Fourth Generation

58. Mary Jane Slaton^{2,4,28,108,112,113,114,115,116,117} was born on 16 October 1886 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.^113,116 The birth record for Hazel Cox in Jefferson County Vital Statistics lists her mother's birth place as Jefferson County.

She appeared in the census in 1900 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Mary J. 13 dau f s w May 1886 TN NC TN.

She appeared in the census in 1910 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Mary 23 wife f m1-4 w TN TN TN 1 child, 1 living Mary appeared in the census in 1920 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Mary 33 wife f m w TN NC TN can R/W She appeared in the census in 1930 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Mary 43 wife f m@18 w TN TN NC She died on 17 December 1975 at the age of 89 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.^113,116 Social Security Death Index Information: Name: Mary Cox; Last Residence: 37725 Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee; Born: 16 Oct 1886; Died: Dec 1975; State (Year) SSN issued: Tennessee (1965). Tennessee Death Index Information: Cox Mary J, 12-17-1975, age 89, died in Jefferson County, resided in Jefferson County, TN, widow, female, white, file #38081.

The following is from "The Nichols Book" by Wyatt Nichols.

I do want to write a few words about John's wife, Mary Slaton Cox, one of the finest. She is one of the finest women I have ever known, good, conscientious, hard working, and kind. You could never go to their home without a real welcome. Next to my mother, Mary Slaton Cox could bake the finest biscuits (I don't mean this self-rising stuff either) that I have ever eaten. John and Mary were married around 1908. The now living children are as follows: Mildred, Hazel, Dorothy, Ethel, Vern, and Fern (twins).

Mary Jane Slaton and John Anderson Franklin Cox were married on 9 December 1906 in Flat Gap, Jefferson County, Tennessee.¹¹⁵ p.206, Record of Marriages, Jefferson County, Tennessee. License #1837, married Dec. 9 06, John Cox to Mary Slaton, E. A. Carpenter, J. P., recorded Dec. 13 07 (sic, it was surely recorded 13 Dec 1906).

The following is oral family history from Hazel Cox. They were married at Flat Gap by Mr. Sam Carpenter. The lived over on Cline Road when Grandpa Slaton died April 10, 1919 so in the fall of that year, Sept. 1919, they bought the place at the corner of Goose Creek Road and Green Hill Road, where Hazel Cox was still living in 1999 from the heirs so that they could take care of Grandma. Hazel Cox was 9 years old when they moved to Goose Creek Road. Before they moved to Goose Creek, Mildred and Hazel went down the lane behind their house and over the hill to the Nursery Road and went to Oakland School. They just went over there two years. Hazel doesn't know exactly. She remembers two different teachers Girtle Latham and Miss Hazel Stepp, taught the lower grades. Miss Ida Jane Franklin was the principal and taught the upper grades.

John Anderson Franklin Cox^{2,28,108,111,114,115,117,118,119}, son of George Jackson Cox and Clarissa Loretta Nichols, was born on 27 December 1888 in Jefferson City, Jefferson County, Tennessee.^108,119 Most sources list his name as John F. Cox or as John Franklin Cox. But his WWI draft registration card lists his name as John Anderson F. Cox, and his draft registration is the only known source for his complete name.

He appeared in the census in 1900 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. John F. 11 son m s w Dec 1888 farm laborer TN TN TN.

He appeared in the census in 1910 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Dist. 1, Jefferson County, Tennessee, 4 May 1910 by W.T. Cox; p.27b, dwelling number 246, family number 253; Cox John Franklin 21 head m m1-4 w farmer TN TN TN; Mary 23 wife f m1-4 w TN TN TN 1 child, 1 living; Mildred 2 son m s s TN TN TN.

