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Father and Son Cockerell ... and "their" birds (1 Viewer)

Björn Bergenholtz

(former alias "Calalp")
Sweden
James, it´s time to delete some question marks!

Here´s a last new thread, by me (for a while), with some additional info (and a contradictory birth year!) for the eponym ...

cockerelli as in:
• the invalid "Ardetta cockerelli" DIGGLES 1878 (1874, here, a k a "Cockerell's Bittern" [Synonym: Zonerodius heliosylus] LESSON & GARNOT 1828]:
The next is a beautiful bittern— perhaps the most beautiful among the Australian species — and it is with great pleasure that I dedicate it (supposing it to be new to science) to Mr. J. T. Cockerell, under the name of Ardetta Cockerelli or Cockerell’s bittern.
= John Thomas Cockerell (18191907), British sailor, inn-keeper, (later Australian) trader, collector, etc, etc. ...

Born 1819, in London, arrived in Sydney Australia, in 1841, as a Steward on the ship Jane ... in 1843 he married Jane Manuell (she was only 15 years old!), and in November 1843 they left for Hong Kong (where their son James Frederick Cockerell* was born the following year). In Hong Kong John T. Cockerell worked at the Commissariats Store and ran a guesthouse called the Commercial Inn. They all returned to Australia in 1848 (in a ship of their own) ... and onwards.

All according to "Gary Leonard (John's 3rd Great Grandson)", here. And I assume he ought to know.

Enjoy!

Björn

______________________________________
*More regarding the Son see the following post!
 
The Son, James Frederick Cockerell (1844-1897), is commemorated in (for example):

• New Britain Friarbird Philemon cockerelli SCLATER 1877 (here), as ditto, no outspoken dedication, but see the introduction on p.97 [a k a Cockerell-Lederkopf (in German) and (earlier) Philémon de Cockerell (in French, today Polochion de Nouvelle-Bretagne) ... as well as "cockerellmunkfågel" (also earlier, but in Swedish, thereby incl. in my MS, today newbritainmunkskata)]

I strongly doubt his Father (being born in 1819) would have been called "a young Australian naturalist and Collector " in 1877 ... ;)

James Frederick Cockerell was Australian, born in 1844, in Hong Kong (Birth year also backed up here) ... married (28th of April 1891, in Mildura, South Australia) with Charlotte Marion Thwaites (here) ... and he died 19 December 1897, in Albany, Western Australia.

A Death Notice of James Cockerell is found, in the Odds and Ends part, of the local Australian Newspaper Northern Star (of Lismore, New South Wales – where his Father John lived), from 2nd February 1898 (here):
DEATH OF MR. J. F. COCKERELL. —In a West Australian newspaper we find the obituary notice of Mr. James Frederick Cockerell), son of Mr J. T. Cockerell, of Lismore. He died in Albany Hospital on December 19th. Mr. Cockerell, as a collector of specimens of natural history, visited many of the islands of the Pacific, including New Britain, New Ireland, Duke of York Island, and the Salomon Islands, whose inhabitants are the most savage and treacherous of all the islands, being for the most part cannibals. Either his courage or some special influence preserved him during many years' intercourse with the islanders, among whom he could reside and travel alone. He was for 13 months on New Br¡tain, New Ireland, and theDuke of York Islands, and when a missionary vessel landed 13 missionaries at New Britain he warned the Rev. Mr. Brown, of the Wesleyan Church of the great danger they were incurring, and that if at any time one of them would not go off with a white flag to vessels passing between the islands and New Guinea, they would be likely to kill and eat the lot. His prophecy was verified for they did so, and the fact was stated by Mr. Brown to Mr. J. T. Cockerell when in Lismore. Mr. J. F. Cockerell was for some years at Mildura, but has resided for several years in Western Australia. He had collected for must of the colonies-New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. In a small work published by Mr. E. P. Ramsay, F.L.S, Curator of the Sydney Museum, he says of one species of bird, Sauloprocta Cockerelli, sp. nov. [*]: I have named this species after Mr. James Cockerell, a most persevering collector, who has collected largely in tropical Australia and in the islands of the Austro-Malayan Region.'' In this work he passed two years on Gaudaloana. He was for some time in Lismore with his father, and will no doubt be remembered by many old residents. He leaves, we are told, a widow and two children. Australia has furnished some of the most intrepid collectors the world has ever known, such as Macgillvary, Strang, and we may add J. F. Cockerell, by whose labours science has been greatly enriched.
*"Sauloprocta Cockerelli" RAMSAY "[today's White-winged Fantail Rhipidura cockerelli RAMSAY 1879 (here), earlier a k a "Cockerell's Fantail"]

