John Cockrill
BornDecember 19, 1757
DiedApril 11, 1837
OccupationSettler
SpouseAnne 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. (nephew)
James Collinsworth(nephew)

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 Cockrill Springs named for him.

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 explorers 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] Half Brother was Edward Collinsworth whose son was James Collinsworth a Veteran of San Jacinto

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Armstrong, Zella (1918). Notable Southern Families. Chattanooga, Tennessee: Lookout Publishing Company. pp. 21–22. OCLC 994024199 via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 3 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


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