Elias Browne Cockey

Elias Browne Cockey was born on April 10, 1800, to Thomas Cockey, and Ruth Ann Brown. He had at least eleven siblings: Georgius Rex Cockey, William Henry Cockey, Cornwallis Rodney Cockey, Thomas John Cockey, Andrew Rodney Cockey, Charles Brown Cornwallis Cockey, Ruth Brown Cockey, Mordecai Gist Cockey, Dolly Brown (Cockey) Stocksdale, John Robert Cockey and Susanna Brown Cockey.  

In 1837, Cockey signed an agreement with James H. Dougherty that Cockey would deliver 1000 saw logs to Dougherty. On January 1, 1838, Dougherty fatally shot Cockey, in a quarrel completely unrelated to the logs. Following his death, a court case ensued called Jarrel, Dougherty, and Dougherty v. Farris, administrator of Cockey. 

Cockey had only delivered 300 of the logs at this point, and the administrator of his estate argued that the wound rendered him “totally unable” to deliver the remaining 700. On January 28, Cockey died from the wound. In 1839, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that Cockey’s estate was no longer responsible for delivering the remaining logs to the Doughertys. This verdict was reached because Dougherty’s shooting of Cockey was found to be unreasonable, defined as not self-defense or in a duel.  

It is important to recognize that Elias Browne Cockey was an enslaver. After his death, a man he enslaved, James, was sold at an auction.