Researching William Cox

Before 1993, my father, sister and I could only trace our Cox line back to Isaac Cox (the one born around 1805 and who moved to Cherokee County, Georgia). In 1993, we talked to Walter Cox, who was descended from the first William and his son William Jr. He was older in 1993 and had been working on the expanded Cox family tree for more than 25 years by that time. He had a dead end at Isaac -- the big family chart literally stopped with nothing at Isaac. So we both were able to benefit from sharing info. In one swoop, we had several generations back, and he could fill in 150+ years of that Isaac Cox's descendants.

So how did Walter know that the William Cox who is our first known ancestor is connected to all of us and started in North Carolina?

It's based on research done in 1973 by William Perry Johnson, a genealogist in Raleigh, North Carolina, who had researched Coxes in the area for years. He was also the editor of the Journal of North Carolina Genealogy. I have a copy of his 1973 report to Walter.

~~~~This is a transcript of the pertinent parts:

Dear Mr. Cox:

Enclosed are three pages of data on your William Cox. I feel certain that YOUR William Cox DID come from Orange Co., N.C. But I know of no connection between your Wm Cox and the Quaker Coxes. Wm Cox, the Quaker, never lived in present-day Orange Co. He lived in what is now southeast Randolph Co., N.C., but when he died in 1767 that part of Randolph Co. was part of Orange Co., hence his will is on record in Orange County.

Wm Cox the Quaker had a son William (the latter married 1755), and these two probably account for two of the three Wm Coxes on 1755 Tax List of Orange Co.; your Wm making the third Wm on the list.

Further confirmation that your Wm Cox IS from Orange Co., N.C., is the fact that the following names appear on the 1790 Census of Greenville Co., S.C.: THOMAS LONG, FRANCES LEE, Wm Brasheres, Thos. Brassure, WILLIAM BRASSURE, Aquilla Brasure, JAMES BRASURE, John Brasure, John Brasure, Saml. Brasure, Sarah Brasure, and Thomas Brasure. FIVE of Wm Coxes' sons-in-law are listed, surely, and the Bras(s)ure given names prove that the Bras(s)ures were from Orange Co. -- sons and grandsons, surely, of the Thomas Breazier who left will in Orange Co. 1770-1784.

There is no telling WHERE your Wm Cox lived prior to settling in N.C. The enclosed tabulation shows that there were around 3,000 (probably many more, since not all 1790 Census records have been preserved) men, women and children in the U.S. named COX (various spellings).

I could not possibly have pinpointed so many references to YOUR Wm Cox if I had not done so much work on the name Cox (especially the QUAKER Coxes) in years past.

...

[Below is a transcript of what Johnson wrote but not all of these Coxes are connected to us]

COX of Orange Co., N.C.

1755 Tax List of Orange Co., N.C.

William Cox - 3 white - no black

William Cox - 1 white - no black

Zachariah Cox - 1 white - no black

William Cox, Haw River - 3 white - no black

John Cox - 3 white - no black

Herman Cox - 1 white - no black

1779 Tax List of Orange Co., N.C.

William Cox - assessment: 624 pounds

Isaac Cox - 400 pounds

1781 Tax List of Orange Co. (not 100% complete) - p. 61, folio 3 - William Cox - 110 a. (etc)

Orange Co. marriage bonds (1752- 1800)

1788 - Moses Cox and Margaret Morrow

1789 - Thomas Thompson and Eliza Cox

(1808 next one)

The William Cox who left a will, 1767, Orange Co., N.C., was a Quaker, the subject of my first Cox book. He did not reside in present day Orange County, but in southeast Randolph Co. (From 1752 to 1771, eastern third of present-day Randolph Co. was part of Orange County.) Randloph Co. was part of Guilford Co., 1771-1779. It appears that all Coxes on 1755 Tax List of Orange Co. fell into Guilford (now Randolph) Co., 1771, except one William Cox -- and he, I believe is yours, and he may have lived in that part of Orange Co. which became Alamance Co. in 1849. Your William Cox owned 100 acres on Haw River & Cane Creek, and these two come together near the Orange-Alamance Co. line -- southwest corner of present-day Orange Co., and southeast corner of present-day Alamance Co.

