John Fox Sr (1764 - 1840)

Born 19 Feb 1764 in North Carolina [uncertain]

Husband of Elizabeth (Loving) Fox — married 19 Jul 1781 in Wilkes, North Carolina

Husband of Valentia (Branch) Fox — married Nov 1804 in Burke County, North Carolina

Descendants

Died 1 Sep 1840 at age 76 in Concord, Knox, Tennessee, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Elida Tirey [send private message] and Janet Harrington [send private message]

Biography

John Fox Sr was born 19 February 1764.^[1] Some researchers believe his middle name was "Wesley", but no credible record has been found to prove that suggestion. All known records show his name as John Fox or John Fox Sr. Note: A reference to an unknown, unsourced GEDCOM file is not a legitimate source. His parents are unknown.

He was first married 19 July 1781 in Wilkes County, North Carolina to Elizabeth Loving.^[2]

About November 1804 in Burke County, North Carolina he married Valentia or Virlintia (maiden name uncertain, might be Branch). ^[3]

He served as a Patriot about 9 months in the American Revolution. He received a pension on certificate no. 23881 which was issued 20 April 1834, at the rate $26.66 per annum, commenced 4 Mar 1831, Act of 7 June 1832 North Carolina Agency. ^[4]

John died 1 September 1840 in Knox County, Tennessee ^[3][4] and was buried at Cox View Cemetery, Knox County, Tennessee. ^[1]

Southern Pioneer Families

Excerpt from "Southern Pioneer Families" by J.C.F. Herrell: ^[3]

"John Fox by his first wife (whom I am persuaded a' Miss Lovin), had ten children. By the second wife, Valencia Branch, he had eight.

By wife number one are Cintha Pyatt. Lucy Centy. Nancy VVakefield, Matilda Walker, Mary Pratt, William. James. ]oseph, Austin, and Alfred.

By wife number two John, Sr. had eight children: Stephen, Calton, Melton, Daniel, J. Wesley, Cora, Eliza. and Easter.

At the time of his death the eighteen were all living except Nancy Wakefield.

Four of his sons and five daughters are buried in Knox County, most of them on the waters of Beaver Creek. Melton, who lived the life of a bachelor, died in NC. Alfred spend his days in NC, where he now has grandsons. Nancy Fox Wakefield and ]oseph from a letter addressed to John Sr., we believe died in Maury County and their descendants are thereabout now. Those of William, James, Mary Pratt and Lucy Centy (perhaps Lucinda) of first wife and Eliza and Easter of second Wife have not been located.

John Fox was in the Battle of Kings Mountain where he was wounded by a ball which passed through his left arm into his right side and was still there in 1832.

John Fox was allowed pension on certificate No. 23881 which was issued April 20. 1834, rate $26.66 per annum, commenced March 4, 1831. Act of June 7, 1832, North Carolina Agency.

In 1832 he was called ]ohn Fox. Sr. He married in November 1804, in Burke County, North Carolina, Valentia or Virlintia, her maiden name not given. In 1853 she was aged seventy-two years and a resident of Knox County, Tennessee. Reference was made to children of John and Valencia or Virlintia Fox. but no names were given. There are no further family data.

In 1779 he was living in Wilkes County, North Carolina. In 1832 he was residing in Burke County, North Carolina. Valintia or Virlintia Fox was living in Knox County, Tennessee in 1853.

He died in Knox County, Tennessee, September l, 1840,

Research Notes and Issues

• There was another John Fox who was married to Mildred Catherine Hinkle (1767-1861), possibly born in Germantown, PA. There is another large Fox family that lived in PA.

• The parents listed for this individual are speculative and may not be based on sound genealogical research. Sources to prove or disprove this ancestry are needed. Please contact the Profile Manager or leave information on the bulletin board. A few researchers believe his parents were James Fox and Elizabeth Bean. This appears in some compiled Ancestry.com family trees, but they don't provide a legitimate source. Currently, his Find A Grave memorial is connected to these supposed parents with purported information from a rootsweb file which doesn't have any sources.

• A very long narrative by Vermell Anderson Brust of Dallas, Texas needs to be reviewed for validity.

JOHN FOX OF NORTH CAROLINA, Amer-Rev. File. R-3734

Young John Fox lived near the Old Wagon Road, later known as the Old Turnpike or Old Wilkesboro Highway, somewhere between what is now Wilkesboro in Wilkes County and Linville River Valley in Burke County, North Carolina.

