Elder Humphrey COCKERHAM

Male Abt 1751 - Aft 1833  (~ 83 years)


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  • Name Elder Humphrey COCKERHAM 
    Birth Abt 1751 
    Gender Male 
    Death Aft 1833 
    Person ID I23734  Marshall and Allied Families
    Last Modified 16 Nov 1998 

    Father Daniel COCKERHAM, Sr.,   b. Abt 1720   d. Abt 1767 (Age ~ 47 years) 
    Mother MARTHA,   b. Abt 1720 
    Family ID F8346  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 unknown   d. Abt 1778 
    Marriage Bef 1764 
    Children 
    +1. Daniel COCKERHAM,   b. 1755, Halifax County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Kentucky Find all individuals with events at this location
    +2. David COCKERHAM,   b. 25 Nov 1763, Lunenburg County, Virginia Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 26 May 1856, Surry County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 92 years)
    Family ID F8345  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 JAMIMA,   b. WFT Est. 1746-1779   d. WFT Est. 1811-1869 (Age ~ 90 years) 
    Marriage Abt 1790 
    Children 
    +1. Martin COCKERHAM
    +2. Sarah COCKRAN,   b. 1 May 1779, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Aug 1853, Lima Twp., Grant County, Wisconsin Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 74 years)
    +3. Nancy COCKERHAM,   b. 9 May 1789, Rowan County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 14 Aug 1838, Fayette County, Illinois Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 49 years)
     4. Elizabeth COCKERHAM,   b. Abt 1792   d. Abt 1850 (Age ~ 58 years)
    +5. John COCKRAHAM,   b. Abt 1793, Wilkes County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 1821/1829, Wilkes County, North Carolina Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 36 years)
    +6. William (Owsley) COCKERHAM,   b. 1794
    +7. Moses V. COCKERHAM,   b. 1798   d. 1871 (Age 73 years)
     8. Susanna COCKERHAM,   b. Abt 1800
    +9. Amelia COCKERHAM,   b. Aft 1800
    +10. James COCKERHAM,   b. 1805   d. 1861 (Age 56 years)
    +11. Mary Polly COCKERHAM,   b. Abt 1809
    +12. Hardin COCKERHAM,   b. Aft 1810   d. Aft 1836 (Age > 26 years)
    Family ID F8344  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • !Marshall 0237, p. 1

      From Corbetrt Cockerham
      !Humphery was active in the beginnings of the Brier Creek Baptist Association of Wilkes County. He died between 1833 and 1840 in Wilkes County, a widower, and is buried in a small cemetery which has been destroyed.
      He married before 1769 in Virginia, but his wife's name is unknown. They had one son named David who was born circa 1769 in Virginia. David came with his father and grandmother to Surry County, and Humphry had re-married by 1790. His second wife was Jamima, maiden name unknown. They had 13 children.

      !1771 Surry Co, NC Tax List: Humphrey Cockerham: 150 acres on Pipes Creek 200 acres on Reed Creek

      !1771-1879 Index Surry Co., NC Deeds
      !Humphrey to William McBride deed book F p.84
      ! to Jos Ashley deed book G p.197
      ! to ? Moore deed book G. p.191
      ! from State of NC 1784 grant book C p.140
      ! to John Cook deed book I p.148
      ! from William Lewis deed book D p.446
      ! from sherrif deed book F p.332
      ! from William L. Lewis deed book G p.195
      ! from State of NC grant book G
      ! from Samuel Gentries heirs deed book I p.147

      !According to A. Lee Cockerham, Humphrey had 9 land Grants.

      Cockram, Humphrey
      Census: 1790 Surry Co. NC, Salisbury dist.
      Free white males of 16 years and upwards incl. h/family : 1
      Free whte males under 16 : 2
      Free white females incl. h/family : 5

      Cockrum, Humphrey
      Census: 1800, Wilks Co. NC; NA roll #33 p.33
      free white males under 10 years of age: 5
      free white males of 10 and under 16 years of age: 0
      free white males of 16 and under 26 years of age incl/hh: 0
      free white males of 26 and under 45 years of age incl/hh: 0
      free white males of 45 years and upwards incl/hh: 1
      free white fmales under 10 years of age: 1
      free white fmales of 10 and under 16: 2
      free white females of 16 and under 26 incl/hh: 0
      free white females of 26 and under 45 incl/hh: 0
      free white fmales of 45 and upwards incl/hh: 1
      all other free persons except indians not taxed: 0
      slaves: 0

      Cocherham, Humphrey
      Census: 1810 Wilks Co. NC; NA M252 ```roll #43 p.261
      free white males under 10 years of age: 3
      free white males of 10 and under 16 years of age: 2
      free white males of 16 and under 26 years of age incl/hh :2
      free white males of 26 and under 45 years of age incl/hh : 0
      free white males of 45 years of age and upwards incl/hh : 1
      free white fmales under 10 years of age: 1
      free white fmales of 10 and under 16: 1
      free white females of 16 and under 26 incl/hh : 1
      free white females of 26 and under 45 incl/hh : 0
      free white females of 45 and upwards incl/hh: 1
      all other free persons except indians not taxed: 0
      slaves: 1