1790 Census, Orange Co., N.C. (census lost, replaced with tax lists): Caswell Distrcit, Orange Co. -- Moses Cox - 120 acres - 1 white poll

1800 Tax List, Orange Co., N.C. - Caswell Dist. [can't read] Cox - 88 & 1/3 acres; 1 white poll

1800 Census, Orange Co., N.C. - p. 157 - Moses Cox - 4 females aged under 10; 1 male & 1 female 10 to 16; 1 female 26 to 45; 1 male over 45.

These Orange Co. land grants and deeds do NOT appear to be for my William Cox, Quaker, so may be for your William Cox:

Orange Co. Deed Book 1, p. 86 - 10 Sept. 1755 - James Danny of Orange Co. to William Cox of same - consideration: 4 Pounds - 70 acres on west side of Eno River. Signed by mark. Witnesses: Wm read, John McGee. Proven Sept. 1755.

Many Orange Co. early deed books lost. In the Archives is what is called ORANGE Co. REGISTRATION OF DEEDS, which lists all deeds 1752-1768 (and a few later). Nov. 1761 - Wm Cox sold 70 acres to John Wood (p. 52, folio 1).

Orange Deed Book 3, p. 599 - 22 April 1772 - John Howlet of Guilford Co., planter to Wm Cox of Orange Co. - consid.: 60 Pounds - 110 acres on ---Haw?-- River and Caine Creek. Signed John his mark Howlet. Witn: Wm White, John his mark Breser, John McElroy. Proven April 1772.

Orange Deed Book 4, p. 310 -13 Oct 1787 - Wm Cox, Sr., of Orange Co., to John Millison of Chatham Co. - consid.: 250 Pounds - 110 acres on Cain Creek and Haw River. Signed by name and by Alce Cox. Wits: James Newlin, Kathrin Whitte, Benja. Pollard. Proven Nov. 1787.

Land Grant Office, Raleigh, N.C., File --faded-- Orange Co., N.C. William Cox 350 acres, ---several faded words from report copy ---- Aug. 176-. Beginning at three sweet gums by New Hope. (Record Book 14, p. 380)

Orange Co. Registration of Deeds. May 1764 - Page 6, Folio 1 - Wm Cox to Charles Johnson - 350 acres, proven by Benja. Saxon.

There MAY be more than one Wm Cox involved above. Note that there were THREE Williams on 1755 Tax List of Orange Co. One was Wm the Quaker; another was your Wm; and there my have been a third Wm buying and selling land.

I feel fairly certain that YOUR Wm is the one who purchased the 110 acres in 1772 and sold the 110 in 1787. He may or may not have owned land earlier in Orange. He sold out in Orange in 1787 and a couple of months later buys land in S.C. Note that in 1787 his wife's name was "Alce" (Alice, Elsie, etc.)

1790 Census of Greenville Co., S.C., also lists an Isaac COCKS. He is probably son of your Wm? [[Per Walter, yes]. Also in Greenville 1790, John and Benja. Cox [[per Walter, not ours]]

Only one item in Orange Co. wills, and I feel certain it is YOUR William Cox, since two of his sons married into that family:

Orange Co. Will Book A, p. 286 - Will of Thomas Breazier - dated 1778 [1770?] - probated 1784. Wife Hannah. 1 shilling each to sons Thomas, John and Aquilla. Two youngest sons: James and Samuel - to them, the land and plantation. Daughters: Elizabeth Jones, Sarah Pyle, Hanah Teague. Youngest daughters: Mary, Cassa, Jean, and Rachel. Executors: John Pyle Sr., WILLIAM COX. Witnesses: Wm Paine, Mary Paine, H. Black, William Cox.

~~~~END OF TRANSCRIPT

For reference (but no relation)

For reference because I keep having to look it up and to try to differentiate: The Quaker Coxes in the North Carolina area (not related to us that we know of but just for reference) are:

Father: William Cox (1692-1767)

His 5 sons: Harmon, William, John, Solomon, & Thomas

Many details from Quaker William Cox Sr.'s will