John registered for the draft in Jefferson County, Tennessee on 5 June 1917.¹¹⁹

1. Name - John Anderson F. Cox, age 26
2. Address - Dandridge, Tenn
3. Date of birth - Dec 27, 1888
4. Citizenship - natural born
5. Birth Place - Jefferson Co., Tenn, USA
7. Occupation - farming
8. Employer - self; location - near Dandridge
9. Dependents - wife & 4 children
10. Status - married; race - Caucasian
11. Previous military experience - none
12. Claim exemption - no
Signed - J. F. Cox
1. Height - medium; build - medium
2. Eyes - brown; hair - dark
3. R. C. McAndrews, Registrar, Precinct 1, Jefferson Co, Tenn, June 5, 1917

He appeared in the census in 1920 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Dist. 1, Jefferson County, Tennessee, 14 Jan 1920, enumerated by Herbert F. Bible; p.11b, Goose Creek Road, dwelling number 213, family number 213; Cox John F. 31 head m m w farmer TN TN TN can R/W; Mary 33 wife f m w TN NC TN can R/W; Mildred 12 dau f s w TN TN TN attended school, can R/W; Hazel 9 dau f s w TN TN TN attended school, can R/W; Anna 6 dau f s w TN TN TN; Dorthy 3 1/12 dau f s w TN TN TN; Marion 7/12 son m s w TN TN TN; Slaton Mary 67 motherL f w w TN TN TN can R/W; They owned the house and it was mortgaged.

He appeared in the census in 1930 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Dist. 1, Enumeration Distict 45-3, Jefferson County, Tennessee, 28 Apr 1930, p.82a, Goose Creek Road, family number 52, family number 53, Cox John F. 42 head m m@17 w TN TN TN farmer, Mary 43 wife f m@18 w TN TN NC, Hazel 19 dau f s w TN TN TN, Dortha 13 dau f s w TN TN TN, Ethel 8 dau f s w TN TN TN, Vern 3 3/12 son m s w TN TN TN, Fern 3 3/12 dau f s w TN TN TN; Rickard Samuel 18 boarder m s w farm laborer TN TN TN.

John died on 4 July 1961 at the age of 72 in [Jefferson County], [Tennessee].¹⁰⁸

Obituary, Knoxville Journal, 5 Jul 1961.
Cox, John F. - 72, passed away suddenly at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Jefferson Memorial Hospital. He was a member of Green Hill Baptist Church, a retired farmer of the Mt. Zion community, Jefferson County. Survivors: wife, Mrs. Mary Slaton Cox; daughters, Mrs. Lloyd Miller, Mrs. Lynn Blackburn, Miss Hazel Cox, all of Dandridge, Mrs. James DeLozier, Long Beach, Calif., Mrs. Victor Sherrod, Knoxville; son, Vern Cox, Dandridge; 20 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; sisters, Mrs. Minnie Slaton, Dandridge, Mrs. Ethel Harrison, Morristown. Funeral 2 p.m. Friday, Mr. Zion Methodist Church, Rev. Herman Helton, Rev. D.A. Swafford, Rev. Charles Whetsel officiating. Body remains at Farrar Funeral Home, Dandridge, where family will receive friends 7-9 p.m. Thursday, and will be moved to the church one hour before services.

He was buried on 7 July 1961.¹⁰⁸ His funeral was at Mt. Zion Methodist Church, but I do not yet have confirmation of whether he was buried at Mt. Zion or not.

The following is from "The Nichols Book" by Wyatt Nichols.

John Cox, oldest son of George and Loretta, is quite a fellow and a real farmer. I could write a book about this fellow and still not tell half the story. Of all my male cousins he is no doubt my favorite. When I go back to Tennessee each year I usually spend much of my time with him and his family. There are so many things that I could write about him I scarcely know where to start. He has always been full of energetic know-how and was always the first of the farmers in the community to get modern machinery and other up-to-date implements for farm use. In speaking of him most reverently many times he and I would sit up until way late in the night and discuss some of the things that we did in our younger days getting much laughter out of it. I do particularly want to speak of his horse-trading back in the horse and buggy days in which he was a wizard. I think he beat everybody in that country in trading horses.

