William's middle name, Barrett, was said to be disputed by some researchers. However, in Carolyn Thorsen's essay "One or Two Joseph Venables?" she suggests, that William got this name from William Barrett, the first husband of his mother's sister, Elizabeth Venable.

Date of his birth and month and year of his death are from Records of the Families of California Pioneers, Vol. XVII, DAR of California (he is listed as William Baron Cockrill).

William B. Cockrill was a member of the 1853 Hagans-Cockrill Wagon Train. Members of his immediate family who supposedly traveled with him during this immigration include his second wife, Eliza, and his children: Rachel Guttridge (divorced by her husband, who left the trail while she continued on with her daughter, Joanna), James Carol, Francis Willis, Thomas Jefferson, Zachariah Anderson, and George W.

From some notes about him in Jeanne Miller's papers:

In Sonoma County had a sheep ranch at Franz Valley School which is at the head of Mark West Creek. At a later date, William Barrett Cockrill moved back to Arkansas ...returned to Soledad area, and later went to Jamesburg.

Mike Jones, and his uncle, Jack Logan, have done extensive research on the family of William's first wife, Lavina Logan. In the course of their study they have also found extensive documentation of William's life before he and his family moved to California, which they kindly shared with me here.

From Mike Jones (email, 6 July 2004):

William B. Cockrill's father, Anderson, shows up in the Allen County, KY, tax lists for the first time in 1817. Although there are earlier William Cockrill and William Cockrill Jr. tax entries, these are not William "B." Cockrill entries. The first record we have for Will B. Cockrill is the 1829 Allen County tax list. [Source: "Earliest Tax Lists of Allen County, Kentucky, 1815-1824," Martha W. Jackson; "Allen County, Kentucky Tax Records 1825-1838," Jeanetta Steenbergen]

As noted in your material and as we've found in the Allen County, Kentucky, Marriages, Levina Lgoan married Wm. B. Cockrill 2 May 1826, the marriage performed by John Howard.

Will B. Cockrill was listed in the 1829 Allen County, KY, tax record as follows:
1 white male over 21, 2 horses. The total value of his property was $100.

In the Allen County, KY, census of 1830 the Wm. B. Cockrill family was enumerated 5 households away from, in order, Robert S. Logan, Young Logan, and Joab Logan. A few households farther on were Dillingham Dodson and Zachariah Logan. (Robert S. Logan was Zachariah Logan's brother; Dillingham Dodson was Zachariah Logan's brother-in-law.) The Wm. B. Cockrill enumeration was as follows:
1 male 20-30
2 females under 5
1 female 20-30

In the 1831 Allen County, KY, tax record (Steenbergen), Will B. Cockrill was listed as being 1 white male over 21 with 3 horses. Total value: $100.

William B. "Cockrel" and Lavina Cockrill were both "dismissed by letter" from Trammel Fork Church sometime during the time frame 1830-1849 (which is how the author broke down the ranges of dates in his material). We believe they would have been dismissed around 1837 or 1838 to make their impending trek to southern Illinois. Several members of the Logan and affiliated families, including Zachariah and Peggy, moved to southern Illinois then. Subsequently, we find William B. Cockrill in the 1840 census in Perry County, Illinois. [Source: "Minutes of the Trammel Fork Baptist Church 1819-1994, Allen County, Kentucky," David C. Smith, Allen County, KY, Web site]

As noted above, we believe William B. and Levina moved to southern Illinois around 1837 or 1838, but have no documentation other than the 1840 census and a smattering of Logan references prior to 1840.

In the 1840 Perry County, Illinois, census, there were three interconnected families living in close proximity to one another. The heads of household were Bias Logan, believed to have been Carroll Bias Logan; Luther Garrison, spouse of Mahala "Milly" Logan who was the daughter of Zachariah and Peggy Brown Logan; and Wm. B. Cochrel: that is, a brother and two sisters living close to each other. Zachariah and another son, William Logan, were heads of household enumerated n the adjoining county: St. Clair. One other note about southern Illinois and the Allen County, KY, "connection." Benjamin Ragland also was living in Perry County, Illinois. His wife was a daughter of the aforementioned Dillingham Dodson. Wm. B. "Cochrel's" enumeration was as follows:
2 males 0-5
1 male 5-10
1 male 30-40

1 female 5-10
1 female 30-40

We hadn't had a death date for Levina either, so that is greatly appreciated as well. If she died in Illinois in 1852 (am I correct, though, that this might have been Missouri?), then the year 1852 has another significance. There was a cholera epidemic which swept the area where all the Logans and kin were living in southern Illinois (the "corner" where Perry, St. Clair, Randolph, and Washington counties all come together, or nearly so). This was known as Grand Cote Prairie. We have found many deaths for folks in Grand Cote Prairie in 1852. In fact, one of the deaths then was Vina Logan Cockrill's brother, Carrol(l) Bias Logan (my ancestor). He died 31 December 1852 in Perry County (source: Probate records).

