Captain
John
Fox
Born about in Stepney, Middlesex, England
Ancestors 
Son of Henry Fox
and Elizabeth (Pickernell) Fox
Brother of
Elizabeth (Fox) Kittlebuter
Husband of
Elizabeth (Unknown) Fox
— married
1620 in England
Descendants 
Father of
George Fox, John Fox, Isabell Fox, Stephen Fox, Thomas Fox, Peter Fox, Mary Fox and William Fox
Died
at about age 63
in Stepney, Middlesex, England
Profile last modified
| Created 18 Mar 2011
This page has been accessed 5,250 times.
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Contents |
Biography
John Fox (from the text of the will of his cousin Adoniah Fox in 1671/2) was the son of Henry Fox. [1] Adoniah himself was a member of the Fox family of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. Their pedigree was presented to the Heralds of the College of Arms at the Visitation of Buckinghamshire in 1634. [2] The pedigree shows their mutual grandparents William Fox and Anne Lane, both of Great Missenden. The second son John was Adoniah's father and the third son Henry was John's father.
John Fox was Captain of the "Thomas and Anne" on its voyage to Virginia in late 1653. One of the passengers, a John Convers made his will on 2 November 1653 aboard the ship. [3]
The will read:
Item I give unto my loveing freind Capt John Fox Five
pounds to buy him a Ringe, ordayninge him to be my Overseer of this my last
Will and Testament, As alsoe my lawfull Attorney to receive all my debts in
Verginia, And dispose of this my Cargoe of goods in the shipp called the Thomas And Anne ... Alsoe I doe allowe my loveing freind Capt.
John Fox to chuse another Attorney or more, whom he shall thinke fitt to
helpe him mannage this busienes... Alsoe I allowe him my said Attorney to doe whatsoever is lawfull
in the premisses, as if I were p[er]sonally present and alive:
John Convers also bequeathed 20 shillings for a mourning ring to "Mrs Elizabeth Fox". The relationship between John Fox and Elizabeth Fox is not stated, but it probably was husband and wife. John's sister Elizabeth Fox was already married to Richard Kettlebuter by 1653. The text of the will implies that John Convers, and John and Elizabeth Fox were friends before the voyage. A full transcript of the will is here: Will of John Convers on the ship Thomas and Anne, 1654
In 1660, John's brother in law, Richard Kettlebuter/ Kittlebuter(married to John's sister Elizabeth) mentioned John in his will as being the captain of the "Thomas and Anne". Richard had a two-sixteenths share in the ship, as well as a one-sixteenth share in the ship "Nicolas and Mary". Both of these ships had been trading to Virginia.
Were John and Elizabeth Fox Protestant Dissenters? From the Register of Stepney Bull Lane Independent Church. The third month in the old style new year is June: [4]
[Baptizengs] Mary ffox the Daughter of John ffoxe & Elizabeth his wife was Baptized the 7th day of the 3d month 1658
[5]
1660 Henry Foxe the sonne of John Foxe & Elizabeth his wife was baptized the 18 daye of the 4 month 1660
1662 Joseph the sonne of John Foxe & Elizab: his wife was baptised the 25th of the 12th month 1662
No more children baptised at this church after this date.
Death
John Fox made a nuncupative (oral deathbed) will on 2 December 1665 when he was dying probably of plague. [6] His testimony related that his (unnamed wife) was also lying sick in the bed with him. If both of them should die, he left the care of his five (unnamed) children to his sister Elizabeth Kettlebuter, (widow of Richard Kettlebuter or Kettlebiter) and to John Coates of Shadwell. A "cosen" Ralph Stead was also left a bequest of 20 shillings. Elizabeth Kettlebuter and John Coates appeared at the Prerogative Court of Canterbury sitting in London on 15 December 1665 and were granted probate. A transcription of the will is here: Will of John Fox c.1602-1665. Burials have not been found for John Fox or his wife. There is no record of a burial for anyone with the name Fox at St Dunstan Stepney in December 1665.
Children
In his will, John stated that he had five children, which were presumed to be under the age of 21 years as they were left to the care of their aunt. If there had been older children living, it would be expected that they would have looked after the younger ones.
