Elizabeth Cocke

Elizabeth Ruffin

• born abt 1705
• parents: Robert Ruffin ll & Elizabeth Watkins
• married: 1) Matthew KINCHEN 2) Robert Cocke lV
• Will of Matthew Kinchen - 1736
• Died: ?
• * Parents: Robert and Elizabeth (Prime) Watkins

In a second marriage with Elizabeth Ruffin, relict of Mr. Kinchin, Richard Cocke raised

1. Nancy Cocke (5),
2. Richard Cocke (5)
3. Lucy Cocke (5),
4. Nathaniel Cocke (5) and
5. John Cocke (5).

Notes

From Mount Pleasant Plantation HOME >> HISTORY >> HISTORY OF THE LAND AND PEOPLE OF MOUNT PLEASANT >> RICHARD (IV) AND ELIZABETH HARTWELL COCKE

Richard Cocke I’s son and grandson, Richard Cocke II and Richard Cocke III, were highly successful Virginia planters and accumulated wealth through the cultivation of tobacco and by intermarrying with other gentry families. However, by the time Richard Cocke IV(a second son) and his brother, Benjamin, came along, they were obliged to find land outside of the family holdings in Henrico. Both moved to Surry County where they married into prominent local families. Richard Cocke IV and his brother Benjamin eventually became wealthy in their own right, for they acquired nearly seven thousand acres of land in what became Fluvanna County. It was through this means that Richard Cocke IV’s son, Hartwell Cocke, inherited Bremo plantation in Fluvanna County(Cocke and Cocke 1967:I:35; Mauss 2000:7-8). It is probable that shortly after their marriage, Richard and Elizabeth Hartwell Cocke built a home upon the land that she had inherited from her father, in all likelihood the western part of the Swann’s Point tract: what by 1801 had became known as Mount Pleasant.

Together, Elizabeth Hartwell and her husband, Richard Cocke IV produced three living children. The eldest was a son, Hartwell CockeI. His birth was followed by that of two daughters: Elizabeth Hartwell Cocke, who married a Mr. Thornton, and Rebecca Cocke, who married a cousin, Richard Taliaferro Jr.of Powhatan Plantation in James City County. Richard Cocke IV outlived his wife, Elizabeth Hartwell, and inherited life-rights to her property. Shortly after her demise he took as his second wife [Elizabeth Ruffin Kinchin], with whom he produced five living children (Nancy, Richard, Lucy, Nathaniel, and John) (Cocke and Cocke 1967:I:35).

From Elizabeth 4 Ruffin family

It was long thought that William Kinchen married Elizabeth RUFFIN. John Boddie states this in his Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County pg 230-32.

However, we now believe that Elizabeth RUFFIN married MATTHEW Kinchen the son of William and Elizabeth ? (perhaps Joyner).

1. Richard Cocke b.1749 stated in 1813 that he was the son of Richard Cocke and Elizabeth Ruffin, the widow of Mr. Kinchen. Source:LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA, GENEALOGICAL NOTES COLLECTION, COCKEFAMILY, ACC.26363 COPIED FROM THE BIBLE AT BREMO IN 1872.

2. Elizabeth Kinchen of Isle of Wight makes a deed of gift to her son William and grandson William - Nov. 1740 [Bertie Co., NC Deed book F, pp.176, 204], included are 2 slaves Rose and Secor

We can conclude that Elizabeth Kinchen is a grandmother in Nov 1740. She gave slaves: ROSE and SECOR to her son, WILLIAM with instructions that they were to go to her grandson (his son, also named William)

We concluded from the above birth day of Richard Cocke (1749)....that if Elizabeth Kinchen was a grandmother in 1740....then she probably wasn't the mother of Richard in 1749.

3. William Kinchen's will. William gives these Slaves:

To daughter, Martha Jarrell : "one Negro woman named Patience and THREE children by name, Ned, FREEMAN and JAmmey.

