Edward E. Cockerill
One of the earliest pioneer families to settle in Fayette county, Ohio, was the Cockerill family, which was first represented in this county by William S. Cockerill, a native of Loudoun county, Virginia, who was born in December, 1790, and came to Ohio in 1812, shortly after his marriage, settling first on the Ohio river just above its union with the Hocking river. Here he lived until 1821, when he came to Fayette county and purchased land of John Rowe in Perry township. Here he lived for one year and then bought land of Mr. Connor on the Little Wabash. William S. Cockerill was a man of decided literary tastes and more than ordinary intellectual ability. For several years after coming to this county he followed the profession of teaching in connection with farming. He served in the War of 1812 in an Ohio regiment. William S. Cockerill was married four times, his first wife being Anna Lehman, to whom he was married in Virginia in 1809, and whose death occurred in Fayette county, Ohio, in 1821, shortly after the family moved to this county. Nine children were born to this first marriage, Elizabeth, William, Milly, Samuel, Eldridge, Thomas G. and three who died in infancy. Thomas G. is the father of Edward E. Cockerill, with whom this narrative subsequently deals. The second wife of William S. Cockerill was Phoebe Mooney. the daughter of Judge Mooney, and to this second union nine children were born, Mary A., James, Lydia J., Harmanus, Amanda, Eliza, Anna and two who died in infancy. The second wife died in 1855, and in 1857 Mr. Cockerill married her sister, Eliza Mooney, who died in 1862. The fourth and last marriage of William S. Cockerill occurred in 1864, when he was united in marriage to Mrs. Doster, who died in 1873. William S. Cockerill lived until December 19, 1879, being nearly ninety years of age at the time of his death. He was a prosperous farmer and left an estate of four hundred acres of excellent land, which is now held by his descendants.
Thomas G. Cockerill, the son of William S. and Anna (Lehman) Cockerill. was born in 1812, and was married September 29, 1831, to Sylvitha Cochran, the daughter of Barnabas and Charlotta Cochran, natives of New Jersey and early settlers of Ohio, who came to this state in 1806. To Thomas G. Cockerill and wife were born nine children, William Newton, Martha J., Edward Estell, Jacob, Thomas, Samuel S., James W., Amelia O. and Eldridge W. Four of these sons were in the Civil War, where they made a distinguished record for themselves. All of the nine children grew to manhood and womanhood, married and reared families of their own.
Edward Estell Cockerill, named in honor of the Rev. Edward Estell, was born January 22, 1837, in the township where he has always lived except ten years in other states. He is the third child of Thomas G. Cockerill and wife and one of the most highly honored residents of this county. He was born in a log cabin in Perry township, and spent a few months of his boyhood years in the primitive schools of his home neighborhood, and early in life became used to hard manual labor. He married two years before the Civil War opened and left his wife and two small children to serve his country. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Regiment Ohio Volunteer Infantry and served for four months toward the close of the struggle. Immediately after being mustered out of the service he returned to his farm and has been following that vocation since. He bought his present farm of two hundred and thirty acres, six miles from Washington C. H., in 1881, which farm was a part of his grandfather's estate and is now one of the most attractive farms in Perry township. Mr. Cockerill has always been a heavy stock raiser and has been uniformly successful along this particular line. He keeps his farm in good repair and has always kept it to a high state of productivity, so that he is able to secure the maximum results from his labors.
Mr. Cockerill was married October 11, 1859, to Heressa Bineger, the daughter of George and Mary Bineger. natives of Virginia, and to this union have been born eleven children. Dennis, Eldridge, Minnie, A. G., Orville, Carrie. Melvin, Almeda, Gilbert, Lurella, Frank Willard. Dennis and Eldridge died before their father went to the front during the Civil War; Minnie married Eugene Horney and has four children. Fred, Jessie, George and Ralph; A. G. married Naomi Marks and has three children, Cleo (who married James Beatty. and has one son, Russell B.), Clayton and Angeline; Orville is married; Carrie married Mr. Craig and has three children, Genevieve, Otis and Helen; Melvin married Miss Meeks and has four children, Edward M., Melvin, Russell and Estella ; Almeda is single and still living with her parents; Lurella is the wife of Harry Silkot and has two children, Roland and Edward, deceased ; Frank W. married Miss Coffman and has one child; Gilhert is married and has one son, Marcus.
Mr. Cockerill has been a life-long Repuljlican in politics and has always been very much interested in political matters. He has been trustee of his township, served as member of the school board, while he was commissioner of Fayette county for two terms. Fraternally, he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Grand Army of the Republic. He has been a member of the Methodist Episcopal church for more than fifty years and has always been much interested in church work. He and his wife celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1909 and the occasion was observed in a most happy style. Mr. Cockerill is one of the best beloved men in the township and no one is held in higher esteem and greater affection.
From History of Fayette County Ohio - Her People, Industries and Institutions by Frank M. Allen (1914, R. F. Bowen & Company, Inc.)