      THE FOLLOWING NOTES SUPPLIED BY FRANK E. COCKERHAM
      Humphrey Cockerham came to Wilkes Co. about 1777 or 1778. According to a Moravian Land Suit Depostion (WGS Vol 18-2, p.7) in 1805," I bought my claim when the land deed office was opened. Thomas East came out of Virginia with me...My wife was sorely afflicted and Capt Montgomery let me stay on the land and said I would not be interfered with." A similar deposition by Gabriel Smither (Smithey) reguarding the Moravain Land Dispute said," I came before the land office was opened," and named "Umphrey Cockerham" as being one of seven early settlers,"on upper tract", (WGS Vol 19-1, p.9). The upper Moravian Survey was in the Moravian Falls/Goshen region.
      However, no public record can be found of Humphrey Cockerham's claim to any land obtained in Wilkes Co. from Capt. Montgomery. The earliest claim found was entry 721 in Surry Co. on 12 Nov. 1779, 100 acres on the Fox Knob, located on both sides of Pipe's Creek and south of the Yadkin River. A deed (Surry DB G-193) from William T. Lewis to Humphrey Cockerham on 26 Oct 1789 for 50 acres on the south side of the Fox Knob," joining the tract where the said Cockerham now lives on", indicated that Humphrey had remained in about the same location south of the Yadkin (River) for 10 years.
      On 9 Apr 1791, Humphrey and Jimima Cockerham of Surry Co. sold 52 acres of land (DB F-84) that he had purchased from John Pipes in 1783 (Surry C-108). In all subsequent public records, Humphrey Cockerham was refered to as "of Wilkes County.
      On 18 Jan 1793, Humphrey Cockerham of Wilkes Co. bought 100 acres in Wilkes Co, from Archibold Wason (DB B1-291). Later that year on Dec 22, he was recieved by letter into the Briar Creek Baptist Church, but no mention was made of a wife. It may be that wife Jimima had died, and that all later children were by a second wife -(see notes for Jimima). This property and subsequent acquisitions in the Swan Creek area were in Capt. David Witherspoon's Tax District 7. Humphrey was listed in 1793 with 100 acres with 1 poll, in 1794 with 300 acres and 1 poll, in 1795 and 1796 with 299 acres and 1 poll, and in 1797 with 299 acres and no poll; e.g. he became 55 years of age.
      ....Since Humphrey was already married when he came to Virginia in 1778, one can estimate that his two oldest sons would become polls sometime in the late 1790's. In the 1805 Tax List "Wilkes County Taxables", by Paul Gregory, Humphrey Cockerham was listed with 425 acres and one poll in Capt. Martin's District and Daniel Cockerham was listed as a poll with 0 acres in the nearby district of Capt. Thurmond. Daniel Cockerham's name also appears as a witness on the deed dated 21 Feb 1805 (F1-402) when Humphrey bought 34 acres from James Gwyn.
      The first record to indicate that Humphrey had aquired property and perhaps relocated to the Big Buggaboo area was John Paterson's Entry 3019 on 9 Sept. 1808, "on Big Branch beginning on Humphrey Cockerham's line." Humphrey's first entry on the Bugaboo was 441, 17 Jan. 1809, for 50 acres to the west line to Levi Sparks line. No survey record could be found for this tract, but the claim must have been valid. William Parson's entry 1877 in 1818 began:"at a spanish oak in Humphrey Cockerham's line near the head of Bunkers Branch". None of Humphrey's other tracts were as westerly as entry 441, so this must be the claim which provided the land nect to Parson's entry. (see fig. 1) Humphrey Cockerham was not incline to pay for survey fees or to register his deeds in the courthouse. Deeds which were recorded appear to have been registered by new owners.
      The first deed book record for Humphrey Cockerham in the Buggaboo region was 24-144, 3 Oct. 1812, 36 acres from Michael Ryan located as shown on fig 1. This Tract did not later appear as a possession of any of his children. The land on the Big Branch of Big Buggaboo occupied by Humphrey in 1808 was the property of Thomas Walsh, shown in fig. 1. On 30 Jan. 1813, Thomas Walsh sold the Western half of the tract to Johnathan Walsh (24-142) and the eastern half to Humphrey Cockerham (24-143). Just north of the Walsh tract, John Thornton made entries 1252 and 1475 in 1814 and 1816, respectively. On 11 Oct. 1819 John Thornton married Susannah Cockerham, with John Durham as bondsman (Holcomb). Susannah was surely Humphrey's daughter.
      In the 1823 tax lists....Humphrey Cockerham of Wilkes County was taxed for 215 acres, John Cockerham had 60 acres and Moses Cockerham was listed for 125 acres. Perhaps Moses had aquired 125 acres Humphrey had purchased from Thomas Walsh, and most of Humphrey's 215 acres consisted of his entry 565 on 17 Oct 1809 for 200 acres "beginning at the mouth of a branch that empties into the Maple Branch on the East side."
      In 1829, William Cockerham had gone to Kentucky, John Cockerham was deceased, and Humphrey Cockerham had apparently decided to split up his Big Buggaboo land holdings among his sons Moses, Martin, James, and son-in-law Nathaniel Barker. Humphrey Cockerham was not taxed for any acreage. However, his 215 acres plus 60 acres of the deceased John Cockerham was distributed numerically as follows: Moses gained 25 acres, Martin (gained)... 100 acres, James was listed for 100 acres, and Nathaniel Barker was shown with 50 acres, accounting for all 275 acres. Figure 2 illustrates the position of these holdings. The recipents of the dispersion of Humphrey Cockerham's land saw the need over the years to formalize their title, usually by making a new entry, paying for survey, and registering their North Carolina grants.