The following provided by Find A Grave contributor Silvia:

Son of Thomas Jefferson Cockrell and Keziah Church Cockrell. Twin Brother to Amanda Pearlina Cockrell Ames.

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Provided by contributor RunninonMT:

Excerpts from "A Documentary and Biography of the Cockrell Family Name Compiled February 1, 1985" by Claude R. Cunningham, grandson of Columbus and Henrietta Cockrell:

"According to my grandfather Columbus Jefferson Cockrell his family migrated from the British Isles, specifically from the island(sic) of Wales prior to the American Revolution..."

"Columbus Jefferson Cockrell was born April 9, 1856 Jefferson County, Missouri* and died July 9, 1951* at age 95 years in Whitefish, Montana at daughter Mary's home and buried at Galata, Montana. He married Henrietta Griner November 6, 1882** in Kansas who was born January 19, 1865 in Pennsylvania of Holland parentage John Griner and Elizabeth Carnahan (Scotch Irish). His wife Henrietta died October 24, 1918 and is buried in Galata, Montana cemetery."
••*Montana Death Certificate lists Columbus' place of birth as Cass County, Missouri, and date of death as 07 July 1951. **Kansas County Marriages record shows date of 05 Nov 1882, place Riley County.••

"Ten children were born of this marriage as follows:
(1) Mary Elizabeth - born 1883 in Lawrence, Kansas
(2) Estella Margaret - born 1885 in Lawrence, Kansas
(3) Otha Elmer - born 1887 in Lawrence, Kansas
(4) Charity Alice - born 1889 in Cora, Idaho
(5) John George - born 1891 in Gardner, Idaho
(6) Myrtle Lela - born 1893 in Cora, Idaho
(7) Elsie Ellen - born 1895 in Cora, Idaho
(8) Robert Henry - born 1898 in Cora, Idaho
(9) Ester Kiziah - born 1904 in Cora, Idaho
(10) William Thomas - born 1908 in Cora, Idaho"

"The Columbus Jefferson Cockrell family were gentle, kind, frugal, tender loving people, who relished laughter, hard work, loved their neighbors and fellowman with doors always open to the 'needy'."

"They both came out to Idaho from the 'Blue Stem' prairie of Kansas following her parents, John and Elizabeth Carnahan Griner, who had left Kansas a year or so earlier for the Palouse country of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho."

"Columbus Jefferson homesteaded an 80 acre timber claim on Lone Jack Mountain north of Potlatch and Cora, Idaho - where seven (7) children were born. Three children, Mary, Stella and Otha were born in Kansas. Columbus Jefferson logged the claim and cleared the claim - selling split wood as their cash crop. He also later acquired a steam driven threshing machine that he used for 'custom' threshing for the many Palouse farmers."
••From an article in the Lewiston Evening Teller (Lewiston, Idaho) 18 July 1907 about a 'valuable' homestead tract, it states that 'the land was first settled by Cockrell in 1889.' The area was known as the East Deep Creek district.••

"In 1910 Columbus Jefferson and Henrietta Griner Cockrell departed for Galata, Montana so that their older children could homestead 320 acres each."

"Columbus Jefferson homesteaded only 240 acres a few miles south of the Sweetgrass hills north of Galata, Montana as he had previously homesteaded 80 acres of timber claim in Idaho."

••Mary and husband William J. Simpson, Otha, John, Stella and husband Charles West, Charity Alice and husband George Thompson, and Myrtle Lela, all homesteaded 320 acres each on lands north of Galata and Lothair, Montana. All the properties were within a six to seven mile range of one another, in today's Toole and Liberty Counties. The children too young to file a homestead claim were: Elsie Ellen, Robert, Esther, and William.••

"As a matter of interest daughter Myrtle and her husband Marius C. Johnson purchased the 240 acres of Columbus Jefferson Cockrell homestead as well as the 320 acres of Mary and William J. Simpson homestead as well as still owning Myrtle's original homestead."

"The family went through severe difficulties in 'taming' the hardships of early Montana farming - draught - low prices - bank failures - depression - weeds - insects and whatever, but still managed to 'tough' it out with plenty of hard work and sacrifices."

"Columbus...stated many times the only people left in early Montana 'dry land' farming were the ones who did not have enuff money to get out."

"...Grandpa Columbus...kept wheat seed in his grainery after each crop however meager for future planting. In fact our corn crop for eating and canning, the seed came originally with him from Kansas to the Palouse Country and on to Eastern Montana."

"In spite of these difficulties we got by with very much happiness present in our large family. In fact I still envy the ability of the Cockrell family to laugh and make joke, music and dance their hardships away... I was very fortunate to be reared by such a marvelous humane family."

"...my mother Elsie Ellen died as a result of recent childbirth of my younger sister Donna coupled with the "flu" in 1919 and Columbus...along with daughter Myrtle Lela kept the 'home fires' burning after her mother and Columbus Jefferson (my grandfather) also buried his wife Henrietta (my grandmother) in 1918, a year earlier than my mother's death."

"Columbus...lived past his 95th birthday which must be attributed to his robust stature, hard work, plenty of exercise and a healthy attitude toward life itself. Grandpa was a tall man who even walked when driving his work horses in the field. He told me that as a young fellow he drove cattle as a drover over the Chisholm trail from Texas to Abilene, Kansas, walking leading his horse wherever possible. Even I can attest to his walking 17 miles in the spring mud while taking our belongings from Galata to our farm seventeen miles north of Galata. He drove the team and walked while I rode my saddle horse driving our livestock. He was 77 years of age at the time."

"I'll never forget the entertainment that took place practically every night after supper - with the dishes done and the days work done for the men-folk at home. The Cockrell's were very musical people and during the days of no radio or television, living 17 miles from town, my aunt Esther would play the piano, Uncle Bill the violin, with everyone including our dog 'Old Ring' joining in the enjoyment."

"In fact even grandpa and Uncle Otha would spell Uncle Bill off on the violin. The Cockrell family were very musical, laughing and joking people - but serious when the situation so deemed."

"While not an attendant at organized religious gatherings on Sundays...he lived by the golden rule and the ten commandments. He had little formal education, 4th grade, I believe... He was a self educated man."

"He passed away after spending a delayed 95th birthday dinner with some of his family at Aunt Mary's house in Whitefish, Montana.... (he) had gone to bed early as usual. After a short while they heard his noise at which time Aunt Mary went in to his bedroom. She saw Grandpa waving his hands in front of his face and said 'Get your head out of my face', gasped and died. It is supposed that he was either saying good bye to his horse or talking to the legendary Indian spirit 'Old Coyote', creator of the universe." Columbus lived with his oldest daughter Mary at Whitefish "the last ten years or so of his life."

"Grandpa was buried at Galata, Montana cemetery alongside of his wife Henrietta Griner Cockrell."

"During this time grave driggers were hard to come by in the remote area of Galata, Montana, as a consequence my cousins Jack and Marvin Cockrell and my brother James Cunningham and myself had the honor to dig Grandpa's grave. Uncle Willie, Aunt Mary's husband William J. Simpson and myself covered the grave with the Montana soil he so felt sacred to life."

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Columbus had two other siblings without Find A Grave memorials, a sister Margaret (listed on the 1860 census, born about 1858, but not listed again on any future census), and another sister, possibly named Louise, who died in infancy.