The past ten years have seen two
remarkable technology advances that have
and will continue to have enormous
impacts on the quest for family roots:
the Internet and DNA testing. The
Internet is allowing many people of the
same family line or at least similar
surnames to communicate across great
distances and to share vast quantities
of data gathered by all of these
individuals and the many special
services provided for genealogy
research. In addition, several
historical organizations and
institutions have begun placing their
data files on servers so that they can
also be accessed by family members
seeking information about their past.
DNA testing is a fairly new area for
genealogists, but several results have
proven a person is a descendent of a
particular family line and also has been
used to eliminate lines when the exact
linage is in doubt and one has had to
research multiple lines because of a
lack of concise data. Both of these
technologies will be shown to have
played a significant role in helping to
determine “Who is Buried in Matthew
Cox’s Grave.”
For several years the prevailing family
history of Matthew Cox of Greene County,
Tennessee is that he moved to the county
sometime prior to 1783, lived there and
raised a family, died in 1807, and was
buried in the Kidwell Cemetery located
on Baileytown Road, Greene County,
Tennessee. There is a grave marker at
the cemetery identifying Matthew Cox.
Written on the marker are the following
words: “Matthew Cox; Continental Line
Revolutionary War; 1732; 1807; Also in
French & Indian War.” It is a
well-established fact that Matthew had
married Ann Smith, daughter of Alexander
Smith from North Carolina. Ann’s
gravesite is not identified at the
Kidwell Cemetery.
In the years 1965 to 1967, Mr. Buford F.
Reynolds visited many cemeteries in
Greene County, TN including the Kidwell
Cemetery and chronicled the gravestones
that were present. His manuscript of
these gravestone readings was published
after his death in 1971. This manuscript
does not include any reference to a
Matthew Cox that was born in 1732 and
died in 1807 being buried in the Kidwell
Cemetery; however, Matthew’s grandson,
Matthew Cox, born 1814; died 1884, does
have a gravestone listed in the
transcript along with his wife Nancy
Carter Cox. Ms. Stevie Hughes visited
the cemetery in July 2001 and noted the
existence of the grave marker for
Matthew Cox of the 1732-1807 time
period. According to Ms. Hughes this
grave marker and other similar grave
markers were already in place when the
cemetery was reclaimed from nature in
the mid-1980’s. Apparently the grave
marker for Matthew Cox of 1732 was
placed in the cemetery sometime between
1967 and the mid-1980’s. Many of the
current grave markers at the Kidwell
Cemetery, including Matthew Cox of 1732,
have been identified as “DAR” markers. A
request was sent to the National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution for
copies of any evidence of this being one
of their markers (a picture of the grave
marker was provided.) This request
generated a response that said: “In the
Ancestor Database, Matthew Cox’s entry
is flagged as “Grave of Patriot Marked.”
The Office of the Historian General
searched their records and found no
entries for the grave of Matthew Cox
being marked. This may be because some
graves are marked without the Office of
the Historian General being notified,
especially in the early 1900’s.” An
earlier request to the DAR for
information about this Matthew Cox
generated the following response:
“A search of our Patriot Index provided
the information found below.
COX, Matthew
Birth: VA 1732
Service: NC
Rank: PS
Death: TN Before (ante) 27 Apr 1810
Patriot Pensioned: No Widow Pensioned:
No
Children Pensioned: No Heirs Pensioned:
No
Spouse: (1) Nancy Ann Smith
Please note that his service was
Patriotic Service not MILITARY.”
In addition the DAR also sent a copy of
a certified application for DAR
membership that shows Matthew Cox was
deemed a Patriot for a pay voucher from
the state of North Carolina for services
rendered during the American Revolution.
His exact service was not specified.
That pay voucher is recorded in the
North Carolina Achieves as Revolutionary
Army Accounts, Volume 1, page 40 – Folio
2. A copy of the actual pay voucher
shows Matthew Cox was paid 4 pounds and
8 schillings for “public claims’ by the
state of North Carolina, Salisbury
District on September 6, 1782. Currently
there is no data to support that Matthew
was actually a soldier in any NC militia
or continental line. The voucher simple
states that he received money “for
public claims.” Census records for NC
indicate that there was other “Matthew
Coxes” living in the area during this
time period: in 1790, a Matthew Cox in
Burke County, NC and in 1800, a Matthew
Cox in both Burke and Wilkes Counties,
NC. Wilkes, Surry, and Burke Counties
were all in the Salisbury District at
this time. However the State Census of
North Carolina 1784-1787 does NOT list
any other Matthew Cox other then the one
in Surry County. Since the voucher was
paid in 1782 and the census for the
years just following that date show only
one Matthew Cox, it is reasonable to
speculate that the Matthew Cox of Surry
County, NC that removed to Greene
County, TN are the one and same as
received the voucher.
