William M. Cockrum House

William M. Cockrum was born in Gibson County, Indiana in 1837, was a farmer by trade (leaf tobacco and pork), and a prominent member of the Oakland community.^[9] His father, James W. Cockrum, was also a prominent member of the community, originally platted the town, was Baptist, and was staunchly against slavery. Subsequently, William grew up in an environment surrounded by Underground Railroad and anti-slavery activities.^[10][11] Additional causes that the Cockrums supported included the temperance movement (the family is considered responsible for keeping Oakland City dry until 1881) and education for all (the family heavily supported Oakland College financially and with land donations).^[3][5]

Cockrum was married twice. Before her death, his first wife Sarah Barrett and he had seven children. His second wife was Lucretia (1839–1919). They married in 1856 and had nine children.^[12][13]

During the American Civil War, Cockrum volunteered for service and achieved the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel of Company F of the 42nd Indiana Infantry Regiment.^[14] He was wounded both at the First Battle of Murfreesboro and the Battle of Chickamauga, the latter of which he was both severely wounded and was captured and held at Libby Prison in Richmond for eight months.^[12] He was released as part of a prisoner exchange, and after a lengthy recovery, he was assigned to command a military prison in Nashville until being ordered to rejoin his command within Company F and mustered out of service.^[6][3]

The chaired the committee to help establish Chickamauga Battlefield as a national park. There is a monument to Cockrum at the battlefield located approximately where he had been wounded in battle.^[15] In Gibson County, Cockrum also served on the committee to raise funds to purchase and install a monument dedicated to the survivors and those who lost their lives from Company F, 42nd Regiment. The monument was located in Oakland City and was dedicated in 1893 for the surviving members and those who lost their lives from Company F.^[16]

The Cockrum home was burned down by saloon supporters in 1875 and is an example of the complex dynamic of temperance and anti-saloon sentiment in southern Indiana. The fire was set in retaliation to William Cockrum's "...savage extralegal attack against an Oakland saloon."^[5]

Cockrum died in 1924 and is buried in Montgomery Cemetery in Gibson County.^[13]

Cockrum spent fifty years gathering and documenting Indiana's early history. He was influenced and encouraged to write by his former comrade General Lew Wallace.^[14] In 1907, Cockrum published the Pioneer History of Indiana: Including Stories, Incidents, and Customs of the Early Settlers^[17] In 1915, he published History of the Underground Railroad as it was Conducted by the Anti-Slavery League.^[18][19] His published works gave insights on the viewpoints and attitudes of the "plain Indiana farmers" of southern Indiana at the height of the Underground Railroad operations.^[11][20][14]

He is included in The Hoosier Year of 366 Indiana Writers and Speakers (1916) with the following quote, "Forgetful and thankless indeed would we be did we not keep the sacred fires of memory burning upon the altar of our appreciation."^[21]

• Photo of William M. Cockrum in military uniform
• Sketch drawing of Mrs. Col. Lucretia (Harper) Cockrum