It is most likely that Charles and Jester Cocke are the sons of either Charles and Jester Cocke who appear on 1748-1752 Lists for Lunenburg County. In 1750, Charles and Jester were listed in the same household. Also listed were many of the same families that are later associated with our Charles and Jester, such as the Newells, Coles and Mullins. The area covered by the lists is supposed to have encompassed present day Campbell and Bedford Counties. There are a few other Cockes who appear in this area, including John Cocke and Abraham Cocke.  The relationship to our Charles and Jester Cocke is suggested by the fact that the descendants of a Grimes family, which associated with this Jester Cocke, later joined our Charles and Jester Cocke in Montgomery/Washington County.

Map of Virginia showing present-day Franklin County, where Charles and Jester Cocke may have lived from 1748-1780.

Starting in 1754, Charles and Jester Cocke are listed in Bedford County, which was split off from Lunenburg County. In 1755, Jester Cox said to have settled on "Maggoty" (now Maggodee) Creek, which starts northeast of Rocky Mount in Franklin County.  In 1758, Charles Cox of Bedford County is paid for services rendered in the French and Indian War (along with his old neighbors, the Renfros).  Charles Cox & Co. appears on the 1768 tax list for Bedford township in Bedford County.

In 1768, a Jester Cox is also shown as having settled on Crooked Creek at a place called the Wolf Glades, which is apparently east of the New River near the present border of Grayson and Carroll Counties. This property was later transferred to Charles Cox (the younger?), and then to James Cox, son of John Cocke and Elizabeth Goad.  [See the discussion of the Cockes of Grayson County below.]

It appears that Charles and Jester Cocke were still living in Bedford (now Franklin) County in 1778-1780.  In 1778, a deed in Bedford County referred to the land of Jester Cox near Gills Creek.  In 1780, a deed in Bedford County referred to the land of Charles Cox near Gills Creek.  Gills Creek is northeast of Maggodee Creek and both run northwest out of the Blackwater River.

In 1785, Franklin County was formed from Bedford County.  However, no Cockes are listed in the 1788 Tax List for Franklin County.

The Charles Cocke from Lunenburg/Bedford County may be the Charles Cocke who is listed as having been at the Battle of King's Mountain. I have been told that the Charles Cocke at King's Mountain did not fight, but was placed in charge of the prisoners, which is typically the kind of duty that older soldiers were asked to perform.

Looking backwards in time, Lunenburg County was created from Brunswick County in 1748.  Brunswick County was carved out of Prince George County, Maryland in 1731.  (Maryland once claimed this part of Virginia.)  However, to date, we have found no evidence of Charles or Jester Cocke in those counties.

Charles Cocke appears to have associated with the Wallen and Blevins families. A Charles Cocke is mentioned in connection with the longhunts organized by Elisha Wallen. Both Charles Cocke and members of the these families were part of Captain William Herbert's Company and fought at the Battle of Point Pleasant. In his 1811 Deposition, Charles Cocke says that "Sometime in the year 1775 he was on Blackwater it being a North Branch of Clinch River". This is near Kyles Ford, where some of the Wallens had settled. Later, Charles Cocke, Thomas Wallen and others were appointed by the Virginia Legislature to find a better road to Kentucky.

In an interview, Major John Redd indicated that there was a Cox family that was closely associated with the Wallen and Blevins families. This raised the possibility that Charles Cocke might have been a member of this Cox family. Unfortunately, Major Redd did not specify which Cox family he had in mind. A couple of likely families were examined. However, the evidence does not indicate that Charles Cocke was related to either of these Cox families.

The first family considered is the family of John Cox and Mary Rankin. Although John Cox died in Pennsylvania, his family moved to what is now Grayson County, Virginia. In 1772, several members of this family were listed in Captain William Herbert's Company, along with Charles Cocke, and members of the Wallen and Blevins families. John Cox, Jr. and David Cox fought together with Charles Cocke in the Battle of Point Pleasant. However, there is no indication that Charles was a member of this family. John Cox died in 1749, before Charles was born, and they consistently pronounced their name as Cox.

