Emmet Earl COX Edward Bennett WILSON  NAHKIAPE Mini tree diagram
Mildred Nell COX

Mildred Nell COX2,1,3,4,6,5,7

13th Dec 18866,5 - 25th Apr 19264

Life History

13th Dec 1882

Born.6,5

(less likely)

13th Dec 1886

Born in Lawton, Comanche Reservation, Unassigned Lands.1,2,3,4,5

(most likely)

29th Nov 1919

Married Edward Bennett WILSON in New York, New York.4

20th Apr 1926

Died in Lawton, Comanche, Oklahoma.4

(less likely)

25th Apr 1926

Died in Comanche County, Oklahoma.6

(most likely)

after 25th Apr 1926

Buried in Highland Cemetery, Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma.6

Notes

  • 1896 Indian Census Rolls, Comanche Tribe, Oklahoma Territory, 30 June, Kiowa Agency, Comanche Tribe, Page 48
    #1203   Eng Name Emmett Cox Male Father age 45 [b abt 1851]
    #1204 Ind Name Nau-nooc-co  Female Wife age 23 [b abt 1873]
    #1205    Eng Name Nellie Cox Female  Dau age 7 [b abt 1889]
    #1206    Eng Name Mary Cox Female  Dau age 6 [b abt 1890]
    #1207    Eng Name [No Name] Female  Dau age 2 [b abt 1894]

    1900 Federal Census, Oklahoma Territory, 7 June, Apache, Kiowa & Comanche Reservation, District 252, page 74A, Hse #793, Fam #798
    Cox, Emmet Head Ind M Oct 1852 47 Married 17 yrs MO KY VA Farmer Owns Comanche Father White Mother White 1/2 White Not Polygamous
    Cox, Nah mack ir  Wife Ind F Feb 1873 27 Married 8 yrs 5 children/3 living OklaTerr [should be Texas] OklaTerr [Comancheria] OklaTerr [Comancheria]  Comanche Comanche Comanche 1/4 White
    Cox, Nillie [sic] Dau Ind F Dec 1883 14 Single OklaTerr MO OklaTerr Student Comanche White Comanche1/2 White [sic - not 5/8 like the others?]
    Cox, Nan nio nina Dau Ind F June 1890 10 Single OklaTerr MO OklaTerr Comanche White Comanche 5/8 White
    Cox, Noera Dau W F Dec 1895 5 Single OklaTerr MO Okla Terr Comanche White Comanche 5/8 White
    Cox, Joseph Son W M Nov 1899 1mo Single OklaTerr MO OklaTerr Comanche White Comanche 5/8 White

    Since Nellie is reported as only half white and the other children are reported as 5/8, this may be an indication that Nellie is the daughter of Emmet's first wife.  However, Mary, the second daughter in 1896, was reproted born in 1890, which was before Emmet married Nau-noc-co (Jan 1893).  The child matching Mary is named Nan nio nina in 1900, and is reported as age 10, with a birthday in June 1890.  And Nan-nio-nina is reported as 5/8 white like hte younger chidlren.  This is not very definitive.

    Nellie's age and birth date do not match either.  Note that she was 7 in 1896 but four years later in 1900 she is reported as 14.  If she was 14, she would have been born before June 1886, yet her birth year is reported sa 1883.  In 1896 she was reported as 7 years old, or born in about 1889, or 1888.  If she was born in 1883, Cynthia Ann, who is reported as her mother, would have been only 10 years old.

    From their ages in the censuses, we can tell that Nellie and her sister Mary (Nam-mah-ka) are children of the first wife Nahkiape.  They were both born before 1893 when their father married Cynthia Ann Parker.

    Nell is the daughter of the first wife, but 1883 is still too early to match the other information.  Her age of 14 matches reported ages in other years.  Her 1910 reported age was 24, which would make birth in 1885 or 1886.  1886 is a reasonable year to account for the facts we have.  In the 1914 Comanche census her birth year was reprotee as 1897 (age was not reported).

    The Earl Family genealogy had some helpful details on Nell and her mother Nahkiape, who is not reported by most sources.  This source does confirm that her year of birth was 1886, as I reckoned in my analysis.

    Mildred Nell Cox
    Birth 13 Dec 1886 in Lawton, Oklahoma
    Death 20 Apr 1926 in Lawton, Oklahoma
    Parents:
    Emmett Edward Cox 1852 - 1927
    Nahkiape d 1893
    Marriage to Edward Bennett Wilson 29 Nov 1919 New York, New York
    --  Earl Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/7168359/person/-1118595791

    "The earlier comment that Emmet Cox had a Comanche wife before Nau-no-ca is considered to be correct although there is doubt that Mary was a daughter of Emmet Cox (some believe that Mary was Nau-no-ca's daughter prior to her marriage to Emmet). Nellie was the daughter of Emmet's earlier wife who is thought to be Napiape. Also there is uncertainty as to Nellie's birth date. Her tombstone indicates 13 Dec 1882, was created during her father's lifetime and is confirmed by her daughters while the annual Comanche census indicates her birth year as1886 or 1887. Of course her birth year would have likely been provided by her stepmother and the annual census was generated by adding one year to the previous year, then updated with births and deaths, (which would tend to copy earlier information forward)."
    --  Bill Cook, Ancestry Comments, comment on the McCann Family Tree, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/34771228/person/18886794810/mediax/1?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7CpgNum&ftm=1

    Bill Cook had additional comments that help us uinderstnad Nellie's situation and accomplishments.  He made the following comments on another Ancestry genealogy.  He indicates she was a highly edicated language teacher, teaching both Spanish and English.

    ---------------------------
    Here are comments to the claim that Mildred Nell "Nellie" Cox was white.
    1. The annual Comanche census indicates her as a part of the Emmet Cox family but, although individuals who had no Comanche blood were generally not included in the census there are other cases where they were, so it isn't a determinant factor in establishing Comanche blood.

