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Tag Archives: Catt

Dunmore’s War: Documenting the Cox Family Legacy

16 Sunday Aug 2026

Posted by suzieg1969 in DNA Matches, Genealogy, maps

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Tags

ancestry, Catt, Cox, Draper Manuscripts, Dunmore's War, family-history, Genealogy, Mattox, Staton, Tomlinson, Virginia

DNA Updates

  • DH, a 4th cousin 1x removed descends from Isaac Catt. This was easy enough to fill in and add to the tree.
  • EV, a 3rd cousin 2x removed descends from Calvin Mattox. This cousin was also relatively easy to add to the tree.
  • T4 is a descendant of Reuben Staton. Since I haven’t really built that branch out much yet, I’ll tag it and leave it for later. A quick look and I’m not sure the suggested path is correct.

Coxes of Cox Creek Footnotes

20. Draper MSS, typed copy of 16S280-286 in the Filson Club. This reference was previously discussed on July 26th.

21. Reuben G Thwaites, ed, Documentary History of Dunmore’s War, 1774 (1905), pp 15, 16, 220, 233, 256, 258, 425. This book can be found on Internet Archive.

  • page 15 references Draper MSS, 2SS, book 5, pp 33-35. The passage, as recounted by Michael Cresap Jr, mentions Joseph Tomlinson and Nathaniel Tomlinson, as well as George Cox, son of Isaac Cox. The incident described occurred April 30, 1774 at Baker’s Tavern which was situated near Yellow Creek and the Ohio River. A group of Mingo Indians related to Chief Logan were ambushed by a larger group of white vigilantes and massacred. George Cox apparently left the scene prior to the massacre, however, Nathaniel Tomlinson did participate. The Tomlinsons are of interest; George Cox’s mother (Isaac’s wife and my 6th great grandmother) was Susannah Tomlinson.
  • page 16 references Draper MSS 2S, book 3, p. 34. This account of the incident provided by George Edington mentions that George Cox was part of Daniel Greathouse’s party, but does not go into detail regarding Cox’s role in the incident.
  • page 220 is a correspondence from Major Arthur Campbell to Colonel William Preston, describing an incident with the Indians which occurred on September 29, 1774. Major Campbell expressed concern about the low number of men willing to band together to protect the citizenry. Among those who were not responsive to the call of arms was a man named Cox. The book index attributes this reference to a Captain John Cox. (Draper, 3QQ109.)
  • page 233 is a follow up letter from Campbell to Preston dated October 6, 1774. Reference is made to a Lt. Cox, however again, it is not clear which Cox it identifies. The book index identifies this Cox as Gabriel. (Draper 3QQ116)
  • page 256 This page is undated correspondence from Colonel William Fleming to his brother-in-law William Bowyer recounting his injuries incurred at the Point Pleasant Battle. No specific mention of a Cox individual was made.
  • Page 258. Correspondence from Captain William Ingles to Colonel William Preston recounting the Point Pleasant Battle. Again, no specific mention of a Cox family member. (Draper 3QQ121)
  • Page 425. Mention of Lt Gabriel Cox, likely son of Isaac, as part of Dunmore’s Division in the April 1904 issue of West Virginia Historical Magazine.
    • Volume 4, number 2, published in April 1904, available digitally on FamilySearch. Page 159 – An excerpt of a deposition of Benjamin Tomlinson is recounted. The deposition was collected on April 17, 1797. Benjamin was asked who was in attendance at the treaty signing at the conclusion of Dunmore’s War. Lt. Gabriel Cox who now resided in Kentucky was named. This would be consistent with Isaac and Susannah’s son Gabriel. This article references A Biographical Sketch of the Life of the Late Captain Michael Cresap by John J Jacob, originally published in 1826 and reprinted in 1866, available on Internet Archive.

The following references to Cox family members were not included in Mrs. Adams’ citation:

  • Page 19 – George Cox is mentioned by the interviewee. His actions were not described, just merely that George was a large man. Large by 1774 standards likely meant over six feet tall and 200 pounds or more.
  • Page 229 – John Cox is mentioned in a missive from Campbell to Preston. This is likely Captain John Cox since it states he was leading a company of 24 men. It is not clear if this John was related to my Cox family or belongs to another. (Draper, 3QQ114)
  • Page 421 – Mentions that George Cox participated in the conflict under Lord Dunmore’s Division, however, no details were provided. (Draper 6ZZ79)

List of Revolutionary Soldiers in Virginia, Virginia State Library, Richmond (1912). I’m not sure how this reference relates to the Dunmore War since that conflict technically was not part of the Revolution. At any rate, the following Cox names are included in the list on page 115. References to the actual list on which these men appeared are provided and would likely need to be checked to confirm the correct man has been identified.

