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John Willis Burton Cox Family


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Title  John Willis Burton Cox Family 
Author  Mercer County Pioneer Traces Vol I, Page 213, Wyona (Ivan) Cox 
Text  Cox, Rockhold, Duncan And Brown Pioneer Families

Willison Cox was born in 1784 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was married on December 17, 1807, in Washington, Virginia, to Susannah Laughlin. They are buried in the Laughlin Cemetery, Mercer County, Missouri. When Willison's large family, four girls and four boys, grown they scattered out over the states. Willison and Susannah and sons Hugh Porter and John Willis Burton went from Tennessee to Jackson County, Missouri. Later they moved to Mercer County, Missouri, in the center of the county along the Iowa line. Children of Susannah (Laughlin) and Willison Cox were (1) James Laughlin (1808-1896), (2) Sarah Casandra (1809-1897), (3) Jarret Tipton (1810-1878), (4) Mary Ann (Cox) Moore (1818-1878), (5) Hugh Porter (twin) (1820-1879), (6) Elizabeth Jane (twin) (1820-1896), (7) John Willis Burton (1825-1899) and (8) Margaret E. (Cox) Cummings (1828-1899).

John Willis Burton Cox, at the age of 17, came with his parents to Mercer County, Missouri. John Willis Burton Cox was married in 1826 in Mercer County, Missouri, to Mary Jane Rockhold. Mary Jane was the daughter of Lloyd Rockhold and Jane Conner.

Bert, as John Willis Burton was called, was six feet tall and strong. Soon after they were married, Bert and Aunt Mary Jane, as people affectionately called her, took a baby boy by the name of Sam B. Baker to rear. From that time on they had one or more boys to feed and clothe. These are the children of J. W. B. Cox and Mary Jane Rockhold: (1) Jarrett Madison (1857-1937), (2) Nancy Ann "Nank" (1859-1937), (3) Elwysey Eleanor (1860-1913), (4) Loyd Porter (1862-1932), (5) Jasper Alexander (1864-1919), (6) Elizabeth Jane (1866-1898), (7) Mary Viola Mae Dora (1869-1934), (8) Thomas Willis (1872-1900) and (9) Tipton Burton (1876-died as a tiny child). Amoung others that Grandmother and Grandfather took to rear were Tom Qualls and Tobe Molen.

JWB Cox worked at many trades. He was a good woodsman, carpenter, brick-maker, bricklayer, and cabinet-maker. He and his boys made thousands of bricks used for building round-about. When 35 years old he became very much interested in religion. He studied diligently and began to preach the gospel after being ordained. He was a minister of the "hard-shelled" Baptist Church. He served Mercer County in this capacity until he died in 1869. Since his congregation were farmer folk who had rather small incomes, his material income was small indeed. Rich, however, were the rewards of goodwill and friendship he reaped.

He ministered to the poor and sick. If any man needed help to pay his rent or his interest in order to keep his home or if a poor man with only two horses lost a horse, Grandfather Cox went to take up a collection to remedy the situation. You may bet your bottom dollar Bert Cox's own contribution headed the list and was as large as he expected any other man to give.

As I said he worked at many trades. These trades he taught to his sons: timber work, farming, bricklaying and brick-making. They became proficient in most of these trades.

From Rambling Through Life and Times by Wyona (Ivan) Cox

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