There are many people who have lived long and fascinating lives, but who have faded into obscurity. This can happen for many reasons, the most common of which are a lack of documentation or a lack of descendants.

Colonel Charles Cocke (pronounced "Coke") is one of those people. As far as is known, there is no record of his children, and only a handful of people have traced their ancestry back to him. Fortunately, unlike most people, Charles Cocke left much evidence of his passage. The most informative document we have is his Revolutionary War Pension Application. Not only is does the narrative make for interesting reading, but we are told that he traveled all the way from Clark County, Arkansas to Lee County, Virginia to make his application- at the age of 88!

From these glimpses, we find that he was an interesting man who lived in interesting times. Like many of his contemporaries, he seemed to relish the adventure and danger of living on the frontier. Although he was placed in command of a frontier fort, he personally conducted several scouting missions and was involved in several engagements. Although he may have enjoyed the challenge of a solitary existence, he was also respected as a leader of men and held several military and political positions. And, although he lived a long life, he seemed always to be an explorer and entrepreneur, looking for opportunity just over the horizon. Or in his case, moving from the relative safety of Kentucky to Arkansas when he was 80 years old. And, of course, we should not forget that a brave man is generally accompanied by a brave woman. While Charles was proving his mettle in the field, his wife Ellender was proving her courage by raising a family under difficult, and sometimes dangerous, conditions.

Since Charles Cocke is reputed to have been a "long hunter", we will treat our quest as a "long hunt"- in search of Colonel Charles Cocke, his wife, Ellender Ewing, and their family.

We owe much to those who have blazed a trail before us. For the most part, I am just following paths that others have laid out for me and trying to make sense of it all.

For introducing me to Charles Cocke, I am indebted to my mother, Nan Crowther. She may have also been the first to discover (or rediscover?) that Ellender Cocke was the daughter of Charles Cocke and Ellender Ewing. For the research on Ellender Ewing, I am indebted to all the great Ewing researchers mentioned on the Ewing pages. For the research on Jester Cocke, companion to Charles Cocke, I am indebted to Winfred Tipton. For the research on John Cocke, likely son of Charles and Ellender, I am indebted to Mary Anne C. Rick. I am extremely indebted to Martha Mullens Tutt for all the research that she has done on Mary Mullens, likely daughter of Charles and Ellender, and for all the work she has done on the Cocke and Mullens family. The amount of information she has gathered equals or exceeds my own. I am also indebted to The New River Valley web page, which has been a valuable source of Census and other information.

If you do not see your name here, please do not be offended. In my rush to put this page on the internet, I have not yet had time to acknowledge the efforts of everyone who has helped. If you check back a few months from now, and I have still missed you, let me know.

Any questions, comments and suggestions regarding this page can be sent to me, at:
Phil Crowther crowther@southwind.net