Monthly Archives: February 2026

Uncovering Family History: Discoveries in Virginia and Beyond

22 Sunday Feb 2026

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A couple interesting developments happened this week. About a month ago, I found a newspaper article from 1934 stating documentation about Colonel Isaac Cox had been donated to Transylvania University since he had been an early trustee of the institution. I wrote to them to see if they had said documents. I received a response back from their Archivist and Special Collections Librarian this week. She thanked me for the newspaper article, but stated the documents are no longer in possession of the university. She was kind enough to suggest some other repositories which may have received the documents at a later date. After thinking on it, they could have also made their way to the Filson Club since Rogers Clark Thruston was such a big deal there. She did provide me with a link to a book available online that listed Isaac as a trustee up until 1788 when he was listed as “resigned”. It was surprising, because the date of his resignation was just after the date his estate was entered into probate. At any rate, I have additional places to visit when I make a research trip to Kentucky, at some yet undetermined date.

The second cool thing that happened this week was discovering a YouTube video made by a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution titled “The Legend of Jean Marie Cardinal“. Cardinal is my grandmother’s maiden name so I was excited to check it out. It is well done and I highly recommend it. I won’t give away any spoilers, but as it turns out Jean Marie is my eighth cousin 2 times removed.

As I planned last week, I am working through Evelyn Adams’ “Coxes of Cox Creek” and her cited references. The focus of the narrative is Isaac’s family since they solely were the ones who migrated to Kentucky and established Cox’s Station. There is some information on Gabriel and Friend Cox who are postulated to be brothers of the older Isaac, sometimes labeled as “Isaac the Immigrant”. There are documents putting the three men in the same locations which would lend to that theory. Individual family units did not relocate by themselves during that era. They moved in larger groups, if for nothing else safety reasons. Also, there seems to be some commonality with names of children.

I felt it was important for historical accuracy to identify the state at the time the events took place, not the current day state. West Virginia did not separate from Virginia until 1863.

For Gabriel Cox (c1718-1778), I have located the following documents:

  • Recorded land survey report dated January 30, 1762 in Hampshire County, Virginia.
  • A series of land transfer deeds from June 9, 1767 in Hampshire County, Virginia, identifying Eleanor as Gabriel’s wife.
  • A list of men who took and subscribed to the Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity to the Commonwealth of Virginia on October 6, 1777, in Ohio County, Virginia, included Gabriel Cox and his three sons–David Cox, Israel Cox, and Peter Cox.
  • His Last Will and Testament dated June 6, 1778 from Ohio County, Virginia.
  • The Administrator’s Document dated August 3, 1778 in Ohio County, Virginia. This names Eleanor, the widow, and Israel, his son. This document also narrows down when Gabriel died.
  • The estate inventory dated February 24, 1779, in Ohio County, Virginia.

I also had some scheduled library time this week and focused first on the Hampshire County, (West) Virginia records available.

  • A rather useful book I had at my disposal is Early Records: Hampshire County, Virginia, a compilation by Clara McCormack Sage ad Laura Sage Jones that was originally published in 1939. It was reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Company in 1969 and later again in 1976. It is basically an index of early records. There were several land transfers involving Cox family members as well as several entries where a Cox individual served as a witness. The original has been digitized and is on the FamilySearch website. It is restricted from downloading.

Moving on to Frederick County, Virginia books, I found some limited information in the following book:

  • Frederick County, Virginia: Settlement and Some First Families of Back Creek Valley 1730-1830, by Wilmer L Kerns. There was mention of Friend Cox in George Washington’s papers from 1756. Unfortunately, the papers of our first president are not available digitally. There is a copy of the volume I need at the Arizona State University Library. If I am feeling adventurous, I might take a trip across town to check it out.

Interestingly, I also checked for possible DeMosses in both counties while I was at it. Several entries suggested that DeMosses lived in the same general area that the Coxes did.

There are many books on Virginia in general that I still need to check. I can leave that for a future library day. I will continue checking Ms. Adams’ citations to better understand the conclusions she has drawn. I think I am finished for this week.

