Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Joseph Cocking

On July 6, 1896, Joseph Cocking--who moved with his father and other family members to the US from England in 1871--was lynched in Port Tobacco in a highly publicized case in which he was accused of murdering his wife and sister-in-law. Scott has blogged, twice I think, on the subject. Today we had a request: do we know where the Cocking store was located.

The answer is not precisely, so far, but Pete and I have been researching the matter. We know that Joseph Cocking owned a small parcel in the hamlet of Hill Top, which is west of Port Tobacco, about half way to Nanjemoy. We are pretty sure that we have narrowed down the tract of land and we should have it nailed tomorrow.

Of course, knowing where the Cocking Store was doesn't tell us a great deal. We doubt it is still standing. Are there archaeological remains? Would we recognize them as pertaining to the store if we did find them? I don't know, but it would be fun and interesting to find out.

Jim

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