Résumé

Principal, John Cox, Building Contractor, San Francisco, CA, c. 1875. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 42; FHL Roll Number: 977098, accessed 03/10/2025.)

Principal, John Cox, Building Contractor, Napa, CA, c. 1879.

Relocation

The name "John Cox" was a common one in the nineteenth century, so it is difficult to pinpoint this man's whereabouts.

The 1860 US Census listed a John Cox, a 24-year-old mason born in England, as living in San Francisco, CA, in July of that year. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: San Francisco District 3, San Francisco, California; Roll: M653_67; Page: 72; Family History Library Film: 803067, accessed 03/11/2025.) Other sources for an English mason named John Cox living in the city at this time, listed his birthdate as closer to 1839 or 1840.

A “John Cox,” a sergeant from San Francisco, joined Company J of the California Volunteers on 10/16/1861 during the Civil War. This register indicated that he “deserted from Benicia" on 09/23/1862. (See Ancestry.com, Source Information Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Military Registers, 1858-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, accessed 03/11/2025.)

A "John J. Cox," born in England c. 1839, was listed as a brick mason in San Francisco, as per the 1870 US Census. According to this census, he resided in a lodging house and owned $1,000 worth of real estate and had other assets of $600. This was not a large sum but was more than many others living in this rooming house. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1870; Census Place: San Francisco Ward 8, San Francisco, California; Roll: M593_82; Page: 370B, accessed 03/11/2025.)

Cox worked as a builder in San Francisco, CA, in 1875. He resided at 504 Jessie Street in San Francisco. Voter registration rolls indicated that he had become a US citizen on 08/08/1873 in CA's 12th DIstrict Court, and signed up to vote in San Francisco on 08/11/1873. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation California State Library; Sacramento, California; Great Registers, 1866-1898; Collection Number: 4-2A; CSL Roll Number: 42; FHL Roll Number: 977098, accessed 03/10/2025.)

In 1880-1881, John Cox continued to work as a contractor and builder in San Francisco, living at 718 Treat Avenue. He resided at this address with his wife Sarah M. Kyle, her father Thomas Kyle (born c. 1822 in Ireland) and a servant, Mary A. Burke (born c. 1855 in CA). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Roll: 78; Page: 404c; Enumeration District: 176, accessed 03/11/2025 and Langley's San Francisco, California, City Directory, 1881, p. 261.)