The Wilcox Family
The Wilcox family is supposed to have derived from the Wilcoxson family (alternately spelled Willcockson, Willcocks and other variants). The patriarch of the family is believed to be William Wilcoxson (1601-1652) who was a linen weaver in England and traveled to America on the ship called the Planter in 1635 with his wife, Margaret and son, John. Thomas Wilcox, in his book Descendants of William Wilcoxson of Derbyshire, England and Stratford, Connecticut (available on ancestry.com for paid members) makes a case for William Wilcoxson's father to also be named William Wilcoxson, born about 1560 in Derbyshire, England. Thomas Wilcox also traces the family history back to Will Coch, who was otherwise known as Sir William de la Pole, Lord of Mowddy, a political division of North Wales and the brother of Owen de la Pole, the last independent Prince of Powys. His explanation of the origin of the Wilcox name (from Will Coch) is an interesting one as well as his argument for the connection to Welsh princes. However, the book has a huge gap in information between Will Cochs (aka William de la Pole) who died in 1315 and his supposed descendant, William Wilcoxson the linen weaver born in 1601.
William Henry Harrison Wilcox (1839-1916)
CBS 6 Special Report on the 150th Anniversary of the Escape from Libby Prison that included William H.H. Wilcox (note: the photo of the soldier they kept flashing on TV was NOT Wilcox). Hopefully you can see the video here. You can read more about his escape and fellow soldiers here.
William Henry Harrison Wilcox (1839-1916)
William Henry Harrison Wilcox was born to Gertrude (Anna G.) Eacker and Lester Wilcox on Feb. 24, 1839 in Canajoharie, Montgomery County, NY. He also is a direct descendant of Capt. George Herkimer of the Revolutionary War. You can learn more about the Herkimers here.
On April 27, 1861, 22-year-old William H.H. Wilcox enlisted in the 10th New York Zouaves Infantry Division, Company A. He enlisted in New York City as a private. His military service records show that he was promoted to various ranks during his career:
A little about his regiment: The 10th, the National Zouaves, was recruited in New York city and Brooklyn and mustered into the U. S. service, April 27 and 30 and May 2 and 7, 1861, for two years. Wilcox joined what was then known as the National Guard Zouaves. The various companies from NY were organized under Col. Waters W. McChesney and it was also known as the 10th New York State Voulunteer Infantry National Guard Zouaves or the McChesney Zouaves. The uniform consisted of baggy red pants, short jacket - said to make great targets. (For a lot more details on the regiment, click here. You'll find William H.H. Wilcox listed under "Quartermasters" before the listing of companies and their officers) He fought at Gaines' Mill (Virginia) on June 27 1862, where he suffered a leg wound. Known as the third of the Seven Days' Battles, 91,232 soldiers (US 34,214; CS 57,018) fought with a total of 15,500 casualties (US 6,800; CS 8,700). The Seven Days Battles was a series of six major battles over the seven days from June 25 to July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia. On June 27 1862, Gen. Robert E. Lee renewed his attacks against Porter's V Corps, which had established a strong defensive line behind Boatswain's Swamp north of the Chickahominy River. Porter's reinforced V Corps held fast for the afternoon against disjointed Confederate attacks, inflicting heavy casualties. At dusk, the Confederates finally mounted a coordinated assault that broke Porter's line and drove his soldiers back toward the river. The Federals retreated across the river during the night. Defeat at Gaines' Mill convinced McClellan to abandon his advance on Richmond and begin the retreat to James River. Gaines' Mill saved Richmond for the Confederacy in 1862. According to William's medical records, he was treated for a remittent fever and tonsillitis in August 1862. He was furloughed from Aug. 27 to Sept. 26 in 1862 and returned Sept. 26, 1862, returning to duty on Oct. 10, 1862. In April 1863, he suffered another fever before returning to duty. He was captured at Elk Run, Virginia on October 13, 1863 and was taken to Libby Prison a Confederate prison for captured Union officers in Richmond, Va. Previously a tobacco warehouse,iIt consisted of three tenement (loft style) buildings, each 110x44 feet, 4 stories high. Living conditions were extremely bad: the food, sometimes lacking altogether, was poor and sanitation practically nonexistent. Thousands died there. Except for Andersonville Prison, Ga., Libby Prison was the most notorious in the Confederacy. Many escapes occurred. The most spectacular escape was one led by Colonel Thomas E. Rose (77th Penna. Vols.) assisted by Major A.G. Hamilton (12th Kentucky) on February 9 1864, where 109 officers - including William H. H. Wilcox (listed in one account as Harry Wilcox)- tunneled their way out from the building under a vacant lot to the east. The only tools they had to use in the long tunnel digging were an old pocket knife, some chisels, a piece of rope, a rubber cloth and a wooden spittoon. They constructed the 53-foot-long tunnel, of which there are no remains, in 17 days. 59 were able to reach Union lines but 48 were recaptured and 2 drowned. Wilcox was among those soldiers re-captured, being caught just