| Notes |
- William Pinckney Cobb was born Jan. 25, 1813 in South Carolina and died November 28, 1888 in Rusk County, Texas. For many years it was thought that William died before 1870 in the Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama area. Whatever William it was that died in that area, it was not Alexander’s son. We have no idea what happened to William’s son, Wm. P. perhaps he might have been the one to move to Jefferson County. Thanks to the access to census records that is now available we have been able to prove that Alex’s son, William moved to Texas and married twice more. He is buried at Pleasant Hill Cemetery - Rusk County, Texas. Location on the south side of Highway 323 about half way between Henderson and Overton. This is a very old cemetery originally at a Cumberland Presbyterian Church but since about 1856 has been a Missionary Baptist Church. His head stone reads W. E., but it is our William. It also states that he was a Mason.
The descendants of William’s brother, James passed down a story about one of James’ brothers packing up his family and leaving in the dead of night on the night after James was killed. James’s death was the fifth killing in the Cobb family in 1865 and the brother must have worried that he might not be able to stay alive for his family. Today’s descendants could not remember which brother it was, but it would have had to be William since both John and Levi had migrated before the Civil War and Charles had been murdered six months before James. Something serious must have happened during the journey because only William and sons, John Newton and James W., along with daughter, Martha arrived in Texas and appear on the 1870 Rusk County, Texas census.
William first appears on record in the papers of the Mulberry Baptist Church. He was very active and served as clerk/secretary for the church. Many of Alexander’s family were among the charter members of this church when they moved to Alabama.
He next appears on the Alabama land records purchasing land prior to his first marriage. He married Lucinda A. Arnold on August 6, 1838 in Bibb County, Alabama. Lucinda was born about 1816 in Tennessee, was reported to have been the adopted or step daughter of Alexander Hill, and she was the mother of all of William’s children. According to the 1850 and 1860 Alabama census records those children were William P. b. 1840, Mary E. b. 1841, Martha C. b.1843, James W. b. 1844, John Newton b. 1846, Juliann b. 1849, Gemina b. 1851 and Julia b. 1853.
William – three of Alexander’s sons named a son William Cobb, we only know what happened to John’s William. Of William’s William and Charles’ William we have no record that we can connect with them after 1860. One or more of those William’s may have died in the Civil War, all being the right age to serve. There appears to a record for this son of William P., as having served in the 20th Alabama Inf. Company B. There is a record for a William D. or William P. as is one for James, J W, probably his brother. According to service records, William D., possible son of William P. died early in the Civil War, Dec. 18, 186?, from disease. He was described in the records as being 6 feet tall with black eyes, black hair and a dark complexion.
Mary E. is reported to first have married a Mr. Crinn or Crim and second to have married James Hamrick on May 6, 1866 in Alabama and they migrated to Texas. They first show up as family on the 1870 Bonham, Fannin County, Texas census; listed with one son, Homer age 1 b. TX, and with Mary’s brother, John Newton living with them. Her brother, James Cobb is living next door, with another gentleman in the household. Their reported 12 children seem to be William’s only grandchildren. One of their daughters age 16 is living with William’s children in 1900. Then their grandson Rex B. Hamrick is living with John and James Cobb in 1910. Rex and John migrate to Oklahoma by 1920, showing up in the household of Shaw Hamrick. According to the only researcher I talked to from this line, Mary’s children were Henry D. b. 1868 in AL, Homer b. 1869 TX, William Sceifert b. 1/21/1874 TX, John C. b. 1880, Knowles Shaw b. 1882 TX, and Mattie M. b. 1884. Mattie is the one that shows up on the 1900 census in her uncle’s house in Rusk County.
Martha C. – Besides being on the 1850 and 1860 Alabama census records, she shows up in her father’s house in Texas. Never marrying, she lives with her step mother and brothers after her father death. She last appears on the 1910 Rusk County Texas census.
James W. – had a distinguished service record during the Civil War. After the war he first shows up in Fannin County, Texas in 1870 living next door to his sister Mary’s family. His second appearance in Texas is on the 1880 Rusk County census, not living in his father’s house, but in town as a constable, in the home of J. S. Boygers as a boarder. He moves into his brother’s household after his father’s death, or by the 1900 census. On both the 1900 and 1910 census he states that he is married, but there is no sign of a wife and no known Texas marriage certificate. According to the number of years he states he was married, he would have married about 1885 to 1887. In 1900 he says married 15 years and in 1910 he says married 23 years. He does not appear on the 1920 census in Texas. There is a CSA service record for a James, J. W. and James W. serving with the 20th Alabama Infantry companies “B”, and “C” that is probably him.
John Newton – lives with his father starting with the 1880 census record and becomes head of the house after William’s death. He is called Newton on one Texas census, and John on the Texas census and the 1920 Pottawatomie County, Shawnee Dist. Oklahoma census.
