Go to Summary of Jacob’s marriages and children
It appears that Jacob may have arrived in Halifax County, Virginia by as early as 1755, when he had land surveyed on Horse Pasture Creek. Horse Pasture Creek begins a little northwest of Martinsville, Virginia, and flows south to the North Mayo River, about 2.5 miles north of the Virginia/North Carolina border. It is not clear that Jacob ever purchased or lived on this land, but in 1758 and 1759, Jacob bought two parcels of land from George Walton that were said to be on the north side of the South Mayo River. The transactions were witnessed by George Watkins, Shadrack Tribble, and James Dillard. On August 17, 1758, Jacob purchased 200 acres, and another amount of acres (apparently unreadable on the deed). At the same time, Fulker Fulkerson bought 499.5 acres from the same person, and with the same witnesses. The land belonging to Jacob and Fulker was said to join at one corner.
Fulker, and his father, Frederick, were part of Jacob’s story, as well as Jacob’s brother, Samuel, several times. This is an important connection because Frederick’s father, Volcker (Dirck), had a land transaction witnessed by Philip Cox, father of John Cox, whose Will is listed above. That transaction was in Somerset County, New Jersey, some 40 years earlier. This certainly gives us reason to believe that the Jacob Cox who is the son of John is the same Jacob who buys land on the South Mayo River.
It is at about this time that a Phillip Cox is born in the area. Phillip left a paper trail through his Revolutionary War Pension application. In it, he says he was born in 1755 on the Mayo River in Halifax County, Virginia. He will show up as a tithable in the household of Jacob in Henry County, Virginia, in 1778 and 1779. This creates another connection between Jacob Cox and the Phillip Cox in Somerset County, New Jersey.
In 1758, John P. Cox is born. We do not know his parents for certainty, but the best guess of the moment is that he is a nephew of Jacob. Some also report that Rebecca Cox was born in this year, though we have not seen corroborating evidence. Rebecca was probably a daughter of Jacob since one of her children acted as an executor for the Will of Samuel Cox (b.1770 and Jacob’s son) in 1809. She was the second wife of John Talley/Tally.
In 1762, Jacob expanded his land holdings. He purchased 89 acres from Robert Wooding on both sides of Stinking River at Thomas Faris’ corner and Joseph Mayes line. It appears this was a business transaction for Jacob because he began building a mill on the property. In August of 1762, Jacob was told to procession land with Thomas Mustain, Thomas and Joe Faris, and John Payne. Thomas Mustain eventually became the grandfather of Presley Buckner, who married Nancy Cox (daughter of Jacob Cox). In November, Fulker Fulkerson sold 370 acres of the land he had on the South Mayo River to either his father or brother, Frederick Fulkerson. Thomas Cox is born in 1762, according to his Revolutionary War Pension Application.
Jacob began selling land in 1763, and he had a busy day on June 16. He sold 119 acres to James Roberts on both sides of Green Creek on the Mayo River, 100 acres to Leonard Vandergriff on the north side of the South Mayo River (Both said to be part of an earlier grant to Robert Walton—probably the land Jacob bought from George Walton), and the 89 acres of land he purchased from Robert Wooding in 1762. This land on the Stinking River is a bit different from the others. He bought it for 10 pounds, and sold it for 70 pounds after holding it for less than a year; however, the land has a grist mill that is under construction, and Jacob has to finish it. Jacob sells the land to Fulker Fulkerson, his neighbor on the South Mayo River. This probably does not leave Jacob landless. Since we don’t have the acreage for one of his purchases in 1758, we only know that it was 200 and another purchase. In 1763, he sold a total of 219 acres in the area of the Mayo River. We will also find that Jacob continued to have land close to the Bannister River, though we don’t have a record of the purchase. We also learn from these transactions on June 16, 1763, that Jacob is married to Anna. She relinquishes her right of dower on the land he is selling. It is the only definitive record we have found for a name for his wife.
Phineas Cox, probably a nephew of Jacob, was born in 1764.
Jacob Cox is listed as being a neighbor in a land transaction on the Stinking River in 1766. We do not have a record of when he got that land.
