I am a COX who has long been tracking my ancestors, and I once upon a time thought that Reed and William Cox from Jefferson Co TN were among mine. However, DNA says they were not. However, in studying some of my other family branches, I found that St. Francois County, Missouri--just north of Butler Co MO--is where my proven ancestor Rev. William Murphy (a famous Baptist preacher) migrated in 1799 with a very early Spanish land grant. He came from Jefferson Co TN too, although he had also lived in Pittsylvania/ Halifax/ Henry Co VA and at Sandy Creek in Guilford Co NC and other areas of VA and TN before going to MO.

Rev. Murphy and his brother Rev. Joseph Murphy were among the very active early church-planting missionaries of the frontier and are often written about in Baptist history. I can't help but wonder if he knew and influenced William and Reed Cox to come to Missouri. Do you know more about their incentives and/or companions when they came to Butler County? I'd love to know more.

Thanks, Cathy Cox Straley - cathy@dustyroads.net