William Cox (1692-1767)

William Cox and his sons were devout Quakers and hard working farmers.  When the Monarchy in Great Britain started leveying unjust taxes and conficating their land (to give to the cronies of those in power), he had enough and joined the protest against unjust taxes and corruption.  Some researchers feel this was the breaking away from the Quaker Religion because the Quakers are pacifists and opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes.

Will of William Cox taken from "Descendants of Solomon Cox of Cole Creek, VA and Other Early Cox Ancestry of the Cole Creek Coxs" written in 1955, page 17-18.  In the name of God amen. I William Cox of Orange County, in the province of North Carolina -- Being sick in Body but in perfect Senses, praised be God, Do make this my last will & Testament. Imprimis, I give to my son Harmon Cox, that whole tract of Land, on the East side of Deep River, wherone he now lives to him & heirs forever.  Item. I give to my son John Cox, part of the tract of Land I now live on, Beginning for the Division, between him & my son Thomas, at Sycamore or Button wood tree, on the River bank a little below my fence marked with three notches on the West side of the River from thence Running West, till it comes to a Hollow, Leading down to the Mill Creek, thence Down the said Hollow about twenty poles to the Mill Creek, thence up & with the Creek, till it entersect a West Line thencealong the line North to the River thence Down the River to the Beginning, as also that Whole tract of Land lying in the Mill Creek containing two hundred & twenty-five acres above William McFarsons land, both which, Pieces of Land, I give unto my said son John, to him & his heirs.  Item. I give to my son Solomon Cox, that whole tract of land lying on little Brush Creek where Benjamin -- William's formerly lived, where my son Solomon now lives to him & his heirs forever.  Item. I give to my son Thomas Cox the remaining part of the aforesaid tract of Land, I now live on, Divided from my son John by a West line from the Sycamore as aforesaid, having, the Lower end including Mills & Improvements there as also One hundred & Eighty Acres out of the tract my Brothers formerly lived. Beginning at the original -- Beginning W.O. tree Running thence West thrity-five Chains, or one hundred & forty poles to the Corner thence East one hundred & Eighty four poles. Thence, South fifty six pole to the line of the whole Tract. Then North along the said line One hundred & fifteen pole & a half to the first corner W.O thence West, two hundred pole to the first beginning, to him & his heirs forever.  Item. I give to my five sons: Harmon, William, John, Solomon, & Thomas two tenths of the land & mines & tools, Equally Divided, lying on Crawfords Road on the Round Mountain to them & their heirs forever.  Item. I leave to my Daughter Rebecca Dixon in Pennsylvania five Shillings Sterling. Item. I leave to my Daughter Mary Lindley wife to James Lindley five Shillings Sterling. Item. I leave the living stock as they now are with those that has them a keeping. Item. I leave to my Daughter Martha Ferrel wife of William Ferrel three pounds. Item. I leave to my Daughter Marjory Nicholas wife of Isaac Nicholas three pounds. Item. I leave my Daughter Catherine Hunt wife of Elesor Hunt three pounds. Item. I leave to each of my five sons: Harmon, William, John, Solomon, & Thomas, three pounds each.  Item. I leave the rest of my Estate both real & personal in this province or elsewhere, Lands, Goods, & other Effects after the payment of my Just Debts, to the Disposal of my Executors & I do appoint my trusty & well beloved Son & Cousin, William Cox & Isaac Cox, my sole Executors of this my last will & testament. In Witness whereof I have here unto set my hand & seal, this 20th day of the first month of 1767.  Sealed Declared & Published by the within named William Cox for his last will & Testament in the presence of us........... John Cox, William Moffitt, John Allen ______________ Military Service: ABT. 1750 A Member of the Regulators Note:  

Biography and Genealogy of the men in the Flower Swift Militia Company of Montgomery Co., Virginia 1779-1783

