The Cherokee Land Lottery: Containing a Numerical List of the Names of the ...

p. 76, T. Wilcox, Jr. (son of Thomas), Fryer's, Telfair. 

https://books.google.com/books?id=4fQxAQAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

'That aint Willcoxy'

The following article was sent to me by a Willcox cousin, who found it among her dad's things. Her dad and Bill were good friends, she says.  I especially love the part about planning the family reunion. Enjoy the article!

Rebecca Wilcox Will

CHATHAM COUNTY, NC - WILLS - Rebecca Wilcox, 30 Aug 1808
                        ----¤¤¤----
Will  of Rebecca Wilcox -
Chatham Co. NC Record of Wills
Film # 022.80001
Vol. A. pg. 158 1808

I Rebecca Wilcox of the county of Chatham in the State of North
Carolina, Widow, being weak and sick of body but of sound & disposing
mind and memory calling to mind the uncertainty of life and the
certainty of death, do think it prudent and necessary to make the
following disposition. First my Will is that all my just (debts) be paid
by Executors to be hereafter named. And whereas the Negroes in my
possession and also Lucy and her increase in the possession of James
Alston and Harry in the possession of my son John Wilcox were settled on
some of my Children that is to say Mary wife of John McLennan and my
three oldest sons, John, Thomas and James Wilcox & my three other
children having no share and title in any of the Negroes. It is my wish
and desire that my children should all be provided for as near alike as
can be. And I earnestly recommend to my three oldest sons James Alston,
& the Guardians of my Granddaughter Jane Wilcox McLennan to consent to
make an equal division of the said Negroes with my three children to
wit: Elizabeth Barge, George Wilcox and Rebecca Wilcox. If such equal
division should be made of the said Negroes my Will is that my seven
surviving children and my Granddaughter Jane Wilcox McLennan shall all
be entitled to equal shares of all the Lands of which I am seized and
possessed. But, if my three oldest Children James Alston and the
guardian of my said Grand daughter shall refuse to make an equal
division of the Negroes aforesaid ; My will then is that my other three
children Elizabeth Barge, George Wilcox and Rebecca Wilcox  shall be
provided for out of my Land so as for them to full as good estates as
these of my children & Grand daughter holding the sd Negroes. And if my
Lands should be considered more valuable than three fifths of the
Negroes the overplus & residue to be equally divided amongst all my
children and my said Grand daughter. And if it should be found
advantageous to make sale of any or all of my Lands. I do hereby
authorize & empower my Executors to do so & to make conveyance thereof
to the purchasers. I give & bequeath to my son George my daughter
Rebecca and my daughter Jane W. McLennan each a Feather Bed Bedstead &
furniture. My silver Mug (or Tankard) I give and bequeath to my son John
Wilcox all my silver spoons and other small silver plate. I give to my
daughter Rebecca and my Grand daughter Jane W. McLennon to be equally
divided between them. I do nominate & appoint my trusty Friends Thomas
Waddell & Murdock McKenzie to be Guardian of Daughter Rebecca and Grand
daughter Jane W. McLennon and wish them to take charge of their
education and their property until they shall arrive at years of
maturity. I give and bequeath to my daughter Rebecca my Mahoggany Tea
Table and as I have not given my son James a Bed it is my will that he
shall have as much allowed him over and above his share and dividend  as
will purchase a Bed & furniture for him. All my other property not
herein bequeathed I will to be disposed of by my Executors at their
discretion Lastly I do nominate and appoint my four sons John, Thomas,
George & James Wilcox, James Alston, Lucas Barge Jr. Murdock McKenzie &
Thomas Waddell to be executors of this my last will and testament.
Hereby revoking & making void all other wills by me made and
acknowledging this & no other as my last will & testament. In witness
whereof I the said Rebecca Wilcox have hereunto set my hand and seal the
30th day of August 1808. Note. The clause relating to Elizabeth Barge
having paid Eighty pounds ---- and the interlinations made before the
extension.?
                                Rebecca Wilcox {Seal}
Signed Sealed published and declared by the Testatrix to be her last
will and testament in the presence of us the subscribing witnesses who
saw each other subscribe as such.
Mary Montgomery
Philip Alston
Drew Sr. Alston         Proved Nov. 1808 by Philip Alston