    2. In 1985 Nellie's daughters went to Lawton to research their mother's mother. At the time of Nellie's birth in 1882 there was no civil system for marriage records so they engaged the assistance of Arthur Lawrence who many believed was the foremost Comanche historian of the time period. Arthur and his father had operated the Red Store at the Fort Sill Sub-Agency and Arthur had made it his life's work to keep records of the individuals and events of the Comanche tribe. His card file and clipping collection form a significant part of the Comanche documentation at the Museum of the Great Plains. Arthur made contacts at the Anadarko Agency and replied that the their records indicated Emmet's first wife was Nap(h)iape the daughter of band chief Quirtsquip (Chewing Elk).  It is unknown when Napiape left the union with Emmet.

    3. The awarding of allotments involved a determination of Comanche blood much more robust than claims on the annual census. Nellie received an allotment of 160 acres.

    4. Perhaps Nellie was perceived as "white" due to her speech. By adulthood she had been very well educated both at Carlisle Indian Industrial School followed by Bloomsburg State Normal School (both in PA) and graduate work at OU (where she knew and visited with Arthur Lawrence). She also had taught language in both English and Spanish."
    --  Bill Cook, Ancestry Comments, comment on the Moses Yarborough genealogy, http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/10895277/person/-529102376/mediax/1?pgnum=1&pg=0&pgpl=pid%7CpgNum&ftm=1
    ---------------------------

    In 1910 Nellie is a teacher in the local school and still living with her parents.

    1910 Federal Census, Comanche County, Oklahoma, 17 May, Zella Township, District 67, Indian Population, page 13B, Hse #4, Fam #5
    Cox, Emmet E Head M Ind 57 [b abt 1885] Marriage 2 Married 17 yrs White/MO White/KY White/VA Farmer Full blood White English mother tongue Owns No allotment
    Cox, Nam-mah-ka Wife F Ind 27 [b abt 1883] Marriage 2 Married 17 yrs 9 children/6 living Comanche/TX Unknown/TX Comanche/TX 3/4 blood Comanche mother tongue Recd allotment 1900
    Cox, Nellie Dau F Ind 24 [b abt 1886] Single Comanche/OK White/MO Comanche/TX 3/8 blood English mother tongue School Teacher Recd allotment 1900

    In the 1926 Comanche census, Nellie is listred with two of her children in her own househlod, near her parents, with interim household and individuals numbers for her siblings listed on the same page.

    1926 Indian Census Rolls, Comanche Tribe, Oklahoma, no date, Kiowa Agency, Comanche Tribe, Page 35
    #1164 Emmett Cox Head b 1851 m Household #473
    #1165 Nau noc ca  wife b 1873 f
    #1166 William Murray Cox son b 1908 m
    #1167 James Monroe Cox son b 1914 m

    #1175 Nellie Cox (Wilson[=married name]) head b 1887 f Hsehld #473 1/2
    #1176 Nell Wilson dau b 1920 f
    #1177 Barbara Wilson dau b 1924 f

    I found the dates on her gravestone very interesting.  There her birth date is reproted as 13 Dec 1882, a date even earlier than the earliest suggested by any census.  In the 1900 census her birth date was reported as Dec 1883, but conflicted with her reported age of 14, being 3 years or so earlier than that age woudl allow.

    It seems odd that all the other ages are consistent with birth in about 1886, as reported by the Earl Family Tree.  However the day of the month is different, since the Earl genealogy reports the date as 13 Dec 1886.  The genealogy also reports a different day of death, but the same year, 20 April 1926, while the gravestone says 25 April 1926.  could the date on the gravestone be the date of burial?

    -------------------------
    Mildred Nell "Nellie" Cox Wilson
    Birth Dec. 13, 1882
    Death Apr. 25, 1926

    Mildred Nell "Nellie" (Cox) Wilson is the daughter of Emmet E. Cox #64999066 and his first wife, Napiape, daughter of Comanche Chief Quirtsquip. She is buried directly west of Emmet's grave.

    Spouse: Edward Bennett Wilson
    Children: Nell Wilson Haish and Barbara Wilson Moore (Source of the above information is Find A Grave contributor William Cook #47534333).

    Parents Emmet Earl Cox (1852 - 1927)

    Siblings:
    Mildred Nell Cox Wilson (1882 - 1926)
    Nora Cox Davis (1895 - 1984)
    Joseph William Cox (1899 - 1966)
    William D. Cox (1908 - 1939)
    James Monroe Cox (1914 - 1996)

    Note: In March 2009, the grave marker was lying on the ground. Visited in Jan. 2011, and it was upright.

    Burial Highland Cemetery, Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma

    Maintained by Marilyn Haish, Originally Created by Trapper John Mar 12, 2009
    --  Find A Grave Memorial #34718628, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34718628
    ----------------------------

Sources

  • 1. 1910 Federal Census, Comanche County, Oklahoma
    • 14 May, Zella Township, District 67, Indian Population, page 13B, Hse #4, Fam #5
  • 2. 1896 Indian Census Rolls, Comanche Tribe, Oklahoma Territory
    • 30 June, Kiowa Agency, Comanche Tribe, Page 48
  • 3. 1900 Federal Census, Oklahoma Territory
    • 7 June, Apache, Kiowa & Comanche Reservation, District 252, page 74A, Hse #793, Fam #798
  • 4. Ancestry Trees
  • 5. Ancestry Comments
  • 6. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
  • 7. 1926 Indian Census Rolls, Comanche Tribe, Oklahoma
    • no date, Kiowa Agency, Comanche Tribe, Page 35

Page created using GEDmill 1.11.0