Research of Jesse C Cockrell (1781-1841)

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]
Surname/tag: cockrell

Subject: Jessie Cockrell

My name is Claire Cockrell Grasso. I am a descendant of Jessie Cockrell (He was my great great great grandfather).

My father, Chester Carl Cockrell, discovered his gravestone in Greenlawn Cemetery, Section 14 in Portsmouth, Ohio (Scioto County) while doing research prior to his own death 21 years ago. The information on the Greenlawn stones indicated that Jessie Cockerell died on April 30, 1841 age 60. He was buried with three wives: Harriet B. (died May 29, 1812 age 37); Lucy Dent (died December 14, 1835 age 52); and Mary Cockerell McAuley (died February 19, 1892 age 73y 1m 26d). Interestingly, Mary Cockerell McAuley, Jessie Cockerell, and his other two wives all share a gravestone while her later husband, James M. McAuley is buried next to her with his own stone.

I also found an article which my father copied from an unidentified newsletter regarding Greenlawn Cemetery which says the following: "The father of Mrs. T. M. Lynn, Jesse Cockerill, with his two first wives on his left, have recently been disinterred near Lucasville, and lie in Greenlawn. His third wife re-married and by agreement with her present husband, has left a place in Greenlawn where she desires to be, and will be buried when her summons comes."

Also, he copied a document indicating that Lucy Dent had been married prior to her marriage to Jessie/Jesse to a man named Wilcoxen. This paper indicted that both Lucy and Jesse were born in Fairfax County, Virginia and that Jessie had been a volunteer in the War of 1812. (This information was part of a query by Mrs. Frank A. McNicol, RFD #1, Gore, VA.)

According to Mrs. McNicol, Jesse had been born in Fairfax County, Virginia in 1781, settled in Ohio in 1806, and fought in the War of 1812. From what my father discovered he apparently returned to Virginia, probably after the death in 1812 of his first wife, Harriet B. My father found copies of documents in Fairfax County, Virginia which indicated that Jesse Cockerill was "licenced to keep house of private entertainment til next May court. Showed receipt for tax." His note showed a date of "1824 - p.223 May 15, 1826." While in Virginia, Jesse probably married the widow, Lucy Dent Wilcoxen.

Also, Jesse apparently worked as a surveyor because my father found two receipts from Fairfax County for Jesse Cockerill. 1) 1829 p.63 June 16, 1829 "Road surveyor - pd. $5 by county" and 2) 1829 - p.216 June 21, 1830 "Pd. by county on account - $4.00"

It would seem that he returned to Ohio with Lucy prior to Lucy's death in 1835 because he and Lucy were buried in Ohio. After Lucy's death, he married the young Mary before dying at the age of sixty in 1841.

At the same Lucasville cemetery where Jesse and his first two wives were disinterred, there were two more Jesse Cockrells and their families. The first Jesse (April 15, 1801 -- September 14, 1854) had on the same gravestone: Ann G. (June 7, 1799 -- August 2, 1861) (presumably his wife); Margaret T. (November 10, 1821 -- September 9, 1875); Charles (January 2, 1829 -- May 5, 1910) and Elijah (July 8, 1835 -- August 6, 1860). Given his birth date, it would make sense for this Jesse to be the son of the previous Jesse reinterred in Greenlawn and his first wife, Harriet.

The next Jesse Cockrell at the Lucasville plot was my great-grandfather (and most probably the previous Jesse's son). His gravestone indicates that he was a member of Co A 106 Illinois Infantry (during the Civil War). A photocopy of a family Bible obtained by my father from relatives shows that this Jessie was born October 25, 1837 and died on October 28, 1915. He was married to Eunice Elizabeth Miller (September 12, 1844 -- December 18, 1921) on February 21, 1869. They had nine children listed in the family Bible: Lankford, Minnie Ann, Charles Kramdin, David Absolom, Herman O., John Newton, William Miller (my grandfather), Edgar, and Harvey Earl. Edgar, Harvey, Minnie, John, and Lankford were also buried in Lucasville.

So, there is a chain of three Jesse Cockrells (with quite a few different spellings) in Scioto County, Ohio. The spelling variations seem to be the norm; I think my father's birth certificate had three variants of Cockrell on one document! Anyway, I hope that this information was of some use.

Return to the profile of Jessie Cockrell (1781-1841)