In 1767, Jacob’s father, John Cox, wrote his will back in Sussex County, New Jersey. Jacob is listed as a son.
The following year, 1768, Jacob Cox, Jr. is born. Perhaps Jacob was feeling a need for a way to pass his own name along after his father died.
On August 5, 1769, a Jacob Cox sold land to James Gilliam in Cumberland County, Virginia. The deed was recorded on February 26, 1770. At first glance, this seems a bit far away to be our Jacob. However, the transaction is witnessed by Drury Woodson and Samuel Taylor, and it bounds land owned by John Woodson, Henry Dillon, Carter Henry Harrison, and John Carter. Drury Woodson is said to be a brother of Jesse Woodson, and Jesse Woodson is a witness to a land transaction between Jacob Cox and Fulker Fulkerson in Pittsylvania County, in 1770. John may be the father of Jesse Woodson, but that is not proven. John Woodson was married to Elizabeth Hughes.
The names of Carter Henry Harrison and John Carter are an important hint about this land’s location, as well as providing additional information for us. Carter Henry Harrison was the son of Benjamin Harrison (and brother of the Benjamin Harrison who signed the Declaration of Independence. John Carter was the son of Robert Carter and Judith Arimstead, and half-brother of Ann Carter, the wife of Benjamin Harrison. This only becomes important when we find that Ashford Hughes sold 400 acres of land to William Dillon in 1734, and that land was bounded by Benjamin Harrison and John Carter (along with John Bolling). According to the 1769 land transaction, Jacob purchased the land from William Dillon. This is undoubtedly the same land that Ashford Hughes sold to William Dillon in 1734. That land is said to be on the south side of the James River between Muddy Creek and the Willis River. Ashford appears to be the brother of Stephen Hughes, whose daughter, Elizabeth, married John Woodson. Ashford and Stephen are grandchildren of Rice Hughes, who is also the direct ancestor of Archaleus Hughes, who witnessed a land transaction for Jacob Cox on the Mayo River that was bought from George Walton.
Samuel Taylor was the son of Richard Taylor, and was married to Sophia Childress. Their son, Joseph Taylor, married Judith Gilliam, daughter of James Gilliam and Catherine Manning. There was a Manning family in New Jersey that tied into the Hull family, but we have not found whether Catherine is part of that family. Phillip’s (son of Jacob) pension application includes a statement that one of Jemima’s brothers was named Drury Taylor. (Connection to Drury Woodson?) It is also possible that this Samuel Taylor ties in some way back to Jacob’s grandparents on the Taylor side. This Samuel Taylor’s father, Richard Taylor, would be about the same age as Jacob’s mother Mary/Mercy Taylor Cox. We haven’t found a connection between them at this point. The Woodson family is connected to the Walton and Hughes families. Jacob and Fulker both bought land from George Walton, and Arch Hughes is in a couple of transactions with Jacob. All of these families appear to have migrated to southern Virginia.
The complicating factor with this transaction is that Jacob’s wife relinquishes her dower, and her name is Mary rather than Anna. If this is the same Jacob Cox, then Jacob’s first wife, Anna, died between 1763 and 1769. If Phillip and Thomas are part of this household, they have a different mother than Samuel, Nancy, or William. Jacob, Jr. could be the child of either mother. This would also mean that we could look for the family of Mary from the area of Halifax or Cumberland County, Virginia.
On June 26, 1770, John Woodson and John Hughes sell 200 acres of land to Jacob Cox in Cumberland County. The land is bounded by Nicholas Davies, John Alexander, and Benj. Dumas and Co. Jacob is not identified as to where he resides. (The Valentine Papers, Page 1839.)