Error resolution. The last available update: I have 4903 errors in the tree–382 possible duplicates, 4074 with no documents, 447 other errors.

  • A distant cousin needing sources. Gotta love the California Birth Index! I was also able to find sources for a couple siblings as well.
  • A husband of a distant cousin needed a first name and a source. He was a second husband and luckily I found their marriage record.
  • The last error to clear up was a repeat that I had already resolved. She was a twin who died at age 10 in 1918. While the newspaper did not say, I have to wonder if it wasn’t from the Spanish flu. Kansas death certificates are not available online, so I likely will never know. I was able to narrow down when a sibling died using several of the family obituaries.

Goals and progress…
Beginning of Week: 27,092 people
End of Week: 27,135 people
Change = +43 persons
Tasks for coming week:

  • Continue research on Isaac Cox, “The Immigrant” and his wife Susannah Tomlinson.
  • Review Coxes of Cox Creek
  • Run newspaper search, especially for articles recounting local history
  • Review the Cox package of information from Sweden
  • Look for documents in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky

Genealogy Progress: DNA Matches and Document Insights

15 Sunday Feb 2026

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Been a bit busy this past week, so not a lot of genealogy actually happening. I did have a couple DNA matches with an common ancestor identified pop up so I am always happy to see those. Nothing on the lines I am currently focusing on, but something for future work. I may take a few weeks later this year and just focus on incorporating some of those into my tree.

Looking through the documents I have on the early Cox generations, I have an typed copy of an article by David Hall that was published in the Kentucky Standard in 1985. Unfortunately, the 1985 issues of this paper are not digitized on newspapers.com. At any rate, this article heavily relies on information in Coxes of Cox’s Creek by Evelyn Adams. At least Ms. Adams’ article from the Filson Club History Quarterly contains references.

Re-examining the Adams document, I believe my best course of action is to simultaneously work on the families of Isaac (my 6th ggf) and his brothers Gabriel and Friend. I will be able to incorporate everything from this document with one pass instead of having to come back to it yet again later.

Adams does reference The Cox Family in America by Henry M. Cox, published in 1912. Unfortunately, CFA does not include citations for the information it contains. I can only surmise that any information I cannot substantiate with other documents was provided as family traditions and may or may not be fact. The information on Isaac, Gabriel, and Friend was presented as separate family units. Because they seemed to be in many of the same locales at nearly the same time, it could be postulated that the three men were related in some fashion. The identity of their parents was not presented to the reader, only that the earlier generation(s) of the family likely were from England and migrated to Switzerland to escape the religious and political volatility of the 1670s.

Error resolution. The last available update: I have 4906 errors in the tree–382 possible duplicates, 4078 with no documents, 446 other errors.

  • The wife of a distant cousin needs some sources. She lived in the early 20th century, so I have several documents from her, especially census records. I was able to fill out her family as she had several children. Because of the census records, they are sourced and will not add to my error total.
  • Another wife of a distant cousin needing sources. She also needs a maiden name. Not having much luck tracking her or her husband down.
  • And yet another wife of a distant cousin in need of sources. I was able to supply a source for both her and her husband.

Goals and progress…
Beginning of Week: 27,088 people
End of Week: 27,092 people
Change = +4 persons
Tasks for coming week:

  • Continue research on Isaac Cox, “The Immigrant” and his wife Susannah Tomlinson.
  • Review Coxes of Cox Creek
  • Run newspaper search, especially for articles recounting local history
  • Review the Cox package of information from Sweden
  • Look for documents in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky

Navigating Historical Boundaries for Genealogy Research

08 Sunday Feb 2026

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I’m going to start this week off with DNA. Ancestry sent me an email stating I had a match. It’s never done that before. It was 76 cM so I hoped it would be an easy match. I opened it up and she’s got an unlinked tree with only six people in it. Only one person actually had a name. So I looked at the shared matches. WOW! Lots of matches including my dad’s sister. Saw a match that was only identified as initials because it is managed by someone else. It matched the initials of the sole person in her tree. An obituary would be my best bet for finding a connection…and it was! This new match was a granddaughter of my existing match. YAY! She’s related on my Winkler line. However, there were some matches identified on my maternal side. Looking at the potential ancestors, she could also tie into my Pea line. This could be amplifying the DNA content slightly. I’ll worry about that at another time though.

