Descendants of William Cox of England

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Generation #1

William Cox of England

Where do we find this William in history. Many researchers have been quick to claim Emey Cox, who married John Allen, as belonging to one of the John Coxes of New Castle on Delaware or Chester Co PA. However from her 5/1719 marriage record, we learn that Emey's father's name was William. Additionally, children of William Cox who married Emmetje Van der Coelen are recorded at the Old Swede Church at New Castle on Delaware born in the 1710s and 1720s. Thus, that William would be too young to be the father of Emey.

There was a William and a Thomas Cox who were witnesses at Richard Cox's wedding. Were they father and son or two Cox brothers?

William Cox was born in about 1665 in England. Perhaps, he was born to a Quaker family. In about 1690, William married an unnamed spouse. Her name has been postulated to be Emey Smith. Whenever the family immigrated to the Pennsylvania Colony, they became part of the migration stream of Welsh and English Quakers to Pennsylvania.

The family is first recorded in New Garden TWP, Chester Co PA. Perhaps, William co-located with son Richard. They, probably, were farmers. But, nothing definitive is known of William and his wife Emey.

Chester Co PA Quaker Records:
Authorized by Kennett Mtg held at Center on 3mo/May 2, 1719, he [John Allen] having produced a Certificate from New Garden Mtg dated 1mo/Mar 14, 1719 in order to marry Amy 'Cocks' and her "father William Cox having been heard."
Dec 15, 1726. Chichester MM, Chester Co PA:
"Richard Cox, yeoman of London Grove to Elizabeth Scarlet, spinster of Chichester."
Witnesses were Humphrey and Ann Scarlet; William and Thomas Cox; John & Rebecca Scarlet, Thomas, John and Elizabeth Dutton, John and Elizabeth Hurford, Nathan and Hannah Wood, et al.

    Children

After diligent research on the prospective siblings for Thomas Cox, I have come to agree with the analysis by Jerry F Richmond of Downers Grove IL.

    Quaker Collection: Cox Line [0183] <http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~jrichmon/> 7 September 2020.

    1. John Cox b. 1686 in England

    2. Ann Cox

Gerrit Jansen, the smith, died after 1693, survived by at least one son, Jan Gerritsen, who married Abiah Edgerts [aka Ann Egge]. 

    "1671 Census of the Delaware" <https://nc-chap.org/cranehook/1671census.php> 19 August 2020

New Castle Will Bk B, pp. 13, 14:
Jan Garretson's 1694 Will states: "Three sons, Garott, Casper and Cornelius after the decease of Ann [their] mother..."
Delaware Wills, Miscellaneous Bk 1, p. 90:
Casparus Gerritsen Will is extant. Executor wife Anne.

New Castle MM:
16 3M 1728. William Cox signed Marriage Certificate for Ann (Cox) Garretson & Nathan Hussey.

    3. William Cox of Hockessin

Research Note: There is no proof that the William Cocks of New Castle who married Emey Van der Coelen had a son William. But if he had, that William would have been about 19 years old at best at the time of the 1635 land sale.

Newark MM, New Castle co, DE in 1730 granted liberty to hold a meeting for worship on 6th day of the week every week until further notice at the house of William Cox in New Castle County on Delaware.
Delaware, Land Records, 1677-1947, New Castle 003, Vol K 1, p. 295:
19 Feb 1735. William & Amy Cox of Newcastle mortgaged to William Cox of Ocashon [Hockessin] for £15.15 + interest, a tract of land in Newcastle Co on the north side of Christiana Creek - included all bldgs, orchards, timber, etc. The history provided in the deed: 1683 to H. Dull; then 1694 to H. Vandenburgh; then 1695 to Reynier VanCoolen; then 1695 to Luke Embly; then 1734 to William Cox. The mortgage due and payable by 6 Feb 1740. 
New Garden MM Record:
1735 8mo (Oct) 9. John Cox of Londongrove [s/o Mary Gerritsen] mar. Mary Harlin.
Among Cox witnesses: two Marys, two Williams, Samuel, Richard, Rebecca, two Johns, and Ann.
N.C. Will Book A (1752-1788), p. 53:  
Will of William Cox:
In the name of God amen. I William Cox of Orange County, in the province of North Carolina. . .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, whereon 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. . .Leading down to the Mill Creek. . .thence along 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. . .having, the Lower end including Mills & Improvements there as also One hundred & Eighty Acres out of the tract my Brothers formerly lived. . .
-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 of 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 [s/o Thomas], my sole Executors of this my last will & testament. 
In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal, this 20th day of the first month of 1767. 
Sealed Declared & Published by the within named William Coxfor his last will &Testament in the presence of us. . .John Cox, William Moffitt, John Allen.
Randolph County Historic Landmark Preservation Commission Minutes, Asheboro, North Carolina:
March 24, 2010. Mill Creek Friends Cemetery aka "Old Stone Graveyard" is located at the southeast corner of 1871 Mill Creek Road, in Ramseur, NC and contains around two hundred graves located on land that was originally part of a very large estate acquired through land grants and purchases by William Cox. The Mill Creek Friends Cemetery has been called the Old Stone Graveyard because most of the graves are marked only with unlabeled markers or stones from the area. Many of the stones have been moved, not realizing they were grave markers. Mill Creek Preparatory Meeting was established in "Cox's Settlement" in the 1750/1760s, as an outgrowth of Cane Creek Friends Meeting in Orange (now Alamance) County. After the War of the Regulation and the Revolution when the area was under the control of David Fanning, the Mill Creek Meeting lapsed. About 1790, a new group, Holly Spring Preparatory Meeting, was established and became an independent Friends Meeting. The Mill Creek cemetery was used until a cemetery was established at Holly Spring. It is still maintained by Holly Spring Meeting. This cemetery is the resting place for William Cox and many of his decedents.