According to his father's records, John was born the 19th day of February, 1764. At the age of fifteen and one-half years, he actively participated as a Patriot in the struggle for independence. John had probably not reached his six feet-six inch height when he served his first tour of duty.

In his pension application he stated: "I just volunteered for three months under Captain Absolum Cleverland in 1779 in the fall of the year was transferred from Captain Cleveland to Captain Henderson, we were kept upon duty after the Tories. We were never stationed at any particular place for any length of time, but generally kept scouting about over the country in pursuit of the Tories and to guard the country against them. I served out my three months without being in any battle or skirmish and was dismissed."

John Fox served in another tour of duty with Lt. Joel Lewis and his company of light horse under the command of Captain Herndon on a tour of duty to the Catawba River after the Tories beginning on August 14, 1780. John said of that tour in his pension application: "In the next summer (1780) there was a volunteer company raised under Captain Benjamin Herndon. This was another expedition against the Tories for we had to keep continually on the look out and keep men in readiness to protect the country against them. There was no battle or skirmish during this tour."

The next tour of duty, September l, 1780--November 7, 1780, found John Fox a member of Captain Joel Lewis company of light horse from Wilkes County, N.C., under Col. Benjamin Cleveland on an expedition against Colonel Ferguson at Kings Mountain. There were four Fox men on the Kings Mountain expedition October 7, 1780. They were: John Fox(1764-1840), Allen Fox (1755-1831) Titus Fox ca 1760-1825) and James Fox.

It is believed that John Fox, Allen Fox, Titus Fox, and Daniel Fox were brothers. Allen and Titus had land joining John Fox in Burke County after 1790. Their father might have been James Fox. The Mountain Men's victory in the hour long battle at Kings Mountain is said to have been the turning point of the American Revolution and those who fought there, including the four Fox men, have been proclaimed as "heroes of the Battle of Kings Mountain."

The story as told by John Fox of his participation in the battle and handed down through his descendants is as follows: Just before the march to the battle began, McDowell in person called the men to attention and requested the selected chaplain to perform his sacred duty. Then he addressed his men in language not familiar to men of today. Each was ordered "to throw priming out of his pan, pick his touch hole, prime anew, examine his bullets, and be ready for battle". John told how they had been cautioned in their line of march; how they had been selected for active duty; how wind and rain had impeded their progress; how they had fought in hand to hand encounters partly because some of their powder was dampened; how he was shot in a shoulder, how a British soldier found him lying on the hillside and how this and another British soldier robbed him of a newly bought pair of boots to be in their possession for only a short time.

John stated in his pension application : "I was under Col Cleveland's command in the battle. I was wounded by a ball passing through the flesh of my left arm and into my left side which ball remains in me this day. (1832) I was unable to do any more in the fight. The next day after the battle I was placed on a horse with a bundle of bed clothes on my saddle which I lent on and was able to travel by short journeys to my home in Wilkes County North Carolina where I lay for a considerable time before I was able to do any business. This ended my service." The wound John received in his side forced him thereafter to walk in a stooped posture.

On 1 July, 1781 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, John Fox married his first wife, Elizabeth Loving, the daughter of Gabriel Loving, Sr. The exact location of their homeplace is unknown, but it might have been "on middle fork of Warrior fork of Johns River", joining Jonathan Gilbert and Titus Fox. In 1790, the family of John Fox (1764-1840) consisted of a wife, three sons and one daughter. In 1792, he was a Justice in Burke County and he served as captain of his militia district number three. John was described as being a "practical and successful farm manager".

He and Elizabeth were the parents of five sons and five daughters. Elizabeth Loving Fox died before 1804. Her grave site is unknown.

John Fox and Elizabeth Loving Fox children are:

1. Joseph Fox b1782 d 20 Nov, 1842 m. 27 Feb l811 Nancy Hannah Church

2. Nancy Fox b d by 1840 m Joseph Wakefield

3. James Fox b 13 June 1783-d 24 Dec. 1857 married Nancy. This is the parents of Stanhope Fox, that died in San Augustine Co.,Texas and some of his descendants are still living in San Augustine County, Texas.