Juliann did not appear on anything but the 1850 census, so must have died young.
Gemina and Julia last appeared on the 1860 census as far as I could tell. I found no marriage record that I could connect with either of them. Perhaps something happened to them and their mother on the trip west, or perhaps they married some unknown fellow during the long trek.
William was obviously in Texas by 1868, as I found a marriage license for him when he married a widow, Louisa Armstrong on Jan. 22, 1869 in Rusk County. On the 1870 Rusk County census William’s household consists of Wm. P. age 57 b. SC, Louisa 39 b. AL, Thomas Armstrong 12 b. AL, Isabella Armstrong 9 b. Al and Frederic Cobb a 9 year old black male b. AL.
The two Armstrong children helped me to trace Louisa. She was originally Louisa Crim that married Elias Armstrong on August 20, 1853 in Shelby County, AL. They then showed up on the 1860 Shelby County census, and must have been neighbors of William and Lucinda. Perhaps the two families traveled west together. Louisa obviously died about 1875 because William remarried in 1876.
On March 12, 1876 William P. married another widow, Margaret Spence. She was b. AL and her parents were born in Kentucky. Margaret outlived William by many years and showed up in a census living with William’s children in 1900 and 1910. Margaret was born Margaret B. Rogers and married Harvey B. Spence on March 27, 1850 in Rusk County, Texas. The 1860 census shows Margaret and Harvey with 4 children and an older male of the Spence family, possibly a brother to Harvey.
(Source: Barbara Cobb Rowe
From "Tracking Your Roots":
COBB, William P ARNOLD, Lucinda A Aug 06 1838
1850 U.S. Census, E.C. River, Bibb Co., AL enumerated 15 Nov 1850
Cobb, Wm. P. w.m. 37 b. abt 1803 SC, farmer,
Lucinda w.f. 34 b. abt 1816 TN,
Wm. D. w.m. 10 b. abt 1840 AL,
Mary E. w.f. 9 b. abt 1841 AL,
Martha C. w.f. 7 b. abt 1843 AL
James W. w.m. 6 b. abt 1844 AL,
John M. w.m. 3 b. abt 1847 AL,
Juliann w.f. 1 b. 1849 AL.
1860 U.S. Census East Side Cahaba River, Bibb Co., AL PO Randolph, enumerated 10 Aug 1860:
Cobb, William P. w.m. 47 farmer b. SC
Lucinda w.f. 44 domestic b. TN,
Mary w.f. 19 domestic b. AL,
Martha w.f. 17 domestic b. AL,
William w.m. 21 farmer b. AL,
James w. m. 15 b. AL,
Gemima w.f. 9 b. AL. (Jemima)
Juliann w.f. 7 b. AL.
William Pinkney and family moved to TX bet. 1860 - 1870.
1870 Census Precinct #1, Rusk Co., TX, enumerated 13 Oct 1870, H.H. #528:
Cobb, William P. 67 farmer b. SC,
Louisa 39 keeping house b. AL,
Martha 27 without occupation b. AL,
Frederic 9 work on farm b. AL,
Armstrong, Thos. 12 work on farm b. AL,
Isabella 9 attending school b. AL,
1880 U.S. Census Henderson, rusk, TX enumerated 26 Jun 1880:
Cobb, Wm. P. 67 farmer b. abt 1813 SC f.b. SC m.b. SC,
Margaret 63 keeps house b. abt 1817 KY f.b. KY m.b. KY,
Martha C. 35 daughter b. abt 1845 AL f.b. SC m.b. TN,
John N. 33 son single farmer b. abt 1847 AL f.b. SC m.b. TN,
William Pinckney Cobb, son of Alexander. As you already know, he moved with at least 3 of his children to Rusk County Texas between 1860 and 1867. Just guessing that it was probably between 1865 and 1867, after the war, but prior to his marriage to his second wife in 1867. William P. Cobb is buried in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in New London, Rusk County, Texas. The same place my family and relatives are located. The person that sent this to me says that the stone is broken but the dates are Jan. 26, 1813 and Nov. 28, 1888. It also says that he was a Mason. (From Martin Thames, courtesy of Barbara Rowe)
Name: William P. Cobb
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 22 Jan 1869
Spouse: Louisa Armstrong
Marriage city: Rusk
Marriage State: Texas
Source: Texas Marriages, 1851-1900
Texas Marriage Collection, 1814-1909 and 1966-2002:
Name: W. P. Cobb
Gender: Male
Marriage Date: 12 Mar 1876
Spouse: Margaret Spence
Marriage city: Rusk
Marriage State: Texas
Source: Texas Marriages, 1851-1900
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1813 - 1888 (75 years)