John and Mary/Mercy Taylor Cox

We have only a little information about John Cox by way of the family Bible and his Will.

The Bible, apparently originally belonging to Jerusha Hitchcock, first wife of Phineas Hull, and mother of Dorcas Hull, has a listing of the children of Phillip Cox and Dorcas Hull Cox. John is the first listed with a text that appears to say, “October 20, 1703 was borne John Cox The sonne of Phillip Cox at Twelve A Clock At Noone.” The Bible goes on to list additional children named Phillip, Fines, Jacob, Elizabeth, and Mary, At the end of the list, a note adds “Elizabeth Cox her book god gave her grace there in to look and wen the bell for her give toll the lord of heven Reserve her sole.” It is not clear when these children and dates were recorded. Elizabeth is included in the Will that was written by Phillip in 1727.

With a birth date of October 20, 1703 for John, we also have an approximate death date that is based on his Will. John’s will was written on June 24, 1767, and it was recorded on February 13, 1768, with an inventory completed on February 1, 1768. In the Will, John lists his wife as Mary, and his children as Jacob, Samuel, Mary, Dorcas, Phinis, Elizabeth, John, Marcey, Benjamin, and William. Interestingly, the executors of the Will are to be Mary, John’s (the writer of the will) wife, and Moses Ayers, husband of John’s daughter, Dorcas.

An inventory of the estate is made by Nathaniel Ayers and Thomas Terrill. Witnesses include Ephraim Drake, Benonia Ayston, and Philip Hoffman. None of the sons are witnesses, executors, or are involved with the inventory. That suggests that the sons are not local, or are for some reason unable to fulfill the responsibility. The hints we have found from other names include: 1) Philip Hoffman in an online family tree who was said to be married to a Marcy with no surname given. Perhaps he is married to Marcy Cox They had children named Dorcas and Mary/Marcy. Philip Hoffman was said to be of German descent, and born in Pennsylvania; 2) Ephraim Drake is connected to a Drake family closely associated with the Cox and Hull families. The Drakes and Hulls are in transactions together in the 1670’s. As it turns out Ephraim is from the same extended family of a James Drake who purchased items at the estate sale of Samuel Cox (b. 1770) in eastern Tennessee in 1808. An older cousin of Ephraim named Samuel Drake married Elizabeth Hull, a cousin of Dorcas Hull. There is another Samuel Drake, who is also a cousin, b. 1719, who marries a Mary Cox, and they have a daughter named Elizabeth. Though others have said Mary is from Henrico County, Virginia, it seems more likely that she is part of this family. There is some speculative evidence that Benoni Austin married a Mercy Thompson, who may be part of the William Thomson family. William Thomson witnessed Phillip Cox’s will in 1728.

A land record in 1722/23 may shed additional light on the relationship between Phillip’s son, John, and the Fulkerson family mentioned above.

22 mar 1722/23.  Samuel Royce, of Piscataqua, Middlesex Co. NJ, Gent sells to John Vanhorne, of NY City, NY, merchant, for 25, for two tr of land in Somerset Co.  ONE, adjoining th rear of land of William Post on the w side of Millstone River, beg at the S.w. corner of land form. Of Cataline Brockaw on sd. River and then along the line and along the rear line of land form. John Cobus, and then to beg. Being 708 a. ALSO, a tr of land in Somerset Co adjoining the e. side of Royce Brook beg at the s.w. corner of Dirick Folker’s land on sd. Millstone and along the line of John Spreed, and then to sd. Brook and down same to corner of sd. Folker’s land and then to the beg., being 8.5 a.; bnd n.w. by Clement Elsworth, e. part by sd. Folker and part by Speed’s land, s. by John Speed’s land. Wits.: John Harrison, Alexander Macdowall. Signed: Samuel Royce. Ackn: 22 Mar 1722/23. Samuel Royce apprd. Bef. William Eier, Exqr. Judge, Middlesex Co.

 This record shows Samuel Royce selling land near the land sold by John Royce to Direk Volkartsee, and witnessed by Philip Coxe in 1701. This transaction is adjoining the land of Dirick Folker. Notice that John Cobus has been transcribed as having adjoining land. It seems more likely that this is John Cox, son of Phillip. John would have to have been given or purchased the land from his father at an early age—he was 19 in 1722, but his father promised him only money in writing his will in 1728, while giving the house and land to the two other brothers. We have found no records for a person named John Cobus in the area at that time, though we have found the first name Cobus a little later. We have not seen the original record to evaluate whether the transcription could be questioned, so this record is speculative as to whether it truly belongs to John Cox.

However, we know that Dirck Volkartsee’s grandchild, Fulker Fulkerson, purchased land on the same day and adjoining land that was purchased by John’s son, Jacob, in southern Virginia in 1759. This suggests the possibility that Jacob and Fulker were relatively close neighbors when the grew up.