As I transition between Yohogania County and Washington County to Hampshire County, a little boundary history is necessary to optimize my search for information on Isaac Cox Sr. Hampshire County was originally formed on paper in 1754 from Frederick County and Augusta County in Virginia. Due to hostilities in the area, organized settlement of the area was delayed a few years. In 1785, Hampshire County was split in two, forming Hardy County from the southern half. No further changes in county lines were noted after 1785. In 1863 Hampshire County, along with 49 other counties to form West Virginia. Mineral County was carved out in 1866 and Grant County was formed from Hardy County. Previous publications on this Cox family have mentioned the Cacapon River which runs north-south in the eastern part of Hampshire County. Records search will focus mainly on that area.

Source: mapofus.org

A search for Isaac Cox in newspapers came up empty for the desired time period. That is not surprising since the Hampshire County area was not widely populated or developed in the mid 1700s.

I would be remiss if I didn’t utilize the reference materials available to me at the local genealogical library. In their stacks was a copy of the two volume Biographical Record of Washington County, PA originally published in 1893. Contained within its pages was a biography of a Noah Cox (b. 1819). In the biography, it stated that Noah was the grandson of a Christopher Cox who emigrated from Germany and settled in the Greene County, PA area prior to 1762. Greene County was formed from Washington County in 1796. Based on this information, this particular family is likely to not be related to my Coxes, but the info is helpful as I sort individuals out. Christopher’s children are listed as: John, Jessie, Hiram, Aaron, Christopher, Moses, Jacob, Matilda, Mary and India.

Document findings

  • Early Landowners of Pennsylvania: Atlas of Township Warrantee Maps of Washington County, PA compiled by MacInnes & MacInnes. The plats are broken down by township with plenty of maps to illustrate. Gabriel Cox held two warrantees in present day Union Township (previously part of Peters Township) for parcels labeled “Coxburg” or “Coxbury” and “Cox’s Addition”. His brother John Cox held an adjacent parcel “Belmont”.
  • In a land transfer deed between Isaac Cox and John Decker on July 9, 1778, the parcel of land in question, Mingo Bottom, bordered the Ohio River. It was to the south of a parcel owned by Isaac’s sister Ann and her husband William McMahan. George Cox, Ann and Isaac’s brother, served as one of the witnesses. Since the Ohio River is not in Washington County, this land may have been partially in present day Ohio County, WV.
  • In a land transfer deed between Isaac Cox and Andrew Nye dated August 16, 1779, the parcel of land was adjacent to a tract owned by Isaac’s brother David. David and Gabriel witnessed the document.
  • In a land transfer deed between Isaac Cox and Garrett Vinnaman dated February 9, 1778, the parcel of land on Harrod’s Town Fork. Gabriel served as witness.
  • The brothers John, Isaac, Gabriel and David Cox were mentioned in a land transfer deed between Moses Holladay and Samuel Irwin for a parcel along Peters Creek in May 1779. Peters Creek is in the northeastern portion of Washington County. It would seem the Cox family holdings were somewhat extensive and spread across the county. This land was likely in present day Union Township mentioned previously above.
  • Deed transfer from Isaac & Mary Cox and Gabriel & Sarah Cox to Edward McGuire in Hampshire County, VA, December 8, 1772. Mary and Sarah were daughters of Enoch Enochs.

It has occurred to me that because Isaac and Gabriel were selling off land in Hampshire County in 1772 and they were presumably in Yohogania County at the time of its formation in late 1775. Purchases of the land noted above were possibly recorded in the District of West Augusta. There are some court minutes available which I have already looked through.

In the coming week, I will focus on Hampshire County and what I can find there for the family. I will also return to the previously published sources for potential resources to seek out.

Error resolution. The last available update: I have 4913 errors in the tree–382 possible duplicates, 4085 with no documents, 446 other errors.