The timing of land transactions is also somewhat problematic, not because of the timing as much as because of where Jacob is said to be residing in those transactions. On August 5, 1769, Jacob is said to be of Cumberland County, Virginia. However, on July 28, 1769, Jacob sold land to Henry France. At that time, he was said to be of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. When Jacob buys land from Fulker Fulkerson on January 29, 1770, he is said to be of Pittsylvania County, Virginia. Assuming accuracy in records as to where Jacob was living, he would have moved from Pittsylvania County between July 28 and August 5, 1769, but he was already selling the land to which he had just moved. Obviously, this can’t be correct; yet, the transaction in Pittsylvania County is witnessed by Jesse Woodson and Arch. Hughes, two people with likely ties to Cumberland County. There are so many connections among the people that we tend to believe that it is the same Jacob Cox, and that the listing of residences simply suggests that he owned these lands at the same time. The debate, however, is not fully settled.
Jacob and Mary sell land in Cumberland County to Daniel Johnson in 1772, establishing a mortgage on his behalf, with Mary relinquishing her dower rights. (We have not found access to the full deed, so we do not have an indication of whether Jacob was said to be living in this county or not. It could be land that he had not sold until this time when he moved back to Pittsylvania County.) The name, Daniel Johnson, presents a significant clue. Drury Woodson’s daughter, Judith, married Isaac Johnson, a son of Joseph Johnson. The name of Daniel is frequently used in this family. Isaac’s sister, Elizabeth married Josiah Foster, Sr., and they would become the grandparents of Roxanna Foster, wife of Coleman Cox (b. 1793 and son of Samuel, and grandson of Jacob). Out of the same extended family of Johnsons, a Claiborne Johnson was born around 1756-59. He was nearly the same age as Phillip Cox, son of Jacob, and both migrated to northwest South Carolina. Claiborne Johnson’s descendants match Y-DNA with a descendant of Phillip Cox, and we think it is possible that this came from John Johnson, a family physician living next door to one of Phillip’s grandchildren in about 1870, Gordon County, Georgia. We have not yet proven how John Johnson is related to Claiborne. John was born around 1734 and appears to have been the son of Pleasant Johnson, but Pleasant’s ancestry is not confirmed. At the least, there is a common migration path for these two families. The connection of the Foster family with the Woodson/Johnson families seems to increase the likelihood that the Jacob Cox in Cumberland County is the same Jacob Cox.
On November 7, 1770, Jacob has land surveyed in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. It is 293 acres on the north side of the Mayo River.
At some point early in the year of 1770, Samuel Cox is born. Based on transactions for Jacob in Cumberland County, his mother’s name is Mary. On April 1, 1771, Nancy is born, and another child, William, may have been born in 1772 or 1773.
By 1771, Jacob is on the move again. He is listed in Surry County, North Carolina with one tithable. It is possible that he simply moved across the line from Virginia to North Carolina, or that his property was in both states. He is listed in 1772 with two tithables, which might be explained by Phillip coming of age. Turning 16 in 1772 would give Phillip a birth year of 1756. This, 1772, is also the year that Phillip is said to have married Jemima Taylor. Also listed as tithables in 1772, in Surry County, North Carolina, were a Drury Taylor and a James Taylor. Jemima was said to have a brother named Drury, suggesting that Drury could be her older brother, and James her father, or Drury could be her father.
Again, 1772 is the year that Jacob and Mary Cox sell land to Daniel Johnson back in Cumberland County, Virginia.
In 1773, Jacob sells the land he bought from Fulker Fulkerson in 1770. The deed record says he is of Surry County of the province of North Carolina, and he sells the land to John Sims. Henry France, Arch Hughes, and Frederick Fulkerson are witnesses. The land was sold in March, 1773, and recorded in November of that year.
On December 24, 1773, Jacob Cox buys land back in Pittsylvania County, Virginia from Henry Lansford. He sold 119.5 acres of land to John Sims for 45 pounds of Virginia money, and he purchased 236 acres of land for 27 pounds on both sides of Stewarts Creek of the Ararat River. Jacob is again said to be from the County of Surry, province of North Carolina, and the deed is witnessed by George Brittain and Henry Lansford, Snr.
In 1776, Henry County is formed from Pittsylvania County’s western edge, which includes the land that Jacob purchased in 1773. He has now moved from Pittsylvania County to Henry County without moving.
