Private, Co. B, 5th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Confederate Army. Enlisted October 26, 1861 in Prestonburg, Kentucky...Muster roll of Co.B, 5th Reg.

Surrilda married three times. An article (mostly on Fraley’s) on p. 84 of the Elliott County History, submitted by Odella Fraley Evans, concludes “My mother, Carrie Nickell, was the daughter of George K. Nickell and Surrilda McDowell Cox Nickell Branham (1856-1912). Surrilda had seven children: Edd Cox, Alice Cox Gibson, JinaLee Cox Fraley, Carrie Nickell Fraley, Joshua Nickell, George Nickell and Pearl Branham Hensley. They were raised on Middle Fork in Elliott County. I, Odella, am the daughter of Cecil and Carrie Fraley. I am retired and live in Huntington, WV.” (Despite the birthdate of "1856" quoted by Odella, the census is more consistent with 1854 or 1855, since Surrilda was listed as 15 in 1870 and 26 in 1880.)

Elliott County vital statistics list the marriage of John Cock and Surrilda McDowell on 1 Nov 1877.

In 1870, John and Sarah Cox were living next door to the family of John and Sarah McDowell, who had a daughter listed as “Cister”, age 15. This is apparently Sarrilda. There are no McDowell marriages at all recorded in Morgan County in the 1800’s, so the McDowell’s must have been married (and Sarrilda born) in another county, probably Carter.

1880 census of Elliott Co., Ky, Martinsburg precinct, lists as family #73:
Cocks, John, 46, farmer, Va Va Va; Sarrilda, 26, wife, Ky Ky Ky; Lydia A., 1, dau; Regina Lee, 4/12, dau, born January. (Both children have dittos in all the birth columns, but it should be “Va” for the father’s place of birth.)