Robert J. Willcox (1802-1852)

Robert J. WILLCOX was born ca. 1802 or 1803¹ in Halifax County, North Carolina, to Littleberry and Virginia Jane ALSTON WILLCOX.² He was my third great-grandfather.  A published genealogy from 1928³ reported his middle name as Johnson and his birthdate as November 14, 1802, but this information has not been verified in any other sources.  Robert was the 4^th of eight children and the 3^rd son. It is presumed that he remained in Halifax until at least 1828 as his name was published in the April 4, 1828 edition of the North-Carolina Free Press as having letters waiting in the Halifax, North Carolina post office.⁴

A LONG RIDE AND A BRIDE

Robert married Jane Davies WALLIS of Columbia, Maury County, Tennessee, in Maury County on March 4, 1830.⁵  Jane was the daughter of Robert M. WALLIS and Margaret “Peggy” Davies MORRISS.⁶  That same year, Robert purchased 112 acres in Maury County.⁷  His new home was almost 700 miles from Halifax; a long ride indeed!  However, Robert was following the trend of many people during that time who were leaving their homes for the promise of cheap and fertile land in the south.⁸ With a population increase of 16.5% from the 1820 census to the 1830 census,⁹ Maury County was considered a densely settled area. 

Like his father before him, Robert was a farmer¹⁰ and a slave owner. He owned three slaves in 1830¹¹ and by 1836, he owned 122 acres in Maury County valued at $1,755.  He also owned two slaves valued at $1,200.¹²  During the 1830s and 1840s, Robert bought and sold land.  In the 1840 census, Robert had eight slaves.¹³  At some point, Robert considers a move to Arkansas (specifically Dallas County), the next burgeoning area in the general westward migration taking place in the United States.  Land was cheap and uncultivated and offered an opportunity for the adventurous to improve their economic position.¹⁴  Perhaps in preparation for that move, Robert sold 100 acres of land in Maury County in 1843.¹⁵  A year later, in 1844, he bought a male slave named Frank for $600¹⁶ and a negro man named Jim for $525.¹⁷

A short history of the beginnings of Arkansas and Dallas County

Shortly after Arkansas became a state in 1836, serious settlers from the east began exploring and moving into the area. (RoTulip)  It is likely that they found the remnants of Native American settlements.  The Caddo people had settled homesteads where they farmed and hunted the abundant wild game (bears, deer, panthers, wildcats, catamounts and elk). However, their populations were reduced by encounters with Europeans carrying smallpox and measles as well as battles with neighboring tribes.  The Caddo were forced out of Arkansas by the late 18^th century and officially ceded their Arkansas land under pressure in an 1835 treaty. These events led to the settling of Tulip, the first established community in the area that was to become Dallas County.  This was a new and burgeoning area for farmers.  The ground was fertile, watered by the many streams, and hunting was plentiful.  One of the early settlers, a farmer from Tennessee, loaded up a caravan with supplies, helpers and slaves and made the several days journey to Tulip where he built a home for his family and planted his first crops.  He sent glowing reports back to friends and relatives inducing them to “move out to Arkansas.”  He later returned to Tennessee to gather his family for emigration.  Likely, this is how many men prepared the way for uprooting their families into such sparsely occupied areas.  The popularity and growth of the area caused the state legislature to establish Dallas County on January 1, 1845.  Princeton was made the county seat as it had become the political center of the county.¹⁸

Next up … Robert’s new life in Arkansas!