There are several references that show a
Matthew Cox served in Captain Peter
Hogg’s militia unit during the battle of
Great Meadows in 1754 when Col. George
Washington led the army to fight the
French in Pennsylvania. Most militia
units were made up of men from a
particular county and could, once they
reached the age of 21, be “drafted” to
be in the militia. Peter Hogg came from
Scotland in 1745 and settled in Augusta
County, Virginia. Since, in general, men
formed a militia unit from the same
county, this Matthew was probably also
from Augusta County and was probably in
his early 20’s. This would make his
birth date around the early 1730’s. For
his service, Lord Dunmore issued Matthew
Cox a land grant in 1772 for “400 acres
or what may be allotted to them in the
military survey on the Ohio and Big
Sandy for 28,627 acres.” This property
is located in what is now West Virginia.
Matthew was listed as a “common soldier
at battle of Great Meadows.” The
property was later transferred to Carter
Cox, his attorney. There are no other
records that show a Matthew Cox being
part of the French and Indian Wars other
then the one associated with Capt. Peter
Hogg’s unit.
At this point there is data that
indicates a Matthew Cox was in the
French and Indian Wars, and a Matthew
Cox had some type of involvement in the
American Revolutionary War that was not
military in nature.
In 1900 Dr. Aras B. Cox published a book
he had written called “Foot Prints on
the Sands of Time.” Based on the data in
this book and other research by Dr. A.
D. Wood in the 1930’s, a Cox family from
Halifax County, Virginia was chronicled.
Dr. Cox was in fact the grandson of a
Matthew Cox and Matthew’s wife, Lucy
Dickerson Spencer Cox. In the book Dr.
Cox relates that his grandfather
“Matthew Cox, Sr. was a soldier in Col.
George Washington's regiment with
General Braddock at Pittsburgh in 1755
when the English were defeated.”
These data places this Matthew Cox in
the Battle of Great Meadows and places
him in a Cox Family that had roots in
Halifax and then Floyd Counties in
Virginia. This Matthew Cox had seven
children, one was named Carter Cox and
another was named Matthew Cox (Jr.). The
younger Matthew Cox was born in 1786 in
Floyd County, VA and died in 1860 in
Ashe County, NC. Matthew Jr. married
Mary Bishop and they are both buried on
their son’s (Aras B. Cox) farm in Ashe
County, NC. Dr. Cox also mentions in his
book that "Esquire Isbel in after years
owned the farm where Matthew Cox, Sr.
lived, and where he and his noble wife's
bodies rest in their honored graves.
(This assumes Dr. Cox was referring to
Matthew Cox and not Esquire Isbel!!)
Spring Camp farm, at the foot of Buffalo
Mountain, on the south side, is one of
the most valuable farms in the county."
Buffalo Mountain is in Floyd County, VA.
The Carter Cox mentioned as being the
lawyer for Matthew Cox of Floyd County
is probably Matthew’s son. Based on
these findings, neither of these Matthew
Coxes is buried in Tennessee.
Mr. E. Cox of South Carolina, Mr. J. Cox
of Texas, and the writer have
participated in the most recent
development in genealogy, DNA testing.
Comparisons of the DNA testing results
between Mr. E. Cox and the writer have
shown NO agreement with any markers!!
However, the test results between Mr. J.
Cox of Texas and the writer show that 37
markers match. This level of matching,
in general, suggests that there is an
88.9% probability that there is a common
ancestor within the past 8 generations.
A generation is usually defined as 25
years. Discounting the current
generation, one should expect to find a
common ancestor between the years 1750
and 1775. Mr. E. Cox of South Carolina
is a direct descendent of Matthew Cox of
Halifax/Floyd Counties, VA. The writer
has compelling evidence of being a
direct descendent of Matthew Cox of
Greene County, TN. Since there are no
marker matches between Mr. E. Cox and
the writer, the Matthew Cox of Greene
County cannot be related to the Cox line
from Halifax/Floyd Counties, VA.
There appears to be ample evidence that
the Matthew Cox that was present at the
Battle of Great Meadows and served under
Col. George Washington was the Matthew
Cox of Halifax/Floyd Counties, VA.
