Joseph Wilcox (1812 - 1893)

Born 1812 in Bexhill, Sussex, England

Husband of Sarah (Emery) Wilcox — married 25 May 1834 in Eaton Socon,Bedfordfordshire, England

Descendants

Died 17 May 1893 at about age 81 in St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Sid Wilcox [send private message]

Biography

Joseph was born on the 24th June 1811 at Bexhill, Sussex, England^[1] and baptised on the 14th July 1811 at St. Peter, Bexhill, Sussex, England, the son of Thomas Wilcox and Mary Wilcox^[2][3]

Joseph Wilcocks married Sarah Emery on the 25th May 1834 at Eaton Socon, Bedfordshire, England^[4]

Joseph Wilcox of St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, died on the 17th May 1893^[5].

Probate proved at London 3rd June 1893 to John Wilcox, Colonial Merchant and Peter Hammond Gutheridge, Gentleman. Effects: £39210 5s 9d Resworn July 1893 £39324 19s 4d^[5]

"The will (dated April 25, 1892) of Mr. Joseph Wilcox, late of St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, who died on May 17th, was proved on June 3rd by John Wilcox, the son and Peter Hammond Gutheridge, the executors, the value of the personal estate amounting to over £39,000. The testator bequeaths £2000, upon trust, for Mrs. Caroline Wilcox, the wife of his son Emery, for life, and then for his said son's children; and £1200, upon trust for his son William for life. The residue of his real and personal estate is to be divided into eight parts, and one of such parts he leaves, upon trust, for his son Thomas, his wife and children; and the other seven parts to his children George, Joseph, John, Susannah, Fanny, Ernest and Henry but Ernest's share is to be £500 and Henry's share £1000 less than the shares of each of his other children"^[6] .

Census

1851 Census of England & Wales: 30th March 1851
High Street, St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, England

Research Notes

Notes taken from letter from Sidney Wilcox to Alan Wilcox, May 1938 Joseph Wilcox, 1811 Joseph Wilcox, first born of Joseph and the Jennens girl, also became a Tailor and was the leader of his tribe in St. Neots managing to get all the Gentry jobs. He specialized mainly in uniforms, livery for the Dukes of Manchester and Rutland. He was a speculator in Argentine and Brazil Stocks, doing very well from some good spins.

Joseph married Sarah Emery. Sally (Sarah Emery) was a right down good old sort and sport. Her father was in the Howard Britannia Implement Factory as a Fitter. One of the family kept the Blue-Cow-Inn on the London-Bedford-Huntingdon-Post Road to Leicester and Manchester. It was of quite some importance in pre-rail days, then faded, and has come back with motoring, being only about 60 miles from London City. They were said to have kept 12-14 post horses around 1833.

Up to mid-life Joseph was a real wowser, of the first vintage in the Congregational Chapel. “What!!! Cards, the Theatre, a Spot” – on your life you daren’t mention them! Till one time about 1880 when a new parson came to the Chapel. This man was very liberal minded and bucked up the Chapel. One day he said to old Joe “There’s a fine Shakespeare play on at ….. Theatre tomorrow night. The return rail fare is 2/6 (60 miles each way). Pit seats are 2/6. Take me to it!!” Old Joe bucked, but Sally his wife came in saying “you old fool, it’s time you did something and Parson says it’s good. Go, you have got to go!” Joe did, and it was about a monthly job afterwards. Then Card Parties, then a Spot!

Joseph and Sarah had 12 children. ‘This was a mob, and they came pretty quickly one after the other and had to be provided for.’

The eldest son, Thomas, was apprenticed to a Linen Draper and Costumier, Geard’s at St Neots and later married one of the girl apprentices Priscilla Heydon. He was the first of this family to come to Australia, probably about 1856, with a William Barker also believed to have come from St Neots. Apparently old Joseph gave Thomas 500 pounds to go into business with Barker. They went to Gawler, possibly because Barker had friends there.

(What was the business? Wholesale butchers? Skins and Hides? ) Evidently it was not long till they got into trouble. Old Joseph sent the third son, Emery, to Gawler to clean up matters. However, Emery was a drunk and made things worse.

By about 1858 Joseph heard of this further trouble, and gave the second son, George, a free hand to go to Gawler and ‘properly clean up the job, fire Thomas and Emery, and Barker, and sell up.’

From St Neot’s Chronicle Joseph Wilcox 1816 - 1894 (More likely 1811 - 1894) In Memoriam – It is with the greatest possible regret that we announce the death of our old and respected townsman, Mr Joseph Wilcox, which took place at his residence in New Street on Wednesday evening.

The place he so long and honorably occupied in our town life will not be easily filled. All that concerned the welfare of the town and his fellow townsmen had always a strong claim upon him and agreeably with his oft expressed desire, he has ended his days amongst us. A staunch Non-conformist and Liberal, and to the last an active member of the Local Board, he will be missed from our public life – no man more so.

One of his last acts was the erection of the New Congregational Church here which must entirely be attributed to his initiative and generous donation to the building fund. It stands as a public record of the man whose self-denial, unassuming disposition and thoroughly sterling qualities entirely won the esteem and respect of all privileged to know him.