Compiled by James A. Quinn, January 2003-February 2009

The names of these men were obtained from two undated, poorly labeled militia musters. One of these is in the Lyman Draper collection at the University of Wisconsin (manuscript 5QQ70) and the other is kept in the archives at Christiansburg, Montgomery Co., Virginia (referred to here as List 3). The two muster lists are similar with 41 of the 64 names on the Draper manuscript repeated on the document at Christiansburg. The manuscript in the Draper collection has been mislabeled by him as a list of Tories and Quakers instead of as a militia roster. The Draper manuscript seems to be the older of the two and dates most likely to either 1780 or 1781. The second roster dates within a year of 1782, most likely. Two other militia rosters for Swift's company also exist, and I believe them to be from 1783 or later (referred to as List 1 and List 2 on the New River Notes Revolutionary War militia roster web page).
Note: Brief biographies for the families that first settled to the west of the Swift Company can be found in THE NEW RIVER FRONTIER SETTLEMENT ON THE VIRGINIA-NORTH CAROLINA BORDER 1760-1820. (by Paula Hathaway Anderson-Green)
 
COX: William, Benjamin, Jesse, Richard (Quakers) and more family members below in the non-Quaker section...(on both lists), also there is a John Cox (Quaker) who is on Draper's list only.
All of these Cox's are descendants of John Cox (abt 1665-1711, m. Rachel Carr) emigrated from Drayton, Berkshire to London Grove, Chester Co., PA. His off-spring are numerous and most seem to have gone to North Carolina with a first stop in Huntington twp., Adams Co., PA.
-- Benjamin Cox He is the son of William Cox and Juliantha Carr.  He was born about 1758 and died 1791 in Hawkins Co., TN. William Cox was born 1726 in Hockessin, New Castle Co., DE and died 1801 in Knox Co., KY. He is the son of William Cox and Catherine Kinkey and this William Sr. is the son of John Cox b. abt 1665 of Drayton. (2) Another poaasibility would be Benjamin Cox b. 1752 in Randolph Co., NC m. Rebecca Cox on 20 July 1775 in Cane Creek MM. He is the son of Benjamin Cox and Martha Garretson. Benjamin Cox Sr. is the son of John Cox and Hannah Jenkins (see Jesse, next, and see Cox on non-Quaker list). It is likely that both of these Benjamins were on the Swift rolls as the Benjamin Cox on the non-Quaker side is probably a disowned Quaker/Regulator. 1782 Montgomery Co., tax list: 1 tithable - 0 slave - 2 horse - 2 cattle. There is no Benjamin Cox on the 1793 Wythe tax list. Neither the Quaker nor the non-Quaker Benjamin Cox were fined by Capt. Swift for not showing for militia duty. Therefore, it is likely that they participated in the militia.
-- Jesse Cox is the son of Samuel Cox b. abt 1720 in Chester or York Co., PA, d. 1791 Randolph Co., NC, who was a member of the Regulators. Samuel was married to Hannah Wierman and migrated to Cane Creek, NC about 1757. Samuel was the son of John Cox and Mary Garretson, who in turn is the son of the original immigrant John Cox of Drayton. The David Herzog GEDCOM identifies this Jesse as the Jesse in Flower Swift's company and says he moved to Crooked Creek in NC and in 1810 may have removed to Grainger Co., TN with his brother Harmon (see below). Jesse married Elizabeth Bedsaul, which makes him the probable brother-in-law of Flower Swift.
1782 Montgomery Co., tax list: 1 tithable - 0 slaves - 6 horse - 9 cattle; On the 1793 Wythe tax list Jesse has 6 horses and no blacks. Jesse Cox was not on the list of those fined by Capt. Swift for missing militia duties.
-- Richard is unplaced. One possibility is the Richard who married Ann Hodgin and is the son of Thomas Cox (a son of John of Drayton) and Mary Cooke. This line goes from London Grove to York Co., PA to Wrightsboro MM, Georgia, then to SC and NC. In 1780 they remove to Bush River MM, SC but there are few records until 1812 when they appear in Greene Co., OH. All other Richard Cox's do not fit. Not on the tax list of 1782 Montgomery or on the 1793 Wythe tax lists. Richard was fined the most heavily of anyone in Swift's company for not showing up for militia functions: Richard Cox 0-12-6
