John Chandler Cox (1811 - 1890)

Born 6 Sep 1811 in North Carolina

Ancestors

Died 22 Jan 1890 at age 78 in Jasper County, Missouri

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Biography

John was born in 1811. He was the son of David Cox and Lucy Branch. He passed away in 1890.

In 1838 John C. Cox settled on Turkey Creek and homesteaded a half section of land where he began to farm. In 1841 he built a home near the present site of the old Cox homestead which is prominently located in the northeastern portion of the city on a picturesque eminence, which was called by the first settlers Wig Hill.

In addition to his farm John Cox also conducted a general store and built a log store building near his home. It was in this store where the first post office in the western part of the county was kept.

For three decades John Cox was the central figure around which the local business and social interests of the community revolved . John Cox agreed to serve the people gratis and was, accordingly, on the 17th day of January, 1841, commissioned postmaster of the new office, which was christened Blytheville in honor of Billy Blythe, a wealthy Cherokee Indian who resided on Shoal Creek and who was noted far and wide for his integrity and fair dealing.

John Chandler Cox was born in Burke county, North Carolina, September 6, 1811. His parents were David and Lucy Branch Cox. At the age of eight years young Cox moved with his parents to Tennessee and grew to manhood on the family farm. In 1828 Johns father was elected sheriff of Jackson county, Tennessee, and held the position for six years.

John Cox was married in 1837 to Miss Sarah Mercer and shortly after the marriage, he and his new bride migrated to Missouri, locating in Jasper county after making the long journey overland in company with a party of Tennesseeans.

When Center Creek township was organized, in 1841, John Cox was appointed one of the two justices of peace positions for many years. In 1850, on discovering the value of the land in the Joplin Creek valley, John Cox entered and perfected the title to a section of land and on this the first mining of the original town of Joplin was done. In 1852 Mr. Cox filled the office of County Surveyor.

During the war, although a slave holder, John Cox was loyal to the Union and took no part in the conflict. But it was almost impossible to live in Jasper county and be neutral during the war, In 1863, after having been burned out by one of the many raiding parties he moved to Neosho and remained there until the close of hostilities, when he returned to the old homestead. In 1870 John Cox leased a tract of land to Messrs. Moffet & Sergeant for mining purposes and from the royalties on the lead taken from his ground amassing a considerable fortune.

In July, 1871, John Cox plotted the original town of Joplin and thus took the first steps toward making the young mining camp a permanent town. In 1875 he was elected as one of the judges of the county court and made a high reputation for his honesty and fair dealing. John platted Joplin City on July 28, 1871 with 142 lots.

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7202236