Henry Cox Sr. (abt. 1776 - 1846)

Born about 1776 in Canajoharie, Montgomery, New York [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Anna (Nazro) Cox — married 18 Sep 1805 in Fort Plain, Montgomery County, New York

Descendants

Died 29 Jun 1846 at about age 70 in Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin

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Biography

Henry was born to David Cox and Margaret Frey probably about 1776 at the home of his maternal grandparents, Hendrick Frey and Elizabeth Herkimer in Canajoharie, Montgomery County, New York. The nearest church at that time, Stone Arabia Palatine Reformed Church, has no record of his baptism. However, this church has record of only seventeen baptisms between 1772 and 1782. A note in the compiled church records reveals that "for a number of years after the pastorate of Dominie Rosencrantz there is no continuous record of baptisms." Rosencrantz's pastorate ended in 1772.

During his youth, it is likely that Henry Cox lived a comfortable life with his grandparents who were quite wealthy even after the ravages of the American Revolution. His father died during the war and, after a few years, his mother remarried.

Some of Henry's pastimes were indicated in the account in Washington Frothingham's History of Montgomery County. "At that time card playing and whiskey drinking were favorite amusements among the inhabitants, and in one of these games where the stakes ran high, Henry F. Cox became indebted to Archibald Kane for $100, and the latter became indebted to Roseboom for the same amount. Kane proposed to Roseboom that he should look to Cox for his pay, which he promptly refused to do. A challenge grew out of the quarrel that followed and resulted in a duel with pistols, which took place on the morning of April 18, 1801." Kane received a bad flesh wound and the combatants were separated and reconciled. Kane and his brothers ran a store in the old Van Alstine stone dwelling which was near Col. Henry Frey's home.^[1]

His grandfather, Col. Henry Frey, gave his grist mill and seven hundred fifty acres of excellent land to his grandson, Henry Frey Cox, by deed of gift dated May 4, 1812. ^[2]

Jeptha R. Simms repeated Samuel Chollot Frey’s account of the family; specifically that Col. Henry Frey's daughter, Margaret, married Edward Cox, who was killed in the war while defending the Colonel's grist-mill against depredations of his whig neighbors, leaving one son Henry Frey Cox, who inherited the mill site and several hundred acres of land adjoining, from his grandfather Frey.^[3]

While Simms and Samuel Chollot Frey likely were mistaken about the name of Henry Frey Cox's father, a Montgomery County deed confirms that Hendrick Frey transferred his real estate to Henry Cox, although Henry supposedly paid $1000.00 for the land. He apparently did not receive the land through inheritance but through the following deed dated 4 May 1812, between Hendrick Frey of the town of Canajoharie, in the county of Montgomery, state of New York, and Henry Frey Cox of the same place, in consideration of $1000.00, conveyed to Henry Frey Coxe "all lands of the said Hendrick Frey together with houses, mills, barns and other buildings situated in said town, part of Great lots no. 4 and no. 5 in the patent granted to James Alexander (and 5 other persons), bounded on the south and east by Canajoharie Creek and and on the other sides by the lands of John Roof deceased which aid lands hereby conveyed having been in the quiet uninterrupted and peaceable possession of the said Hendrick Frey upwards of forty years excepting 100 acres conveyed to John Frey. Witnessed by John Frey and Christopher P. Yates, 4 March 1814. Recorded 19 December 1815.^[4]

Whether or not Jeptha R. Simms actually knew the name of Henry Frey Cox's father, he apparently knew the family. He attended the burial of Major John Frey, recalling that it was a pleasant sabbath day. (Simms, 99.) John Frey, who died 14 April 1833 at Palatine Bridge, New York, was Hendrick Frey's brother. Simms goes on to report that Mr. [Henry] -Cox married Miss Nazro, and raised one of the best families Canajoharie has produced.^[5]

In addition to the accounts by Simms and Samuel Chollot Frey, Henry F. Cox appears in the following records.

He was an executor, along with Maria Wimple, Henry I. Frey and Henry Frey to settle the estate of Abraham Wimple. The notice was published in the Albany Gazette on 2 June 1814. ^[6]

According the the 1820 and 1830 census, Henry F. Cox lived in Canajoharie Township, Montgomery County, New York. In 1820, his household consisted of the following with their possible identities in parenthesis: 1 male under age 10 (Henry, Jr. age 5); 2 males, age 16-26 (unidentified); 2 males, 26-45 (Henry, Sr. and an unidentified male); 2 females under age 10 (Jane, 8; Ursula, 1); 2 females, age 10-16 (Elizabeth, 14; Margaret, 11); 2 females, 16-45 (Anna, 35 and an unidentifiel female); and one female, over 45 (possibly Anna’s mother, Mary Nazro); 1 male slave, 14-26; and 1 female slave, 14-26.^[7]

In 1830, Henry Cox's household consisted of the following along with their possible identities in parenthesis: 2 males, 10-15 (Henry, Jr, 15; and an unidentified male); 1 male 50-60 (Henry, Sr.); 1 female, 10-15 (Ursula, 11); 1 female, 15-20 (Jane, 18); 2 females, 20-30 (Elizabeth, 24, and Margaret, 21; 1 female, 30-40 (unidentifiedl); and 1 female, 40-50, (Anna, 45).^[8]

H. F. Cox is found on the 1836 Territorial Census of Milwaukee County with four household members. Since the household was did not match the size of the elder Henry's family, H. F. Cox may have been his son. The elder Henry may have moved to Wisconsin a little later.

