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Dear Bella,
My book is pretty much completed. I am having trouble with the financial
aspect of getting it printed and not losing a lot of money.
Thinking about just posting it on the internet.
Just fear that someone else would try to take advantage of the information
if not published. Still considering what I should do.
Part of the problem is that it is much larger than I had anticipated.
JUST AN UPDATE.
Thanks
Jim Burgess
Fauquier County, Virginia
USGENWEB
-----Original Message-----
From: BHughes721(a)aol.com <BHughes721(a)aol.com>
To: COCKRELL-L(a)rootsweb.com <COCKRELL-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 05, 2000 12:59 AM
Subject: [COCKRELL-L] Research
>Hello List,
>Thanks to all for the response. I know it takes time to do that and it is
a
>help. There were three distinct lines heard from of Cockrell ancestry.
Last
>I heard Tom had published his book and was offering it. I wonder about Jim
>Burgess and his book.
>
>One of my great challenges has been finding full dates of the events in the
>lives of the earliest Cockrell's in my own line. So much has been found by
>researching headstones. There the dates are etched in stone and time goes
by
>and they are still there. Another one has been the obituaries from a
variety
>of newspapers and written in a vast number of styles. Some say that a
>lengthy obituary is a sign of status or wealth. Others observe that
>obituaries are as good as the writers. Another record to check is the
>funeral home records. After they had to identify the deceased. Death
>certificates have helped many but they are limited because they only
started
>making them in the very late 1800s and 1895 seems to be the oldest one I
know
>of. I learn more all the time.
>
>The packages that we have been swapping have taught me a thing or two. I
>read all the newsletters and periodicals as well as the shelves of books
>written on the subject of finding those important dates. In my own records
>it can be noted that each person has a unique set of sources recording the
>events of their lives. Personally the Family Register of a family Bible is
>an exciting source. Those are some of this Country's earliest birth
records.
> Later those were hand copied in family letters that now serve as the
Family
>Register since so many of those old Bibles are lost. While at the National
>Archives reading microfilm records of pensions for Revolutionary War
soldiers
>it came to my attention that folks cut out the page containing the family
>register and submitted it to the government office as proof of marriage,
>births of children and the original is there. In one instance the marriage
>record was embroidered on fabric and it is shown on the microfilm. Today
we
>would keep the original and let them make a copy.
>
>In need of exercise and not finding enough of my own family on the webpages
>out in cyberspace I set out for the countryside to locate the connecting
>source documentation I needed. What is to be found varies from place to
>place and that is why there are so many stories about this part of our
>favorite hobby.
>
>One thing to know is that Genealogical Societies keep family files and
>obituaries from local newspapers as well as local histories that may not be
>in your public library. On the other hand Historical Societies have
records
>only on "famous" people. However they do tend to have index records of
>cemeteries in the area too and directions to finding those cemeteries. It
is
>a tough call when deciding who to write for the information. Sometimes a
>local Public library houses the genealogy for the area. This is mostly
>because they have preferred storage for such items. For example the
Johnson
>County, Missouri Historical Society has everything you ever wanted to know
>about Francis Marion Cockrell the United States Senator but nothing on his
>father or on my Morgan Cockrell. They all lived in the same place but only
>Francis Marion is famous. Perhaps a genealogical society would have
>something on the others. Personally we went through the courthouse to
gather
>the information piece by piece.
>
>The headstone of Morgan Cockrell only bears the letters M and C. Because
the
>family has handed down the property from generation to generation the
>traditions remain. However, what if that were any other cemetery like the
>one where his wife Hannah is buried? There are only native stones shaped
>with a chisel and some letters also chiseled. The property is no longer in
>possession of descendants of the line. Who then keeps track of the
records?
>Who even knew it was once a Cockrell family cemetery? Well, because of my
>research the genealogical society of Jefferson County, Kansas does know. I
>had to hunt the courthouse and find it on a deed then ask around for who
owns
>it now. There is one stone there marked GOR C and family tradition shows
>this to be George Cockrell murdered by his brother Morgan Cockrell the
>grandsons of Hannah. Family tradition states that Hannah is buried beside
>George Cockrell. There are no dates and no records to support this
tradition
>except the probate records. The probate package contains receipts for her
a
>coffin and a few decorations but the family buried her themselves. In this
>case it would be so nice to find a Family Register stating in flowery
>language the birth, marriage and death of the family members. There must
>have been one at some time only it is lost to us. So the dates and places
>have been pieced together from a variety of things. For George Cockrell we
>use the court records of the trial of Morgan Cockrell. George had no
>property. However the date of the murder is a matter of court record. We
>located those from the newspaper records of this event. Now we know why
this
>branch of the family is omitted from the old pedigree records of the
>Cockrell's. It was my pleasure to meet up with someone researching the
>descendants of George Cockrell and to share what little I have. In trade
the
>reward was a nice list of the children and their children. Those children
>did not have it so nice growing up without a father and were raised by the
>family of their mother. Children were sent to live with relatives who
needed
>an extra hand to work around the house or on a farm in those days. No
foster
>homes paid by the state existed then with social workers and case workers.
>
>Another experience was with an old church cemetery in Johnson County,
>Missouri. My great-great grandfather Wilson Blevins is buried there and on
>his death certificate he died in 1924. On his headstone it reads 1921.