Source: http://www.ncgenweb.us/chatham/wills_wyz.html

John Wilcox North Carolina Biography Entry

The following link will take you to the entry for John Wilcox in the Dictionary of North Carolina Biography, 6 volumes, edited by William S. Powell. Copyright ©1979-1996 by the University of North Carolina Press.

http://ncpedia.org/biography/willcox-or-wilcox-john

John Wilcox Newspaper Article

The following article is from the Times Journal, 1976. It's a great spotlight on John Wilcox's life.

Details about Rebecca Butler Wilcox

I retrieved the following information about Rebecca Butler, wife of John Willcox, from the following website. http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=catherineburr357&id=I5006

I haven't gotten into the details of it yet, but thought I should post it for others.

•  ID: I5006
•  Name: Rebecca BUTLER
•  Surname: Butler
•  Given Name: Rebecca
•  Sex: F
•  Birth: 10 Jan 1746 in Chester Co., PA
•  Death: 30 Aug 1808 in Fayetteville, NC
•  Burial: Family Cem, Westside Deep Ri, Near Gulf
•  Ancestral File #: 2Z51-WC
•  _UID: 57525A76F33B47489C71624476188EAAAFE0
•  Birth: 1746
•  Note:
Rebecca was the niece of Commodore John Barry, "Father of the US Navy".

The Battle of the Courts

The Colonial Records of North Carolina show that on Monday, November 25th, 1771.

T'he clerk of the crown having certified that Mr. John Wilcox, and Mr. Isaac Brooks were duly Elected and returned representative for the County of Chatham; pursuant to which the said Mr. Wilcox and Mr. Brooks appeared.
John and Isaac Brooks were the first to represent the newly formed Chatham County in the Colonial Assembly. Isaac Brooks was the youngest son of John Brooks, Sr., who had settled at Cross Creek and later moved to Tick Creek, near Ore Hill, in Chatham County.

On November 26th, 1771, "Mr. John Wilcox moved for leave to absence himself from the service of this house." He must have left Newbern to make preparations for his marriage to Rebecca Butler, which took place on December 6, 1771.

Joseph Willcox, a Willcox family historian and the writer of Ivy Mills, thinks that they were married in North Carolina. He wrote that he could find no record of their marriage in Philadelphia and if the wedding had been in Philadelphia it would have been in the church and there is no record of their marriage in any Philadelphia church.

At this time John was forty-three years old and Rebecca was twenty-five. She was from Philadelphia and was born in 1746. Rebecca was the daughter of Jane Butler who was married a second time to James Byrne, also of Philadelphia. We know little about Rebecca's life and until recently almost nothing about her mother. Joseph Willcox wrote a book entitled, Historical Sketches of Some of the Pioneer Catholics of Philadelphia, in which he gives us some insight into the life of James Byrne and in turn into the life of Jane and Rebecca

Another name frequently mentioned in the early records of the Catholic Churches in Philadelphia is Byrne. James Byrne, born 1720 in Ireland, was the first of the family to come to Philadelphia. His name-appears among the list of subscribers to fund for building St. Mary's Church, 1762, for 30pounfd. In 1776 he was an innkeeper, and kept the Golden Fleece, on Front Street in Philadelphia. In 1781 he subscribed S.'6 toward paying for an old schoolhouse for St. Mary's Church, and 9-7. 1 0 for building a new school. In 1782, his name appears in the list of pew holders in St. Mary's Church; also from 1787 to 1790. In 1785 he lived at 507 Front Street. He was one of the trustees of St. Mary's Church mentioned in the incorporation, enacted September 13, 1788. He also served as trustee of that church in 1789. His name-appears among the list of subscribers to fund for building St. Mary's Church, 1762, for 30pounfd. In 1776 he was an innkeeper, and kept the Golden Fleece, on Front Street in Philadelphia. In 1781 he subscribed 6 pounds toward paying for an old schoolhouse for St. Mary's Church, and 7:1 0 pounds for building a new school. In 1782, his name appears in the list of pew holders in St. Mary's Church; also from 1787 to 1790. In 1785 he lived at 507 Front Street. He was one of the trustees of St. Mary's Church mentioned in the incorporation, enacted September 13, 1788. He also served as trustee of that church in 1789.

In 1795, he subscribed 10 pounds for building the dwelling house of St. Joseph's Church James Byrne, probably before 1758, married Jane Butter, a widow, whose maiden name is unknown to the writer. His step-daughter, Rebecca Butler, married John, oldest son of Thomas Willcox, of Concord, Chester County, Pennsylvania. She moved to North Carolina where her husband had been living since 1759. James Byrne died August 19, 1795, at his home on the north side of Walnut Street, west of Second and was buried in St. Mary's Church churchyard.

Jane, the wife of James Byrne was nearly related to Commodore John Barry, U. S. N. She did not long survive her husband, as on January 28, 1796, John Barry, of Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, was appointed administrator to her estate.

Recently from a book entitled, Gallant John Bam 1745-1803, The Story of a Naval Hero of Two Wars, by William Bell Clark, some of the mystery about Jane Butler has been cleared. Jane Butler was Jane Barry, the oldest sister of John Barry. The first names of her parents are unknown, but she came from a large family in Wexford County, Ireland. The exact number of children in the family is not known but there were Jane, Patrick, Thomas, John, Margaret, Eleanor, and maybe others. Jane first married a man by the name of Butler and had at least one child, Rebecca. She was married a second time to James Byrne. It is uncertain where they were married, but it was probably in Ireland. Her brother Patrick became a sea captain and was lost at sea during the Revolutionary War. Thomas came to live in Philadelphia, and Margaret and Eleanor stayed in Ireland, but some of their descendants also came to Philadelphia. John Barry went to sea as a cabin boy, at an early age, and was a captain by age twenty- one. After many successful years as a commercial captain, he entered the American naval service during the Revolutionary War and emerged a national hero. He was the first Commodore and was called the "father" of the United States Navy.

Rebecca had very warm and close feelings about her mother and her step-father. The feelings must have been mutual for James Byrne gave Rebecca several slaves, probably some time before 1790. It would have been quite a challenge for her to leave the heart of the largest city in the country for the undeveloped back country of North Carolina. The newly married couple first settled at Cross Creek, in a house that John owned there.

END NOTES
1. William L. Saunders, ed., Colonial Records of North Carolina (Raleigh: P. M. Hale and Josephus Daniels, 1886-1890), Vol. IX, 143.
2. Ida Brooks Kellam, Brooks and Kindred Families, pp. 10-12.
3. Saunders, op. cit., LX, 144.
4. Martha S. Albertson, Willcox Family History, number 2-1.
5. Raleigh Register and North Carolina State Gazette, September 15, 1808. In the North Carolina Archives, Raleigh.
6. Joseph Willcox, Historical Sketches of Some of the Pioneer Catholics of Philadelphia. There is a copy of this publication in the archives of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
7. William Bell Clark, Gallant John Barry 1745-1803, A Story of a Naval Hero of Two Wars, (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1938).
8. Chatham County Court Records, November Session 1809.

John Willcox mentioned with William McKnight

The following information is of interest to me because my link to the Willcoxes,William Decatur Kartchner, was apprenticed to a Mr. McKnight in Philadelphia.

John Willcox, mentioned here as the administrator of William McKnight's estate, I believe would be Thomas Willcox's son. John moved to North Carolina in 1759 which seems to fit with the timeline of this entry.

WILLIAM McKNIGHT, at present residing in Philadelphia,
Captain of a Company in the Honble, Colonel William
Gooch's Regiment of Foot, shortly to imbarque on ship-
board on an expedition against the Spaniards; dated Sep-
tember 21, 1740; appointed wife Martha, executrix, and
all property to her and his daughter Martha; witnesses;
William Moode and John Reily; administration to John
Willcox of Philadelphia, merchant, October 23, 1751, the
widow having renounced. F, p. 423.

(Source: The Pennsylvania Genealogical Magazine [Publication of the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania], Vol. 5, 1912, pp. 174-240: Abstracts of Wills Recorded in the Administration Books, Register's Office, Philadelphia Co., Pa.; Administration Book F, 1745-1754.)

http://www.pa-roots.org/data/read.php?666,790904,790904#msg-790904

John Wilcox grave site

Click on the photo to see more photos and information about John Wilcox and wife Rebecca Butler on www.findagrave.com

John Willcox entry in Dictionary of North Carolina Biography

Link to John Willcox entry in the "Dictionary of North Carolina Biography: Vol. 6, T-Z, Volume 6" edited by William S. Powell.

Willcox (or Wilcox), John

John Willcox article by Joseph Willcox

An article about John Willcox by Joseph Willcox can be accessed at the following link (p. 17)

The American Catholic Historical Researches, Volume 19

Willcox American Heroes

I am including a link I found to a history online that is fun to read. The author* tells the interconnected stories of John Willcox, his brother Mark, and other family members who became "true patriots" and early American heroes.

*It isn't altogether clear to me who the author is (if the contributor wrote it herself or if the information is simply copied from another source.)

John Wilcox and The Regulators

The following website talks about the North Carolina Regulators and their role in the American Revolution. 

http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/bassett95/bassett95.html

The website also talks about a letter which tells more of John Willcox's role. 

"A letter was published in the Boston Gazette, August 11, 1771, in which an unnamed prisoner was said to have been taken to Wilmington and there released on bail. Saunders supposed that this prisoner was Person (Colonial Records, VIII, pp. xxviii, and 635, 636). This is an error. The letter itself contains the strongest evidence that the prisoner resided at Cross Creek (Fayetteville), and Tryon's letter book makes it certain that it was John Wilcox, a merchant of that place. (Ib., VIII, 718.)"

THE LEADERS.

        [Herman] Husband was born in Cecil County, Md., October 3, 1724.3 His family were Episcopalians, but Hermon with some other members of the family became Quakers.4 He moved to North Carolina and settled at Sandy Creek, then in Orange County, but now in the northeastern part of Randolph. Here he accumulated considerable property. Our knowledge of him indicates that he was industrious, shrewd, honest, and much more intelligent than the average man of his neighborhood.5 By his neighbors he was reported to have been either related to, or connected with, Dr. Benjamin Franklin. It is in evidence that he kept up a correspondence with this patriotic Quaker through John Wilcox, a merchant of Cross Creek, who went to Philadelphia twice a year to buy goods. In this way he received many political pamphlets of a patriotic character which he reprinted and circulated among the people. He got the credit of writing some of these, but it does not appear that he claimed the authorship of any of them.6 

John Willcox and Thomas Hadley, first merchants of Cross Creek, NC

The following website mentions John Willcox as the partner of John Livingston Hadley's grandfather,Thomas Hadley.

http://earth.vol.com/~rconn/johnlhadley.htm

"John Livingston Hadley's grandfather, Thomas Hadley was killed by Tories during the Revolutionary War. Thomas moved to Virginia from London Grove MM, Chester, Pennsylvania shortly after his marriage to Mary Thompson in June of 1750. He did not remain in Virginia long. In 1760, he with a partner, John Wilcox, were the first merchants of Cross Creek in Cumberland Co., North Carolina. He represented his district at the Constitutional Convention at Halifax, NC. in November 1776, which enacted a Bill of Rights for the new government. He was elected sheriff of Cumberland Co, NC in 1778, and re-elected in 1781, but was killed before he could serve his last term."

John Willcox and Herman Husband work together for American liberty

The following is a wonderful website that includes a timeline for Herman Husband. John Willcox (son of Thomas) was involved with Herman Husband and Benjamin Franklin in the struggle for American liberty.

http://www.newrivernotes.com/carroll_history_1779-1783_flower_swift_husband.htm

Click on the links on the website for some great sources and reading, especially the link about The Regulators, where John Wilcox is listed.

John Willcox Painting

John Willcox Painting

Click on the photo to see information about John Willcox in the collections of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.

From the description of the photo's historical significance:

"Willcox, a native of Pennsylvania, was a regulator and a friend of regulator Herman Husband. He was a merchant in Cross Creek (Fayetteville, NC) and owned an iron works (blast furnace and forge) in Gulf, NC on the Deep River. He operated the iron works with his brother-in-law, William England. Willcox served as a representative of Chatham County to the pre-Revolutionary Colonial Legislature in 1771. As a commissioner appointed by the Provincial Congress prior to the month of August, 1776, John Willcox operated the blast furnace chiefly for the purpose of making cannon and cannon balls for the use of the Continental Army. See item history for more information.Willcox also served as a dispatch bearer and courier for the second North Carolina Regiment."

John Wilcox I, William England

A link to a website with info about John Wilcox I and brother-in-law William England (who married John's sister Elizabeth).
http://www.blindpigandtheacorn.com/blind_pig_the_acorn/2010/07/william-england-and-son-richard-england-.html

Explanation of the JOHN WILLCOXES

These are all the "Johns" I have found in the Willcox family in the generations following patriarch Thomas Willcox.  See why it could get confusing?  


1st generation: 
Thomas Willcox - sons John Willcox, James Willcox, and Mark Willcox.


2nd generation: 
John Willcox, "son of Thomas" (1728-1793). He moved to NC, and the Willcoxes in NC and GA are descended from him. Married to Rebecca Butler. Anything about the American Revolution, "Regulators", or NC iron works refers to this John. 


3rd generation: (grandsons of Thomas Willcox)
John Willcox II, son of John Willcox and Rebecca Butler (1777-1852) - I don't really know anything about him yet.


John Wilcox (1755-1818), hatter, son of James Willcox and Prudence Doyle.  Married Sarah Walton. Lived in Middletown, Delaware, PA and appears on the tax records consistently there. Grew up in Upper Providence, Delaware, PA (his father James owned a paper mill there). John would have been about 14 when his father died in 1769. 


John Willcox, infant son of Mark Willcox. Died in 1784. (1784-1784)


John Willcox, son of Mark Willcox and brother to James M. Willcox. (1789-1826) He married Elizabeth Brackett (1803-1879). I think he fits "paper maker" the most. Any correspondence or documents that have to do with Ivy Mills, Glen Mills or paper making during the early 1800s that mention John Willcox are most likely about him.  According to "The Willcox Family from "Old Philadelphia Families" by Frank Willing Leach, 1912," John was "in 1811, admitted as a partner in the Ivy Mills concern." During the war with England he organized in 1814 an independent Company of Cavalry, of which he was chosen Captain. He is buried in the Willcox family cemetery at the old homestead (Ivy Mills - PA) having died an premature death (illness). 

Apparently this John had a wax portrait done of him - I would love to find it.*


4th generation: (great grandson of Thomas Willcox)
John Willcox (1827-1846), son of James M. Willcox (mentioned above), and brother to James M. (b. 1824) and Joseph (b. 1829). I don't know anything about him yet. He is buried in the Willcox family cemetery at the old homestead (Ivy Mills - PA).


5th generation: (great-great grandson of Thomas Willcox)
John H. Wilcox, son of John Willcox and Sarah Walton. and younger brother of Prudence Wilcox Kartchner. b. 1792. This John also worked in the paper business and as a merchant in Philadelphia from what I can tell. I don't know much about him yet. I think his wife may have been Sarah Ellis, described at this link (type "John Wilcox" in the search box): http://files.usgwarchives.org/pa/montgomery/church/merion09.txt

* "John Wilcox, 1789-1826. Colored wax, faces right; 2 1/2 inches high; black coat, white vest and neckcloth; brown hair.
Col. Joseph Wilcox, Philadelphia, Pa."

Willcoxes in the History of Philadelphia

The above two pages were copied from the History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Volume 3 by John Thomas Scharf, Thompson Westcott

They are extremely valuable in sorting out "who's who" in the Willcox family and especially identifying the following photo:

Thomas Willcox, founder of Ivy Mills in 1729, apparently had three sons: 

John - left Pennsylvania and went to North Carolina. John's son, John, Jr. went on to Georgia and Telfair County. 

James - stayed in Pennsylvania, didn't help with business management at Ivy Mills but instead managed his own paper mill in Ridley Creek until his death in 1769

Mark - managed the family business at Ivy Mills and upon his father's death inherited the mill which he left to his posterity: 

"James M." in the photo above is Mark Willcox's son and Thomas Willcox's grandson. James M.'s sons Mark, James and Joseph are great-grandsons of Thomas Willcox. If I translated correctly....  

John Willcox I - North Carolina Patriot And Regulator

John Willcox I, father of John Willcox II (Jr.) who moved to Telfair County, was a Regulator and Patriot in NC, having moved there from Ivy Mills, PA. He made cannon balls for Gen. George Washington and was almost hanged for it. 

SOURCE: http://www.pbase.com/jacksonville_ga/image/84244

Willcox Marker in Jacksonville, Georgia

Photo found at http://www.pbase.com/jacksonville_ga/image/53002250

(Top left corner) In the early 1700s Thomas Willcox came from England to America and settled at a place in Pennsylvania he named Ivy Mills. Here under the religious freedom fostered by William Penn, he built a house, paper mill, auxiliary buildings, and church. His family was of the Catholic faith and deeply religious. Through skillful and ingenious application, he developed the paper manufactory into one producing the finest paper in the colonies. The paper was of such fine quality, including watermarks for security against counterfeiters, that it was purchased by the colonial government and Pennsylvania and was also in great demand by Thomas Willcox’s personal friend and customer, Benjamin Franklin, a printer in Philadelphia and one of the leading citizens and statesman of the day.  From Pennsylvania the Willcoxes spread to North Carolina, Georgia, and other states. The old home place is maintained by the Willcox family at Ivy Mills.  A family quilt, made by one of the Willcox women, has an ivy design suggested by Benjamin Franklin. Some of the ivy was brought to the Old Willcox Burreying Ground between Jacksonville, Georgia and Rhine, Georgia, final resting place of many Willcox ancestors and descendants.”

(Top Middle) "The Old Willcox Paper Mill at Ivy Mills, Pennsylvania, was started in 1729, the same year Thomas Willcox’s friend, Benjamin Franklin, started his print shop in Philadelphia.  They traded products."

(Bottom Middle) Thomas Willcox (1689-1779), papermaker of Ivy Mills, Pennsylvania, had two sons who distinguished themselves in the cause of the American Revolution. John Willcox, the oldest son, left Ivy Mills and went south to North Carolina. Here he constructed an iron mking concern and made cannons and cannon balls for the Revolutionary War effort. Because of this and the fact that he opposed the tyranny of local Crown officials who levied unfair taxes on the citizenry, he became a Regulator, one of a group of men who tried to thwart the Crown officials in their unreasonable practices.  To help him in his efforts for justice in the colonies, his friend Benjamin Franklin printed some of the pamphlets used to keep the people informed and stimulated toward an effort that came to be known as the American Revolution. While John was engaged in these activities, and also serving as a representative in the North Carolina House, his younger brother mark was assuming the responsibilities of running the family paper mill at Ivy Mills. Here he promoted the cause of the Revolution by making paper to meet the demands of the newspaper and pamphlets printed by Benjamin Franklin. He also printed the paper for the early paper money for Continental currency and other legal papers.  John died in 1793; Mark in 1827.

For info about descendents of John Willcox: Gen. John E. Coffee (1782-1836) and Gen. Mark Lea Willcox (1799-1852) see 
http://www.pbase.com/jacksonville_ga/old_jacksonville_ga