Appears to have been also known as "Bud" -- from a copy of a family photo obtained from Dr. John Baker.

This individual is something of a mystery.

Lived with William and Mollie Wendt for a time, as well as Henry and Nora Leggett. William Wendt's father, Frederick, bought land from a Vernon Downs, who had significant holdings in the area. Vernon Downs is also a well-known horse racing track on Route 31 in Vernon, New York -- whether or not there is any connection here with all of this is anyone's guess.

From Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, 1853-1997 (Heritage Books Inc. / Sonoma County Genealogical Society, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA: June 1997), p. 32:

FULK 33

COCKRILL, Vernon Downs (GRANT)
b. CA
d. 10 Jul 1910; 36 yrs
f. Zack A. Cockrill, KY
m. Mary Dunn, GA
inf. Margaret M. Lindsay
Vet. Cpl., Co. M, 14th US Inf. Civil War

How could he have been in the Civil War? The connection to the Grant family is not clear either.

Ruhamy Cockrill, the widow of Harrison Cockrill, married a Henry Augustus Grant in Sonoma County on 8 Feb 1861, whether or not there could be some connection here, it is not known.

From a series of emails in 2001 from Margaret Grant Whiteker:

My great grandfather was Fergus Grant, buried in the Fulkerson Cemetary in Santa Rosa. In the family plot, next to him in a grave for Vernon D. Cockrill, Corpl. Co. M, 14th U.S. Inf., I have always wondered how he was connected to my great grandfather. Have been trying for years to find out what the relationship was...

The Vernon D Cockrill I am referring to is buried in the Fulkerson Cemetary in Santa Rosa, Sonoma Co., Ca. next to Fergus Grant. Fergus Grant was born in Kirkmichael, Perth, Scotland in 1804. He died in Sonoma Co., according to stories while on his way from Mendocino Co., to Santa Rosa on a coach... [from] food poisoning somewhere around Healdsburg, Sonoma Co., Ca. Jan 18, 1877. His wife was Aditha West. One of his children was Lewis Derley Grant, born April 22, 1854 in Council Bluffs, La Salle Co., Io. He married Mary Helen Gorrell on Sept. 17 1876 in Navarro, Mendocino Co., Ca. He died Jan 10, 1936 in Santa Rosa, Sonoma Co., Ca. Lewis and Mary Helen had several children...

There is a connection between the Grants and Fulkersons which I haven't found as yet but was talking to one of the Fulkerson children in [Monte Rio], Ca years ago and he mentioned being cousins [?]. I have tried to find Vernon's Civil War Records and haven't had any luck in this area either....

The headstone for Vernon Downs Cockrill reads Vernon D Cockrill, corpl. Co. M, 14th inf. doesn't say what war and there are no dates...

I go to a genealogy class here in the park where I live and I started them seeing what they could do with the information. This is what they came up with. "We wondered where you came up with the younger Vernon ever being in the military? We found the Civil War record of an earlier Vernon and he was a Corp. in Co. M. 14th U.S. inf. but we're unsure of this later fella. The name is unusual enough that there were only the two showing up anywhere. In 1910 Vernon, 35 yrs old was a patient in the "Union Labor Hospital" in Eureka, Humbolt Co. Ca and by 1820 he was gone, presumed he died sometime between 1910 to 1920. I don't think he ever married, maybe mooched off his relatives and the Fulkerson cemetery was the only logical place to be buried. This Vernon, born in 1875 could have been named for the civil War Vernon, born about 1810-1845. Perhaps he was a nephew..." Which Vernon Downs is buried in the Fulkerson Cemetery since the group that was working on this found two? The Vernon who was 35 years old in 1910 and a patient in Eureka or the one born about 1840-1845. This is a class taught at the park where I live. They used Vernon as an example as to how to find things on the computer. They came up with the two Vernon D Cockrills.