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Biography/History:
Cocke Family
John Willis Cocke was born in Brunswick City, Kentucky, on May 9, 1776. He was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Willis Cocke. John Willis Cocke married Tabitha Anne Wilkins, daughter of Douglass and Tabitha Wyche Wilkins, on September 1, 1807. The couple settled near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and had ten children, including Eliza Wilkins (b. December 6, 1812) and Jane Mildred (b. September 15, 1819). Jane Mildred Cocke married David Gaines Moore of Virginia. The couple eventually settled in Yazoo City, Yazoo County, Mississippi, and had at least eight children, including Jennie Wilkins (b. ca. 1848) and Cora Lee (b. January 13, 1851). David Gaines Moore died in Yazoo City between January 1843 and April 1844. Jane Mildred Cocke Moore died on December 21, 1905, and was interred in Brandon Cemetery, Rankin County, Mississippi.
McDonnell Family
Robert Emmett McDonnell was born in Brandon, Rankin County, Mississippi, about 1848. Probably the son of Alex and Rebecca McDonnell, Robert Emmett McDonnell resided in Brandon where he was employed as foreman of the Brandon Republican newspaper office and later as a dry-goods merchant. McDonnell married Jennie Wilkins Moore of Brandon on April 6, 1876. The couple had three children: Robert Alexander (b. June 28, 1878), Emmett E. (b. ca. 1879), and Jennie Roberta / "Siddie" (b. ca. 1887). Robert Emmett McDonnell died between 1888 and 1900.
Robert Alexander McDonnell was engaged in farming and living with his grandmother, Jane Mildred Cocke Moore, and his aunt, Cora Lee Moore, in Brandon by 1900. McDonnell married Anna Belle Maynor around 1910. The couple settled in Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi, where McDonnell was employed as a clerk in the freight office of the Illinois Central Railroad. The couple had three daughters: Genevieve Roberta (b. July 5, 1912), Elizabeth (b. ca. 1916), and Mildred (b. ca. 1918). The McDonnells had divorced by 1920. McDonnell and his daughters resided with his aunt, Cora Lee Moore, and his sister, Jennie Roberta McDonnell. Robert Alexander McDonnell worked as a plumbing salesman and pipefitter in the Jackson area until his death on August 12, 1938. McDonnell was interred at Brandon Cemetery.
Scope and Content:
This collection consists of a letter, a family history, speeches, and scrapbooks of the Cocke-McDonnell family of Kentucky and Mississippi, and miscellaneous papers. The 1815 letter is from Thomas Cocke to his son, John Willis Cocke, offering news of family and friends. The 1912 family history is an annotated typescript entitled "Our Pedigree--The Cocke Family," which was compiled by Cora Lee Moore, Jane Mildred Cocke Moore, and Eliza Wilkins Cocke Purnell. The typescript offers information on various branches of the Cocke family of Kentucky, Mississippi, and Virginia. The handwritten speeches are those Robert Emmett McDonnell delivered before an unnamed group, possibly a debate society. Titles of the speeches include "Was France Justifiable in Declaring War Against Prussia?" and "Is the Conduct of England Toward Ireland Justifiable?" Also included is a handwritten copy of "Burn’s Epistle to a Young Friend," which was probably copied by McDonnell.
The 1837-1873 scrapbook contains poems composed by Eliza Wilkins Cocke Purnell. Other scrapbooks contain newsclippings, calling cards, and color illustrations. The 1874 scrapbook was created by Jennie Wilkins Moore from a contemporary cashbook. The 1889-1893 scrapbook was probably compiled by Cora Lee Moore. The two remaining scrapbooks were assembled by unknown family members. The miscellaneous papers consist of an unsigned handwritten composition entitled "The Sabbath" and a photographic postcard of Buffalo Plunge, Buffalo, Wyoming.
Series Identification:
Box 1, folders 1-2
Box 1, folders 3-7
Oversized manuscript box (n.d.)
Box 1, folders 10-13
Box 2, folders1-2
Box 3, folders 1-3
Box 1, folders 8-9
Box List: