Santa Clara County Biographies


This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm



WILLIAM COX 
 
was born in Coshocton, Ohio, January 21, 1827. His father, John Cox, was a 
native of Virginia, and went to Ohio when about eight years old, where he was 
married to Mary Hammel, a native of Pennsylvania, who was taken to Ohio also 
when very young. In 1846 they moved to Lee County, Iowa, where they made their 
permanent home, residing there until their death. They raised a family of two 
sons and five daughters. William, the eldest child, lived with his parents till 
1852, when he, his father, John Cox, and a sister, Mrs. Serena Blythe, came 
across the plains, and were about six months making the trip. There were four 
wagons in the party who came through together to the Santa Clara Valley. Capt. 
Robert Gruwell commanded the party. William at once hired out as a farm hand, 
and he and his wife worked at everything they could get to do. The next season 
he rented a piece of land from his brother-in-law, Samuel A. Blythe, and put in 
a crop.
        In 1854 he bought his present place (under a Spanish title at that 
time), consisting of seventy acres. A few years afterward he bought more land, 
and now owns 315 acres, all of which is under cultivation. He has about fifteen 
acres in orchard and vineyard, the trees ranging from one to thirty years old. 
The vineyard is four years old. He has about 100 French prunes from one to four 
years old; 50 peaches, together with apricots, pears, apples, etc. Mr. Cox is 
one of the larger growers of grain and hay. The present year he cut his entire 
crop for hay, and has about 300 tons.
        He was married, August 10, 1848, in Lee County, Iowa, to Dicey Baggs, a 
native of Champaign County, Ohio. They have five sons and two daughters, viz.: 
John, who has a ranch adjoining his father's; Jacob M., residing in San Jose; 
Maria, wife of Andrew Loyst, residing near Saratoga; Mary J. Cox, George W. Cox, 
residing in San Jose; and Joseph E., at Lafayette. They lost two children: 
Elmira, who died March 18, 1859, aged two years, and William, who died October 
6, 1876, in his eighteenth year.
 
Pen Pictures From The Garden of the World or Santa Clara County, California, 
Illustrated. - Edited by H. S. Foote.- Chicago:  The Lewis Publishing Company, 
1888.
Pg. 618-619