  • The first error to fix is for the mother-in-law of a distant cousin. With the limitations I am imposing on my tree, she will be pruned along with her husband.
  • The second one might be difficult. This is the daughter of a second cousin so she is still fairly young. I was able to find her brother so I will have to take that as a consolation prize in this case.
  • The last error to fix this week was for a distant cousin with no records attached. I was able to add at least one source to several members of this family and get them off the list.

Goals and progress…
Beginning of Week: 27,081 people
End of Week: 27,088 people
Change = +7 persons
Tasks for coming week:

  • Continue research on Isaac Cox, “The Immigrant” and his wife Susannah Tomlinson.
  • Review Coxes of Cox Creek
  • Run newspaper search, especially for articles recounting local history
  • Review the Cox package of information from Sweden
  • Look for documents in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky

Researching Yohogania County, Virginia

01 Sunday Feb 2026

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Last week I did not finish resolving the hints from the Cawood family that were identified as “new” by Ancestry. The last one was for my 8th great grandmother Anne Terrett. She married Stephen Cawood and then John Wynne. An article entitled “Berry Family of Charles County” postulates that after John’s death, Anne married James Berry in St Mary’s County, Maryland in 1686. It will be interesting to research the Cawoods as the published family genealogies surrounding this branch go back into the 17th Century Tidewater Region. I am excited to start this chapter at some point in the future.

As I review the many newspaper articles recounting historical information about Yohogania County, there is mention in the early days of the county that the sheriff was ordered to erect a “Ducking Stool” in the Monongahela River. So, what is a Ducking Stool? According to Google, it is a medieval punishment device, mostly used to publicly humiliate disorderly women for offenses like scolding, gossiping, or behaving like a shrew. It consisted of a chair affixed to the end of a long beam suspended over water. The offender would be strapped to the chair and repeatedly dunked into the water. In some instances, the dunkings were severe and resulted in death by drowning.

Most of the newspaper references to Yohogania in Allegheny County during the first half of the twentieth century were in reference to the Yohogania Chapter of the Daughters of American Colonists. The articles referencing the short history of the lost county usually mentioned the boundary struggles between Virginia and Pennsylvania, the commissioning of instruments of punishment such as the ducking stool or stocks, or identifying which counties now occupy the region. Little specific information is provided about individuals who may have resided in Yohogania County.

Articles written in Fayette County publications tend to focus on the roles Colonel William Crawford and Zachariah Connell played in the county’s history. One particular article1 goes into gross detail regarding the gruesome death of Colonel Crawford at the hands of British forces and their allies the Indians at Sandusky in 1782.

Little to no reference was made to my Cox family in the articles about Yohogania’s history. I attribute the lack of information to the fact that the family did not stay in the area. Yes, Colonel Isaac played a role in the county government and was a ranking member of the militia, however, their departure to Kentucky placed them in the honorable mention category at best. Having perused the papers on Newspapers.com from Allegheny, Fayette and Washington County, I will resume my search in Crumrine’s works.

Examination of all mentions of Cox in the History of Washington County, Pennsylvania show individuals with the surname Cox were in the area as early as 1756. These early individuals likely were not related to the family I am currently researching. Their presence, however, is a clear indication that I should proceed with caution.

On page 129, mention of an Isaac Cox is associated with a discussion about Colonel Crawford’s Sandusky Campaign. Since this event occurred in 1782, the Isaac Cox mentioned is likely not to be my 6th great grandfather or his son, as they had removed to Kentucky two years prior. This could be a son of either Friend or Gabriel Cox, brothers of Isaac Sr.

In 1770 (page 146), a Gabriel Cox acquired property on Peters Creek. The assessment roll for 1772 for Springhill Township, Bedford County included Gabriel Cox as well. This Gabriel is likely to be Isaac Sr’s brother.