Therefore the Matthew Cox of Greene
County, TN is NOT the Matthew Cox or
related to the Matthew Cox that was in
the French and Indian Wars.
By now we know that the Matthew Cox
buried in Greene County, TN was NOT in
the French and Indian War, and with a
high probability was NOT a Revolutionary
War soldier.
When a time line of known facts about
Matthew Cox of Greene Co., TN is drawn,
one issue that becomes apparent is the
possible discrepancy between Matthew’s
date of birth and his fathering of his
children. In his will which was written
in 1807, Matthew states: “---I will unto
each one of my Dere & loving children,
to be paid by my Executors out of my
estat as they shall come of age (The
Writer’s emphasis.) one horse Sadle &
Bridle, to be valued to One hundred
Dollars, One feather Bed & Furniture, my
Daughter Leah & my Son Eliakam & my
Daughter Ann---.” Based on this writing,
Matthew had three children under the age
of 21 at the time he wrote his will.
That would place these three children
being born no earlier then 1786. If
Matthew was born in 1732 he would have
been 54 and older when he fathered these
three children. Although this is not
unheard of, it is unusual for a man that
apparently was only married one time.
Since Matthew also had four other
children, all named in his will, that
were at least 21 years old or older,
that could place his first born no later
then the year 1782. William, Matthew’s
son, was listed as one of the executors
of the will, and there is a record of
his marriage to Mary Gass in 1797. This
would place William’s birth date around
1776.
Mr. J. Cox of Texas has a family linage
that shows only one Matthew Cox; born
approximately in 1750, having a brother
named John, and being the son of William
Cox from Orange County, VA. Tying the
DNA evidence to the Matthew Cox time
line suggests that Matthew may have been
born in the 1750 time frame, not in
1732.
The family tradition of naming your
first-born male after your father adds
some additional weight to this possibly
being the correct line; i.e. Matthew’s
first-born son was named William.
Based on Mr. J. Cox’s lineage he is a
descendent of John Cox, son of William
Cox of Orange County, VA. John Cox
therefore is a possible brother of
Matthew Cox. John Cox applied for a
revolutionary war pension (#S.21124) on
December 30, 1833. He stated in his
claim that he was born in Orange Co. VA;
he enlisted in 1776 and served three
months as a private in Captain John
Scott’s Virginia Company; he was drafted
twice in 1777 and served three months
each time; after the last service John
went to North Carolina to “see his
brother.” He was taken prisoner during
this trip, but was released later; John
then enlisted in Captain White’s
regiment that was stationed in Wilkes
and Burke Counties, NC. John then moved
to Surry County, NC and lived there for
about 16 years before moving to Roane
County, Tennessee. John states he was 75
years old at the time of his claim for
the pension. This would put his birth
date at ~1758. John’s home in Surry
County, NC is established thru several
pieces of data. In the 1790 census for
Surry Co., NC there is a John Cox, one
free white over 16, listed with 5 free
white males under 16 and two free white
females. Also shown in the 1790 Tax List
for Surry County, Capt. Humphrey’s
District, is John Cox with 100 acres
There is also a John Cox in Wilkes Co.,
NC, but this John has 4 free females;
“our” John has only one daughter and 9
sons. There is no John Coxes listed in
Burke Co., NC for 1790. In the 1800
census there are no John Coxes listed in
Burke or Wilkes Counties, NC. However,
there is a John Cox, age 26-45, in Surry
Co., NC that has 9 males; 5 under 10 and
4 between 10 and 15. There are no
daughters listed this time. In the 1810
census for Surry County, NC John is
shown, age over 45, 2 males under 10, 3
males 10-15, 3 males 16-25, one female
under 10, and one female 26-45. Again
there are no John Coxes listed in Burke
or Wilkes Counties, NC. There is no John
Cox listed in the 1820 census for Surry
Co., NC, and the census records for
Roane Co., TN have been lost. John does
appear in the 1830 census for Roane Co.,
TN at age 70-80. Based on his birth date
of 1758, this is a match. John appears
again in the 1840 census for Roane Co.,
TN at age 80-90 with one of his sons,
Samuel, living next door, one of his
son’s wives, Nancy wife of Thomas,
living just a few houses down and also
James Hankins living a couple of homes
from John. James is one of the executors
of John’s will. John is also shown in
the 1840 census as a “Pensioner” at age
82. In addition to the census data there
are land deeds for property bought and
sold by John Cox in Surry Co., NC. One
of the deeds includes his wife, Mary,
signing her dower away for the property.
