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Son of: Nathan Cox and Sarah "Sally" Wheeler who were married 14 July 1823 in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Parents of 10-12 children.

Jesse was father of 14 known children.

From: Texas of History; Family records, Journals, etc.

JESSE COX is a venerable citizen of Erath County, Texas, now an invalid and living retired at his pleasant rural home in the vicinity of Chalk Mountain. His life has been a somewhat eventful one and is well worthy of an honorable mention in the county annals. Jesse Cox was born in Franklin County, Tennessee, November 19, 1825 and is of German descent.

His parents were Nathan and Sarah "Sally" (Wheeler) Cox, the former a native of North Carolina, who went with his parents to Tennessee when he was very young, and in that state grew up and passed his life. Nathan Cox, married Sarah in Jefferson County, Tennessee by the Justice of the Peace Caller, and there spent his life in agricultural pursuits.

Nathan and Sarah settled briefly in Sevier County, Tennessee along with his father Henry L. Cox (age 70-80) in 1830 census. He and his wife were members of the Christian Church. They were the parents of eleven children, namely: Huldah, deceased; Jesse Cox; Henry, still a resident of Tennessee; William, deceased; Samuel, a resident of Mississippi; John E., a farmer of Ellis County, Texas; Solomon, of Tennessee; Mary A., who died when young; the next two died in infancy; and the youngest, Nancy, is the wife of David Franklin Colston, a farmer in Ellis County, Texas.

Nathan's father and Jesse's grandfather, was Henry L. Cox, a Pennsylvanian by birth and by religion a Quaker. His wife Elizabeth Richardson from East Tennessee. On account of his religious views, Henry Cox took no part in the Revolutionary War. He was hated by the Tories, and at one time when some kind of disagreement arose between him and some members of this party, one of them struck him with a saber, inflicting a wound which he carried through life. He emigrated to Tennessee at an early day, was among the pioneer farmers, and there reared his family and died in Sevier County, TN. The Quakers in those days were as much opposed to slavery as to war; consequently he had no slaves, and carried on his farming operations with the assistance of his sons and with hired help. He had six sons and two daughters, none of whom every came to Texas.

At the age of twenty years, Jesse Cox left home and started out in life to care for himself, and was at first employed as a farm hand. The Census of 1850, he worked for his Uncle Solomon in Tennessee, Giles County. After that he was variously employed for several years. On 20 November 1853, he married Sarah Catherine Murphy, daughter of Bennett Murphy and Lucinda L (Mitchell) Murphy.
Jesse at this time in 1853 was engaged in merchandising. At first, he conducted a country store; then he did business in Nashville, Tennessee, but merchandising was not particularly suited to his taste and he left it to engage in work at the carpenter's trade.

In 1856, he moved to Missouri and settled in Osceola, St. Clair County, where he worked at his trade and also did some farming. During the latter part of his residence in Missouri, he was a member of the handful of home guard left to defend the town of 3,000. On September 23, 1861, Osceola, the county seat, was sacked, its courthouse and other stores looted. Osceola was burned to ashes. This was an unauthorized "Jayhawker" pro-Union initiative led by Senator Jim Lane and his Kansas Brigade to push out pro-Southern elements at Osceola, Missouri. A number of other smaller Missouri towns, and large sections of the Missouri countryside, were similarly plundered and laid waste as back and forth raids were undertaken by forces from both sides.

About three weeks later, in October, 1861, Mr. Cox started to flee with his wife, two sons-William Ewell Cox, age 4, and John Bell Bennett Cox, age 2, his Mother-in-law, Lucinda Murphy who was widowed in 1858, and others. They worked their way to Texas, making settlement first in Grayson County. On the trail his son, Jeffrey D. Cox, was born, 22 October 1861. Little Jeffrey lived for 1 year and 9 months, dying in Waxahachie, Texas.

Jesse had little means and he worked at whatever he could get to do. In the fall of 1862 he was detailed by the Confederacy to make salt, a prime necessity, on the old salt well and plant of Grand Saline, Van Zandt County, East Texas (later Morton Salt), in which he was engaged for a time.

After the close of the war he went to Ellis County and bought a small tract of land, paying for the same with money he earned by freighting with ox teams, in two years' time completing the payments and after devoting his attention to the improvement of his land. He continued farming in Ellis County until 1883, when he sold out and came to his present location at Chalk Mountain, Erath County. Here he bought twelve hundred and eighty acres, all in one tract, portions of which he has since sold to his children, retaining eight hundred acres in his home place. The most of this is under fence and one hundred and fifty acres in cultivation. Before he disposed of his property in Ellis County, Mr. Cox took a herd of cattle to Stephens County, where he bought a tract of land and on it ranged his cattle three years, selling out his interests there just before coming to Erath County. Here he has made substantial improvements, including nice orchard and comfortable residence, and here he is pleasantly situated in his old age.

About 1882 he became afflicted with rheumatism and for years was unable to attend to business. About 1890 he grew worse instead of better, finally becoming helpless, and for the past four years has been unable to help himself. He has to be lifted in and out of bed, and his hands are so drawn that he cannot close them, but through all his sufferings he is cheerful and patient.

Mr. Cox is the father of a large family, three of his children dying in early life {Charles R.; Sarah E., and Jeffrey D.}. Of the others the record is as follows: William Ewell "Will" Cox, an attorney of Waxahachie; John Bell Bennett Cox, a farmer, who died in 1889 and left a wife {Rebecca Lula Williams} and three children {Carrie, Mary Belle, and Ethel}; Jessie Mae Cox, wife of James Sterling Hatchett, a farmer; Mary " Mollie" Dixon Cox, wife of Joel Frederick Hatchett {brother of James Sterling Hatchett}; Laura Lucinda Cox, wife of Columbus Alexander "Lum" Rogers, a farmer now of Oklahoma; Effie Betty Cox, wife of William T. Hamick, a farmer; Emma Cox, wife of William Henry Dotson, a farmer; Henry Winfield Cox, engaged in farming; and Charlie Carroll Cox , Sally Lena Cox, and Walter Edward Cox, at home.
Mr. Cox and his wife, Sarah Catherine, have long been identified with the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. In his political views he was originally a Whig. Later he belonged to the American party, then the Greenbackers, and of more recent years he has harmonized with Democrats."