In 1777 (page 186) at the Council of War at Catfish Camp, Gabriel Cox’s residence was named a proper place for magazines and 2.5 tons of lead and ammunition were to be delivered to that location. Also in 1777, the justices of the peace were tasked with obtaining the Oath of Allegiance from all males over the age of 16. The list of men who took the oath in Ohio County, Virginia2 in 1777 included Gabriel Cox, David Cox, Israel Cox, and Peter Cox. This was likely Isaac Sr’s brother Gabriel and his three sons. I have not yet found a similar listing for Yohogania County.

In late 1775 (page 205), Gabriel Cox, et al, were tasked with making a preliminary report for a road from Fort Dunmore to Henry Heath’s farm. This is likely Gabriel Cox, son of Isaac Sr. He was also involved with development of other roads within the county. Gabriel also inventoried various estates in probate. (page 210)

A George Cox served on a road commission in Augusta County in 1776 prior to the formation of Yohogania County (page 211). This is likely Isaac Sr.’s son. George’s residence was identified as Ohio County, Virginia in some of the land deeds in Nelson County, Kentucky, after his father’s death.

In 1777, Isaac Cox was part of the commission to build a courthouse and jail. (page 215).

In 1778, John Cox’s property was mentioned as a point of reference for a road commission. (page 217) His property was located near Peters Creek. He is believed to be another son of Isaac Sr as his residence was listed as Washington County, PA in the 1790 land deed.

In October 1779, Isaac Cox applied for a passport to relocate to Kentucky County, essentially tendering his resignation as a justice of the peace for Yohogania County. It was also testified by Colonel Crawford that Isaac was a junior officer in the Virginia military in 1764.

In 1781 amid the turmoil of fixing the boundary between Virginia and Pennsylvania, it was alleged that Lt. Col Gabriel Cox and his men were terrorizing citizens who had previously been loyal to Pennsylvania as opposed to Virginia. In January 1782, Gabriel was brought up on four sets of charges–two for assault and two for assault and battery. Juries of his peers acquitted him of the two incidents of assault and the assault and battery charges ended with noli [sic] prosequi.3 When pressed, the court clerk provided an explanation to Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania. In a nutshell, certain male residents of the county had been “drafted” to serve under Colonel George Rogers Clark and they were evading the draft. Gabriel was tasked with rounding up these draft dodgers. His tactics were considered somewhat excessive, but warranted. It also didn’t hurt his cause that the majority of his jurors may have been former Virginians and sympathetic to his plight. (page 239)

That is going to do it for this week. I want to do another pass thru FamilySearch for Washington County before I move on to Frederick County and Hampshire County, Virginia. I’ll do that at the library on Saturday. I also want to go thru the rest of the hardcopy books they have on Washington County. I also need to create a few reminders for a future trip to the library in Salt Lake City. It’s been a month since I synced Family Tree Maker with my Ancestry tree, so I am doing that as I finish up this week’s notes.

Error resolution. The last available update: I have 4919 errors in the tree–380 possible duplicates, 4093 with no documents, 446 other errors.

  • The first error to resolve was the husband of a distant cousin. I had to trace back to the 1950 census for her before I could identify his first name and find a source for him.
  • The second is the father in law of a distant cousin. Considering the limitations I have imposed for my tree, this record was deleted.
  • Lastly, a 3rd great grandaunt down my Cawood line! What are they odds? I found several sources to update her record.

Goals and progress…
Beginning of Week: 27,075 people
End of Week: 27,081 people
Change = +6 persons
Tasks for coming week:

  • Continue research on Isaac Cox, “The Immigrant” and his wife Susannah Tomlinson.
  • Review Coxes of Cox Creek
  • Run newspaper search, especially for articles recounting local history
  • Review the Cox package of information from Sweden
  • Review Minutes of Yohogania Co, VA
  • Look for documents in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky

  1. “The Hero-Martyr of the Youghiogheny,” The Daily Courier, (Connellsville, PA), Friday, June 25, 1976, page B-6, newspapers.com ↩︎
  2. “The Echoer”, volume 1, number 9 (April 1968), page 5, FamilySearch.org. ↩︎
  3. nolle prosequi – a formal entry on the record by a prosecutor which voluntarily ends a criminal case before a verdict. ↩︎