John Cockrill

Major John Cockrill (December 19, 1757 - April 11, 1837) was an American settler. A veteran of the American Revolutionary War, he was one of 13 explorers to modern-day Nashville, Tennessee in 1779, and he received a land grant in modern-day Centennial Park in 1784.

John Cockrill
BornDecember 19, 1757
DiedApril 11, 1837
OccupationSettler
Spouse(s)Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill
Children8, including Mark R. Cockrill
Parent(s)John Cockrill
Barbara Fox
RelativesJames Robertson (brother-in-law)
Felix Robertson (nephew)
Benjamin F. Cockrill Jr. (great-grandson)

Early life

Cockrill was born on December 19, 1757 in Wythe County, Virginia.[1][2] His father, John Cockrill, was a Welsh-born immigrant of Scottish descent who served in the French and Indian War of 1754-1763 and became a large planter in Richmond County, Virginia.[1]

Career

Cockrill served in the American Revolutionary War of 1775–1783, first under Colonel William Russell and later under Brigadier Lachlan McIntosh.[2] In 1779, he was one of 13 explorer who went down the Cumberland River to modern-day Nashville alongside James Robertson.[2]

Cockrill was granted land in modern-day Nashville in 1784.[1]

Personal life and death

Cockrill married Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill, the sister of James Robertson.[1] They had eight children, including Mark R. Cockrill.[1] Cockrill built the first brick house in Nashville, on Cedar Street (now Charlotte Avenue).[1]

Cockrill died on April 11, 1837 in Nashville.[1]

References

  1. Armstrong, Zella (1918). Notable Southern Families. Chattanooga, Tennessee: Lookout Publishing Company. pp. 21–22. OCLC 994024199 via Internet Archive.
  2. Zollicoffer Bond, Octavia (November 28, 1909). "The Cockrill Family". The Tennessean. p. 34. Retrieved April 15, 2018 via Newspapers.com.

John Cockrill at Find a Grave


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.