He probably inherited that technique from our grandfather, John Nichols, who was a fine horse trader as you no doubt have learned in my writing of him. I do want to reveal some of the trades that John and I have talked and laughed about many times. One in particular, our grandfather gave him an old mule that was probably about 20 or 25 years old. John brought him home and fattened him up real good and got on a trade with Charles Roberts for the mule, and in fact he probably skinned this man in more horse trades than any other individual in Jefferson County. They finally traded, John getting $15.00 for the mule and Charles boasting that he had got $35.00 for worse mules than that. Some time later when Charles couldn't trade the mule or hardly give him away, he was back after John to make a trade. This trade included the same mule plus another horse and after the deal was made John told Charles Roberts just to make the check out for $5.00 more and take the mule back. On another occasion John didn't admit it, but there is some evidence that he used a little brown paint brush to paint up the grey hairs around the old mule's eyes and it made a pretty good trade for him. On another occasion I recall he bought a little mule up at Morristown, Tennessee, brought him home, cleaned him up in good shape and he looked like a fine mule. This same Charles Roberts came around and wanted to trade and told John that was a fine looking mule, what would he take for it. John gave him a price and a good one and after the deal was made John told Charley how to keep him good and click and fat.

On another occasion which I always got a big kick out of, he had bought a sileage chopper and it was one of the first of its kind in the community. A big farmer from White Pine, Tennessee, a few miles from his home, whom he knew well, made a contract with John to chop and fill the silos with the new equipment. This man was one of the wealthy farmers and his wife of Jefferson County, was just a little upish. When John took his machinery up to their home, they asked him what time he wanted breakfast, as they were going to stay at a little hotel in White Pine. John answered about 5 a.m. The next morning at 5 a.m. they came in, sat down at the table, and the farmer's wife said to John, how would you like your eggs, Mr. Cox? John says never mind the eggs, I'll just take the gravy. Well, the lady flustered around a little and hadn't made any but she went ahead and made gravy for John. Years after that, every time I would go home, I would call John and tell him I would just take my bowl of gravy and he always got a big kick out of it. I wish I had the time and space to write much about my cousin John Cox, but I haven't. Needless to say that he is a fine man and a good Christian.

Mary Jane Slaton and John Anderson Franklin Cox had the following children:

