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Stephenson County Scioto Flouring Mills |
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Farmer, and proprietor of Scioto Flouring Mills Sec. 11 ; P 0. Freeport;
born in Ohio, Scioto Co. September 11, 1823 he was a farmer in his native State, aud started for the West on July 1. 1841; stayed one winter in
Jersey Co., Ill., then came here, and, beside the mill property, owns 450 acres of
land, valued at $40 an acre: he has held township and school offices. Is a Republican,
having cast his first vote for James K. Polk. Mr. Cockrell has never married. His
father, a native of Virginia, had a family of nine children — T. Moses, George, Mary
(now married to Mr. Bodkin), Scynthia, Thompson, Harriet and Patsie Jones; beside
these, two stayed in Ohio — Susan and Lina. Mr. Cockrell came into full possession of the
flouring mills in 1855; the Scioto Flouring Mills are 40x50 feet on the ground, three
and a half stories high, and have three runs of stone — one for feed and two for custom-
work; the water-power is an Eclipse turbine wheel, ten-horse power, thirty inches in
diameter, with a capacity of grinding eight bushels an hour; the mill was built by Rezin
Wilcoxon, William Irvin aud Samuel Sutherland; building commenced in 1850, and it
started on the 1st of January, 1852: in 1853. Mr. Irvin sold his interest to Samuel
Sutherland; Rezin Wilcoxon dying near the close of 1853, Mr. Cockrell purchased his interest in the flouring mill in the year
1854, and in 1855 Samuel Sutherland sold his interest to Mr. Cockrell, and he has full possession of the mill property up
to the present date; there is a saw-mill run by the same power; it was built in 1837 by
Levi Rezin and Thompson Wilcoxon, and was running in August of the same year: it is
20x50 feet, with one up-and-down saw, capable of turning out 2,000 feet a day of hardwood lumber;
Levi sold his interest in 1S41 to his brother Rezin, and on the division
of his estate among the heirs, the saw-mill was left to Thermuthis who has possession
now.
Biography of Thompson W. Cockrell transcribed by Christine Walters
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