  • Benjamin Cox
  • David Cox
  • Lt. Gabriel Cox
  • George Cox
  • Isaac Cox
  • James Cox
  • John Cox
  • Joseph Cox

Error Resolution

Per Ancestry’s Tree CheckerThis WeekLast Week
Total Errors50325059
Potential Duplicates517512
No Documentation40934103
Other Errors422444
  • JR, A 6th cousin DNA match. While I don’t like using Public Records Index for references, I will do it from time to time if nothing else presents itself.
  • Daniel Maquinet, a 7th great-grandfather. Not a lot is available on this ancestor.
  • DD, a 5th cousin needing records. Found a Public Records Index identifying him.

Goals and progress…
Beginning of Week: 27,966 people
End of Week: 28,000 people
Change = +34 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

Roderick Family History: Exploring Kansas Research

28 Sunday Jun 2026

Posted by suzieg1969 in Genealogy, DNA Matches

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Tags

Cox, Thompson, Roderick, Kentucky, Thomas, California, Oklahoma, Catt, Genealogy, family-history, ancestry, Starkey

DNA Updates

  • A DNA match on my mother’s side (Catt line) that I was able to add fairly easily. This branch is fairly easy to document at this time. She is a 3rd cousin 2x removed.
  • A second DNA match was revealed this week on my mom’s side. He descends from both the Catt line and Thompson line which explains why there are a few more centimorgans than normal for a 5th cousin. This one took a little effort since he is about the same age as my daughter and his tree isn’t very well built out. Most individuals are still living, but a great-grandfather on his mother’s side had an obituary available. It also helped that I went to school with his mother’s sister and I just happened to have purchased my high school’s alumni directory back in 2000. Quite the puzzle if you must know.

Rodericks in Kansas

One of my errors to fix this week was for Catera Roderick (see below). She could be found at age 4 months in the 1870 Census in the household of John Roderick in Kansas. John was born in 1790 so the idea that she was John’s daughter might seem far-fetched, although not an impossibility. John married a much younger woman, Almira Julian in 1865. A newspaper article about assistance for the poor briefly mentioned John, his wife, and four children.1 He died later that year.2

Hints for Almira or Catera do not readily populate. The Roderick Genealogy written by David Paul Roderick in 1999 listed an incorrect date of birth for Almira and made the assumption that Catera was John’s grandchild, not the daughter of Almira and John.

From the 1870 census, it would seem that Catera has a brother William who is two years her senior. The Roderick Genealogy mentions that William married a Viola Parrett. I was able to find their marriage record in Jefferson County, Kansas which would mean John’s family remained in the Valley Falls area until at least 1890. The 1880 Census for Almira, William or Catera is not populating in the hints so a manual search of the 1880 census is warranted.

A survey of the 1880 census for Deleware, Jefferson, Osawkie, Norton, and Rock Creek Townships in Jefferson County did not turn up any Rodericks. It’s possible that

  • Almira remarried between 1875 and 1880 and the children were enumerated under the new husband’s surname.
  • Almira died and the children were orphans.
  • The family relocated to another part of the county or another county for a period of time.
  • They were missed in the 1880 enumeration.

Continuing Research on Benjamin Cox descendants from Montgomery County, Ohio

I am continuing my research on William Taylor’s descendants. This week’s research starts with Emma Taylor. Emma died in 1910 before the census was taken and her family “disappeared” in Oklahoma. Emma’s headstone is in Afton, OK. Their son George was a military transport back from Europe in 1919. His father’s address was listed as Gore, OK. I’ll concentrate my search there to find Emma’s daughters.

  • Jesse Cox + Mary Waugh > John Cox + Mary Parks > Louisa Cox + David Taylor > William F Taylor + Mary Lucy Pearson
    • Taylor
    • Thomas
      • Kentucky: Estill
      • Oklahoma: Sequoyah, Wagoner
      • Arizona: Maricopa
      • California: Stanislaus
      • Texas: Wharton
    • Starkey
      • California: Stansilaus

Error Resolution

The last available update via Ancestry ProTools: I have 5023 errors in the tree–502 possible duplicates, 4066 with no documents, 455 other errors.

