Welcome Cockrill Family!
The family reunion is a living archive of our journey. Each year, we invite every generation to step into the spotlight and share the stories that define who we are—honoring where we’ve been and dreaming of where we’re going. This website is a unfolding story and will continue to grow over time. As we discover new information, uncover more family history, and gather additional photos and memories, updates will be made regularly. Please check back often—you never know what new stories or connections might be added!
The Threads of Heritage: Our Shared Journey
Every family has a story. Ours is one written through generations of strength, love, sacrifice, and perseverance.
Long before you and I were born, our ancestors walked paths that were not easy. They endured hardships, faced uncertainty, and overcame obstacles that tested their faith and determination. Yet through it all, they continued forward. With courage and resilience, they laid the foundation for the generations that would follow. The opportunities we have today exist because they refused to give up.
Their hands built the lives we now live. Their sacrifices created the doors we are able to walk through.
We honor the mothers and fathers, the grandparents and great-grandparents, the elders and loved ones who guided our family forward. Some of their names we know well, others we continue to discover through stories passed down. And some we may never fully know, but their strength lives within us just the same.
Because of them, we are here.
This is our story.
This is our legacy.
And the next chapters are still being written.
Lula Finley Cockrill and her children,
Benjamin Frank Jr and Mamie Alums
Photo Courtesy of Catherine Searcy
Anthropologist, Ashanté Reese, joined our family reunion in 2024 and included our heritage in her book, Gather: Black Food, Nourishment, and the Art of Togetherness (A Norton Short).
Gather presents rich, on-the-ground stories of gathering around food in four spaces―gardens, family reunions, repasts, and protests. Blending rich storytelling with analysis, these chapters argue for the political power of food and invite us to learn from the tactics Black communities have long used to create sustainable, systemic change.
Lula Finley Cockrill and her children,
Benjamin Frank Jr and Mamie Alums
Picture Courtesy of Catherine Searcy