+137	i.	Mildred Frances Cox.
138	ii.	Hazel Loretta Cox2,28,108,114,120,121,122 was born on 30 July 1910 in Goose Creek Road, Jefferson County, Tennessee.114,122,123 She was born at the Moore place. The attending physician was J. M. Caldwell. She appeared in the census in 1920 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Hazel 9 dau f s w TN TN TN attended school, can R/W. She appeared in the census in 1930 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Hazel 19 dau f s w TN TN TN. Hazel died on 14 November 2004 at the age of 94 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.114,122 Social Security Death Index Information: Name: Hazel L. Cox; Last Residence: 37725 Dandridge, Jefferson County, Tennessee; Born: 30 Jul 1910; Died: 14 Nov 2004; State (Year) SSN issued: Tennessee (1963). Obituary, Jefferson Standard-Banner, 20 Nov 2004. Hazel Loretta Cox, age 94, of Dandridge, TN passed away Sunday, Nov. 14, 2004 following an extended illness. She was the daughter of the late John F. and Mary Slaton Cox and was preceded in death by her sisters, Dorothy Blackburn, Mildred Miller, Fern Sherrod and Ethel Delozier. Hazel was a charter member of the Green Hill Baptist Church. She is survived by her brother and sister in law, Vern and Effie Cox; brother in law, Jim Delozier; several nieces and nephews. Funeral services Monday, Nov. 15, 2004 at 8 p.m. from the Farrar Dandridge Chapel with Rev. Len McElyea officiating. Interment graveside services Tuesday, 11 a.m. at Mt. Zion Cemetery. Family will receive friends Monday evening from 6 until 8 p.m. prior to the service at the funeral home. Farrar Funeral Home, Dandridge, is in charge of arrangements. She was buried on 16 November 2004 at Mt. Zion Methodist Church Cemetery in Jefferson County, Tennessee.114 Hazel never married. She graciously provided a family history of her family. We had a wonderful visit in December 1999. The family moved from Cline Road to her present house in 1919 after Hazel's Grandpa Slaton died in April 1919. (RGB) The following information is from "The Nichols Book" by Wyatt Nichols. Hazel, second daughter of John and Mary Slaton Cox, is truthfully one of the finest girls of East Tennessee. She never married. A fine business woman and truly you could call her the Miss Milkmaid of Tennessee, if not the entire United States. They have a large dairy farm and many dairy cows and for a good number of years since her father's health has been bad, Hazel has managed to a large extent the dairy farm. She is much like my oldest brother John. They both were very thrifty and John Cox and I might call her a little stingy. She is a fine Christian woman and she and her father and mother (John and Mary Cox) help keep up some missions in Africa as well as being strong supporters of their own church there near their home. I can only say this about Hazel, she is one of the best.
139	iii.	Anna Laura Cox2,28,120,124 was born on 16 September 1913 in Jefferson County or Sevier County, Tennessee. She was born when they lived up at the County Farm. Papa (John Franklin Cox) worked for them then. (Hazel Cox) She appeared in the census in 1920 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Anna 6 dau f s w TN TN TN. She died on 27 August 1923 at the age of 9 in [Jefferson County], [Tennessee]. There is no Tennessee death certificate. Anna was buried about 28 August 1923 at Mt. Zion Methodist Church Cemetery in Jefferson County, Tennessee. The following is from "The Nichols Book" by Wyatt Nichols. Before leaving the family of John and Mary Slaton Cox, their third child whose name was Ann, died when she was four or five years old. remember her so vividly, her beautiful face and the most beautiful eyes on any child that I have ever seen and as I remember her, she had such a fine and sweet disposition. As long as I live, it will always be a fond memory to remember little Ann.
+140	iv.	Dorothy Gladys (Dot) Cox.
141	v.	George Marion (Little George) Cox2,28,124 was born on 15 June 1919 in Cline Road, Jefferson County, Tennessee. He was born in the house where Ramon McSpadden lives. (Hazel Cox) He appeared in the census in 1920 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Marion 7/12 son m s w TN TN TN. He died on 21 November 1924 at the age of 5 in [Jefferson County], [Tennessee]. There is no Tennessee death certificate. George was buried about 22 November 1924 at Mt. Zion Methodist Church Cemetery in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
142	vi.	Ollie Elizabeth Cox2,28,124 was born on 18 November 1921 in [Jefferson County], [Tennessee]. She died on 20 December 1922 at the age of 1 in [Jefferson County], [Tennessee]. There is no Tennessee death certificate. She was buried about 21 December 1922 at Mt. Zion Methodist Church Cemetery in Jefferson County, Tennessee. She was a twin of Minnie.
+143	vii.	Minnie Ethel (Ethel) Cox.
+144	viii.	William Vern (Vern) Cox.
+145	ix.	Wilma Fern (Fern) Cox.
146	x.	John Franklin (Johnnie) Cox Jr2,28,124 was born on 15 February 1929 in Goose Creek Road, Jefferson County, Tennessee.117 He was born in the house in which Hazel Cox was still living in 1999. Family records list his birth date as 15 Feb 1929. His death certificate lists his birth date as 9 Feb 1929. He died on 10 September 1929 at the age of 0 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.117 Death Certificate #22389; 1. Place of death - Jefferson County, 1st Dist., Dandridge, Tenn.; 2. Name - John Cox, Jr; 3. Sex - male; 4. Race - white; 5. Status - single; 6. Born - Feb 9, 1929 (written as March 9 and overwritten as Feb 9); 7. Age - 6 months, 1 day; 9. Birthplace - Tenn; 10. Father - John Cox; 11. Father born - Tenn; 12. Mother - Mary Slaton; 13. Mother born - Tenn; 14. Informant - John Cox, Dandridge 2; 15. Filed - Oct 10, 1929, C. A. Reneau; 16. Died - Sept 10, 1929; 19. Buried - Shrader, 9/11/1929; 20. Undertaker - J. W. Vance Co, Dandridge 2 He was buried on 11 September 1929 at Mt. Zion Methodist Church Cemetery in Jefferson County, Tennessee.117 He was known as "Little Johnnie".