Also, on one deed, there is a Matthew
Cox as a witness in 1785.
The following land deed data is based on
copies of the actual land deeds on
record at the Surry County, NC Clerk of
Courts Office.
John Cox:
1. 1785: Bought 200 acres in Surry Co.,
NC on both sides of Stewart’s Creek from
Benjamine Griffith. Land bordered Widow
Griffith, John Gitten, and John
Griffith. Witnesses to the deed were:
Robert Harris, Matthew Cox, and James
Gittins. (This a excellent indication
that John and Matthew are related.)
2. 1787: Sold the land above to Richard
Adams. Witnesses were: Hugh Armstrong,
James Dickerson, and Collins Hampton.
John’s wife, Mary, signed relinquishing
her rights to the land. Therefore Mary,
John’s first wife, was still alive in
1787.
3. 1789: Bought 100 acres in Surry Co.,
NC on Stoney Creek from William Saffoon.
Part of tract of Gilbard Ce_ney.
Witnesses: Alex. Bryson, Thomas Normond,
and Frost Snow, jr. John’s first wife
was Mary Bryson, and it is believed his
second wife was a Snow.
4. 1794: Bought 46 acres in Surry Co.,
NC on Stewart’s Creek from John Davis.
Part of a survey for John Bledsoe. Land
borders lines of Snow and Davis.
Witnesses: Robert Hammock, Frost Snow,
and Aaron I_sby.
5. 1795: Bought 140 acres in Surry
County, NC on Stuart’s Creek from Moses
Bledsoe. (I believe this is the same
Creek as Stewart’s.) Witnesses: John
Stuart, Abraham Bledsoe, and Cornelius
Kitt.
6. 1798: Received a grant, #1807, for
100 acres in Surry County, NC on
Stewart’s Creek.
7. 1809: Sold the 100 acres on Stoney
Creek to Joseph Guine. Witnesses:
Johnson Snow, Robert Hammock, and John
Snow.
Matthew Cox:
1. 1781: Bought 150 acres in Surry
County, NC on Stewart’s Creek from
Solomon Nelson. Witnesses: James
Anderson, John Harris, and William
Rogers.
2. 1782: Bought 50 acres in Surry
County, NC on Stewart’s Creek; bordering
Solomon Nelson’s, and John Harris’
corners. Witnesses: Robert Harris, Aaron
Kemp, and Joel Mackey.
3. 1784: Grant for 150 acres in Surry
County, NC on West side of Beach Creek.
(There is no grant number shown.)
4. 1786: Sold to William Bruce 200 acres
on the South side of Stewart’s Creek in
Surry County, NC; bounded by John
Harris, John Gittens, and John McKinny.
Witnesses: John Harris, Robert Harris,
and M. Mily. This probably is a
combination of the two plots listed
above; 150 A plus the 50 A.
5. 1788: Sold to Henry Herrin 150 acres
on Beach Creek in Surry County, NC.
Witnesses: Colby Creed, Mich. Miles, and
Bennet Creed.
Note: All of the deeds except for the
Grants list both John and Matthew as
“--- of Surry County in the State of
North Carolina---.” This statement
indicates that both John and Matthew
were considered residents of the County
and State at the time of the
transaction.
Similar names appear as
witnesses to both John and Matthew’s
transactions. Also, the names of people
who own bordering properties indicate
that John and Matthew bought land either
next to or nearby each other. These are
compelling data that suggest John and
Matthew were closely related.
Studying the early tax records of Greene
County, TN, one notes that there are
several family names associated with
Matthew Cox. In his will, Matthew lists
Daniel Carter and James Goodin as some
of his executors, and Matthew’s will has
Issac Armitage, John R. Ross, and
William Jones as witnesses. In the 1783
tax list for Greene County, TN John
Ross, James Goodin (Gooden), and William
Jones are shown. Daniel Carter is shown
in the 1800 tax list. Issac Armitage is
shown in the 1809 tax list for Greene
County along with Matthew’s sons William
and Lemuel Cox. Also on these lists are
other family names associated with the
Matthew Cox family: Gass, a daughter
married Matthew’s son William; and Gist,
Matthew had obtained a land grant in
Greene County from Jacob Gist. Also on
the 1783 tax list are Benjamin, Ephraem,
and Thomas Cox. Their relation to
Matthew is unknown at this time. None of
these other Coxes, Benjamin, Ephraem,
and Thomas, except for Matthew appear in
later tax lists for Greene County, TN;
i.e. 1798 and 1800.
