James Mattox is another of my 3rd great grandfathers.  He is the father of Calvin Mattox.  James was born circa 1815 in Tennessee.  His parents are unknown, but there are a couple possibilities out there.  The first, and most likely in my mind, is Valentine Mattox and possibly a daughter of James Cundiff.  Most of the facts presented in Mattox Family: 1755 through 1987 by Shirley (Mattox) Churchill seem to fit.  The only discrepancy I have at the moment is James’s place of birth.  The timeline Ms. Churchill presents for Valentine would have James born in Kentucky, not Tennessee.  The second possible set of parents would be William Mattox and Nancy Harrington, however, the researchers proposing this don’t have a reference listed that confirms this theory.

Assuming Valentine was James’s father, they lived in Ohio County, KY for several years, before moving to Indiana.  It is thought that James was in Clinton County, IN in 1830 living with his half-brother Church.  He then married Elizabeth Moyer in Vigo County in 1837 where they lived until the 1850s. Based on census records, they had five children that reached maturity: Alzina, Napoleon, Marshall, Calvin, and Alonzo.  Calvin’s middle name is Church which further supports the idea of Valentine being James’s father. In 1860, the family appears in Lewis Township of Clay County, IN.  After that, James disappears and Elizabeth is the head of the household in the 1870 Census.

Many researchers have James’s death listed in 1862.  Again, there are no sources listed to confirm this piece of information.  Considering that his disappearance coincides with the Civil War era, it’s a possibility that he was a casualty of the war.  A check of several military databases gives a number of James Mattoxes, but nothing concrete.  One promising lead was a James N Mattox who served in the 99th Infantry, Company K.  He died at the regiment hospital at Camp Sherman, MS in 1863, but a notation in the US Burial Register, Military Posts, and National Cemeteries, 1862-1960, indicated that James was only 18 at the time of death, not 48.  Until I can find something solid, his death will be listed as 1860-1870.