Hi Joyce,
I am also descended from Charles Cox. I always understood that, after starting out for
Kentucky, he realized he had left a deed and returned to retrieve it. He was never heard
from again, and it was assumed that he met his fate at the hand of Indians, wild animals,
or some such unfortunate fate. My source for this is a hand-written copy of "History
of the Early Settlers of Cane Creek and of the Church which they established",
written in 1929 by Mrs. Anna Cox. I can send you a copy if you have not seen this. I
read once on the internet that there may be some doubt about this story and that he may
have just "changed" his mind, returned home and abandoned his family. That is
partly why I'm interested in wondering how they came about their land. Could they
have received a deed in VA or the Carolina's before setting off for Kentucky? - like
you wondering if they had any money to bury.
From other research I've seen, I would assume that the Flicks met up with the
Cox's in Nelson County, Kentucky. I say this because Polly Cox married a Flick, and
Christopher Flick was one of the buyers of the estate of George Harmon who had married
Charles Cox's widow (it is assumed), Elizabeth Reese. This estate was in Nelson
County, and was sold before they came to Orange County. Please note that this is not my
research, but I believe it to be credible.
My great, great grandfather was Rev. Christopher Cox whose daughter was Ellen Cox Gass.
My great grandfather, Thomas H. Parks, a widower, married the widow Ellen Cox Gass, and
they had 3 children, including Rev. Christopher Parks, who was my grandfather. Do you
happen to connect up with this Ellen Cox Gass Parks and/or Christopher Cox?
I have pictures of Christopher and Elizabeth on the Orange County website. It never
ceases to amaze me that it's so hard to find any info on the Cox and Parks families in
Orange County. The Dillon/Dillin family in Dubois County, who came to the area a little
bit earlier, is well documented. I don't know if one family had a greater interest in
family history or whether the actual historic records are much different in the two
counties. I figure I may never be able to go beyond the late 1700's with Cox and
Parks genealogies, but I would like to be able to speculate on what their general
motivation might have been. Just trying to understand why people endured such hardship
and danger.
Best,
MaryAlice Parks
-----Original Message-----
From: Joyce Underwood <joyceu(a)fullnet.com>
Sent: Jan 9, 2005 1:40 PM
To: maryalicepa(a)earthlink.net
Subject: Cox
Mary Alice,
I read your post on Orange County Board with interest. My first Cox relative, my 5 th
great grandfather Charles Cox was said to have disappeared on his way from North Carolina
to Virginia.But I have that Charles Cox was born in Virginia. One family story is that he
went back for money that they had buried in the garden. I find that hard to believe as
money was hard to get in those days and I can't imagine leaving something so hard to
get behind. It's not like they left on an impulse. They had to have planned for this
journey for some time. What a mystery!
Since my Gass and Flick family were mostly from PA. and the Drakes were from Virginia as
were the Coxes, where did they link up at? I have some of my greats born in Tennessee and
Kentucky, again that question, what made them come to Orange County, Indiana?
And you are right, it wasn't like...load up the RV, we're on our way to Indiana.
My thought is that land became scarce, and they depended on that land to make a living, as
the families grew up and married and needed their own land to raise their families, then
they moved on to where there was more land. And I'm pretty sure the land became worn
out after a few years. So they must have been searching for better and more land. Family
was very important in those days and so they traveled together. Safety was in numbers so
many families traveled together. What do you think?
I have the answer to one of my mother's family, when the father married a niece of
one of his sons wife, the children got upset and left and came to Washington County,
Indiana.They were on their way to Illinois and when some got sick in Washington County,
they stopped to recuperate and stayed.
What stories have you heard about Charles Cox? Regards, Joyce