Cofield-Cockrell Cemetery

The Cofield-Cockrell Cemetery in nearby Marion County is a small one and like many older cemeteries, not easy to get there. It involves parking and walking. That said, it is well worth seeking out. The handful of graves are situated in a small copse of trees. Moss covers several graves that are marked only by plain stones; these graves are said to belong to a black family. The only graves with substantial markers are those of the Cofield and Northington families. More about the Northington family later.

I'm not sure why the cemetery is called Cofield-Cockrell (sometimes found Cockrell-Cofield) since there are no headstones here for anyone named Cockrell. Sam Cofield's wife was Zilpha Cockrell, daughter of Tobias and Abigail Cockrell, and I've speculated that perhaps they are buried here in unmarked graves. (FYI: A couple of Tobias's brothers, Jordan and Elum, lived across the state line over in Itawamba County.) Zilpha's obituary from 1900 indicates that the cemetery was formerly known as Shady Grove.

Unfortunately, this is one of those cemeteries that will require regular maintenance to prevent it from being overtaken by the surrounding woods. Cousin Hunter Stone has been responsible for most of the upkeep in recent years. Hunter's mother was Ruby Cofield Stone, daughter of John R. and Dollia Cofield. Ruby grew up in Tremont and married Hugh Stone.