4. Alfred Fox b 1787-d 1854 married Elizabeth Booth

5. William Fox

6. Austin Albert Fox b 1792 d 1840 m 3 May 1819 Margaret Walker

7. Mary (Polly) Mira Fox b d m 3 Feb. 1813 Benjamin Pyatt

8. Lucinda Fox b d m 27 May 1825 Robert Connelly

9. Matilda H. S. Fox b 1802 d 1882 m 20 Sept. 1820 Archiblad Walker

10. Cynthia Fox b .ca 1803 d after 1901 m 16 Oct. 1820 William Pyatt

John Fox married his second wife in November 1804, Verlintia Branch b. 1780 and d 1855 in Knox Co. Tennessee. They were the parents of five sons and two daughters.

From a land grant issued 7th June 1799 with Samuel Alexander assignee of Henry Wakefield, we find the land of Samuel Alexander, Henry Wakefield, John McGimsey, and John Fox joined at a Cherry Tree, Post Oak and Red Oak "lying on the North Side of Linville River on the big branch that falls into Linville River the branch that falls in above the old school house joining Charles Wakefield lines entered September 26, 1778".

John Fox acquired more land in 1811 "lying on the east side of Linville including part of the plantation that I now live on and joining Samuel Alexander. Entered 2nd. day of March l811." We are reasonably sure this land was located across the Yellow Mountain Road, Highway 126, from what is now Linville Methodist Church.

In October 1832, John Fox personally appeared in open court before the Court of Pleas and Quarter Sessions of Burke County, State of North Carolina and made his declaration under oath concerning his service in the American Revolution in order to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed the 7th June 1832(Veteran's pension). Appearing in court with John Fox were Joseph L. McGimsey, son of John McGimsey and Samuel Reed who stated: "we have been for 30 years acquainted with John Fox .... we believe him to be of the age set forth in his declaration of 69 years...he is respected and beloved in the neighborhood where he resides...to have been a soldier in the Revolution War ..... "

About 1836, John and Verlintia Fox moved to Knox County, Tennessee where John had purchased seven hundred acres of land near Powell Station on Emory Road and Beaver Creek near some of their children. The move was made by a wagon and a special chair was built to fit over the trunk for Verlintia.

On 1 September, 1840, John Fox, one of the" heroes of the Battle of Kings Mountain", died and was buried on his homeplace in Knox County, Tennessee.

His grave is marked with a United States Army marker sponsored by the Tennessee Society Sons of the Revolution. Verlintia Branch Fox is buried by him.

John Fox and Verlintia Branch Fox children were:

1. Hazy Fox b 1806 d 1881 m 17 May 1823 to Hugh Allen Connelly

2. Daniel Fox b d 1882 in Bosque Co.,Tx m Eleanor Bell

3. Cora Eliza Bell b 1810d m Henderson Estes

4. Samuel Calton Fox b d m Mary Giles

5. Milton Fox b 1817

6. John Wesley Foxb 1822 d 1881 m 22 Feb. 1844 Margaret Ann Galbraith

7. Stephen Fox b 1820 d m Amanda May

John Fox named all of his seventeen children in his will, which is located in Estate Book 7, page 108, Knox Co. Tennessee. The above information was taken from Land Grants recorded in Burke Co.,N. C., John Fox pension papers, R3734 and Pension Certificate No. 23881 recorded in the National Archives, Washington, D.C. "The Heritage of Burke Co.,North Carolina". Millie Fox Harbison gave the history of the Fox Family.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Find A Grave: Memorial #212890319 accessed 07 January 2021, memorial page for PVT John Fox Sr. (19 Feb 1764–1 Sep 1840), citing Fox Cemetery, Knox County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Usefulbrokeness. Tombstone photos attached.
2. ↑ "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 ," FamilySearch database with images, John Fox and Elizabith Loving, 19 Jul 1781; citing Wilkes, North Carolina, United States, p. , North Carolina State Archives Division of Archives and History; FHL microfilm 1,730,604.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} J.C.F. Herrell, "Southern Pioneer Families, The Descendants of John Herrell Sr. and John Fox Sr.". Powell Station, Tennessee, 1941, Page 73-74.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} "United States Revolutionary War Pension Payment Ledgers, 1818-1872," FamilySearch database with images, John Fox, 04 Mar 1831; Shows death date as 1 Sept 1840; citing North Carolina, United States, NARA microfilm publication T718 , roll 5; FHL microfilm 1,319,385.