-- Here are the possibilities for William Cox: (1) William b. 1764 the son of Solomon Cox and Ruth Cox. He migrated with his family to Ross Co., OH. Solomon Cox is the son of William Cox and Katherine Kinkey. He was born abt 1730 in New Castle Co., DE and migrated in the 1750s to Cane Creek MM, Orange Co., NC. Solomon's son Solomon is known to have lived for a while in Grayson Co., VA.  Solomon Sr. migrated to Ross county where he died. His wife Ruth Cox was the daughter of John Cox and Hannah Jenkins. Katherine Kinkey's sister Mary was the mother of Herman Husband, the best known leader of the Regulation. After Alamance 1771 Husband was outlawed and he eventually landed in what is now Somerset Co., PA where he lived before the Revolution under the pseudonym "Tuscape Death". This William's father Solomon is thus the first cousin of Herman Husband. (2) William b. 1757, the son of John Cox (1728 DE - 1803 Randolph, NC) & Mary Scarlett. This John Cox's son John (b. 1767) married Margaret Carr, daughter of Thomas Carr and lived in the Chestnut Creek neighborhood (He is John Cox (Chestnut) with 2 tithes, no blacks and 6 horses in the 1793 tax list. (3) There is also William b. 1761 the son of Benjamin Cox and Martha Garrettson. He married Ruth Cox, the daughter of Solomon Cox and Ruth Cox of Grayson Co., VA. William's brother Enoch Cox (b. 1752) and his wife Mary Mackey are buried in the Mt. Pleasant Friends Meeting House on Religion Rd. (off Old Quaker Rd.) in Carroll County. The DAR has placed a Revolutionary War veterans marker on both their graves.
The second William Cox on the 1782 Montgomery Co. tax list: 1 tithable, 0 slaves, 4 horse, 5 cattle. On the 1793 Wythe tax list there is a William in District 2 with 1 tithe, no slaves and a horse. No one named William Cox is on Swift's list of thosed fined for missing militia duties.
--End notes to Cox: The Cox men above and below are likely to be from two families, Solomon Cox m. Ruth Cox, and the family of Samuel Cox and Hannah Wierman. They were first cousins and both were disowned by Cane Creek MM, probably for their participation in the Regulator movement. Their parents, William Cox and John Cox were both sons of John Cox the immigrant. The possible exception is Richard Cox. The blood connection to Herman Husband, best known leader of the Regulation in the William Cox line is interesting.
Quaker Records: Cane Creek MM: 1752- Catherine Cox received from Newark MM and marries Eleazar Hunt; William, Solomon and Thomas received from Newark MM 1753; 1754 - Herman received from Fairfax MM; Feb 2, 1767 - Isaac, Samuel, Solomon William and William Jr. disowned; Feb 3, 1767 - Juliatha and Phebe Cox disowned; April 1, 1769 - Herman Cox disowned; June 1, 1771 Isaac, Samuel and sons Herman and Samuel are disowned. July 1771 Tamer Cox to Bush River MM; March 4, 1773 - Jesse Cox disowned. New Garden MM: 1779 - Rebeckah, Benjamin, Catharine and Juliatha, ch. Of William Cox, received from Cane Creek (certificate dated Dec 1778). They are not found in the Westfield MM records. Some of this family does appear from 1804 onwards in the Lost Creek MM, TN records.
COX: Harmon (not on Draper's list), Benjamin, Samuel (not fit)(Benj. & Sam on Draper's list)(all are disowned Quakers)
Harmon Cox was disowned by the Quakers at Cane Creek MM, 1 June 1771, after the Battle of Alamance (16 May 1771). The Samuel on the Swift rolls who is marked not fit is possibly his father, who was born about 1725 at London Grove, Chester Co., PA and moved to what is now Randolph county, NC or more likely Harmon's brother Samuel (Jr.). Samuel Sr. married Hannah Wierman. Samuel was also disowned by the Quakers on 1 June 1771 for activity with the Regulators. Jesse Cox on the Quaker part of Swift's militia list is another son of Samuel Cox (Sr.) and Hannah Wierman. Samuel was the son of John Cox and Hannah Jenkins. That John was the son of John Cox the immigrant of Drayton, England. Samuel returned to his home in Holly Springs, NC in 1791 and is likely to have migrated to Grainger Co., TN and left a will. See the Quaker list for a description of possibilities for Benjamin Cox. Harmon and Samuel Cox are also on Capt. John Cox's 1777 militia musters. Sam Cox was fined 0-3-0, a minimal amount indicating he made most of the militia musters or was excused for being "unfit". Harmon and Benjamin Cox were not fined by Swift or had paid their fines. It is likely that they participated in militia duties. Harmon is probably the one found with brother Jesse in Grainger Co., TN in the early 1800s.