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1. 1850 U.S. Census, Dallas County, Arkansas, population schedule, Princeton, page 39 (stamped), dwelling 520, family 520, Robt J Willcox; imaged, “1850 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/ : accessed 28 June 2026); Note: this page is filed with the Manchester Township pages in Ancestry. ↩︎
2. Halifax, Halifax County, North Carolina, estate file, Littleberry Wilcox, 1857; imaged “North Carolina, Estate Files, 1663-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKBP-TJZ7: accessed 29 July 2026) > Halifax County > W > Wilcox, Littleberry (1857); Halifax County, North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh. ↩︎
3. Davis, Harry Alexander, Wallis & Willcox, descendants of Martha (4) Davies; supplement to The Davis family (Davies & David) (Washington, D.C.: Typewritten copy, 1928), 5. ↩︎
4. “A List of Letters,” North-Carolina Free Press, Halifax, North Carolina 4 April 1828, page 3, column 4; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/67869906/ : accessed 4 August 2026). ↩︎
5. “Tennessee, U.S., Marriage Records, 1780-2002,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1169 : accessed 4 August 2026) > Maury > 1808-1867 > image 97 of 661, Robert J. Wilcox and Jane Wallis, 4 March 1830; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, TN. ↩︎
6. Davis, Wallis & Willcox, descendants of Martha (4) Davies; supplement to The Davis family (Davies & David), 3. ↩︎
7. Maury County, Tennessee, “Register’s Office deed book, vol. P, date April, 1830-Aug., 1832,” 85-6, Robert J. Wilcox, 20 December 1830; imaged “Deed books, 1808-1881,” database with images FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS4R-1FK8: accessed 5 August 2026) > Deed books, vols. P-Q, 1830-1834 > image 47 of 600; citing Maury County Register’s Office, Tennessee. ↩︎
8. Ayers, Edward L., Justin Madron, and Nathaniel Ayers. “Creating the American South, 1790-1860.” ArcGIS StoryMaps. American Panorama/Digital Scholarship Lab, University of Richmond via Esri, November 9, 2020. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/34e0e42dc461499f85b369b43f9e44f6 : accessed 11 January 2025. ↩︎
9. Century review, 1805-1905, Maury County, Tennessee (Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Columbia: 1905), 7; digitized at Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/27943 : accessed 5 August 2026). ↩︎
10. 1850 U.S. Census, Dallas Co., Ark., population schedule, Princeton, page 39 (stamped), household 520, Robt J. Willcox. ↩︎
11. 1830 U.S. Census, Maury County, Tennessee, no township, page 321 (penned), line 25, Robert J. Wilcox; imaged, “1830 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8058/ : accessed 4 August 2026). ↩︎
12. “Tennessee, U.S., Early Tax List Records, 1783-1895,” database with images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2883 : accessed 6 August 2026) > Maury > 1836 > image 88 of 167, Robt. J. Wilcox; citing Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee. ↩︎
13. 1840 U.S. Census, Maury County, Tennessee, no township, page 330 (stamped), line 12, Robt J. Wilcox; imaged, “1840 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/ : accessed 10 July 2026). ↩︎
14. Encyclopedia of Arkansas; George W. Balogh (North Little Rock, Arkansas) Immigration (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/immigration-5034/ : accessed 6 August 2026). ↩︎
15. Maury County, Tennessee, “Register’s Office Deed Book, vol. A-2, date Sept., 1843-May, 1845,” 80-1, Robert J. Wilcox, 1 November 1843; imaged “Deed books, 1808-1881,” database with images FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-QS1P-7: accessed 5 August 2026) > Deed books, vols. A2-B2, 1843-1847 > image 46 of 650; citing Maury County Register’s Office, Tennessee. ↩︎
16. Maury County, Tennessee, “Register’s Office Deed Book, vol. A-2, date Sept., 1843-May, 1845,” 173, Robert J. Wilcox, 5 December 1843; imaged “Deed books, 1808-1881,” database with images FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-QS1J-6: accessed 5 August 2026) > Deed books, vols. A2-B2, 1843-1847 > image 92 of 650; citing Maury County Register’s Office, Tennessee. ↩︎
17. Maury County, Tennessee, “Register’s Office Deed Book, vol. A-2, date Sept., 1843-May, 1845,” 191, Robert J. Wilcox, 8 January 1844; imaged “Deed books, 1808-1881,” database with images FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-QS1L-3: accessed 5 August 2026) > Deed books, vols. A2-B2, 1843-1847 > image 101 of 650; citing Maury County Register’s Office, Tennessee. ↩︎
18. Encyclopedia of Arkansas; Charles Burns (Bossier City, Louisiana) Caddo Nation (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/caddo-nation-549/ : accessed 4 August 2026); Smith, Jonathan K. T., The Romance of Tulip Ridge (Deford & Company, Baltimore, Maryland: 1966), 7-8; digitized at FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/1030758/ : accessed 5 August 2026). ↩︎