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Probate & Secession: James Ellison Cockerham
Amite County, Mississippi
file no. 234, 1864
James Ellison Cockerham, Estate dec'd, file no. 234, 1864.
14 Jan 1864
Probate record, Amite County, Mississippi, file no. 234, inventory filed 14 Jan 1864, Ellison Cockerham and Robert T. Rice, adms.
Estate of James Ellison Cockerham, d'cd,
Amite County, MS, file no. 234, Inventory, Schedule A, 14 Jan 1864
A true and perfect Inventory and appraisement of the goods, chattels and personal estate of James Cockerham Deceased
Articles Value
- 1 Negro man Asa age 40 years, $1000
- 1 " " Big Adam " 24 ", 1200
- 1 " Man Little Adam " 22 ", 700
- 1 " " Tom " 49 ", 700
- 1 " Boy John " 14 ", 700
- 1 " Girl Caroline " 30 ", 700 (may say 3 years, rather than 30??)
- 1 " Woman Adaline aged 20 years & child Isabella 2 years, 1000
- 1 " Girl Little Caroline aged 11 years, 600
- 1 " " Isabella " 9 ", 500
- 1 " " Sarah " 7 ", 400
- 1 " Boy Edmund " 5 ", 300
- 1 " " Craton " 3 ", 200
- 1 " Woman Rachel " 30 " and child 1 1/2 years old, 900
- -------- list continues with livestock and tools ---------------
: 16 March 1864
The State of Mississippi, Amite County
The State of Mississippi
To DA Faust, Richard Bates, Marshall Bates, WP Anderson and Samuel B Webb
Know ye that at a term of the Probate Court in the State aforesaid, begun and held at the Court House of said County on the second Monday in March AD 1814 you were appointed commission to divide the slaves of James Cockerham dec'd and as such you hereby ordered and directed to divide the slaves among his legally heirs, viz. Ellison Cockerham, Jane Lard, Missouri Allen, Louisiana Cockerham, and Christopher Cockerham agreeably to the law of descent in said state and to allot and set apart each heirs share of said slaves and make and return under oath a full report of your proceedings under this commission certified under your hands and seats at the next term of this Court. Witness the Hon. RM Wilson, Judge of said Court at the Courthouse of said County on the second Monday in March 1814.
AJ Whittington, Clerk
Issued March 16 1864
: 14 Jan 1864
Estate of James Cockerham, d'cd, file no.234
... and this petition shows that your petitioner Ellison Cockerham, Jane Cockerham, Missouri Allen wife of Robert Allen who are of lawful age, and Louisiana Cockerham and Christopher Cockerham infants under the legal guardianship of your petitioner Robert T Rice are the only heirs at law of said intestate and interested in said slaves ... the said Missouri Allen and her husband reside in the state of Louisiana, the others reside in said Amite County ...
: 16 Mar 1864
Estate of James Cockerham, d'cd, file no.234, p.608
- Share no. 1 was allotted & assigned to Masouri Allen
- Share no. 2 was allotted & assigned to Jane Lard
- Share no. 3 was allotted & assigned to Louisiana Cockerham
- Share no. 4 was allotted & assigned to Ellison Cockerham
- Share no. 5 was allotted & assigned to Christopher Cockerham
The above are extractions from a sampling of the documents from the probate file.
Additional data.
* Note - heirs, residences
- Missouri A Cockerham marr. Robert Moody Allen (St. Helena Par., Louisiana Marriages, 1913-1875), resided in Pike Co., Mississippi
- Milbury Jane Cockerham marr. Thomas M Lard (Book 5-304), resided Pike Co., Mississippi
- Louisiana Narcissa Cockerham marr. William Jackson Miller, resided Denham Springs, Livingston Par., Louisiana
- James Ellison Cockerham, Jr. marr. Frances Angeline Page (Book 4-443, resided Amite Co., Mississippi
- Christopher Rankin Cockerham marr. Mary Jane Nunnery (Book 6-383), resided Amite Co., Mississippi
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James Ellison Cockerham was born in Barnwell Co., SC ca 1798 and died in Liberty, Amite Co., Mississippi. He was the son of Thomas Cockerham, son of John Cockerham Sr. Thomas, his wife and son, James Ellison, left Barnwell, SC around 1805 with the Allens from Allendale, SC.
They crossed the Savannah River at Augusta, the Oconee River at Milledgeville, marked by a Trader's Post, and the Chattahoochie river at Fort Mitchell.
After crossing the Savannah, the party was in Creek Indian country. Following the course of the Conecuh River, the party came to the Escambia River where they remained for a while with the Durands, until Thomas' wife, who was ill, could be moved. Crossing the Alabama River at Fort Mimms, the party made its way westward to the Tombigbee River.
Not long after crossing the Tombigbee above Fort Stoddart, some miles below Carson's Ford, Thomas' wife died, just three hundred miles short of their destination. After crossing the Pearl River and reaching Liberty, Amite Co., Mississippi, Thomas left James Ellison with his grandfather, John Cockerham Sr. and followed the west bank of the Amite river south toward Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Cockerhams, vol. 1 by Lorris Cockerham et al)
In Louisiana, Thomas found a bride, Mary Valentine, whom he brought back to Liberty, Amite Co., Ms. He did not stay long when he left once again to settle in East Baton Rouge Parish, leaving James Ellison and his wife Mary.
________
James Ellison Cockerham married twice. His children were:
- - James Ellison, Jr.
- - Iverson - not named as heir, but appears in household on 1850 & 1860 census
- - Milbury Jane
- - Missouri
- - Louisiana Narcissa
- - Christopher Rankin
Some of these heirs were the children of wife (1) Malinda Rice (died 1841), the daughter of Jesse and Frances Rice. Her children were Ellison, Iverson, Jane. Others were the children of wife (2) Narcissa Little (died bef. No 1859). Her children were Missouri, Louisiana, Christopher.