Samuel Cox Jr., son of Samuel and Hannah Wierman Cox married Martha Cox, daughter of Solomon Cox (son of John Cox and Mary Garrettson).  Samuel Jr. died July 29, 1832 in Whitely Co., Kentucky.  His children do not appear to have married Quakers and the family moved from Kentucky to Livingston Co., Missouri after his death where Martha died in 1845.  Samuel Jr. was disowned with his father and brother Harmon on the same day in 1771 by the Quakers.
Samuel Cox (Sr.) was a first cousin of the Harmon Cox who was convicted of High Treason and is one of the six to be "respited until the King's pleasure could be known." This is the trial at which the six who were condemned were to be executed by being hung, drawn and quartered (see next paragraph). The Harmon Cox who was captured after the Battle of Alamance 1771 by Governor Tryon was born about 1720 and married Jane Johns. He was the first cousin of Herman Husband, one of the best known leaders of the Regulation. It is doubtful that this Harmon would be on the Swift muster as he would be about 60 years old or more in 1782 and was one of the 12 wealthiest men in Randolph county, NC at its founding in 1779. He would have been about 50 at Alamance. This Harmon Cox was known to be a leader in the Regulation and many of the meetings of that movement were held in his mill. The Quaker Cox family is also known to have supported the Whig side in the Revolution. This wealthy Harmon had a son Harmon born in 1757 who married Catherine Cox, a daughter of Samuel Cox and Hannah Wierman (above) which unites these two branches of the Cox family. A listing of which side Regulators took in the Revolution can be found at :
http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/orange/military/revwar/regulatr.txt
By far more people in the Regulator movement were Whigs than Tories. A very influential and mostly well-researched history of the Regulators came to the opposite conclusion and that erroneous conclusion has been passed down as part of the mythology surrounding the Regulation. One study has the count of former Regulators in Orange county, NC as 289 were Whigs, 34 were Tories and 560 avoided taking sides (data from Alamance Historic Site, also given in Leyburn's Scotch Irish History). My studies show similar ratios for those who left the Piedmont of North Carolina.
In L.P. Summer's Annals of Southwestern Virginia (1929): On 7-8 Sept 1779, Samuel Cox is one of those who " were accused of being "inimical to the government" just prior to the formation of the Swift company.
1767-1771 Regulator petitions (Guilford county area): Harmon Cox, Thomas Cox, Samuel Cox
1782 Montgomery Co., tax list: Harmon Cox 1 tithe, 0 slaves, 5 horse, 11 cattle. Benjamin (cannot tell if it is this Benjamin or the Quaker one), 1 tithe, 0 slave, 2 horse, 2 cattle. Samuel Cox: 1 tithe, 13 horse, 15 cattle. Harmon Cox is not on the 1793 Wythe tax list. Benjamin and Samuel Cox are apparently not on the 1793 Wythe list either. See http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/mckstmerreg.htm for more information on the trial of Harmon Cox.
Connections of the Quaker Cox families to Herman Husband: Husband's first wife was Elsey or Phebe Cox, parents not known; Husband's aunt Catherine Kinkey was the mother or grand mother of several of the Cox's on the Swift militia roster - Catherine's father Herman is the origin of the Herman and Harmon name in the Husband and Cox families; the step-father of his third wife was Isaac Cox, s/o Thomas Cox and Elizabeth Fincher - and it was to Isaac's hunting camp in western Pennsylvania that Husband fled to after the Battle of Alamance.

