Richard Cocke – 1597-1666
His name is Richard Cocke. He served in the Virginia House of Burgesses. His first wife was an early settler of Jamestown, Virginia. I believe he was my first – my first ancestor to come to Colonial America. He was my 10th great grandfather – my 10th! That’s my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather!
- He came in 1627. Boston, Massachusetts wasn’t even settled until 1630.
- Only three of the original 13 colonies were formed at this time – Virginia [1603], Massachusetts [1620], and New Hampshire [1623}.
- When Richard Cocke came to Colonial America, it would be three years before the Puritans settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony!
- Life expectancy for a man at this time was 48 years in Virginia.
- Women, on average, lived to be 39 years old.
- The book Gulliver’s Travels had just been written by Jonathan Swift.
At the time of his death, he had:
- Been married twice
- Had seven children
- Owned 7,000 acres
- Owned three plantations [Curles, Bremo and Malvern Hills]
- Been elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses several times
- His descendants served on the rebel side of the Revolutionary War
- A Civil War battle would happen on his plantation [Malvern Hills] nearly 200 years after he was dead.
- His last child was born soon after he died
He was the first of many. Many of my ancestors settled in the American colonies in the 1700s. They became some of the first citizens of the United States of America and I couldn’t be prouder.
Putting Clothes on the Tombstone 