He leaves an example that may well be followed and an influence that will not readily die.

Extract from the Gazeteer section of ‘St Neots’ by C.F. Tebbutt, published by Phillimore & Co. 1978

Details of the ownership and occupation of a property at No 13 High Street, St Neots.

In 1775 this property was owned by French Flanders, and early last century by W. Barker, tailor and clothier, who emigrated to Australia. The business was then taken over by his great friend, Joseph Wilcox (1816-1894) through whom he joined the Independent (Congregational) chapel, and gained an interest in and link with Australia. Wilcox was born at Boxhill, Surrey to a Church of England family originating from St Neots, where his grandfather had been a currier.

His early life was one of great struggle through lack of capital, even with the help of his friend W. Barker. His subsequent career and rise to fortune was remarkable in view of the fact that he had 13 children of which 10 survived him. He was particularly generous towards the Congregational Chapel and the present building was only able to be built because he defrayed much of the cost.

It is likely that the greater part of his fortune was gained in his business connections with Australia, through the co-operation of his equally remarkable second son George.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "1851 England and Wales Census" Class: HO107; Piece: 1750; Folio: 171; Page: 2 Original data: Census Returns of England and Wales, 1851. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives of the UK (TNA): Public Record Office (PRO), 1851. Image available at Ancestry.co.uk and FindMyPast
2. ↑ Baptism: "East Sussex, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812"
   East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Record Office; Brighton, England, UK; Sussex Parish Registers
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 62049 #1945533 (accessed 21 February 2024)
   Joseph Wilcox baptism on 14 Jul 1811 (born 24 Jun), son of Thos. Wilcox & Mary Wilcox, in Bexhill, Sussex, England.
3. ↑ "St. Peter, Bexhill, Sussex, England Baptism Register Transcript of Joseph WILCOX" 1811. Accessed 2nd August 2018
4. ↑ "England Marriage Transcripts entry of Joseph WILCOCKS & Sarah EMERY" 1834 Available at FindMyPast Accessed 2nd August 2018
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1996 of Joseph WILCOX" Index image available at Gov.UK probate Index Accessed 1st August 2018
6. ↑ "Illustrated London News 24 June 1893" Pg. 24 Column 1. Available at FindMyPast Accessed 2nd August 2018

• Family records and research by Judy Lewington, great great great granddaughter

• "England Marriages, 1538–1973", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N2SL-PV5 : 11 March 2020), Joseph Wilcocks, 1834.

• MyHeritage - 1841 England & Wales Census. Residence - High Street, St Neots, Huntingdonshire, England. (Last name spelled Willcocks) (First inaccurately transcribed as Josh instead of Joseph).

• "England and Wales Census, 1841", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M77L-J9M : Tue Dec 05 23:22:34 UTC 2023), Entry for Josh Willcocks and Sarah Willcocks, 1841.

• "England and Wales Census, 1851," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:SG1Q-MMJ : 12 September 2019), Joseph Wilcocks, Saint Neots, Huntingdonshire, England; citing Saint Neots, Huntingdonshire, England, p. 2, from "1851 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO HO 107, The National Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey.

• "England and Wales Census, 1861," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M7RK-P9Z : 3 March 2021), Joseph Wilcox, St Neots, Huntingdonshire, England, United Kingdom; from "1861 England, Scotland and Wales census," database and images, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : n.d.); citing PRO RG 9, The National Archives, Kew, Surrey.

• "England and Wales Census, 1871", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KD8J-TS4 : 25 June 2022), Joseph Wilcox, 1871.

• "England and Wales Census, 1881", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q27C-86LJ : Sat Nov 11 22:23:24 UTC 2023), Entry for Joseph Wilcox and Sarah Wilcox, 1881.

• "England and Wales Census, 1891", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:4YDT-KPZ : Fri Jan 12 08:25:22 UTC 2024), Entry for Joseph Wilcox and Sarah Wilcox, 1891.

• FreeBDM UK - Deaths June 1893. Wilcox, Joseph. Age - 81. District - St Neot's. Vol - 3b. Pg. 164.

• "England and Wales Death Registration Index 1837-2007," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2JK1-VBB : 31 December 2014), Joseph Wilcox, 1893; from "England & Wales Deaths, 1837-2006," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing Death, St. Neots, Huntingdonshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England.

• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:68J9-GFYN : 13 September 2021), Joseph Wilcox, ; Burial, St Neots, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England, St. Neots Cemetery; citing record ID 228953934, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• "British Newspaper Archive, Family Notices", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZW-D48Q : Fri Oct 27 18:18:51 UTC 2023), Entry for Joseph Wilcox, 26 May 1893.

• MyHeritage - England & Wales, Index of Wills and Probates, 1853-1943. 1893 - WILCOX Joseph of St. Neot's Huntingdonshire gentlemen died 17 May 1893 Probate London 3 June to John Wilcox colonial merchant and Peter Hammond Gutheridge gentlemen Effects £39210 19s. 4d. resworn July 1893 £39324 14s. 4d.