To daughter, Patience Taylor:  "three negros by name, MOll, Luke & NaN"  (also mentions her husband by name: Etheldred Taylor)

To son William Kinchen: "two Negros by names Peter & HANNAH"

To wife, Elizabeth: "Negro woman called ROSE, ONE Negro man called SARCO

****Lyn stated:  Rose and Sarco*** I AM READING FROM MICROFILM ENLARGED AND VERY LEGIBLE

=====
The conclusion here is that William Kinchen's wife Elizabeth (somebody other than Ruffin) is giving away to her son and grandson, both named William, Rose and Secor the very same two slaves that her husband, William Kinchen, had given to her just 5 years earlier
=====
To son, Matthew: "six Negroes by name: Dick, Robbin, Sam, Jack & MIngo (who is the other one?) Lyn Hart's note names these 5 alos. IT DOES SAY SIX BUT ONLY LISTS FIVE.>

To grandson, William Kinchen: One Negro boy called JOHN PETRO.

TO GRANDAUGHTER MARY JONES NEGRO BOY PETER.

***Note:  the will is written   13th day of August 1734.  Proved July 28, 1735. (so we can assume William died in the summer of 1735.

4. Matthew Kinchen's Will: ftp://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/isleofwight/wills/k5250001.txt
This Will was submitted to the list, July 13 by Wilma.

Matthew doesn't really live much longer than his father... He makes his will on 4th day of March 1735/6

THE DATING OF YEARS WAS DONE THIS WAY BECAUSE THE YEAR BEGAN DIFFERENTLY FROM THE WAY WE DO IT NOW - THUS SEPTEMBER - THE SEVENTH MONTH IN THE OLD CALENDAR IS THE NINTH MONTH NOW. THE SLASH DATE INDICATED THAT THE DATE WAS AFTER JANUARY AND IS WHAT WE WOULD CALL 1736 IN THIS CASE.

Proved May 24th 1736. So only a year has passed since the Negroes were named in his father's will.

• To mother, Elizabeth : two Negroes named Harry and Janey
• To brother, William:three Negroes named Tom, Hannah and London
• To wife, Elizabeth: Seven Negros named: Dick, Robin, Abraham, Jammy, Luke, Phillis and Judy (If the child to be born after his death is a BOY, he gets all 7 Negroes: Mingo, Jack, Simon, Sam, M(?Mall) ?? Doll) (If it is a girl, she gets Negroes given to mother and wife above: a total of nine)

Now: if she doesn't have a child at all:

* William Taylor (son of Etheldred Taylor) gets:  Jack and Mall

• William Jones (son of sister Elizabeth Exxum) gets: Mingo and Doll
• William Jarrell (doesn't say, but we know from father William Kinchen's will this is Martha Jarrell) Simon
• His mother, Elizabeth, gets: Sam

=====

So ALL negroes to have gone to the "boy child" are redistributed to Matthew's nephews.
* To: William Kinchen son of brother, William Kinchen, the plantation, etc.

• To: Patience and James Godwin's children: James Martha and Matthew
• Uncle: Thomas Joyner (We aren't sure of this relationship; possibly mother's brother?

THE JOYNER CONNECTION HAS NEVER BEEN CORRECTLY ESTABLISHED TO MY KNOWLEDGE. THERE IS NO PROOF THAT I HAVE SEEN TO PROVE THAT ELIZABETH WAS A JOYNER. THERE IS ALSO A RAIFORD CONNECTION WITH THE KINCHENS - UNEXPLAINED BUT PERHAPS THEY ALL MARRIED SISTERS?

5. 1757  Southampton County Deed Book 2, p. 172

Slaves mentioned:

• Robin,
• Abram, (Is this Abraham that Matthew gave to his wife, Elizabeth?)
• Harry,(1736 Matthew gave to mother, Elizabeth)
• Peter, (1735 given to William's grandson, William Kincehn)
• Daniel,
• Mourning,
• Beck,
• Isbel,
• Abram,
• Judy and her child Lucy.

========

Redistribution because "child was a girl": ???

