Starks cockrill jr and christopher cockrill

The Cockrills were brothers, and owned multiple plots of land from 1838-1893 where the current day Tyson Research Center stands. Their last name was also spelled “Cockrell” and “Cocksill,” according to various records.  

Starks lived from 1823-1875, and Christopher lived from 1818-1873. Their father was Starks Cockrill Sr. and their mother was Barbara Cotton. Other siblings in the family included John W. Cockrill, Mary Ann Cockrill, Susannah Cockrill, Almeda Cockrill, Alton Arthur Pod Cockrill, Clinton D. Cockrill, James Cockrill, Milton Chig Cockrill, Bluford Cockrill, and Edward Harrison Cockrill. Starks married Rebecca Williams and they had at least five children: Mary Jane Cockrill, Margaret Cockrill, Francis Cockrill, Charles W. Cockrill, and Rufus C. Cockrill. Christopher's marital status remains unknown. An unknown relation of theirs, Sarah Cockrill, is notably buried in the Burns-Stuart Family Cemetery which borders Tyson.  

The Cockrills were enslavers. Enslaved people under Starks Cockrell in the 1830 Census for Bonhomme Township included: two girls and a boy aged between 10-23. Enslaved people under Starks Cockrill in the 1850 Census for Bonhomme Township included: three men aged between 22-35, four boys aged between 4-10, a 30 year old woman and a 2 year old girl. Enslaved people under Chris Cocksill in the 1860 Census for Bonhomme Township included: a 30 year old man, a 25 year old woman, and three boys aged 1, 6 and 11.