A note about Bates County, Missouri. There is an interesting connection there, too. Several of the Logan family members went to Bates County, MO, a bit later. I'd be happy to detail this for you, if you're interested, but in any event, from our perspective, it's interesting to note that William and his family were there in 1850 as were Anderson, Harrison, and Larkin "Cockerill."

A note about twins. In one of the sources, I see Thomas and Jefferson were twins. In terms of family tendencies, twins are a major factor among the LOGANs. My uncle and I have identified at least a dozen examples of twins so far amongst the LOGANs. They may have "contributed" the genetic tendency in this case (?).

As I said in my first e-mail to you, because of naming patterns, it seems to fit that Zachariah Anderson Cockrill was named for his grandfathers, Zachariah Logan and Anderson Cockrill. That's a fun connection for us to follow through on on this end since Zachariah was my (and my uncle's, of course) ancestor. It should be noted that Mahala "Milly" Logan Garrison and Luther Garrison had a son named Zachariah Milton Logan. Zachariah Milton Logan was named for both of his grandfathers as well.

One curious note. A "Wm Cockrill" was present at the "Publick Auction" of the estate of "Solloman" [Solomon] Maxwell, 25 February 1852 (another 1852 death, by the way). Solomon Maxwell was a neighbor of the LOGANs and is buried in an old cemetery (Spring Hill) which we are rehabilitating. William Cockrill bought 2 chairs for 60 cents and 1 "Small Plow" for $3.35. We had thought this was William B. Cockrill because of the Perry County-neighborhood connections; however, since Wm. B. Cockrill was in Bates County, MO, it seems unlikely he would have traveled from MO to IL, then back to Bates County before leaving on the wagon train to California. I have found another William Cockrill who ended up in Franklin County, IL, which abuts Perry County. Perhaps this was that William Cockrill. I mention it "fyi."

And a final comment about Rebecca Venable and the Venable line: Carroll Bias Logan married Lucinda Venable in Allen County, KY. This is a different Lucinda than the one you cite in your chart; however, the connection is intriguing. We are still trying to home in on the VENABLEs so this is a most helpful potential piece of information...

P.S. In the book, "Land Grants of Warren/Allen County, Kentucky" by Adrian Jeffers, there is an abstract of a deed for Alexander Ritchie cited in 1821. James Venable's land is referenced and Anderson "Cockerell" is as well. I think Anderson Cockerell was a chain carrier (it's a little unclear) and A. "Cockerill" served as marker. These are significant because the folks cited were almost always neighbors.

As mentioned above in Mike Jone's email, William B. first appears as Cockrill, Will B in the 1829 Tax Records for Allen County, KY [my source is a microfilm copy of the actual records] in a household with 1 male over 21 years of age, 2 horses and property worth $100. The tax records for 1830 are missing, however he shows up in the 1831 tax record as Cockrill, Will B with one male over 21, 3 children, and 4 horses on land worth $400. The 1832 and 1834 records are missing, and I could not find him in the 1833 records. In the 1835 Allen County Tax records, He is listed as Cockrill, William B. in a household with 1 male over 21, and 1 horse on property worth $25. I could not find him in the 1836 records [many of these listings are very difficult to read] and again in 1837 as Cockrill, William B with 1 male over 21 and 3 horses. The amount of land which he owned as well as the watercourse which the land was near is not listed for any of his entries. He perhaps lived on Bays Fork near his father's property. Considering the sparcity of his entries with little indication of a family however, he might have been living in another county, and only owned a small parcel in Allen County.

Neither William B. Cockrill, or his family, are mentioned in Mary Peck's letter describing the arrival of several members of the Cockrill family to Missouri from Kentucky in 1838. According to Mike Jones's information, William B.'s family moved to Illinois around the same time as the other Cockrills went to Missouri, and they appear in the1840 Census for Perry Co., IL.

From Mike Jones (email, 8 July 2004):

It's interesting to me that your COCKRILL's moved to Missouri around 1837-1838. That's when the LOGANs moved to southern Illinois, including William B. and Levina Logan Cockrill. We have speculated on our end that maybe the "Panic of 1837"... had some influence on all these folks leaving Allen County for points west. We haven't been able to find out enough about the SPECIFIC conditions "on the ground" in Kentucky then, but I thought I would mention it to you.

