California Biographies Mendocino and Lake Counties, California Transcribed by Peggy Hooper This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm Source: History of Mendocino and Lake Counties, California With Biographical Sketches History by Aurelius O. Carpenter And Percy H. Millberry Illustrated, Complete In One Volume Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, California, 1914 DABNEY LINER COX.� Very early in the colonization of Virginia the Cox family became identified with its agricultural upbuilding, later following the trend of settlement across the mountains into Kentucky and thence into Missouri. Richard and Permelia (Gooch) Cox were born in Lincoln county, Ky., the latter of Scotch descent and a representative of one of America's pioneer families. The former was the son of a soldier in the war of 1812, who went from Kentucky to the south for the purpose of defending the gulf coast and there took part under General Jackson in the memorable engagement at New Orleans. In seeking new land whereon to engage in general farming Richard Cox removed from Kentucky to Missouri and took up a claim in Montgomery county, where his seventh child, Dabney Liner, was born September 12, 1846, and where the family endured the hard- ships incident to the development of a farm in a new country. There were eleven children in the family circle, but Only three of these are now living. Such were the hardships of life on a Missouri farm during the middle of the nineteenth century that Dabney L. Cox had only the most meager advantages. From earliest recollections he was trained to hard work. At the age of twenty-one he was free to leave home and work for himself and for some years he found employment with farmers of the home neighbor- hood. Coming to California in 1873, he spent a year in Sutter county and then operated a rented farm in Yolo county for seven years. During 1882 he arrived in Mendocino county and settled near Yorkville, but the following year he removed to Little Lake valley, where he bought a stock ranch five miles west of Willits. The tract embraced nine hundred and sixty acres suitable for the range of cattle and sheep and he at once began to specialize in stockraising, which he continued for twenty-six years. At times he owned as many as six hundred head of merino sheep. When finally he began to feel himself physically unable to cope with the heavy demands upon his energies made by the care and management of large stock and land interests, Mr. Cox in 1909 rented the ranch and moved into Willits. Three years later he sold the large tract. Meanwhile he had bought one acre on South Main street and this he has equipped with a pump- ing plant so that it is possible to irrigate his garden of berries, vegetables and fruit. Much of his time is given to the care of the little place and the returns are larger than would be expected, but this is due to his vigilant supervision and his care in planting only the best varieties. Those competent to judge assert that he raises some of the finest strawberries in the state. Nor has he been less careful in the kinds of vegetables planted, for he believes that nothing pays but the best. In politics he has been a lifelong Democrat, but not active in public affairs. Through his marriage to Miss Julia E. Johnson, who was born, educated and married in Montgomery county, Mo., he is the father of one son, Roy Cecil, now engaged in the motorcycle business in San Francisco. Mrs. Cox is the daughter of James B. and Dorinda (Stone) John- son, born in Norfolk, Va., and St. Charles county. Mo., respectively. The father settled in Missouri, becoming a merchant tailor in Danville, and both parents died in Montgomery county. Of their family of six sons and six daughters (of whom Mrs. Cox was the fourth youngest) there are two sons and five daughters living. On the maternal side Mrs. Cox is descended from an old English family, while on the paternal side she comes from an Ok! Dominion family.