Robert J. Willcox: A Life Cut Short

By 1845, Robert was a citizen of the newly formed Dallas County in the great state of Arkansas, a mere 400 miles from his last home in Tennessee.  One of the first mentions of Robert’s name in connection with Dallas County was related to Tulip.  In March 1845, it was reported in the Weekly Arkansas Gazette that Robert was on the board of trustees for the newly organized Young Ladies Academy in the new town of De’Estimauville in Dallas County.¹  The academy was under the direction of Madame d’Estimauville de Beau Mouchel and the town was named in her honor.  She had been educated at the “best institutions” in the North as well as at the Columbia Female Institute in Maury County, Tennessee.²  Perhaps Robert had been acquainted with Madame d’Estimauville de Beau Mouchel during his time in Tennessee hence his representation on the board.  The town was renamed Tulip and it went on to become a prominent community boasting three different collegiate institutions and a literary magazine during its heyday.³ 

Robert quickly became a contributing member of the community. In July 1845, he was appointed by the Dallas County Court, along with two other men, to view and mark out the most suitable route for a new road from Princeton, the county seat, to the Ouachita River.⁴  Lack of transportation was a common problem for the settlers as there were so few roads.⁵  On October 27, 1845, Robert and his cohorts reported the recommended route back to the court.⁶ Two days later, the court recorded this statement: “It appearing to the satisfaction of the court that R. J. Wilcox cannot perform the duty of a reviewer of the road, in pursuance of his appointment at this term of the court, it is therefore ordered that said Wilcox be discharged from the performance of the duties of such reviewer.”⁷  No further information was given so we will probably never know what interfered with Robert’s duties.

However, Robert stepped up again and in October 1845 he was listed as a grand juror for the first circuit court of Dallas County.  At that time, court was held in a private home.  It wasn’t until the following year that the first courthouse was built on the square in Princeton.⁸  Today, Fordyce is the county seat and Princeton is little more than a crossroads.

Robert’s first land purchase in Dallas County occurred on December 30, 1845. He acquired 252 acres of Internal Improvement Lands in Dallas County from the state of Arkansas for $315.  The location of the land was in Section 5, Township 9 South, Range 15 West,⁹ about 2 miles southwest of Princeton.  This land had been owned by the federal government and was turned over to Arkansas in 1841 to be sold for the purpose of improving the land. The state was required to apply the net proceeds of the sales to the construction of roads, railways, bridges, canals, improvement of water-courses and draining of swamps.¹⁰ Robert would have built a home and planted crops to provide for his family. Homes during those times were usually one pen (i.e. one room) or a dog trot style home made of logs.¹¹  Popular crops were cotton, corn, wheat and potatoes.¹²

Today, Ben Few Campground occupies part of Robert’s original land.  Established in 1898, the campground was named after a well-known Methodist clergyman.  As of this writing, it is still used as a private camp meeting site by the United Methodist Church.¹³ In September 1847, Robert and a neighboring land owner, Benjamin H. Holmes, swapped 40 acres of land which changed the shape of Robert’s land holdings.  For $50, Robert sold the NW ¼ of the NW ¼ of Section 5 to Mr. Holmes.¹⁴  In exchange, Robert bought from Mr. Holmes the SE ¼ of the NW ¼ for $50, also about 40 acres.¹⁵

Robert’s last appearance in a U.S. census is in 1850 where he is still living in the Princeton Township of Dallas County, Arkansas.  He had 12 slaves¹⁶ and real estate valued at $775.¹⁷

ROBERT’S MYSTERIOUS WHEREABOUTS

Robert’s exact movements after 1850 are a bit murky due to the absence of records but he was definitely living in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana¹⁸ at his death “on or about November 22, 1852.”¹⁹

I have tried to answer a few lingering questions but have only come up with suppositions.

