Letter from Betsy Staples Cox of Moyock, NC
to her daughter Margaret Cox Willett of Hebron, Nebraska, 1893
Moyock Currituck Co
March the 21st 1893
My Dear Daughter Maggie
Your letter of January 15th or 16th__ found us tolerably well. I have had a bad cold (that) lasted me a long time David has had a cough nearly all winter he exposes himself so much though he has not given up a day his expenses are great for him he has from 4 to 6 men on account of running the Mill two days in the week in summer and all of the time in winter when the weather will permit there is two little boys and two little girls the oldest is in his six(th) the second 4 and entered his five the oldest girl will soon be three and the baby will soon be six mon(ths) old Maggies (David’s wife) (sister?) lives here and both of them can’t do the work so you see he has a helpless family Elijah is in (the) under- taking business yet he is makeing a living sends his children to school the second girl goes to College and has been going for three years they say she is very smart and I know myself she is very industrious. but it comes hard on poor Elijah for you know these College terms has to paid in advance so you are all having a hard time unless you can hold up poor Sarah Jane(’s)(Holt), children all work none are married but still she works hard Alice (Pritchard) has plenty but she has ten children to look after her last baby is about six weeks old a girl Lizzie (Willett) you know more about her condition than I do the day is so dark I shall to stop but I hope you will make a liveing and that is about all you need for the Bible say we brought nothing nothing into this world and certainly we can carry nothing out how many people in my knowledge has left their Children good beginnings and even fortunes and it is has gone like was before the flame sometimes it did not reach the second generation and hardly even the third. So as Solomon says it is vanity and vexation of spirit do you remember old Mr John Barnard well he was a particular friend of your Father he died last Friday he was the last married man that lived in Moyock when I came here a Bride. He was eighty seven years old he rod on horse back up to tuesday that he died on friday he chose horse back riding and was a very graceful rider and we have Great hope that he is better off your uncle Brickhouse (Cox) is very feeble he was 75 the 14th of this month Jane can get around very well your uncle David Dr Cox had a sad accident he sliped on the snow and fell and broke his hip I fear he will be a cripple the remainder of his Life he is about 65 and has 4 young children by his last wife and five by the first there are three or four Children dead and he was 40 years old when he was married the first time one of his sons is practicing medicine in Baltimore. he has five children Sallie graduated last year at Norfolk College. And now she is teaching school. give my love to your children and Lizzies remember me kindly to Mr. Willett. I (am) well and even hearty I have much to be thankful of write soon your affectionate Mother Elizabeth Cox
Letter written to Margaret Cox Willett by her mother Elizabeth “Betsy” Staples Cox wife of William C. Cox of Currituck. Copied as written ( ) added for clarity.
In the letter she gives Maggie the latest information about family and friends. Maggie’s brother David lived in Moyock with his 2nd wife Maggie Gordon. Brother Elijah lived in Norfolk, VA and married Elizabeth Wiginton. Sister Sarah Jane m. James A. Holt and lived in Moyock. Alice Virginia was the wife of David Pritchard and lived in Camden County, NC. Lizzie Cox went to Piatt county, IL to be with her sister Maggie and there she met and married Robert Willett, brother of Maggie’s husband James Willett. Maggie’s family later moved to Hebron, NE. Lizzie after she was widowed (1892) spent some time in NE and then moved to Sumner Co., KS. Uncle Brickhouse Cox was married to Jane Bray and lived in Currituck. Uncle David Cox lived in Hertford, Perquimans Co. and was married 1st to Sallie ( Sarah A White). His daughter Sallie Cox founded a private school in Hertford 1898. She was from his first marriage. His 2nd marriage was to Clara V. Small.
I wondered how Maggie and Lizzie Cox ended up in the Macon/Piatt Co. area of Illinois. I found out while doing some research on their brother Elijah that William Cox moved the entire family to Illinois in the mid 1850’s. The family was back in Moyock by the 1860 census except for Maggie who in 1860 was a school teacher and boarding in the same household as James Willett.
Mary Ann Willett TantilloThis document was contributed by Mary Ann Willett Tantillo. No part of this document may be used for any commercial purposes. However, please feel free to copy any of this material for your own personal use and family research.
© 2005
Marty Holland
