Sr. and his second wife, Deborah Fox.
Johnson County, Missouri, marriage records 1835 – 1866:
James Cockrell m. Mariah Doke 2 March 1837.
Johnson County, Missouri, abstract of Wills 1835 – 1855:
James Cockrell d. intestate – Adm. Greenville Crisp, app. 5 Jan. 1844 – widow Maria Cockrill, res. of Johnson County, Missouri.
Morgan Cockrell d. intestate – Adm. John Evans & Joel Cockrill, app. 11 July 1842 – wife, Hannah.
“Bloom Hill” (ref. Page Five) at 16.3 miles is a junction with County 614 (from Dumfries on State 234). Story and a half house originally belonging to Rutt Johnson, passed into the Cockrell family when Sarah Johnson married a Cockrell and willed the estate to her son.
Christopher Cockrell (ref. Page Nine) was the son of Joseph, who was the son of John. Christopher m. Susannah Stark, daughter of Susanna Trammel and her first husband. Their children:
Joseph b. 1773 d. about 1826, Randolph County, Missouri m. Nancy Lucas.
Sampson b. June 30, 1775
Susannah b. April 13, 1778
John b. November 13, 1780 d. September 16, 1855, Christian County, Kentucky m. Susan Boone.
Jean b. June 15, 1783 m. Samuel Beal, Fayette County, Kentucky June 23, 1805
James b. December 13, 1785 d. about 1820 Kentucky m. Lucy Clarke
Benjamin b. January 24, 1768 d. about 1847 Randolph County, Missouri m. Jane Duncan
Margery b. March 12, 1793
Starks b. march 30, 1795 d. May 10, 1862 in Texas m. (1) Barbara Cotton m. (2) Hannah ____. (from family Bible)
Starks Cockrill (Christopher, Joseph John) b. Loudoun County, Virginia March 30, 1795 d. Texas May 10, 1862. Corporal in Captain David Food’s(?) Company 1st Regiment Kentucky Volumes 1813 Moved to Fayette County, Kentucky and later to Texas. Married 1st December 20, 1816 to Barbara Cotton, probably daughter of Henry Cotton. Issue:
11 FEB 1818 Christopher
7 AUG 1820 John W. (?)
3 NOV 1823 Starks
30 AUG 1835 Mary Ann
6 JUL 1827 Susannah
13 JUL 1829 Almeda
married 2nd Hannah __ who died 1853. Issue:
5 NOV 1832 Newton M.
26 JAN 1834 Alton M.
20 APR 1837 Milton
31 MAR 1839 Bluford
12 FEB 1841 Martha Ann
15 APR 1843 Edward Harrison
From the same Starks Bible but not entirely legible:
Hennery Cockerill, son of ____ b. May 6, 1794.