three days later on Feb 12 1864. Interestingly, various contemporary accounts list Wilcox as being a member of the 10th New York Cavalry (instead of the infantry). His military files all list him as a member of the infantry. Wilcox was transferred to a prison in Macon, Ga. on May 7, 1864, and from there to a prison in Columbia, SC and he was paroled from Charleston, SC. on December 10 or 12, 1864 and mustered out by special order, February 21, 1865. His prison stay in October 1864 in Columbia, S.C. is blamed for his chronic rheumatism, according to his military pension records. There were two prisons in Macon, Ga., Camp Oglethorpe and Smith Slave Mart operating at the time he was a prisoner of war. The conditions at Oglethorpe were described as being "by the summer of 1864, more than 2,300 Union officers were housed there. Shelter was barely adequate, and rations consisted of beans, corn meal, and rice in meager amounts. The lack of sanitation, coupled with a dwindling diet, led to the usual litany of such diseases as chronic dysentery and scurvy." (source: Mycivilwar.com). According to a NY Times article published Dec. 16, 1864, "Lt. W.H.H. Wilcox, R.Q.M., 10th NY," was among the officers released from Camp Sorghum in Columbia, S.C. on Dec. 9, 1864. They arrived at Annapolis from Charleston. Conditions in Camp Sorghum weren't any better than those of Libby Prison. According to the article the prison camp was: "called Camp Sorghum from the extraordinary large proportion which sorghum molasses bears to the rest of the rations issued to them. The camp is situated on a hill about two miles west of Columbia and lies upon a gentle slope, at the foot of which runs a perennial but but nameless rivulet of good water...The limits of the camp are marked off only by portions of small, pine branches about 18 inches long and placed at intervals of 50 or 60 feet apart. That line of pine sticks forms the 'dead line.' Any officer who intentionally or thoughtlessly passes that terrible line is liable to be shot. The camp is guarded by a battalion of reserves and a pack of blood-hounds..." In Charleston, he could've been housed at Charleston County Jail, Charleston Guard House, Charleston Race Course. Wilcox suffered from chronic rheumatism and heart disease after getting out of prison, and was deaf in his right ear. He lost all the toes on his left foot in a 1902 railroad accident at the Broad Street Station in Newark, NJ (can't find more details yet). He was first married to Emily Clark in October 1868. They had 5 children together: Harry Lester (born Aug 4, 1869), Herder Clark (Aug. 11, 1870), Percy Chapel (July 7, 1872), Mary Gertrude (June 7, 1876) and Edna Isabel (July 2, 1878). Emily died in 1878. Some records say she died in May 1878 while others say July 1878. A copy of her death certificate says May 10, 1878; however, this contradicts her daughter, Edna's birth in July so a July death date seems more likely. She died of tuberculosis which was likely complicated by her pregnancy. Emily and their children are all buried at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY. Wilcox married his second wife, Martha Price, on October 5, 1880 in New York City. Together, they had three children, Jessie Garfield Wilcox (born Oct. 21, 1881), Mabel Francis Colborn (born Aug. 23, 1883) and Foster B. Wilcox (born Oct. 28, 1886). For forty-five years Wilcox served in the registry department of the New York Post Office, resigning in 1915 on account of ill health. He died in Newark, NJ on Sept. 6, 1916 of cardiovascular and renal disease. He is buried with his second wife at Fairmount Cemetery in Newark, NJ and his children, Mabel F. Colborn and Foster B. Wilcox are also buried there. Wilcox's brothers, Herkimer E. and Albert E., and his grandmother, Gertrude Eacker, are buried in Palatine Bridge Cemetery in New York. SOURCES INCLUDE; 1. A reprint of Official Publication #12, Richmond Civil War Centennial Committee, 1961- 1965, no copyright claimed, but the original was compiled by R. W. Wiatt, Jr. 2. Newspaper articles about the prison escape, including one from the Richmond Sentinel, 2/15/1864, listing those recaptured including W.H.H. Wilcox. 3. Escape from Libby Prison by James Gindlesperger, which includes a brief biography of William H.H, Wilcox 4. Wilcox, William H.H. File, Civil War Pension Record, National Archives and Records Administration. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. Original data: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934. (Washington, D.C.: : National Archives and Records Administration. (available on Ancestry.com)), T288, 544 rolls. 5.A packet of documents from William H.H. Wilcox's military pension files obtained from the National Archives and Records Administration For a complete list, please contact us. 6. The Mohawk Valley Herkimers & Allied Families by Hazel Patrick, Jane Spellman & William Watkins 7. Enterprise & News, published Nov. 7, 1934 8. National Park Service 9. The New York State Military Museum 10. The Company of Military Historians |
The regimental flag of the 10th NY Volunteer Infantry (or National Zouaves), the regiment my Great-Great-Grandfather William H. H. Wilcox served with during the Civil War. The flag features the Arms of the State of New York painted to one side (seen here) while the other side features the Arms of the City of New York, also painted.
