Surnames: Cox, Sturgeon, Porter, Doney, Work, Stahl
Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Fayette County by Gresham and
Wiley, 1889, p425
Samuel J Cox was born January 25, 1813, in Luzerne township, Fayette county, Penna.Micheal Cox, grandfather, was born in Germany, came to American and settled in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. He was one of five who came to this part of the State and settled on what is known as Cox's Run in Luzerne township, taking what was termed "tomahawk possession" of a tract of land. The names of three of this five were Cox, Sturgeon and Porter.
Isaac Doney, maternal grandfather, was of Irish extraction and came from New Jersey to western Pennsylvania.
Joseph Cox, father, was born in Luzerne township, Fayette county, Penna; was a farmer and married Mary Doney in about 1805, and died in 1816. They had three children: Eliza Cox, deceased; William Cox, died in the Civil War after serving about two years, and Samuel J Cox.
Samuel J Cox was educated in the schools at Brownsville, later he learned the trade of tailor under James McSherry, and carried on the merchant tailoring business at Brownsville about thirty years, when he removed to Connellsville in 1863, and has since remained there, engaged in the merchant tailor business.
In 1835 he was married to Miss Nancy Work, a daughter of James Work, native of Dunbar township, Fayette county, Penna. They had the following children: James Cox, died in infancy; Mary A Cox, deceased, who married Jacob Stahl and went to Kansas City and died there in July, 1888; Robert Bruce Cox, a carpenter and contractor, lives at Connellsville; John Cox, a painter; Joseph Cox, a carpenter, is married and lives in Pittsburgh; Thomas Cox, a railroader, is married, lives in Connellsville; William Cox, is married, lives in Connellsville; James B Cox, lives in Connellsville, is married and is an upholsterer by trade. Dorcas Cox lives in Connellsville with S J Cox.
Mr Cox had three sons in the Civil War. John Cox went out in Sickle's Brigade at the commencement of the war, fought to the close, and took part in the battle of Williamsburg and quite a number of others in the Army of the Potomac. Robert Bruce Cox volunteered in the First
Pennsylvania Reserve Cavalry and served about three years, and took part in a number of battles. Joseph Cox served three months, and took part in the capture of Morgan in the Ohio raid.Mr Cox has held the office of burgess of Connellsville for two terms, has been school director for two terms, and a member of the council several terms. He is a member of the Protestant Methodist church, was one among its first members, and has held all of the offices of the church. He was sent as a delegate from the Pittsburgh conference to Baltimore, to the convention for the re-uniting of the two branches of the church after the war. He is also a member of the Masonic order at Connellsville.