Notable Woman: Anna Sperry Cox

Occasionally I tend to focus on some of the notable women in my family history. This is the story of one of those women.  This is the story of Anna Grace Sperry Cox.

Anna "Annie" Grace Sperry Cox was my maternal grandmother Jean Cox's grandmother.  She was born 19 August 1866 in Lower Gwynedd Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania as the eldest child of William Sperry and Ellen W. Robbins.  Her paternal line of Sperrys had been landowners in Montgomery County since before the American Revolution, and the Robbins line also were owners of land around the county.

Anna grew up in the household of her maternal grandmother, Margaret Whiteman Robbins, who was left a small estate upon the death of her husband, Jonathan.  However, that land was whittled down by orders of sale that were called for by creditors, as Jonathan left the family in debt.  By 1890, the family was living in the borough of North Wales, likely in rented quarters.

On 7 May 1890, Anna married William James Cox, who was three years her senior, in Flourtown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. She was seven months pregnant at the time,so the marriage was probably due to necessity.  The couple was wed by Rev. J. D. Dietrich.  He had been the pastor at the Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Whitemarsh Township in 1884, but appears to have also been a famous dairy farmer and botanical lecturer in Flourtown around the time of the couple's marriage.

William James Cox and Annie G. Sperry marriage record from Montgomery County Archival Records Department, Norristown, Pennsylvania. 

Two months later, on 2 July 1890, the couple's eldest son, William Oscar Cox, was born in Philadelphia.  However, his birth was registered until the family was settled in Salem, Columbiana County, Ohio, though why the birth wasn't registered in Philadelphia remains a mystery.  Adding to further confusion is the fact that Elizabeth Newton Cox (who is the subject of her own blog post) was registered as the natural daughter of the couple in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio, but was raised by William's parents.  Even more confusing is the fact that daughter Ellen W. Cox was born just two months prior to Elizabeth, her birth being 14 May 1893, however her place of birth was Indiana.  So did William and Anna give up Elizabeth to be raised by her grandparents and then adopt Ellen later, were the girls actually twins, and just reported with differing birth dates and locations, or was there some other incident at play?  One may never know.

What is known is that William James Cox, like his father William Newton Cox, was a moulder and ironworks laborer.  Also known was he was a hired strikebreaker, and traveled around Ohio working in ironworks that had active strikes.  On 15 July 1891, while the young family was living in a boarding house in Salem, Ohio, William and his father, among others, were involved in an altercation with strikers after leaving a saloon.  Ten strikebreakers and two strikers were arrested and charged with drunkenness, rioting and fighting.  William himself was fined $5 for his part in the fight.  One can imagine how Anna felt when she heard about her husband involved in a drunken brawl.

In 1893, around the time of Elizabeth's birth that still is shrouded in mystery, the couple were being evicted from their rented rooms at 916 Sycamore in Hamilton, Butler County, Ohio.  It is not known if William was working as a strikebreaker here, but the family did not reside in the area long.  By the time the couple's last child, Jesse Meyer, was born on 14 September 1895, Anna was residing in her mother's home at 114 North Second Street in North Wales, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.  It is not known if William lived here too.

It is around this time frame that the story of Anna Sperry Cox takes a sordid turn.

Divorce is not as common then as it is today (since it was much harder to get a divorce before no fault laws were established) but it did happen.  It is very likely that it happened to William and Anna, although it is also just as likely that the couple did not officially divorce, but rather William deserted the family and started a second family.

Sometime between Jesse's birth in 1895 and 1899, William just took off, leaving Anna to raise their three children, Oscar, Ellen and Jesse, alone. Anna and the children continued to live with her mother, Ellen Robbins, in the house on 114 South Street, supported by the meager means of the older woman and the labor of Anna's brother, Jesse Sperry.  It is not known exactly why the couple split, though speculation done by the couple's descendants (including whispered conversations heard by Anna's grandchildren later) indicate the marriage was never a happy one, and the stress of the itinerant lifestyle and no money likely compounded the problems to the point where William felt trapped.

William, in the meantime, married Miss Emily Towers on 29 November 1899 at Christ Church in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  Emily, who was only seventeen at the time, needed the permission of her mother to marry, and that permission was granted.  William was listed on this marriage application as having never been married, which obviously was not true.  This clue also leads me to believe that he knew he was committing bigamy by marrying another woman while still wed to Anna.

The second marriage seemed to be a happier one for William.  He and Emily went on to have four children; Viola, William Charles, James Newton, and Mary Elizabeth, before William passed away 12 February 1913 in Danville, Pennsylvania as the result of a hunting accident.  But that's a story for some other time...

Anna, in an act of defiance or strength, or however one wants to interpret it, continued to insist she was still married until William's death in 1913.  On both the 1900 and 1910 census enumerations, she stated she was married, despite the common practice of deserted women trying to hide their status by claiming widowhood.  Grandson Jesse Cox later stated that even mentioning his grandfather William was considered taboo when he was a child, thus furthering the conviction that the couple never did divorce and Anna remained a deserted woman for the remainder of her life.

Anna continued to live with her brother Jesse, housekeeping for the confirmed bachelor as well as raising her children.  By 1920, Jesse Sperry had purchased a home at 142 Swartley Street in North Wales, and the family moved there.  Son Jesse continued to live with his mother and uncle after he wed, supporting the family as well. Anna lived in this house until her death, as son Jesse inherited the home upon her brother's death.

