While perusing through "Counties of Monroe, Morgan and Brown" by Charles Blanchard (like one does when they are looking for something obscure to connect with something else obscure), I came across the below article:
I immediately set out to figure out where the unfortunate victims, and the perpetrator of the crime, were buried.
*brakes screeching to a halt*
On second thought. Maybe I won't.
This particular Grave Spotlight of the Month has turned into a very large mystery with a cast of characters that have seemingly disappeared into the ether. Here is what I have so far:
John B. Cox, the supposed perpetrator of the crime of killing his wife and at least one of the children, as well as nearly killing the rest of the children, except for the infant. The first reference to a John B. Cox is that of John Bridgeman Cox (b. January 9, 1813, Tennessee - d. October 23, 1892, Monroe County, Indiana). He was a Missionary Minister of the Baptist Church starting in 1838. I am not sure if he preached at the Little Union Baptist Church nearby. He is buried in Little Union Cemetery which is located next to the church in Unionville, Indiana, where the above crime took place. Well, I thought, there ya go, found him. But.....upon taking a look at his spouse, no, spouses, I don't find that either of them died in 1861 as stated in the article.
Barbara Ledgerwood Cox (b. September 22, 1811 - d. March 13, 1845) was his first wife. I am not sure when they were married, or where, as I can't find a record them them in the marriage lists for the time period for Monroe County. She is buried next to the monument for John Bridgeman Cox.
His second wife, Martha "Patsy" Moser Cox (b. March 1, 1823, Monroe County, Indiana - d. June 29, 1914). They were married on April 7, 1846, which is about a year after his first wife passed away. Her name is listed on the monument with him in Little Union Cemetery.
This rules out John Bridgeman Cox as being the John B. Cox listed in the above article because neither of his wives died in 1861. But -- he did have a child, Douglas Cox who was born in 1860, who would have been an infant when this tragedy occurred. But -- yes, another one -- none of the other children from John and either of his wives died in 1861. Or at least none that are buried in Little Union Cemetery.
Mind you, Little Union is really the only cemetery in Unionville that isn't a family cemetery and since most of the Cox families are buried here, it is likely that the victims would have been buried here as well. And yes, it is possible that they were buried in unmarked graves, but would a family in mourning really bury a child of a crime in an unmarked grave where said child couldn't be mourned? Not likely.
But, looking at the marriage records, I find another John B. Cox with two different wives.
Unfortunately, I can't find burial records for either of them either. It looks like Hannah probably died not long after she and John were married. He married Esther right afterward. What happened to them seems to be unknown. At least so far.
It was about this time that I started to wonder if the article above was even real. It seemed odd that it would be put into a book of history of Monroe County published in 1884 if it wasn't somewhat accurate. The family does exist and the names are there, the dates just don't really match up. I decided to keep searching.
I came across a copy of the Monroe County Historic Preservation Board Review from March of 2020. Surprisingly enough, John B. Cox was mentioned within the report. The report concerns the addition of the Rufus Ward House on State Road 45 having historical status. It states: "Rufus' son Thomas Jefferson Ward (1854-1918) and his wife Lucretia Adaline "Addie" Cox Ward, lived on in the house to their old age, cared for by their daughter Haidee (1891-1979). Thomas Jefferson Ward is buried at Little Union Churchyard in Unionville. Addie's cousin, John B. Cox (1830-unknown), son of William (1803-1873), was the prime suspect in the 1861 grisly mass murder of his wife and several of his children, as recorded by Pop Hall (1924:122)."
I did find the book on Google Books and took a look at it. The article is pretty much the same as the one above only a little longer. This version goes into the possibility that John B. Cox was "afflicted mentally" which caused him to commit the crime. It also states that after some unnamed men were arrested and then acquitted of the crimes, John B. disappeared from the community. A man stated later than he saw him report for roll call with other recruits for the Civil War, but then he disappeared again. It was believed that he defected to the Confederate Side and was never heard from again.
Now, I did find William Cox (b. January 2, 1803 - d. November 19, 1873) buried in Little Union Cemetery. He was a brother of John Bridgeman Cox, noted above. This William Cox is said to be the father of the John B, Cox that we are searching for, as noted in the Historic Preservation paperwork. He has one son listed, a William Perry Cox (b. September 15, 1845 - d. October 21, 1909) and two daughters, Sarrah Cox (b. 1845 - d. unknown) and Mannie Cox (b. 1847 - d. unknown). Obviously this is not John B. Cox, whom I am still searching for.
The first article about the Cox Tragedy notes that the bodies of the dead and wounded were taken to the farm of William Cox. I believe that this must be the William that was being referenced as his son, William, was too young to have his own farm.
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REFERENCES
Monroe County Historic Preservation Board of Review - March 23, 2020
The Counties of Monroe, Morgan and Brown by Charles Blanchard - Google Books
Monroe County, Indiana Marriage Index 1818-1881 - Monroe County History Center
Historic Treasures: True Tales of Deeds with Interesting Data in the Life of ... - Google Books