• Why did he move to DeSoto Parish?
  • Robert’s brother, James William Willcox, bought land in DeSoto Parish in 1849 and was recorded as living there in the 1850 census. Perhaps the brothers were planning to live and work there together.
• When did he sell his land in Dallas County, Arkansas?
  • He paid taxes on the land in 1851 so presumably he was still living in Arkansas that year.
  • The Dallas County court house does not have property tax records for 1852 which might have shown if he did or did not own the land at that time.
  • There are property tax records for 1853 but there is no entry for Robert or his parcels of land so I do not know who owned them then.
  • At some point after 1851, Robert’s land falls into the hands of Robert V. Eaton who sold it in December 1854 to Weldon Wright.
  • I have not found the deed transfer from Robert (or Jane) to another party.  Perhaps the deed was never recorded at the court house.
  • Based on the available information and factoring in data gaps, I can only assume that the land was sold by Robert (or Jane) between 1851 and 1854. 
• Did he own land or pay taxes in DeSoto Parish?
  • I could not find any entries for Robert in the DeSoto Parish deed or tax records.
• Where did he live in DeSoto Parish?
  • Perhaps he and his family lived with his brother, James.
  • According to the obituary of James’ son, Louis, James owned a plantation five miles outside of Mansfield, Louisiana.²⁰

WILLS AND PROBATE

Robert was about 50 years old when he died in DeSoto Parish.  He recorded two wills.  The first will was written on March 22, 1850, and recorded in Dallas County, Arkansas.²¹  In this will, Robert bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, Jane.  He gave her the discretion to dispose of any part of the estate as she desired.  The will stated that when Jane passed away, the residue of the estate would be equally divided among the children except for daughter Martha Eliza (emphasis added) “who has lately against my wishes and consent intermarried with one Henry Coxe.”  He bequeathed to Martha Eliza “the sum of one shilling in lieu and in full of all rights, benefits or interest in my estate” and no more.  We may never know his objection to the marriage but he must have gotten over it because this stipulation was not mentioned in his last will dated November 20, 1852, which was recorded in DeSoto Parish, Louisiana. In this will, all of the children were to have an equal share in the estate.  The will was proven in court on January 20, 1853.²²  In 1851, just before his own demise, Robert’s aunt, Nancy Ann Willcox McGee, died in Maury County, Tennessee.  Her husband, Chiles McGee, had died many years before and left her a wealthy, albeit childless, woman.  She left her fortune to many nieces and nephews, including Robert.²³  He never saw his share of the fortune as he passed away before the probate process was completed.  However, Jane eventually collected his inheritance on his behalf as executor of his estate.

Up next … Jane carries on in widowhood …

(See posts in chronological order)