The battle flag of the 10th Regiment New York Volunteer Infantry, or “National Zouaves,” is thought to have received this 34-star, silk national color from the City of New York in 1863. The flag’s stenciled inscriptions include the names of officers and members of the color guard killed or wounded in the spring 1864 Overland Campaign as well as battle honors from that campaign. The inscriptions and unit designation experienced water damage, and some of the information has been lost. The restoration of this flag in 1968 used color-matched nylon net.
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Lester Wilcox
Lester Wilcox
__Lester Wilcox was born to George Wilcox and Susannah Humphreys in Massachusetts.
He married Anna Gertrude Eacker in 1833 in Montgomery County, NY.
They had four children: Herkimer E. (born abt 1826), William Henry Harrison (born Feb 24,1839 in Canajoharie), Albert E.(born April 18, 1843) and Anna Gertrude (nicknamed Annie, born abt 1846).
In 1850, the family lived in Canajoharie in Montgomery County, NY. They were living in Brooklyn, NY by 1860. He was a lawyer in New York.
Just after his 57th birthday, Lester died May 18, 1867 in Brooklyn, NY of Phthisis (or tuberculosis).
He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, where he is near his wife, daughter-in-law and some grandchildren.
(photo courtesy of Barbara de Mare, an Eacker descendant who has a family album that may have been started by Amanda Eacker Chapel)
He married Anna Gertrude Eacker in 1833 in Montgomery County, NY.
They had four children: Herkimer E. (born abt 1826), William Henry Harrison (born Feb 24,1839 in Canajoharie), Albert E.(born April 18, 1843) and Anna Gertrude (nicknamed Annie, born abt 1846).
In 1850, the family lived in Canajoharie in Montgomery County, NY. They were living in Brooklyn, NY by 1860. He was a lawyer in New York.
Just after his 57th birthday, Lester died May 18, 1867 in Brooklyn, NY of Phthisis (or tuberculosis).
He was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY, where he is near his wife, daughter-in-law and some grandchildren.
(photo courtesy of Barbara de Mare, an Eacker descendant who has a family album that may have been started by Amanda Eacker Chapel)
Anna Gertrude Eacker Wilcox
Anna Gertrude Eacker Wilcox
_Anna Gertrude Eacker Wilcox was born as Gertraut Eacker to parents Jacob I. Eacker and Gertrude Herkimer. Gertrude Herkimer was the daughter of Captain George Herkimer and the niece of General Nicholas Herkimer, both serving in the Revolutionary War.
Anna G. married Lester Wilcox in 1833 in Montgomery County, NY. They had four children: Herkimer E. (born abt 1826), William Henry Harrison (born Feb 24,1839 in Canajoharie), Albert E.(born April 18, 1843) and Anna Gertrude (nicknamed Annie, born abt 1846).
In 1850, the family lived in Canajoharie in Montgomery County, NY. They were living in Brooklyn, NY by 1860. They lived at 51 Carroll Place in Brooklyn.
Anna died July 10, 1871 of cancer.
(photo courtesy of Barbara de Mare, an Eacker descendant who has a family album that may have been started by Amanda Eacker Chapel)
Anna G. married Lester Wilcox in 1833 in Montgomery County, NY. They had four children: Herkimer E. (born abt 1826), William Henry Harrison (born Feb 24,1839 in Canajoharie), Albert E.(born April 18, 1843) and Anna Gertrude (nicknamed Annie, born abt 1846).
In 1850, the family lived in Canajoharie in Montgomery County, NY. They were living in Brooklyn, NY by 1860. They lived at 51 Carroll Place in Brooklyn.
Anna died July 10, 1871 of cancer.
(photo courtesy of Barbara de Mare, an Eacker descendant who has a family album that may have been started by Amanda Eacker Chapel)
Susannah "Susan" Wilcox Chapel
Susannah Wilcox Chapel
_Susannah (Susan) Wilcox was born December 6, 1794 in Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut to George Wilcox and Susannah Humphreys and she was Lester Wilcox's sister. She married Mathew Smith Chapel. Their son, Richard Smith Chapel, married Amanda Eacker. Amanda Eacker was the sister of Anna Gertrude Eacker (wife of Lester Wilcox). So essentially, Richard Smith Chapel married his uncle's sister-in-law.
Susan, as she was known, was also an aunt of William H.H. Wilcox. Genealogist and Eacker descendant, Barbara de Mare has more details on Susan and her family, particularly her husband, Mathew, on her website.
This photo is courtesy of Barbara de Mare, an Eacker descendant who has a family album that may have been started by Amanda Eacker Chapel and has extensive information on the Eacker and Chapel families.
Susan, as she was known, was also an aunt of William H.H. Wilcox. Genealogist and Eacker descendant, Barbara de Mare has more details on Susan and her family, particularly her husband, Mathew, on her website.
This photo is courtesy of Barbara de Mare, an Eacker descendant who has a family album that may have been started by Amanda Eacker Chapel and has extensive information on the Eacker and Chapel families.
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