Matthew married Ann Smith, daughter of
Alexander Smith. Alexander Smith served
in Capt. Hargets Company in the
Continental Line of North Carolina
during the Revolutionary War. Alexander
apparently was in a battle near
Hillsborough, NC. He probably died
before 1784, and Ann Smith Cox, as the
only heir, was given a Land Grant for
640 acres located in Sumner Co.,
Tennessee – North Carolina Land Grant
#2425 through a military warrant No.
887a in recognition of her father’s
service. Matthew and Ann transferred
this land in 1785 to Obed Baker. Obed
Baker in turn sold the land to Sampson
Williams in 1788. Sampson Williams sold
the land to Jason Thompson. The survey
of the property was completed in 1792
and shows Jason Thompson as the owner.
(The actual warrant was not entered
until Nov. 1790 and not issued until
Dec. 1793 – Entry Number 1352.)
Based on land deeds and transfers in
North Carolina, it appears that Matthew
and Ann were married before moving to
Greene County. William, possibly their
first-born child, lists in the 1850
census his birthplace as NC. The State
Census of North Carolina 1784-1787 under
Captain Humphre’s District, Surry
County, in 1786 lists Matthew Cox with
one male 21-60, 2 males under 21, and 3
total females of all ages. These ages
correspond to the ages of Matthew’s
children: William, Lemuel, Jane, and
Maholah. Matthew’s brother, John, is
also shown with one male 21-60, 3 males
under 21, and one female of all ages. In
addition other individuals associated
with Matthew’s and his brother John’s
land deeds are also listed in this
census. Of primary interest is the
listing of Obed Baker who was the person
that Matthew and Ann transferred the
Sumner County land to. Based on land
deeds in both Surry County, NC and
Greene County, TN, it appears that
Matthew and Ann moved to North Carolina
(Tennessee) locating at Roaring Fork of
Lick Creek, Greene Co. (TN) around
1789-90. Since the 1786 census for Surry
County, NC contains both Matthew and
John Cox and the 1790 census for the
same county contains only John Cox, it
can be assumed that Matthew has left the
county by this date. Greene County, TN
was formed in 1783 as part of North
Carolina. Tennessee did not become a
state until 1796. Although a Matthew Cox
is shown in the 1783 Greene County, TN
tax list, the overwhelming evidence that
“our” Matthew was a resident of Surry
County, NC until 1788 shows that this
must be a different person.
The first Federal census was in 1790. At
that time, Greene County, TN was part of
the state of North Carolina.
Unfortunately, the census data for
Greene County in 1790 has not survived.
This is also true for the 1800 census,
1810 census, and the 1820 census data.
Any information showing residence must
be gleaned from the Tax Lists for those
years or possibly land deeds. Matthew
Cox purchased 100 acres of land from
Alexander Gooden on September 28, 1792.
In 1793 Matthew Cox was granted 100
acres on the Roaring Fork of Lick Creek
in Greene County, TN. The Roaring Fork
Community is now known as Bales Chapel
Community. The warrant was originally
issued to Jacob Gist. Matthew Cox is
listed in the 1798 Greene County Tax
List for Captain Christopher Bullard’s
Company; he has 250 acres. Matthew Cox
is listed in the Greene County, TN Tax
List of Capt. John Jones Company for the
year 1800. He is shown having 250 acres
on the Pigeon Creek. A William Cox
purchased 328 acres on the south side of
the Roaring Fork of Lick Creek from
Thomas Stanfield on March 21, 1801.
Matthew Cox duly proved by oath this
sale. Matthew died February 2, 1807 and
Ann died in 1831.
The above set of information provides a
clear and concise documented
chronological assessment of the heritage
of Matthew Cox. He was born around 1750
in Orange County, VA to William and
Rebecca Cox. One of his brothers was
John Cox, born in 1758, and removed to
Surry County, NC and then to Roane
County, TN. Matthew removed to Surry
County, NC and then to Greene County,
TN. His move to Greene County occurred
around 1789 to 1790. Matthew was
probably not a soldier of the
Revolutionary War, but participated in a
“Patriot” capacity. He definitely was
not involved in the French and Indian
War. Matthew married Ann Smith and had
seven children. These children have
formed the basis of the Cox family in
Greene County, TN.
This is the Matthew that is buried in
Matthew Cox’s grave. |