The second family considered is that of Stephen Cox and Judith Woodson.  Their daughter Mary Cox married Thomas Wallen. Some accounts indicate that the Charles Cocke who was on the longhunt with Elisha Wallen was a brother of Mary Cox.  However, there is no indication that Charles Cocke was a member of this family.  Stephen Cox died in 1743, long before Charles was born, and they also consistently pronounced their name as Cox.

The third family considered is the family of  John Cocke and Hannah Goad.  Several of the family members lived along Crooked Creek (now in Grayson County) at the same time as Charles Cocke.  However, that is south of where Charles lived and it is said that the family name was pronounced Cox.

There is a chance that Charles and Jester Cocke on Lunenburg County are the children of Stephen Cocke (Cir. 1663 - Bef. 1718) and Martha Bannister of Henrico County. Their son Abraham appears to have been living in Lunenburg County at the same time as the elder Charles and Jester. The name Stephen may be significant because our Charles Cocke had a grandson named Stephen. One of the sons of Abraham Cocke was William Cocke, who lived in the same areas of Virginia as our Charles and Jester, and went on to become a famous politician in Tennessee. He ran for office in Madison County, Alabama, about the same time Charles Cocke moved there.  Finally, in 1840, "Chancellor" Stephen Cocke, son of William, was involved in a lawsuit relating to land owned by Jester Cocke, grandson of Col. Charles Cocke, in Monroe County, Mississippi.  However, no relationship is mentioned.

Unfortunately, it cannot be proved that Charles or Jester Cocke of Lunenburg County were sons of Stephen Cocke and Martha Bannister. Stephen and Martha did have a son Charles, but he is said to have died young.  And there is no indication of a son Jester.

There is a chance that our Charles and Jester Cocke are children of John Cocke (c1727-a1800) and Elizabeth Goad (1726-1799). There are a number of interesting connections between this family and our family.

• There is evidence that they lived in Bedford County ca 1760, at the same time as the older Charles and Jester Cocke, formerly of Lunenburg County.

• Several members of this family lived, including James Cocke, lived south of our Charles Cocke along Crooked Creek.  This may be the place on Crooked Creek, called the Glades, which was first settled in 1768 by Jester Cocke and later transferred to Charles Cox (the younger?), and then to a James Cox.

• Several members of the Richardson family, who lived near the older Charles and Jester Cocke in Lunenburg and Bedford County, also lived on Wolf Glade, Crooked Creek, the same as James Cocke.

• The Charles and Jester Cocke of Lunenburg County lived near the father of Elizabeth Goad ca 1750.  The Goad connection is also interesting because of their relationship to the Sevier family. In the 1830s, Charles Cocke called upon Ambrose Sevier to defend his son and to assist him in obtaining his Revolutionary War Pension.

• Also present in Lunenburg County was the Cole family, which is interesting because both our Jester Cocke and Andrew Cock (son of John and Elizabeth) married Coles.

Unfortunately, there is no indication that Charles or Jester Cocke of Lunenburg County were sons of John Cocke and Elizabeth Goad. Further, the ancestry of John Cocke is not known, so it is not possible to tie into related families.

Another family to which there appears to be no immediate relationship is the family of David Clinton Cocke, which appears in Lee County, Virginia during the same time as Charles Cocke. David Clinton Cocke is said to be the son of Henry Cocke from Yadkin, North Carolina. The parents of Henry Cocke are unknown, but the name Henry suggests a Germanic ancestry. This family may turn out to be distantly related to our Cockes.

There is another family of Coxes who appeared in Montgomery County around the time of the Revolution. This family is interesting because their family includes several named Jester Cox (which was apparently the first name of a maternal grandfather). However, it appears that they arrived long after Charles Cocke, were probably Tories, and insisted on using the Cox spelling.

There are other Cockes who might be relatives. One possibility is an Alexander Cox, who was one of the administrators of the estate of Isaac Chrisman, father of Charles Cocke's likely son-in-law Gabriel Chrisman.

Lunenburg County, Virginia

Lunenburg County, Virginia

Lunenburg County, Virginia

Lunenburg County, Virginia

1768

Charles Cox & Co

The Pioneer Settlers of Bedford County [http://www.motherbedford.com/Discovery7.htm]