My Ancestry error resolutions this week included:

  • A stepson of a distant cousin is identified as a potential duplicate. This record falls under the criteria I have for pruning.
  • A mother in law of a distant cousin has no records. Another candidate for pruning.
  • a distant cousin who has two errors–no records and born more than 75 years after her father. Catera/Kittura/Katurah Roderick is listed in the 1870 Census with John P Roderick who was born ca 1790. John’s wife was of childbearing age so there is no reason why Catera could not be John’s daughter. Unfortunately, this type of error cannot be cleared or ignored.

Goals and progress…
Beginning of Week: 27,534 people
End of Week: 27,684 people
Change = +150 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

  1. The Valley Falls New Era, February 13, 1875, page 2. ↩︎
  2. The Valley Falls New Era, August 7, 1875, page 3. ↩︎

Thomas Johnson

28 Thursday May 2020

Posted by suzieg1969 in Genealogy, War of 1812

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Tags

Catt, England, Indiana, Johnson, Sanderson, Virginia, War of 1812

Thomas Johnson was born on May 28, 1775 in the colony of Virginia. His parents were William Johnson and Hannah Sanderson from Lancashire, England.

Thomas was one of the earliest settlers in southern Knox County, along with Frederick Mehl, George Catt, Anthony Cary and many others. He arrived in the area around 1800 and married George Catt’s daughter Catherine. They cleared the land and took to farming as they grew their family as well as their farm. The children born to this marriage were Eleanor, Susan, Harriet, Payton, Fielding, Docia, Jane and Thomas Jr.

As did many of the early settlers of the area, Thomas fought under Captains Perry, Modrell, and Beckes during the War of 1812. Thomas was active in local politics, aligning himself with the Democratic Party of the time. As one of the most prominent residents and farmers of the area, the township, which is situated in the south central part of the county, was named after him. His family, especially the younger Thomas, went on to amass extensive land holdings throughout the 1800s.

Thomas and Catherine lived out their years on the family farm. Catherine passed away on August 15, 1862 and Thomas followed her a few months later on January 19, 1863. They were laid to rest in the Johnson Cemetery which still exists today, not far from the White River on Johnson Bend Road.

Thomas Johnson was my 5th great grandfather on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census, 1840, 1850, 1860
  • US and International Marriage Records
  • Find a Grave website
  • The Catt Family in America, Dr. W Cary Anderson, 1989.
  • History of Knox and Daviess Counties, Indiana, page 545, Goodspeed Publishing, 1886.
  • History of Old Vincennes and Knox County, Indiana, pages 306 and 379, George E Greene, 1911.

Phillip Catt

25 Monday May 2020

Posted by suzieg1969 in Genealogy, Revolutionary War

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Tags

Catt, Indiana, Katz, Kimmons, Mohr, Pennsylvania, Revolutionary War, Virginia

On May 25, 1750, Phillip Catt was born to Michael Katz and Anna Maria Mohr. He was born in the colony of Virginia, near present day Hardy County, West Virginia. Five siblings have been identified in the records to this day: Ludwig, George, Michael, Anna Maria and John. Documentation indicates around 1770 the family crossed the mountains and settled along the southern branch of the Potomac River in what is now Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

Migration of Phillip Catt

At the time the Revolutionary War broke out, the area where the Catts resided was under a jurisdictional dispute as to which colony it belonged to–Virginia or Pennsylvania. When news of Lexington and Concord reached this frontier area, the border dispute faded into the background and residents came together in the fight against the British. This area was referred to as “old Monongalia County, Virginia”. The four Catt brothers (George, Michael, John and Phillip) all served in the War in regiments from this area. Phillip, specifically, was in the Monongalia Militia. He served in several regiments under the direction of Captains John Whitesell, Kincaid, Wilson, Morgan and Jacob Tevebaugh, as well as Colonels Brodhead and Crawford on multiple campaigns.

About 1775, Phillip married Mary Magdalan ? and started a family, despite the War. Their first four children, Mary, Elizabeth, Phillip Jr, and Sebastian were born in Pennsylvania. In May 1785, they relocated westward and settled in Knox County, Indiana. Mary and Phillip added five more children to their family: John , Rebecca, Susannah, Daniel and Eutha Melinda.

Phillip’s wife Mary died between 1815 and 1820. He remarried to Sally Kimmons on November 14, 1820 and they continued to live in Johnson Township in Knox County until Phillip’s death on September 4, 1844.

Phillip Catt was my 7th great uncle on my mom’s side.

REFERENCES

  • United States Census: 1820, 1830, 1840
  • Find A Grave website
  • United States Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files
  • United States Revolutionary War Pensioners
  • Indiana Marriage Index
  • The Catt Family in America, Dr. W Cary Anderson, 1989.

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