Early Cocky (AKA Cocke) Emigrates To Virginia

In seventeenth Century Henrico County, Virginia’s most powerful families were the Randolphs, Cockes, Eppses, and Byrds. Research shows them all among my ancestors.   In fact, Lieutenant Colonel Richard Cocke (13 Dec.1597- 4 Oct 1665), was my paternal 10th great-grandfather. He was a graduate of Caius (sounds like “keys”) College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. …

America’s First Murderer

I gathered the following information from Plymouth's Governor William Bradford's Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646, The Human Tradition in the Atlantic World, 1500–1850, and https://history.howstuffworks.com.  America's first murderer, his victim, and his execution are revealed in these histories: My 12th paternal great-grandfather, John Billington, was a Mayflower pilgrim.  As one of the 41 signers …

“Othering”

The following post was written by my eldest grandson, Joe, whose 35th birthday we celebrate tomorrow. Joe is an upstanding family man and all-around good guy. Besides being well-read, he is well educated, thinks deeply, and enjoys in depth discussions and debates. The following is an example of Joe's perceptive thinking and deductions on the …