Daniel Coxe
Encyclopedia
Dr. Daniel Coxe was a governor of West Jersey
from 1687-1688 and 1689-1692.
in the 13th century and obtained a doctor of medicine
degree from Salerno University. Daniel Coxe's father was also called Daniel Coxe. He was from Stoke Newington
, London and died in 1686. His son Dr. Daniel Coxe was born in London the oldest of thirteen children and was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge
where he became a doctor of medicine in 1669. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Royal College of Physicians (Coxe is the Society member referred to by Samuel Pepys
in his diary entry of 3 May 1665 when he poisons a cat with tobacco oil at Gresham College). Coxe was appointed a physician to the court of King Charles II of England
and later to that of Queen Anne. He married Rebecca Coldham (only surviving child and heiress of John Coldham, Esquire of Tooting Graveney, Alderman of London and Rebecca Dethick, a daughter of the Lord Mayor of London) on 12 May 1671 and had a son Colonel Daniel Coxe and a daughter Mary Coxe who became a Maid of Honour to Queen Caroline, the wife of King George I and later married John Montgomery (died 1733)
in 1732 and had a son Alexander
, who were both M.P.'s for County Monaghan in Ireland. After Col.John Montgomery's death she married William Clement LL.D. Vice Provost of Trinity College, Dublin and M.P. both for the College and the City of Dublin. She died at Beaulieu, Co. Louth in 1790 aged 97 years.
Dr.Coxe received an immense grant of land in the lower Mississippi valley from Charles II but he never actually went to the North American continent; instead, his son Colonel Daniel Coxe, Jr.(1673–1739), and an agent, John Tatham
, went in place of him. Colonel Daniel Coxe, Jr. lived in the American colonies from 1702 to 1716 and after returning to England he published an account in 1722 of his travels and a description of the area encompassed by his father's claim, entitled A Description of the English Province of Carolana, by the Spaniards called Florida, And by the French La Louisiane. Although Dr. Coxe never left England, he served nominally as Governor of New Jersey by purchase of land, and bought other large tracts of land throughout America. He attempted to settle a colony of Huguenots in Virginia, but failed. Dr.Coxe purchased a grant of land in 1698 known as the "Carolina" from the heirs of the Heath family. The "Carolina" holding remained with the Coxe family until 1769 when it was exchanged for land in the Mohawk valley of what is now New York state
Coxe opened the earliest commercial-scale pottery in New Jersey.
Dr. Coxe's son, Colonel Daniel Coxe was appointed by the Duke of Norfolk
as Provincial Grand Master
of Freemasons for the provinces of New York, New Jersey
and Pennsylvania
, but died before he had chartered any lodges.
In 1691, Dr. Coxe purportedly sold a vast 30000 acres (121.4 km²) tract in western New Jersey to a new group of Proprietors called the West Jersey Society, who heavily promoted it to settlers in Long Island and New England. But in 1731, Dr. Coxe's son Col. Daniel Coxe suddenly showed up, claiming that he possessed superior title via a superseding deed that his father had recorded years earlier. To the dismay of the settlers, the courts agreed with Col. Coxe's claim. Hundreds of families were forced to repurchase their own property from Col. Coxe or be forcibly evicted. The ensuing scandal was one of many injustices that inflamed American anger against the British during the years leading up the Revolutionary War. There were lawsuits; there were riots; Col. Coxe was burned in efigy; but to no avail. As a result, many Hopewell residents left New Jersey, either unable to pay Col. Coxe or disgusted with the colony's rampant political corruption. One group of Hopewell expatriates settled on the Yadkin River in what was then Rowan County, NC. This community, the Jersey Settlement, continued to attract new settlers from the Hopewell area for several decades.
At the request of Queene Anne he relinquished the governorship of Jersey but retained the other proprietary rights.
Coxe died in 1730, and was buried in London, England. His portrait is held by the Royal College of Physicians in London.
West Jersey
West Jersey and East Jersey were two distinct parts of the Province of New Jersey. The political division existed for 28 years, between 1674 and 1702...
from 1687-1688 and 1689-1692.