Anna Cox's memorial card and obituary; Personal collection of the blogger

On 7 February 1953, Anna Grace Sperry Cox died at the home at 142 Swartley Street in North Wales from coronary thrombosis, contributed by atherosclerotic heart disease.  She was 86 years old.  Her obituary stated that she was the widow of William James Cox, which was one last dig at the husband who deserted her.  (On a side note, Emily Towers Cox passed away in 1946, leaving Anna as the last surviving wife as well).  She was buried in Rose Hill Cemetery in Ambler, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania near her parents, siblings and daughter.  As of this post, her grave is not marked by a headstone.

Sources Used
"1870 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 January 2017), Entry for Margaret Robbins and household, Year: 1870, Census Place: Gwynedd Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: M593_1377, Page: 394B, Image: 406530, and Family History Library Film: 552876.

"1900 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 December 2016), Entry for Ellen Sperry and family, Year: 1900, Census Place: North Wales Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1444, Page: 9B, Enumeration District: 0257, and FHL microfilm: 1241444; citing : United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.

"1910 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 26 December 2016), Entry for Anna Cox and family, Year: 1910, Census Place: North Wales Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: T624_1378, Page: 6B, Enumeration District: 0128, and FHL microfilm: 1375391; citing Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1920 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2016), Entry for Jessie Sperry and family, Year: 1920, Census Place: North Wales Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: T625_1605, Page: 8A, Enumeration District: 152, and Image: 354; Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"1930 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2016), Entry for Jessie Cox and family, Year: 1930, Census Place: North Wales Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: 2084, Page: 20A, Enumeration District: 0112, Image: 41.0, and FHL microfilm: 2341818; United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.

"1940 United States Federal Census," database with images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 December 2016), Entry for Jesse Cox and family, Year: 1940, Census Place: North Wales Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: T627_3583, Page: 16B, and Enumeration District: 46-161; United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "1880 United States Federal Census," database online with images, Ancestry.com Operation, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 January 2017), Entry for Jonathan Robbins and household, Year: 1880, Census Place: Gwynedd Montgomery, Pennsylvania, Roll: 1157, Family History Film: 1255157, Page: 142C, Enumeration District: 007, and Image: 0691; Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"A Series of Set-Tos," The Salem Daily News (Salem, Ohio), 17 July 1891, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 January 2017).

Cox, Jesse M. jr., (West Chicago, Illinois) to Kelley Wood, letter, 7 April 2005; Cox Family Collection, privately held by Kelley Wood-Davis. [address for private use], Norwalk, Iowa, 2020. Letter answering questions sent to Cox by Wood. owned by recipient.

"Marriage License 1885-Present," database online with images, Lackawanna County, PA - Public Access System (http://www.lpa-homes.org/LPA_Public_Inquiries/Views/LPA_Views/LPAXX01D.aspx : accessed 17 May 2017), Entry for William Cox and Emily Towers, marriage date 29 Nov 1899, record number 0052-00175, license number 19975; citing Lackawanna County Courthouse records.

"Marriage Licenses," The Scranton Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania), 30 November 1899, page 3, William James Cox and Emily Towers, both of Dunmore, are listed as having obtained a marriage license; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 May 2017).

Memorial card and obituary for Annie Sperry Cox, died 7 Feb 1953, in Dorothy Cox Ritter Memorial card for Mrs. Annie (Sperry) Cox, 1953, privately held by Kelley Wood-Davis, [address for private use], Norwalk, Iowa, 2017. photocopy of original. Photocopy of original mailed in 2002 to Kelley Wood-Davis by Amber Arinsburg Kostic, granddaughter of Annie Cox, daughter of Dorothy Ritter and first cousin once removed of Wood-Davis.

"Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962," online database, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2017), Entry for Lizzie Cox, 16 Jun 1893; citing Hamilton, Butler, Ohio, Butler County (Ohio) Birth and death records, 1867-1908, Birth records v. 1-2 1867-1893, page 151 ; FHL microfilm 355,799.

"Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003," database online with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 18 January 2017), Entry for William A. Cox, 02 Jul 1890; birth; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; FHL microfilm 931,592; (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDYX-M8R); citing County courthouses, Ohio.; Birth record listed in Birth and death records, 1867-1908 (Columbiana County, Ohio); Birth records v. 3-5 1878-1905, page 45; image 299 of 815.

Orphan's Court, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Register of Births 1893-1900, Book 1893-1896, page 81; Entry for Meyer Cox; FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TN-K962-3?i=55&cat=321969: accessed 26 Dec 2016); image 56; FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah; FHL microfilm 925501.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2017), Entry for Annie Sperry Cox; died 7 Feb 1953; certificate number 16581; Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 015751-018450; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1966," database online with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 January 2017), Entry for Ella Cox; date of death: 24 Aug 1906; certificate 76389; Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 075251-078670; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"'Squire's Squibs," Hamilton Evening Journal (Hamilton, Ohio), 19 May 1893, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 January 2017).

"U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 13 April 2017), Entry for Jesse Sperry, born 3 May 1876; Registration State: Pennsylvania; Registration County: Montgomery; Roll: 1907293; Draft Board: 4; citing United States, Selective Service System. "World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918". Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.

"We Congratulate Cox," The Salem Daily News (Salem, Ohio), 18 July 1891, page 8; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 19 January 2017).

William James Cox and Annie G. Sperry, (7 May 1890), Application for Marriage License and Certificate of Marriage: license number 2569; Montgomery County Archival Records Department, Norristown, Pennsylvania.