Battle of Alamance

During the years leading up to the American Revolution many North Carolina people became strongly discontented with the way the provincial government was handling the colony's affairs. However, their quarrel was not with the form of government or the colony's laws but with abuses by government officials.
Grievances affecting the daily lives of the colonists included excessive taxes, dishonest sheriffs, and illegal fees. Scarcity of money contributed to the state of unrest. Those living in the western part of the province were isolated and unsympathetic with the easterners and it was in those frontier counties that the War of the Regulation began.
Minor clashes occurred until the spring of 1768, when an association of "Regulators" was formed. Wealthier colonists considered them to be a mob. The Regulators never had an outstanding leader, though several men were prominent in the movement; including James Hunter, Rednap Howell, William Butler, and Herman Husband. Husband, a Quaker and follower of Benjamin Franklin, circulated political pamphlets advocating peaceful reform. 
 
Discouraged over failing to secure justice through peaceful negotiations, the reformers took a more radical stand. Violence, lawlessness, and terrorism reigned. When the government retaliated against them, the Regulators defiantly refused to pay fees, terrorized those who administered the law, and disrupted court proceedings.
It fell to royal governor William Tryon to bring the backcountry revolt to a speedy conclusion. In March 1771, the governor's council advised Tryon to call out the militia and march against the rebel farmers.

Volunteers for the militia were mustered. When the expedition finally got under way, Gen. Hugh Waddell was ordered to approach Hillsborough by way of Salisbury, with Cape Fear and western militia at his command. Tryon and his army proceeded more directly toward Hillsborough. Waddell, with only 284 men, was challenged on his way by a large groups of Regulators. Since he was outnumbered, the general decided to turn back. On May 11, Governor Tryon and his forces left Hillsborough intending to rescue Waddell. After resting on the banks of Alamance Creek in the heart of Regulator country, Tryon gathered his army of approximately a thousand men. Five miles away, 2,000 Regulators had assembled.
 
 
The battle began on May 16 after the Regulators rejected Tryon's suggestion that they disperse peacefully. Lacking leadership, organization, and adequate arms and ammunition, the Regulators were no match for Tryon's militia. Many Regulators fled, leaving their bolder comrades to fight on.
The rebellion of the Regulators was crushed. Nine members of the king's militia were killed and 61 wounded. The Regulator losses were much greater, though exact numbers are unknown. Tryon took 15 prisoners; seven were hung later. Many Regulators moved on to other frontier areas beyond North Carolina. Those who stayed were offered pardons by the governor in exchange for pledging an oath of allegiance to the royal government.
The War of the Regulation illustrates how dissatisfied much of the population was during the days before the American Revolution. The boldness displayed by reformers opposed to royal authority provided a lesson in the use of armed resistance, which patriots employed a few short years later in the American
War for Independence.
 
Taken from North Carolina Historical Sites  http://www.nchistoricsites.org/alamance/alamanc.htm

The Cox family escaped this decree and fought in the Revolutionary war a few years later.

 

William Cox * (1692 - 1767)

is our 5th great grandfather

Solomon Cox * (1738 - 1812)

Son of William Cox and Catherine Kinkey

Enoch Cox * (1757 - 1840)

Son of Solomon Cox and Amy Naomi Hussey

Phoebe Hinton Cox * (1788 - 1848)

Daughter of Enoch Cox and Gertrude Cox

Noah Stewart * (1828 - 1897)

Son of Phoebe Hinton Cox and James Stewart

Mary Lou Ella Stewart * (1883 - 1938)

Daughter of Noah Stewart and Mary Springer

Doran Edgar Lute * (1901 - 1982)

Son of Mary Lou Ella Stewart and Charles William Lute