Biography
The Coxe family traced their lineage to a Daniel Coxe who lived in Somersetshire, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the 13th century and obtained a doctor of medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree from Salerno University. Daniel Coxe's father was also called Daniel Coxe. He was from Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, London and died in 1686. His son Dr. Daniel Coxe was born in London the oldest of thirteen children and was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
where he became a doctor of medicine in 1669. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Royal College of Physicians (Coxe is the Society member referred to by Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
in his diary entry of 3 May 1665 when he poisons a cat with tobacco oil at Gresham College). Coxe was appointed a physician to the court of King Charles II of England
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and later to that of Queen Anne. He married Rebecca Coldham (only surviving child and heiress of John Coldham, Esquire of Tooting Graveney, Alderman of London and Rebecca Dethick, a daughter of the Lord Mayor of London) on 12 May 1671 and had a son Colonel Daniel Coxe and a daughter Mary Coxe who became a Maid of Honour to Queen Caroline, the wife of King George I and later married John Montgomery (died 1733)
John Montgomery (died 1733)
John Montgomery M.P. for County Monaghan, Ireland from November 1727 to August 1733.He was the second son of Colonel Alexander Montgomery M.P...
in 1732 and had a son Alexander
Alexander Montgomery (died 1785)
General Alexander Montgomery MP for County Monaghan, Ireland from 1743-1760 & from August 1768 -1783. He succeeded his elder brother John Montgomery as M.P. for County Monaghan. He was a General of Volunteers...
, who were both M.P.'s for County Monaghan in Ireland. After Col.John Montgomery's death she married William Clement LL.D. Vice Provost of Trinity College, Dublin and M.P. both for the College and the City of Dublin. She died at Beaulieu, Co. Louth in 1790 aged 97 years.
Dr.Coxe received an immense grant of land in the lower Mississippi valley from Charles II but he never actually went to the North American continent; instead, his son Colonel Daniel Coxe, Jr.(1673–1739), and an agent, John Tatham
John Tatham
John Tatham was an English dramatist of the mid-seventeenth century.Little is known of him. He was a Cavalier who hated the Puritans — and the Scots;he invented a dialect which he claimed was their vernacular tongue...
, went in place of him. Colonel Daniel Coxe, Jr. lived in the American colonies from 1702 to 1716 and after returning to England he published an account in 1722 of his travels and a description of the area encompassed by his father's claim, entitled A Description of the English Province of Carolana, by the Spaniards called Florida, And by the French La Louisiane. Although Dr. Coxe never left England, he served nominally as Governor of New Jersey by purchase of land, and bought other large tracts of land throughout America. He attempted to settle a colony of Huguenots in Virginia, but failed. Dr.Coxe purchased a grant of land in 1698 known as the "Carolina" from the heirs of the Heath family. The "Carolina" holding remained with the Coxe family until 1769 when it was exchanged for land in the Mohawk valley of what is now New York state
Coxe opened the earliest commercial-scale pottery in New Jersey.
Dr. Coxe's son, Colonel Daniel Coxe was appointed by the Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
as Provincial Grand Master
Grand Master (Masonic)
In Freemasonry a Grand Master is the leader of the lodges within his Masonic jurisdiction. He presides over a Grand Lodge, and has certain rights in the constituent lodges that form his jurisdiction....
of Freemasons for the provinces of New York, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, but died before he had chartered any lodges.
In 1691, Dr. Coxe purportedly sold a vast 30000 acres (121.4 km²) tract in western New Jersey to a new group of Proprietors called the West Jersey Society, who heavily promoted it to settlers in Long Island and New England. But in 1731, Dr. Coxe's son Col. Daniel Coxe suddenly showed up, claiming that he possessed superior title via a superseding deed that his father had recorded years earlier. To the dismay of the settlers, the courts agreed with Col. Coxe's claim. Hundreds of families were forced to repurchase their own property from Col. Coxe or be forcibly evicted. The ensuing scandal was one of many injustices that inflamed American anger against the British during the years leading up the Revolutionary War. There were lawsuits; there were riots; Col. Coxe was burned in efigy; but to no avail. As a result, many Hopewell residents left New Jersey, either unable to pay Col. Coxe or disgusted with the colony's rampant political corruption. One group of Hopewell expatriates settled on the Yadkin River in what was then Rowan County, NC. This community, the Jersey Settlement, continued to attract new settlers from the Hopewell area for several decades.
At the request of Queene Anne he relinquished the governorship of Jersey but retained the other proprietary rights.
Coxe died in 1730, and was buried in London, England. His portrait is held by the Royal College of Physicians in London.
External Links
- The Weld Coxe Collection, including correspondence, pamphlets, maps and other materials documenting the Coxe family in America, is available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
.
See also
- List of Governors of New Jersey
- Alexander Montgomery (died 1785)Alexander Montgomery (died 1785)General Alexander Montgomery MP for County Monaghan, Ireland from 1743-1760 & from August 1768 -1783. He succeeded his elder brother John Montgomery as M.P. for County Monaghan. He was a General of Volunteers...