Seven Negros named: Dick, Robin, Abraham, Jammy, Luke, Phillis and Judy

 two Negroes named Harry and Janey

============

Now this is 21 years LATER than Matthew's wills....so that could account for

some of the slaves having died, and some others being born.   BUT wasn't

there careful accounting of this kept somewhere?   Does this mean that

Elizabeth (the unborn daughter) was about 21 at this time and she died

without issue)  therefore everything resorted back to her father's siblings

and their heirs??  THE REVERSION OF THE SLAVES WAS PROVIDED FOR IN THE WILL OF MATTHEW - SEE ABSTRACT.  ACCOUNTING OF SLAVE BIRTHS WOULD BE THE FAMILY'S RESPONSIBILITY.

==================

These are all sold to Richard Cocke.  (BUT NOT the Richard Cocke who was the

son, he would only have been 8...so it must have been to Elizabeth Ruffin

Kinchen's 2nd husband, Richard Cocke)  Lyn believes Elizabeth to be Mathew's

widow.

The sellers (grantors) are: (As identified by Lyn Hart)
Matthew's SIBLINGS:

William

Patience, (wife of Etheldred Taylor)

Joseph Exum (brother-in-law 2nd husband of Elizabeth Jones Kinchen)

Henry Thomas  (2nd husband of Martha Jarrell Kinchen)

Nephews:  Godwin   (sons of Sarah Kinchen Godwin)

Husband of niece:  Minton   (who married a Minton?) Martha Godwin (mentioned

as a granddaughter in William's will??? and as niece in Matthew's will?

"They are disposing of their inherited interest in their neice, Elizabeth

Kinchen's property."

So the above "expected child" WAS a GIRL?? THE ASSUMPTION BASED ON THE SLAVE NAMES AND INHERITANCE IS THAT THE CHILD WAS A GIRL. THIS IS THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION THAT I CAN THINK OF FOR THESE PEOPLE AND THOSE SLAVES TO BE INVOLVED TOGETHER.
Although, it is not so stated. These are all the siblings or their representatives of Matthew. They appear to be selling their right to slaves inherited by a daughter [based on the names given] of Mathew. That is the only explanation that I can think of for otherwise unrelated individuals to be disposing of this property. As the property was disposed of specifically in the will by reversionary clauses, the normal inheritance was not implemented.

Children of William and Elizabeth (?Joyner) Kinchen

• Matthew
• Elizabeth married ? EXUM
• Martha married ? Jarrell
• Patience married Etheldred Taylor
• Sarah married ? Godwin
• William

I checked the citation WDB2, p.486 and it is the will of Thomas Joyner. He mentions a daughter Elizabeth [no surname given] and she is given 5 shillings. There are two other bequests for land adjoining or formerly lived on by William Kinchen. No relationship is implied in either and the land is going to sons. They were obviously neighbours at one time. I have never thought Elizabeth was a Joyner, but think this is a perfect example of where it is dangerous to rely on printed compilations. The will of Philip Raiford mentions that William Kinchen is his brother in law [as is William Crumpler]. This supposed marriage is not mentioned in the same book of purported marriages. The Christian names of Patience and Mathew [among others] appear in the Raiford family as well. Neither is a common name and I have thought that perhaps Raiford, Joyner, and Kinchen married sisters. This would fill the bill relationship wise and could account for the appearance of those Christian names in all three families. THIS IS ALL THEORY, BUT HAS AS MUCH VALIDITY AS THE OTHER PROPOSED SOLUTION. I think it would be much more productive for researchers to try and figure out this link and give the Ruffin connection to the Kinchens a rest. I do not mean to be abrupt, but if the evidence is not there or if there is contrary evidence, why can't people see and accept it. Thanks for moderating this and I hope we can find a wife for William Kinchen.

===============

More about William Kinchen can be found at this site which summarizes the Diary of William Byrd. Diary of William Byrd

Thank you to Lyn Hart who provided much of the documentation and interpretation for the above conclusions.

Click here to send e-mail to Virginia Crilley.

• Updated from WikiTree Genealogy via father Robert Ruffin by SmartCopy: Apr 5 2015, 9:48:51 UTC

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• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees via husband Richard Cocke by SmartCopy: Apr 5 2015, 10:15:13 UTC
• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees by SmartCopy: Apr 5 2015, 10:16:05 UTC