William Cox

William Cox's estimated birth was around 1730-1735, location unknown. (Note: He is NOT "William Richardson Cox" that so many ancestry.com, LDS and other databases have mistaken him and merged the two people into one. They have his father and mother and direct line listed mistakenly. I would love for this to be true because we'd know who his parents were, but it's NOT. We have primary sources and even DNA that prove that these are two different families. This is yet another frustrating perpetuation by people who don't do original research or use primary sources. More about sourcing and why they are NOT the same person)

His first wife was "Alce" or "Alic" or Alice. Not much is known about her. All children listed below are believed from her. He married Mary Langford (a widow) sometime before September 1799.

Mary Langford Cox died May 9, 1844, age 95, so that would put her born around 1749. This would make it more likely that she was indeed William's second (and younger) wife and too young to be mother of the known 9 children (some other family trees around the internet have her and "Alce" as the same person -- NOT so!).

>> More about William's two wives including Mary's first husband

William was in Orange County, North Carolina, in the (we believe) 1750s but certainly by 1760s/1770s. He sold everything and moved to Greenville County, South Carolina, in the late 1780s. He migrated with many of his adult children and their families, along with families who are intermarried all with the Coxes: the Longs, Blacks, Payne/Paines, Lees and the Brashiers/Brazures/Breaziers.

>> More about William and families' land records in North Carolina and land records in South Carolina

William Cox died in 1814 in Greenville County, South Carolina, burial site unknown. >>See will/heirs and court info in Documents. His estate was administered on November 25, 1814, by his son, Abraham Cox. Final division of his property was made to his wife and children on January 4, 1819. One-third was given to his wife and the other two-thirds was divided equally among his children.

From Walter Cox, a descendent from William Jr., in a letter to my family in 1993: "Now getting to William Cox from N.C. As you will see, he came to Greenville Co., S.C. in 1787. Some believe earlier, but I don't think so. If he did, his family wasn't with him. There is a story floating around that I heard my grandmother tell many times that when William Cox came to Greenville Co., he moved his entire family with him. They came by covered wagon and horseback. There were grandchildren also. After his wife Alice died, he married Mary Langford. All of William's children are by his 1st wife Alice."

More info from Walter Cox about pinpointing "our" William Cox

William and Alice/Alce/Alic had at least 9 children and all are believed to have been born in North Carolina. (Note: Some Census has as NC birth but it's not proven yet -- it's just been passed down that they were born in NC). "There may have been two other children since his property was divided into eleven shares other than his wife's share," according to "A Family History of The Cox Family" book, compiled in 1982 by Austin Delbert Cox of Texas.

Their known children were:

1. Rachel Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Died 1824. Married Thomas Long.

2. Sithey Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Married James Brashier, who died in 1834.

3. Isaac Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Died before March 31, 1830. Unknown spouse. (He is listed by himself in William's 1814 will)

4. Hannah Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Died before 1818. Married Samuel Brashier.

5. Cathrine (or Katherine) Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Married Francis Lee.

6. William Cox Jr. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Died in 1798. Married Connie Baker (b. 1760 d. after 1850. She married second time to William Richardson)

7. Sarah Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Married William Brashier.

8. Rebecca Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Married George Croft (who died 1844).

9. Abraham Cox. Born in Orange County, North Carolina. Married Nancy Payne.

Some of this information was obtained from records found in the Greenville County Courthouse, South Carolina, and copied by Lula Cox Monroe and passed to us by Walter Cox.