In 1777 John P. Cox marries Sarah Nunnelly in Henry County, Virginia. We believe John P. is a nephew of Jacob.
In 1778, Jacob is listed as a tithable, along with Phillip, in Henry County, Virginia. In 1779, they are listed again, in reverse order, and John is listed alongside them. We do not know who John is. If he is another son who just turned 16, it is a child we have not discovered anywhere else. It could be John P. Cox who was serving in the war the previous year, but is now home. However, Y-DNA suggests John P. is probably not the son of Jacob.
In 1778, Jacob sells land to Daniel Carlin on the Ararat River. It is the 236 acres on both sides of Stewarts Creek that he purchased in 1773. Jacob sells the land for 90 pounds, turning a nice profit of 63 pounds in a 5-year-period.
By 1780, Jacob disappears from the Tithable list in Henry County, but he receives a land grant of 293 acres on the south side of the South Mayo River, adjoining Walton’s line. This sounds as if it is in the neighborhood of land he had already owned.
Jacob headed west from there, having 59 acres of land surveyed in Washington County, North Carolina (later Tennessee), February 11, 1782, on the north side of the north fork of the Holstein River, listed as Treasury Warrant 10880. It is not clear whether Jacob moved to this land or not. Lewis Whitener had land in the same Treasury Warrant, as did a John Weaver, who is otherwise unknown to us.
In 1784, Jacob received land grant 1306 in Sullivan County, North Carolina, an area that later became northeastern Tennessee. His daughter, Rebecca, married John Tally in the same year. John Tally, Lewis Weidener, and John Miller, all neighbors or with family connections, received land grants along with Jacob that year.
On November 22, 1788, Jacob sold what is likely the land from his grant to Samuel Cox, undoubtedly his son who has just turned 18. Jacob sold 200 acres, including “the plantation on which he now lives” in Sullivan County on the headwaters of Horse Creek and Lick Creek. Isaac White and John Tally, Jacob’s son-in-law, are witnesses. Jacob is listed as Jacob Cox, Sr. Today, it appears that Horse Creek and Lick Creek come together just a mile southwest of Fall Branch, Tennessee, on Interstate 81. Lick Creek is just on the south side of the interstate, and a tributary of Horse Creek is just on the north side.
Jacob’s younger children had reached marrying age. In 1789, Nancy married Presley Buckner in Sullivan County. In 1790, Jacob, Jr. married Mary Widner (Witner, Weidner) in Hawkins County, which had just been formed out of Sullivan County. Samuel also got married in 1790 to Catherine Bruce; however, he traveled back to Halifax County, Virginia, for the marriage.
It seems likely that Jacob moved further south into Grainger/Knox/Union County, Tennessee. In 1803, Jacob Cox sold 200 acres of land in Grainger County to Jacob Sharp. It is not clear whether this is Jacob Cox, Sr. or Jacob Cox, Jr. We have not seen a record of the land being purchased.
In 1806, Catherine Cox, wife of Samuel and daughter-in-law of Jacob, died. Two years later, Samuel got in a fight with the brother of his new wife and was beaten severely. By the summer of 1808, he had written a Will, listing Jacob Cox, Sr. as one of the witnesses. Jacob Cox, Jr. also wrote a Will in 1808. Both of Jacob, Sr.’s, sons died within a short time. It would appear that Jacob, Sr. may have also died in this time period. A Grainger County census and tax list for 1810 lists 200 acres for Jacob Cox heirs, and 15 acres for Samuel Cox heirs. The listing is repeated in 1814 and 1815. While it is not clear whether the listing for Jacob is for father or son, it seems that Jacob, Jr. had maintained his property in Hawkins County rather than Grainger. In addition, Jacob, Sr. would be over the age of 80 by this time. Even though Jacob, Sr., is listed as an executor on Samuel’s Will, along with Presley Buckner and Matthew Tally, he does not participate in the inventory of the property with the other two. This could suggest his own death, or ill health.
It would seem that Jacob Cox died within a timeframe of 1808 and 1810, but no record of his death, a Will, or burial has been found to date.