In Adoniah Foxe's will written 24 May 1671 and proved 14 February 1671/2, he mentions the children of Captain John Fox under the age of 21 years: [1]
Item I give unto the Children of my cosin Captaine John Fox deceased Sonne of my late uncle Henry Fox five Pounds apeice to be payd unto them at their severall and respective Ages of one and twentie years if they shall be living, But if any of them dye before they attaine the Age of one and twentie yeares, my mind is that noe of the legacies of him or them soe dying or dead be payd unto the Survivour or Survivours of the said Children but to be kept back by my Executor to his owne use.
Research Notes
For additional information and sources on this family see: Ancestry of the Fox Family of Richland and Lexington Counties, South Carolina. by Joseph E. Steadman Sr.
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Will of Adoniah Foxe 1671/2: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 338
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #719596 (accessed 4 May 2022) - ↑ The visitation of the county of Buckingham made in 1634 Philipot, John et al, College of Arms, London pub. 1909, page 59 Internet Archive accessed 4 May 2022
- ↑ Will of John Convers 1654: "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 240: Alchin, Quire Numbers 357-409 (1654) folio 263
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 5111 #370732 (accessed 26 April 2022) - ↑ Baptism: "England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936"
The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; General Register Office: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths Surrendered to the Non-Parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857; Class Number: RG 4; Piece Number: 4414 Stepney, Bull Lane Independent Church Register
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 2972 #400988 (accessed 3 May 2022) - ↑ Baptism:
"England & Wales, Non-Conformist and Non-Parochial Registers, 1567-1936"
The National Archives of the UK; Kew, Surrey, England; General Register Office: Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths Surrendered to the Non-Parochial Registers Commissions of 1837 and 1857; Class Number: RG 4; Piece Number: 4414 Stepney, Bull Lane Independent Church Register
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry uk Record 2972 #401013 (accessed 3 May 2022) - ↑
Will of John Fox of Stepney, 1665:
"England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858"
PROB 11: Will Registers > 1660-1673 > Piece 318: Hyde, Quire Numbers 108-162 (1665) > image 369 of 437
Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Image (accessed 27 April 2022)
Johes Fox
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Rejected matches › John Fox (abt.1626-bef.1683) › John Fox (abt.1626-bef.1683) › John Fox (abt.1810-) › Emeline (Fox) Sarr (1826-1896)
John is 16 degrees from Maria Mitchell, 28 degrees from Carl Sagan, 21 degrees from Tycho Brahe, 27 degrees from Nicholaus Copernicus, 25 degrees from Eise Eisinga, 20 degrees from Caroline Lucretia Herschel, 27 degrees from Thomas Maclear, 17 degrees from Simon Newcomb, 16 degrees from Isaac Newton, 24 degrees from Pierre Henri Puiseux, 23 degrees from Beatrice Tinsley and 16 degrees from Edith Woodward on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
A letter written by Stephen Fox while at sea on 9 Sept 1662 to his brother John Fox also names his other siblings, brothers Thomas, Peter and William and sister Mary. Stephen apparently died unmarried in 1663 and had not written a formal will. This letter was proved as his will on 20 Oct 1663 and administration was granted to brother John Fox. (“Fox Family of King William County, Va.” The William and Mary Quarterly 20, no. 4 (1912): 262–66. https://doi.org/10.2307/1919334.)
The death bed will of this John Fox in 1665 refers to his five (unnamed) children. Putting this together with Stephen's letter, we have Stephen who has died, and 5 surviving children -- John, Thomas, Peter, William, and Mary. Which puts into question whether Richard, George and Isabel are children of John Fox. A closer look at them is suggested.
So far we have only got Elizabeth Kittlebuter as a proved sibling of John Fox, and she doesn't appear in the letter even though she was very much alive in 1662.
edited by Shirley Ann (Strutton) Dalton (1943-2023)
It is on a free space page here: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Will_of_John_Fox_c.1602-1665
This was a verbal deathbed Will made 2 December 1665, of John Fox (and his wife) dying probably of plague. It was proved 15 December 1665.
The Will does not give a profession, nor any middle name for John Fox.
He says he has 5 children (all minors, as his executors are acting in trust for them) but they are not named. These would have to be born after 1644 to still be minors.
If this Will is the correct one for this John Fox, then none of the listed children can be his, not would his wife Elizabeth Convers be his widow in 1625, nor would she have died in 1659 in Virginia.