… Thomas Cox who lived in Warrickshire in 1555 A.D.. Thomas had a son who had a son Thomas who had a son Thomas, who married Elizabeth — Their children were Thomas, Elizabeth and Sarah.  Thomas son of Thomas and Elizabeth lived in London so we shall call him Thomas of London.  He was a man of importance in his era.  Thomas of London married Ann Hind and their children were Thomas, John, Mary who married a Franklin, and a second daughter who married a Chandler.

       London records show Thomas of London as being a Lord Proprietor of the County of Pennsylvania.  Records also show that he and twenty-three others were granted East Jersey in the new country by the Duke of York on March 14, 1682.  The will of Thomas of London was dated May 24, 1709 and was probated on March 14, 1711.

     It seems   that Mary Cox was the first wife of Benjamin Franklin’s father and produced six children …

     The will of Thomas Cox of London has some interesting items.  He “disbursed 100 pounds to William Penn in matter with Philip Fords.”  He made a bequest to the family of John Harvard.  John Harvard came to Massachusetts and is credited with founding Harvard University to which he willed his personal library.  To his grandson John, son of John, Thomas of London gave 400 acres in the County of Gloucester in the Province of West Jersey in America. 

To his son Thomas he willed two tenements, “I have lately built in the burying ground of the people called Quakers” in trust for his six children.  Also, “800 acres part of my 920 acres of land already taken up in the County of Philadelphia, Province of Pennsylvania.

     Thomas Cox, son of Thomas of London, married Grace — and their six children named in the will of Thomas of London were:  Grace, Thomas, Anne, John, Russell and Mary.  This family and Mary Chandler, granddaughter of Thomas of London, were known to have been in Pennsylvania in the year 1685.  The exact date of their arrival in Pennsylvania has not been established; however, it seems certain that part or all of them came with William Penn in 1682.

     Thomas Cox, son of Thomas of London and Grace – married his first cousin, Mary Chandler in Philadelephia (m. 5-17-1712).  To this union were born Mary, Hannah, Richard, Thomas, Sarah, Esdras, and Elizabeth.  While the family was still in Pennsylvania Mary Chandler Cox died and her oldest daughter, Mary, married. 

Thomas and his other children emigrated to Core Sound, Carteret County, North Carolina. About 1741 the father and his remaining children Sarah, Thomas, Richard, Elizabeth and Hannah moved ot the south side of the Neuse River, some ninety miles from Core Sound in Johnston County where had secured a land grant.  The name of this area was changed to Dobbs County in 1751 and after the American Revolution to Wayne County.

After arriving in this area Thomas Cox married a second wife, Elizabeth Peele, of Virginia.  To this union was born William (b. 1-6-1754).  William Cox inherited the Cox family Bible brought from England and it is presently owned by Richard Thomas Cox of Clarkton, North Carolina…

Thomas Cox (b. 1-3-1729-d. 1782) married (m. 4-8-1749) in the Lower Falling Creek Friends Meeting House (near Kinston) Phebe Fellow, Daughter of John Fellow of Johnston County, Sarah COx (b. 9-7-1732 – d. 1-16-1793) married (m. 11-6-1769) John Kennedy (b. 9-29-1747 – d. 1-31-1823) also in the Lower Falling Creek Meeting House, Esdras Cox (b. 3-25-1735) probably died young and Elizabeth Cox (b. 3-21-1737 0 d. 10-13-1823) married James Musgrave.  William Cox (b. 1-6-1754) son of THomas Cox and Elizabeth Peele died without issue.  Early Quaker records state that Richard Cox and Mary Kennedy were married “in the house of  Richard Cox” which probably means in the Meeting House on the property of Richard Cox for in 1782 Richard Cox deeded to the People Called Quakers 100 yars wquare “on which the Meeting House noe stand.”