More info on various birds collected by James F. Cockerell, see McAllan 2016 (here):
He collected specimens on Cape York Peninsula in 1867–1868, in Samoa and the Bismarck Islands in 1875– 1876, the Solomon Islands in 1878, Western Australia in 1879, and Cape York and the Aru Islands in 1880. He finally settled near Mildura in Victoria where he collected for the South Australian Museum, both in the local area and in South Australia itself.
... but (if we are to trust the Death Notice, and I see no reason why we should question it) I think we can disregard the "finally settled" part in McAllan's quote above. James Frederick Cockerell did live in Mildura, for a couple of years, "where he collected for the South Australian Museum, ...", but the true last place, where he truly settled down (and died), was apparently in (or in the Vicinity of) Albany, Western Australia.

However; enjoy!

/B
 
Maybe Philippa Horton's chapter in this new book can tell us even more ... or something contradictory!?

• Contributions to the History of Australasian Ornithology, Volume I (May 2018), by Davis, William E. Jr., Walter E. Boles and Harry F. Recher (Editors):
Contents: Who was Gregory Mathews? [Tony Howard], Ornithology at the Queensland Museum [Walter Boles], John and James Cockerell: Father and Son Naturalists [Philippa Horton], Ornithology at the South Australian Museum, Adelaide: 1856-1939 [Philippa Horton, Andrew Black, and Brian Blaylock], A History of Ornithology in Western Australia [Allen H. Burbidge and Eleanor Russell].
Anyone who have read it?

Either way, none of those guys are to be confused with (the US?) collector "M. T. D. A. Cockerell", that collected Spiders on New Caledonia in June 1928 (here).

/B

PS. James, the same book may also shed some light on all those odd names coined by Gregory Mathews!?
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And, simply for completeness sake, I also had a look at ...

• White-streaked Honeyeater Trichodere cockerelli GOULD 1869 (here) as "Ptilotis Cockerelli"

No dead-certain dedication, simply "... shot by Mr. Cockerell, after whom I have named it", but also see; here (and Plate here); "... should be named after Mr. James Cockerell, ..."

= James Frederick Cockerell (18441897)

... even if John Gould called him a "native-born Australian". I guess Gould simply didn´t know that James Cockerell actually was born in Hong Kong. ;)

Well, that's it!

cockerelli ... over and out!
 
I now have Contributions to the History of Australasian Ornithology, vol. IV, 2018 (see #3), which contains a very good chapter on the Cockerells, as well as another on Gregory Mathews, and others with lots of biographical info on Australian collectors/ornithologists old and new. I shall incorporate such info as is necessary in the Key as and when time permits.
 
There is a lot to absorb in the Contributions, vol. IV, but I have now slightly edited the cockerelli entry, as well as Territornis re Gregory Mathews.
 
Today's updated Key :
cockerelli
● James Frederick Cockerell (1847-1897) Australian (born in Hong Kong) collector in Australia, the Aru Is., 1872, Samoa, Fiji and the Bismarks 1875-1876, and Solomon Is. 1878, son of John T. Cockerell (Philemon, Rhipidura, Trichodere).
● John Thomas Cockerell (1819-1907) English seafarer, storekeeper in Hong Kong 1844-1848, naturalist, settled in Australia 1848, collector in Queensland, and in the Aru Is., 1872 (syn. Zonerodius heliosylus).
Ok, but ... this far, with no further details or specified dates, in my MS I will stick to James Frederick Cockerell being born in 1844 (not all convinced about the -47" part).