________
James Ellison Cockerham married Malinda Rice on January 23, 1830 in Amite Co., MS.
Sources:
Jesse Rice's will, dated 30 May 1831 and probated 9 Jan 1832, names his wife, Frances, three sons, James, John and Robert, and three daughters, Minerva, Jame Rambert and Malinda Cockerham.
Cockerham-Rice marriage, 1830, (Liberty, Amite Co., MS, Marriage Book 2-321, James E Cockerham to Malinda Rice, 23 Jan 1830, bond by James (x) Cockerham and James Eubanks, 23 Jan 1830).
________
James Ellison Cockerham married Narcissa Little on February 17, 1842 in Amite Co., MS.
Source: Cockerham-Little marriage, 1842, (Liberty, Amite Co., MS, Marriage Book 3-169, James E Cockerham to Narcissa Little, bond by James (x) Cockerham and W.F. McDowell, bond & marriage on 17th Feb 1842).
________
: 1850 - Amite Co., MS Census
reel no. M432-368, pp. 59B-60A, hh 109-109, enum. 7 Oct 1850
41 109 109 Cockerham, James, 32M, Farmer, $1000, S.C.
42 109 109 Cockerham, Narcissa, 30F, Amite Co Miss
1 109 109 Cockerham, Elisore, 16M, Farming, Amite Co Miss
2 109 109 Cockerham, Jaison, 13M, Amite Co Miss
3 109 109 Cockerham, Milberry J, 11F, Amite Co Miss
4 109 109 Cockerham, Missouri K S, 7F, Amite Co Miss
5 109 109 Cockerham, L N, 4F, Amite Co Miss
6 109 109 NS Anonymous. 6/12M, Amite Co Miss
________
: 1860 - Amite Co., Mississippi Census
22 6 6 Cockerham, James, 62M, wht, planter, $2500, $20000, SC, X
23 6 6 Cockerham, Iverson, 22M, wht, overseer, $200, MS
24 6 6 Cockerham, Jane, 19F, wht, MS
25 6 6 Cockerham, Louisiana, 13F, wht, MS, X
26 6 6 Cockerham, Young, 11M, wht, MS
James Ellison Cockerham, Jr. served as a Corporal in the CSA Amite County Guards, Company B, 33rd Mississippi Infantry Regiment (film no. M232 roll 8). The 33rd (Hardcastle's) was organized in April 1862. The first few months for the 33rd were spent in training at Grenada. In the late summer, they were sent briefly to Port Hudson, LA. On their return, they were active in the Battle of Corinth. From thence, the unit participated in many battles, including the Vicksburg Campaign and the Jackson Siege.
Throughout the Atlanta Campaign, from Resaca, to New Hope Church, to Kennesaw Mountain, to Peachtree Creek, to Atlanta, the 33rd suffered severe losses. In Tennessee, they fought at Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Freezing in the icy sleet on the outskirts of Nashville, they marched bare-footed back to Mississippi, leaving bloody footprints in the snow.
The remnant of the 33rd was once again sent from Mississippi, this time to North Carolina where they fought in the battle of Bentonville. Their company surrendered on the 26th near Durham Station, and the men of the 33rd were paroled at Greensboro. I do not have Ellison's service record so cannot say in which battles he personally fought, or if at any time he was absent from his unit, nor can I say where he was paroled. Also serving in the 33rd were Napolean B. Cockerham (Co. K), Isaac Ham Tarver (Co. D), James Tarver (Co. D), Lott Tarver (Co. B), Thomas P. Tarver (Co. B), and William Tarver (Co. D).
Iverson Cockerham enlisted as a private with the CSA Amite County Rifles, Company C, 7th Mississippi Infantry Regiment (film no. M232, roll 8). The Amite County Rifles was organized in April, 1861 and mustered into service on April 29, 1861 going into camp at Camp Brown about a half mile north of Liberty on the west side of Speculation Creek. Iverson's regiment was one of 3 designated for coastal defense, and in December of 1861, it was stationed at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. On February 26, 1862, the regiment deployed to Tennessee by rail. During this movement, the regiment was involved in a deadly train accident at Ponchataoula, LA. By March 3, 1862, it was at Jackson, Tennessee, and from there it moved to Corinth. The 7th participated in numerous conflicts from Murfreesboro to Atlanta, marched with Hood to Tennessee, fought in the Battle of Shiloh, at Chickamauga and in Smithfield, NC. The unit surrendered on April 26, 1865 with some 74 officers and men remaining of the 911 who had enlisted in Mississippi.
It appears, however, that Iverson did not see any of this action, as he died from disease in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Having died before his father, he was not named among the heirs of James Ellison Cockerham's estate.
No other COCKERHAM's served with this unit, but the following TARVER soldiers appear on the 7th's rosters: Elisha L Tarver (Co. C), James Tarver (Co. E), Michael Tarver (Co. C), Reason E Tarver (Co. E), and Thomas B Tarver (Co. B).
- E L Tarver wounded at Shiloh
- T J Tarver wounded at Shiloh, died 1918
- Mike Tarver died 4 ... 1862
SOURCES:
- Original Muster Rolls. Mississippi Department of Archives and History, Jackson, Mississippi.
- Casey, Albert S. History of Amite County Mississippi, vol.3, Birmingham, AL 1957, pp.242-260.
- United States National Archives. Civil War Compiled Military Service Records, rolls #351 - #355.[database online] Provo, UT: Ancestry.com, 1999-.
- Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System, National Park Service Civil War Web site http://165.83.221.5/cwss/soldiers.htm.
- Sifakis, Stewart. Compendium of the Confedrate Armies, Mississippi. NY: Facts on File, 1995.
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