The
>stone is not one that was placed at the time of death. It came later when
>the family had more money. The church is no longer there and the cemetery
is
>maintained by folks who live in the area. They do a real nice job too. I
>found three or four headstones that are of people related to my own family
>history. The only records are kept at the Johnson County Historical
Society
>and that is just a cemetery index. It is not accurate either. In that his
>middle initial is H and on the stone it is E. There is no middle initial
on
>his death certificate. By the way his death certificate is from Henry
>County, Missouri and he is buried north of there in Johnson County. For
his
>wife Mary Jane we have a nice long obituary and one of his sons died in an
>accident and there is a story from the paper about this. The child has a
>fancy headstone set at the time of burial and etched with lovely artwork.
>The parents have a simple stone with names and years only. A surprise to
me
>was the stone of one of the daughters located quite near them. There are a
>few blank spaces but without the cemetery records it is impossible to sort
>out more than this from what we found.
>
>On the other hand I have found much in records. Locating an index record
for
>someone in one of those books and then visiting the cemetery has been
>enlightening. While the book may only show the years and never connect
>spouses, a visit may show that they are buried side by side with one stone.
>Then a visit to the funeral home can produce an interesting file of things.
>For example we have located names of family members and outlines for the
>obituaries. The list of pall bearers turns out to be family members giving
a
>connection not found any where else. The obituary that lists the children
>and siblings of the deceased with a place can help locate a family in the
>census. A death certificate may name the parents if the person providing
the
>information knew who they were. Sometimes mistakes are made. It is best
to
>get an obituary to go with a death certificate as well as funeral records.
>
>Family Registers are the most accurate for births when there is no birth
>certificate. Today we place small value on keeping one but it was serious
>business to the families of the early 1800s. Even if the family had to pay
a
>scribe they kept that record. I once mentioned one found in the family
cook
>book. This turned out to be a loose paper copied from a family Bible
record.
> It did check out with census for the 1900 when months and years of birth
>were used. The challenge was locating all those folks in the census for
that
>year. They were married and moved away by then. Luckily there were
>obituaries available to help locate them. The Soundex for 1900 is fairly
>complete.
>
>Census is also an inexact record. When it is accurate it is a joy to use
>however, when the information is not correct or badly spelled or worse
poorly
>written it is an exercise in frustration. Those will require another
letter
>to expand on the fun of research.
>
>Until later then,
>Bella
>
>
>==== COCKRELL Mailing List ====
>Visit the Cockrell resource page at
>http://resources.rootsweb.com/surnames/c/o/COCKRELL/
>Join the 150+ resourcers of the Cockrell and it's variant
>spellings.
>
Hello Tom,
You certainly hit the problem in the face with this comment. There are lots
of people who never were part of any noble family or any sort of nobility or
royal family. They are great folks and being common was a good thing.
Someone had to pay for all the stuff them royals were doing.
I know that we are each proud of our families and the way that the names are
spelled. In my branch we have blood ties to two different spellings and each
family is one we proudly display on all charts and talk at great length about
on a regular basis.
Aunt Ida and I took the children to Fort Osage this week and even there we
had to recount the escapades of James Cockrell and his father Simon Cockrell
to the folks working at collecting the history of the area. We proudly named
history book references and cited properties owned and the close location.
It was fun and the children enjoyed the fun.
If a family motto did exist it was probably something like "never forget the
family." I hope that the lady finds one to suit her and uses it wisely.
Good to hear that folks have not forgotten.
Bella
In a message dated 6/20/00 8:58:54 AM Central Daylight Time,
kytrace(a)worldnet.att.net writes:
> We can't even agree on the family crest. It get's even harder when we one
> can't agree on the "correct spelling" of our last names.
In a message dated 6/23/00 9:43:35 AM Central Daylight Time,
COCKRELL-D-request(a)rootsweb.com writes:
<<
We can't even agree on the family crest. It get's even harder when we one
can't agree on the "correct spelling" of our last names. If you have
have access to a good reference library library look for 'Burkes' Landed
Gentry-1852'. Our line shares the Brooks family Crest.
Elizabeth Loeb wrote:
> Dkoes anyone know of a family motto that can be traced to the Cockrell
> Family? Thanks,
> Elizabeth Cockrell Loeb
> Forrest City, AR
>>
LOL, that is funny! Isn't that what makes a "family"? I married into (and
divorced out of) the Cockeril family of Leitchfield, KY that moved to
Louisville KY. However, my children are still Cockerils so I care! Where did
the Cockeril (*no matter how it is spelled) name originate? At first thought
it was a sept of Clan Cochrane out of Scotland but didn't find it listed.
Anyone know? The Brooks hint didn't help me either!
thanks
Pam
Elizabeth,
We can't even agree on the family crest. It get's even harder when we one
can't agree on the "correct spelling" of our last names. If you have
have access to a good reference library library look for 'Burkes' Landed
Gentry-1852'. Our line shares the Brooks family Crest.
Elizabeth Loeb wrote:
> Dkoes anyone know of a family motto that can be traced to the Cockrell
> Family? Thanks,
> Elizabeth Cockrell Loeb
> Forrest City, AR