In January of 1838, Gilbert Knapp, along with Henry F. Cox, Elias Smith, Marshal M. Strong and Norman Clark, incorporated the county's first railroad project." ^[9] This Henry F. Cox may have been the son, Henry F. Cox Jr.

According to the 1840 Census, H. F. Cox lived in Racine, Wisconsin, in a household consisting of one male, age 15-20, five males, age 20-30, one male, age 50-60, three females, age 20-30 and one female, age 50-60. With the exception of the young males, the genders and ages of the family members correspond quite well with the composition of Henry Frey Cox's family. The young males who lived in his household may have been employees in a family trade or business. Henry's son-in-law, Stephen Ives, went into the lime business about the time that he married Henry's daughter, Jane, in 1840. The 1850 census lends credence to this supposition. Several young males all with different surnames--probably employees-- lived in Stephen Ives' household in 1850.

St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church was organized in Racine the spring of 1842 with "Mr. Henry F. Cox, Senior, having been its first Warden." (1858 Racine Directory, p. 125.) Rev. Roswell Park, D.D., whom Henry Cox, Jr., mentioned in his will, became the rector after the former pastor resigned in 1856. (Mrs. Elvera Belden, a member of St. Luke's Church, could not find a record of Henry, Sr.'s death or a record of his having been a warden.)

It appears that Henry Cox acquired a considerable amount of land in Wisconsin, probably original purchases of government land. Did law restrict the amount of federal land that he could acquire in his own name? Is that the reason that his daughter's acquired land in Wisconsin? Was Henry obtaining land under their names? On November 1, 1842, Ursula transferred her land to her father for one dollar.^[10]

For some reason, Margarette held out for a fair price. On November 3, 1841, Margarette A. Cox of Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin Territory, sold her holdings to Henry F. Cox Sr. of the same place. She received five thousand dollars for certain parcels and three thousand dollars for another parcel.^[11] Henry F. Cox Jr. witnessed the deeds.

About one year later, November 8, 1842, Henry Sr. deeded all of this land, along with several other parcels, to Henry Jr. for a token amount--ten dollars.^[12] Presumably the two agreed that Henry Jr. would, in exchange, care for his mother and unmarried sisters. Henry F. Cox Sr. left no will and no record of the settlement of his estate exists. Having transferred his land holdings to his son, it appears that Henry Sr. divested himself of his entire estate before he died. The daughters, in effect, were disinherited.

Margarette, in all likelihood, was the elder Henry's daughter although Henry F. Cox Jr. did not mention her in his will. She may have died earlier. It is possible that she married, but no record was located. Why she received a considerable amount of money for her land while her sister received only a token amount, is a question unanswered. Her brother may not have mentioned her in his will if her believed that she already received her share of her father's estate.

Henry died June 29, 1846 in Racine, Wisconsin.^[13] His death notice: "Died in the village on Friday, June 29, Henry F. Cox, Esq., at the age of 70 years. His funeral was fully attended by our citizens on Sunday."

When the 1850 census was taken, his widow was residing in Racine with her daughter Jane, and son-in-law Stephen Ives.^[14]

His son, Henry Jr. left money in his will for the improvement of the family lot in Evergreen Cemetery, evidently the place where Henry Sr. was buried. Apparently the cemetery was located near the bank of Lake Michigan. Mrs. Elvera Belden, a researcher at the Racine County Historical Museum, said that the lake eroded the bank and the bodies were moved to Mound Cemetery. Racine's water treatment plant is now located at the former Evergreen Cemetery site. The remains of both father and son may have been moved to Mound Cemetery where Anna was buried. However their burials were not recorded on the plat map of the cemetery.

Sources

1. ↑ Washington Frothingham, History of Montgomery County, [NY] ( Syracuse: D. Mason & Co., 1892) 24.
2. ↑ Frothingham, 245.
3. ↑ Jeptha R. Simms, The Frontiersmen of New York (Albany, 1882) 98.
4. ↑ Montgomery County, New York, Deed Book 15, page 149.
5. ↑ Simms, 98-99.
6. ↑ Gavits, American Deaths & Marriages.
7. ↑ Henry F. Cox household, 1820 U. S. Census, Montgomery County, New York, Canajoharie, p. 304, National Archives microfilm M33, roll 63.
8. ↑ Henry F. Cox household, 1830 U. S. Census, Montgomery County, New York, Canajoharie, p. 39, National Archives microfilm M19, roll 95.
9. ↑ The Grassroots History of Racine County, (Racine County, WI, Historical Museum, 1978) 18.
10. ↑ Ursula N. Cox to Henry F. Cox, Senr., Racine County, Wisc., Deed Bk. F, pp. 552-3.
11. ↑ Margarette A. Cox to Henry F. Cox Senr., Racine Co., Wisc., Book E, pp. 234-5, 356-57, Deed Bk. F, pp. 553-4.
12. ↑ Henry F. Cox Sr. to Henry F. Cox Jr., Racine County Deed Bk. F, pp. 553-54.
13. ↑ Racine Advocate, June 30, 1846, p. 3
14. ↑ Stephen Ives household, 1850 U.S. census, pop. sched., Racine Co., Wisc., Racine, p. , NA microfilm M432, roll 1004.