    Find-a-Grave, "William Cox" <https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/115077675/william-cox> 21 August 2020.

    4. Thomas Cox b. 1694 New Castle Co PA (now DE)

    5. Richard Cox

Research Note: It is not possible to separate out records for this Richard Cox, who married Elizabeth Scarlet, and Richard Cox, the purported son of John and Rachel Cox. Richard, son of John and Rachel, did not marry until 1733. Perhaps he co-located with his parents and never appeared in the many tax records.

Chester Co PA Deeds, Book G p. 29:
3/22/1722. Richard Cox bought 200 acres in London Tract from London Company.
New Garden MM Record:
1726 09mo 5. Richard Cox get [gentl of] Chichester MM to mar. Elizabeth Scarlett.
Dec 15, 1726. Chichester MM, Chester Co PA:
"Richard Cox, yeoman of London Grove to Elizabeth Scarlet, spinster of Chichester."
Witnesses were Humphrey and Ann Scarlet; William and Thomas Cox; John & Rebecca Scarlet, Thomas, John and Elizabeth Dutton, John and Elizabeth Hurford, Nathan and Hannah Wood, et al.
1735 8mo (Oct) 9. New Garden MM. John Cox of Londongrove [s/o Mary Gerritsen] mar. Mary Harlin.
Among Cox witnesses: two Marys, two Williams, Samuel, Richard, Rebecca, two Johns, and Ann.

Chester Co PA Probate:
Richard Cox mentioned as son-in-law in the will of Humphrey Scarlett of Chichester. Proved 27 Mar 1746.

    6. Emey Cox

Why Emey is in this family:
-The Emey Cox (b. 1698) who married John Allen and the William Cox (b. c. 1685) who married Emey Van der Coelen are, effectively, the same age.
-Therefore, Emey cannot be the daughter of William and Emey.
-Additionally, there is no proof that Emey is the sister of William who married Emey.
-Emey was the sister of Richard Cox who married Elizabeth Scarlet.
-Emey's son, John Allen II married Phebe Scarlet, Elizabeth's niece.
-Thus, we have the Coxes, the Allens and the Scarlets functioning as a cousinage.

Newark/Centre/Kennett Mo Mtg Minutes, p. 68:
"John Allen Late of ye Kingdom of Ireland" produced a Certificate dtd 2mo/Apr 3, 1714 to Marlborough Mtg (under London Grove Mtg)
New Garden MM Record:
1718/19 1mo 14. John Allen req. cert. to Center MM to mar. Amy Cocks.
Chester Co PA Quaker Records:
Authorized by Kennett Mtg held at Center on 3mo/May 2, 1719, he [John Allen] having produced a Certificate from New Garden Mtg dated 1mo/Mar 14, 1719 in order to marry Amy 'Cocks' and her "father William Cox having been heard."
Chester Co PA Will Book E, Vol 5, pp. 283-286:
Will of John Allen. Proved 5 Nov 1771, made provisions for his wife Emey.

Generation #2

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This site is provided for reference only. Except where specifically cited, information contained is conjecture and should not be considered as fact.
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