However, as always: don't hesitate to prove me wrong!

Björn

PS. Either way, I´m glad I got the correct birth year of his Father, John Thomas Cockerell ... i.e.; that Gary Leonard (his 3rd Great Grandson) knew what he was writing (link in post #1).
 
James Frederick Cockerell, the son of John and Jane was born on Nov 25 1847 (place not given). He was baptised July 22 1849 at The Church of St. Lawrence, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (based on the official lists of Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981). Cockerell snr's vessel “Young Hebe” arrived in Adelaide on May 1848 with Mrs Cockerell and child. It was sold shortly after. It seems resonable to assume James was born in Hong Kong and not baptised until the parents settled in Sydney where John assumed the licence of a new Tavern.
 
Biographical research does not always go how you expect:

1) John Thomas Cockerell was born in Novemeber 1819 to John Thomas Atkinson and a Miss Cockerell.
2) He was baptisted on July 2 1820 at Saint James, Paddington, Middlesex.
3) BUT in 1856 a John Thomas Cockerell was sentenced to 5 years gaol for Receiving Stolen Property related to his Pawnbroking business, Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Australia.
4) John Thomas Cockerell was given ticket of leave Sep 2 1858 and moved to Brisbane to live.

Thus the dedication by Diggles in 1878 to a convicted felon seems highly unusual...

It is worth knowing that James Frederick had a older brother also called John Thomas Cockerell (born Aug 19 1846 in Hong Kong, died 1895 in Bathurst, NSW). It is unlikely a 55 year old JT Cockerell snr collected Diggles specimens in the Coomera Ranges but much more likely an energetic 28 year old just married JT Cockerell jnr.

Looking into this a bit more it does seem that John Thomas Cockerell jnr was a naturalist like his brother.

Between 1871 and 1873 his father and him organised an exhibition to various New Guinea islands (see https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/216806399 column 2 where it clearly states he is the son of Mr John Cockerell) and https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/1321374

It is clear from all this, this was a family firm and I wonder if all the authorities (especially Whittell 1954) that wrote about JT and JF Cockerell may have sometimes got the wrong JT?? [note editing here]

P
 
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Biographical research does not always go how you expect:
...
It sure doesn't! And Paul: Thanks! I´m convinced, a specified, exact date, from a more reliable source ... :t:

James Frederick Cockerell (18471897)] it will be!

Born 25 November 1847 (in Hong Kong, I´ll keep that part, as he/they didn't leave for Australia until the next-following year) ... and onwards.


Regarding the invalid "Ardetta cockerelli" DIGGLES 1878 (alt. 1874, link to OD in post #1) [a synonym of the Forest Bittern Zonerodius heliosylus] ... as of now, this far, I wouldn't say more than; it´s commemorating either John Thomas Cockerell [Jr.] (1846–1895), older brother of James Frederick Cockerell (1847–1897)] or his/their father John Thomas Cockerell [Sr.] (1819–1907). The former J. T. Cockerell (Jr.)* does seems as the most likely one ... though the OD doesn´t tell us either way.

However; it´s of no major concern (at least not for me), as "Cockerell's Bittern" is not included in my MS, I just happened to find Gary Leonard's text when starting to look into the Son; J. F. Cockerell ... I didn´t even know of the older brother (the namesake of his/their father)! ;)

For what it´s worth.

Björn

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*Paul, I think you just found yourself a topic for a Paper!
Convincing, finding proof that Withell got it wrong!?

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Horton's biography (which I have just got a copy of) is extraordinary in its detail and supports the fact that it was J.T. Cockerell senior who was the collector of most material not collected by J.F. Cockerell. An extraordinary account of a family of extraordinary rogues! Dates are all correct...
 
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