Manuscript Group 569, Wilcox Family (New Providence, NJ) Papers, 1801-1870 (Bulk Dates: 1808-1836)

Archives Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs

Manuscript Group 569, Wilcox Family (New Providence, NJ)

Papers, 1801-1870 (Bulk Dates: 1808-1836), 0.1 linear feet / 9 items

Call Number: MG 569

Summary

• Biographical Note

• Provenance Note

• Scope and Content Note

• Related Collections

• Item List

Summary:

Mostly deeds and indentures relating to John Willcocks (1752-1819), John Wilcox, Jr. (b. 1788) and the Willcocks/Wilcox family of New Providence, New Jersey.

Gift of Rachel Potter, 1963.

Biographical Note:

Peter and Phebe Badgely Willcocks settled in Elizabethtown, New Jersey around 1736.  Their son, John Willcocks (ca. 1727-1776), married Massy Ross and raised his family in Turkey (later New Providence), New Jersey.  John and Massy’s eldest son, John Willcocks (II) was born in 1752.  He fought in the Revolution and then settled down on the family homestead in New Providence.  He married Polly Maxwell Line, the widow of Isaac Line, and with her had eight children: Abigail, Sarah, Betsey, William (1788-1788), John (III) (b1788), Polly, Samuel, and Amos.  He died in New Providence on October 2, 1819.

John (III), referred to as John, Jr. during his father’s lifetime, married Sarah Line, the daughter of Joseph Line, on November 1, 1793.  John and Sarah Wilcox lived on the Wilcox homestead in New Providence where they had eight children: Caroline, Mehitable Barnett, Isaac Line, Henry (b.1818), Edmund Arnold, Abigail (b.1827), John Morris (b.1829), Mary Louisa (b.1831).

Sources:

Monumental Inscriptions, Union County, Vol. 2, The New Jersey Historical Society.

“Wilcox Genealogical Project Newsletter,” Issue No. 4 (12 March 1972), Wilcox Family File, The New Jersey Historical Society.

Provenance Note:

This collection was the gift of Rachel Potter in 1963.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers, dating from 1801-1870, largely consist of the New Providence land indentures of John Willcocks (1752-1819) and John Wilcox, Jr. (b. 1788). The indentures date from 1808-1836 and document the change in the spelling of the family’s surname from Willcocks to Wilcox.

The papers also contain a letter and petition to the New Jersey West Line Rail Road Company for the creation of a depot on Henry Wilcox’s land in New Providence and a copy of the November 16, 1801 issue of the New-York Evening Post, printed and published by Michael Burnham. This last item is torn in half.

Related Collections:

Manuscript Group 133, Jonathan M. Wilcox (fl. 1815-1836) Records

Item List:

Processed by Kim Charlton, August 2000 as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

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