The LOGANs who subsequently moved on to Benton and Bates counties, Missouri, went there from Illinois.

There was also an economic panic in 1852. William B.'s cousin, Anderson Hammett, a merchant in Scottsville and an Allen County coroner, had business failures both in 1837 and 1852.

William B. is listed in the 1850 Census for Bates Co., MO, living in District No. 6, dwelling #262 as William Cockerill, a 45 year old farmer born in Kentucky with $107 of Real Estate. Also enumerated in the same household are Eliza (a. 36, bp. Ohio), Lucinda (a. 15, bp. OH), James (a. 16, bp. KY, "Laborer"), Willis (a. 14, bp. KY), Thomas (a. 11, bp. OH [!]), Jefferson (a. 11, bp. OH), Mary (a. 9, bp. MO), Zachariah (a. 6, bp. MO), and George (a. 3., bp. MO).

In the 1860 Census for Sonoma Co., CA, William is listed living in Santa Rosa Township (Santa Rosa Post Office), dwelling #175, as Wm. B. Cockrill, a 56 year old famer born in Kentucky, with a personal estate of $1200. Also enumerated in the same household are Susan E. (a. 52, bp. Maryland), Zachariah (a. 16, bp. MO), and George (a. 12, bp MO).

In the 1880 Census for Sonoma Co., CA, he is listed living in the Town of Santa Rosa, dwelling #37, as Wm. B. Cockrill, a 76 year old farmer born in Kentucky (father's bp. NC, mother's bp. SC). Two sons are also enumerated with him, Francis W. (a. 42, bp. KY, father's bp. KY, mother's bp. TN) and Thomas J. (a. 40, bp. IL [!], father's bp. KY, mother's bp. TN) -- both are farmers. With Thomas, there is a wife, Sinai (a. 33, bp. AR, father's bp. MI, mother's bp. AR), and a step-son, Edwin Mercer ( a. 11, bp. AR, father's bp. MI, mother's bp. AR).

In a genealogy which Carolyn Thorsen constructed for the Cockrill family, she lists William with two wives: (1) Levina LOGAN and (2) Eliza.

From the Sonoma County Deed Index:

In the Federal Land Patent Deed Index for Sonoma County, William B. Cockrill is listed twice as recording Patent # 1457 for land in Township 8 North Range, Number 7 West, Section 8 and 17 on 10 Feb 1881.

A Cockrel, William B. shows up listed in the 1830-1849 membership list for the Trammel Fork Baptist Church on the Allen County Kentucky searchable on-line database (extracted from "Minutes of the Trammel Fork Baptist Church 1819-1994, Allen County, Kentucky" by David C. Smith, Pembroke KY). James' brothers, Harrison, Larkin D., and James A. also appear to be members of this Primitiv Baptist Church. There is also a listing for William's first wife Cockrill, Lavina. All were "dismissed by letter," probably when they left the area for Missouri.

William Barrett Cockrill was also a member and messenger of the Santa Rosa Church of Old School Baptists. This was one of the churches founded in about 1859 by Elder Thomas H. Owen in California. William Barrett's father, Anderson, was also a member of this same church in Santa Rosa.

The following obituaries are from Mike Jones (email, 13 Jul 2004):

From the Daily Republican, 28 February 1887, page 3, column 1:

William Barret Cockrill

At the residence of S.T. Coulter Esq., supervisor of Santa Rosa District, died William Barret Cockrill, the father of Mrs. Coulter. He was a native of Barren County, Kentucky, aged 82 years, 10 months, 4 days. His funeral was attended by a large number of old friend[s] and long time residents Monday afternoon.

From the Sonoma Democrat, 5 March 1887, page 1, column 7:

Death of an Octogenarian

William Barrett Cockrill, born in Barren county, Kentucky, April 22, 1804, died at the residence of S.T. Coulter, in this city, February 26th. The funeral will be held at 11 A.M. Monday, the 28th instant. Friends of deceased are invited to attend.

From the Santa Rosa Republican, 3 March 1887, page 5, column 3:

William Barret Cockrill

At the residence of S.T. Coulter Esq., supervisor of Santa Rosa District, died William Barret Cockrill, the father of Mrs. Coulter. He was a native of Barren County, Kentucky, aged 82 years, 10 months, 4 days. His funeral was attended by a large number of old friend[s] and long time residents Monday afternoon.