David Cox Biography This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography, including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 707-708 Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm DAVID COX, a progressive farmer and honored citizen of Barrett township, residing on section 9, came to Beadle county, South Dakota, in 1883, and took up his residence upon a tract of wild land. By dint of great energy, perseverance and economy, he has brought it from its original state of pristine wildness to a condition of excellent culture, and it stands today a monument to his good management and business qualities. Mr. Cox was born in Oxfordshire, England, January 3, 1850, and is the youngest in a family of seven children. As he lost his mother during his infancy he has no record of her or of her family. He found a home in the family of Charles Spaxford, with whom he remained until his father, Mark Cox, married again, and he then returned home, remaining with his father and stepmother until he reached his eighteenth year, when he started out in life for himself. In 1870, Mr. Cox emigrated to America, and first found employment as a farm hand in Seneca county, New York, where he continued to work for others for twelve years. The following year he operated rented land and in this way made enough money to bring him to Dakota in 1883. Deciding on Beadle county as his future home, he chose the northeast quarter of section 9, Barrett township, and has since successfully engaged in mixed farming. He is now the owner of four quarter-sections of well- improved land, and has the best set of farm buildings in the township. The neat and thrifty appearance of the place testifies to the careful supervision of one who thoroughly understands the vocation he is following. On the 9th of June, 1869, Mr. Cox wedded Miss Mary Hicks, also a native of Oxfordshire, England, born May 21, 1841, and a daughter of Richard and Sarah (Hopcraft) Hicks. The seven children born of this union are as follows, Henry H., who married Mary Davis, now deceased; Herbert, deceased; Sarah J., now the wife of Fred Cossum, of Barrett township; Elizabeth E.; Alice M., wife of Wilbur H. Wilde, of Huron, South Dakota; Louis E., and Augustus L. The Populist party finds in Mr. Cox a stanch supporter of its principles, and he has held the office of township treasurer for seven years with credit to himself and to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. He always takes a deep and commendable interest in school matters, and is usually filling some position on the school board. Religiously he is an active and prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and in his daily walk has shown himself to be consistent with the beliefs which he professes, being generous and charitable in answering the appeals of the distressed.