Eva Elizabeth Cockill 1870-1945

TOWNSEND, LEEK

Posted By: Debbie Goddard (email)
Date: 5/15/2019 at 12:47:54

Eva Elizabeth Cockill was born in Scotch Grove, Iowa, on October 12, 1870. She was the first of four daughters born to Joseph H. and Hanna Permilia (Leggett) Cockill. (Joseph was born in England and Hanna was born in Pennsylvania and somehow they ended up in Iowa. One of the many family stories waiting to be uncovered.)

At the age of 14, Eva married Andrew Jackson Townsend. She gave birth to 10 children, but only 6 survived infancy.

Children (all Townsend): Grover C., Percye Dell, Loanza May, Clara Bell, Milly Jane, Ira Jess, Joe Dillon, Harvey James, and 2 unnamed infants.

In 1905 she and "AJ" divorced. After raising her children, she remarried to a gentleman named Steven Arthur Leek. They had no children. He passed away in 1924 and Eva continued to live in her small house in Center Junction until her death on November 22, 1945.

Some notes from her grand-daughter, Gertrude Alida Townsend:
"My paternal grandmother was a very stern hard-working woman. She walked very erect and was probably 5'7" or more. She was said to have had dark auburn hair but it was pure snow white when I knew her. When I was 13 she asked me when I was going to get married, since she got married so young I suppose. She took in washing's and ironing's to raise her family. She was divorced at age 35, with 4 children at home ages 1-13. She received a lifetime pension after her son Joe Dillon Townsend died in the Army in 1917. I don't believe it was much but enough to make her comfortable. She owned a 6-room house in the southwest part of Center Junction (Iowa) and had lived there as far back as 1901 that I know of. [She had bought her house with money received as an inheritance from her deceased father's family in England.] Her youngest, my dad Harvey, was 18 years old and gone off to Business College in Cedar Rapids when she married Mr. Leek. He died in 1924. I don't know how they got along, but she had a hard time with AJ Townsend, as he was an alcoholic. Stephen Leggett (Eva's uncle) said Grandma was very, very happy with Steven Leek."

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