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1. “To the Public,” Weekly Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock, 3 March 1845, page 3, column 4; imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/131031164/ : accessed 24 August 2026). ↩︎
2. “Female School,” Arkansas State Gazette, Little Rock, Arkansas, 14 February 1844, page 2, column 4; imaged Arkansas Democrat Gazette (https://arkansasonline.com/200/1844/ : accessed 24 August 2026). ↩︎
3. Encyclopedia of Arkansas; Michel Hodge (North Little Rock, Arkansas) Tulip Female Collegiate Seminary (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/tulip-female-collegiate-seminary-6930/ : accessed 24 August 2026). ↩︎
4. Dallas County, Arkansas, “County Court Record Book A,” 3, R. J. Wilcox, 28 July 1845; imaged “County Court record, 1852-1892,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-V36Y-ZCH6 : accessed 24 August 2026) > County Court record, v. A 1852-1860 > image 24 of 388; citing Dallas County Court, Arkadelphia. ↩︎
5. Encyclopedia of Arkansas; George W. Balogh (North Little Rock, Arkansas) Immigration (https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/immigration-5034/ : accessed 12 Jan 2025). ↩︎
6. Dallas County, Arkansas, “County Court Record Book A,” 6, Willcox, 28 July 1845; imaged “County Court record, 1852-1892,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-J36Y-ZH5R : accessed 24 August 2026) > County Court record, v. A 1852-1860 > image 26 of 388; citing Dallas County Court, Arkadelphia. ↩︎
7. Dallas County, Arkansas, “County Court Record Book A,” 9, R. J. Wilcox, 28 July 1845; imaged “County Court record, 1852-1892,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QHV-V36Y-ZCHB : accessed 24 August 2026) > County Court record, v. A 1852-1860 > image 28 of 388; citing Dallas County Court, Arkadelphia. ↩︎
8. Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas : Comprising a Condensed History of the State, a Number of Biographies of its Distinguished Citizens, a Brief Descriptive History of Each of the Counties Mentioned, and Numerous Biographical Sketches of the Citizens of Such County; v. 02, (Chicago, Nashville, and St. Louis: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1890), 704-5, 707; digitized at FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org/library/books/idviewer/472905 : accessed 24 August 2026). ↩︎
9. Arkansas Internal Improvement Lands (1841), Original Record, Newer Journal, page 72; imaged, Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands (https://coslstorage.blob.core.windows.net/history-docs/InternalImprovementLands/DSC_0224.JPG/ : accessed 24 August 2026) > History & Archives > Internal Improvement Lands (1841) > Original Record > Newer Journal > page 72 >  R. J. Wilcox. ↩︎
10. Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands; Internal Improvement Lands (1841) (https://cosl.org/History/InternalImprovementLands/ : accessed 24 August 2026). ↩︎
11. Vosmik, Julie, History and Architectural Heritage of Dallas County (Little Rock, Arkansas: Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, n.d.), 4. ↩︎
12. Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas; v. 02, 709. ↩︎
13. “60 Years Later, Camp Services an Enduring Tradition in Arkansas,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 23 July 2022, page 4B, column 4, and page 5B, column 6; imaged, America’s News – Historical and Current (https://www.newsbank.com/ : accessed 24 August 2026). ↩︎
14. Dallas County, Arkansas, “Record of Deeds & Etc, A, Dallas County,” 167-8, Robert J. Willcox, 2 September 1847; imaged “Deeds, 1845-1887; index, 1845-1931,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37F-Y3LL-M: accessed 24 August 2026) > Deeds, v. A 1845-1851 > image 118 of 409; citing Dallas County Courthouse, Fordyce, Arkansas. ↩︎
15. Dallas County, Arkansas, “Record of Deeds & Etc, A, Dallas County,” 179-80, B. H. Holmes, 2 September 1847; imaged “Deeds, 1845-1887; index, 1845-1931,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37F-Y3P6-9: accessed 24 August 2026) > Deeds, v. A 1845-1851 > image 124 of 409; citing Dallas County Courthouse, Fordyce, Arkansas. ↩︎
16. 1850 U.S. Census, Dallas County, Arkansas, slave schedule, Princeton, page 347 (penned), Robt Willcox, owner; imaged, “1850 United States Federal Census,” Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8055/ : accessed 26 August 2026. ↩︎
17. 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. ↩︎
18. DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, “Index of Succession Records, Book E, 1851-1866,” 149-151, estate of Robert J. Wilcox, 1853; DeSoto Parish Court, Mansfield, Louisiana. ↩︎
19. Dallas County, Arkansas, “Deed Record B, Dallas County,” 413-4, Jane Wilcox, 18 November 1853; imaged “Deeds, 1845-1887; index, 1845-1931,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37F-Y3PK-5: accessed 29 July 2026) > Deeds, v. B 1847-1855 > image 278-9 of 361; citing Dallas County Courthouse, Fordyce, Arkansas. ↩︎
20. “One of Our Best Citizens Dies,” The Mansfield Enterprise, Mansfield, Louisiana, 25 May 1922, page 1, column 1, imaged, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/1257693422/ : accessed 25 August 2026). ↩︎
21. Dallas County, Arkansas, “Will Record Book A,” 101-2, Robert J. Willcox, 22 March 1850; imaged “Record of wills, 1843-1921,” database with images, FamilySearch  (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99W3-7WG6 : accessed 25 August 2026) > Wills, v. A – B 1843-1855 > images 80-1 of 486; citing Dallas County Probate Court, Fordyce, Arkansas. ↩︎
22. DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, Index of Succession Records, Book E, 1851-1866: 149-151. ↩︎
23. Maury County, Tennessee, “Minute Book v. 4-6, Sep 1843-Mar 1857,” 463, Alexander Orr vs. Littleberry H. Wilcox, Decree Final; imaged “Minute books, 1822-1909; enrollment books, 1818-1877,” database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS54-79T8-Y/ : accessed 26 August 2026) > Minute books, v. 4-6 1843-1857 > image 1017 of 1186; citing Maury County Chancery Court, Tennessee. ↩︎