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Description
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Elias Browne Cockey (1800 –1838) held land on what is now Tyson Research Center property according to an 1838 plat map. Cockey was killed the same year by James H. Dougherty, with whom he had a contract to deliver 1,000 saw logs. After Cockey’s death, James, a man he enslaved, was sold at auction.
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Bio
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Elias Browne Cockey was born on April 10, 1800, to Thomas Cockey and Ruth Ann Brown. He had at least eleven siblings: Georgius Rex Cockey, William Henry Cockey, Cornwallis Rodney Cockey, Thomas John Cockey, Andrew Rodney Cockey, Charles Brown Cornwallis Cockey, Ruth Brown Cockey, Mordecai Gist Cockey, Dolly Brown (Cockey) Stocksdale, John Robert Cockey and Susanna Brown Cockey.
In 1837, Cockey purchased land in what would become present-day Tyson Research Center. In the same year, he agreed to deliver 1000 logs to James H. Dougherty over the course of the next two years. However, on January 1, 1838, Cockey and Dougherty were involved in an altercation unrelated to the deal. Dougherty fatally shot Cockey during this conflict. After Cockey succumbed to his wounds on January 28, Dougherty claimed that he was owed the 700 logs that Cockey had yet to deliver. The court ruled against this claim because Dougherty had forcibly prevented Cockey from holding up his side of the deal.
Elias Browne Cockey was an enslaver. After his death, James, a man he enslaved, was sold at auction.
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Birth Date
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1800
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Death Date
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1838
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Child of
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Thomas Cockey and Ruth Ann Brown
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Sibling of
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Georgius Rex Cockey, William Henry Cockey, Cornwallis Rodney Cockey, Thomas John Cockey, Andrew Rodney Cockey, Charles Brown Cornwallis Cockey, Ruth Brown Cockey, Mordecai Gist Cockey, Dolly Brown (Cockey) Stocksdale, John Robert Cockey and Susanna Brown Cockey
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Enslaver
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James
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Dates of Tyson Land Ownership
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1837
