Individual Details
John J. Lenox
(30 Jul 1839 - 28 Jun 1922)
John J. Lenox served during the Civil War. He apparently went in as a private and despite his lofty nickname (General Lenox) never surpassed the rank of Corporal. He was a private in the 32nd Missouri Infantry and then a Corporal in the Veterans Reserve Corps, the rank listed on his tombstone: (Being transferred to the veterans reserve corp would indicate that he was partially disabled.)
Lenox, John J. CPL CO K 10 REG VET RES CORPS
Bob Lenox (J.J.'s grandson) said that John's brother also fought in the Civil War. I thought he said the brother's name was William, but that was years ago, and he's not alive now for me to verify the details. Bob Lenox also told the story of how John's brother (or maybe John, but I'm pretty sure it was the brother) switched sides after being captured.
I found "J J LENOX" in a transcribed version of the 1880 Phelps County Census, Meramec Township. He is listed as the head of household 162. The wife's name and the names of the 4 children match the information that Larry Lenox has. He is listed as being 46 years old, which would mean he was born about 1835 rather than 1839. According to this census, he, his parents, and his wife's parents were all born in Kentucky. I found this online again and it lists the children born up to that point.
Household Gender Age
J. J. Lenox M 40
spouse Martha J. Lenox F 27
child Nonna M. Lenox F 6
child Ida E. Lenox F 5
child Samuel L. Lenox M 3
child Thomas Lenox M 1
Larry Lenox gave more info in a 1998 posting on genealogy.com:
"John J. Lenox, my GGrandfather b:July 1839 in KY d:St.James,Mo
Spouse Martha Jane (?) m:2/13/1873 in Phelps County,Mo.
Seven children all born in MO.:
Anna M. Lenox b: 12/1873 Ida E. Lenox b: 1874
Samuel L. Lenox b: 6/1877 Thomas A. Lenox b: 3/1879
Oliver E. Lenox b: 1/16/1882 William E. Lenox b: 10/1884
John L. Lenox b: 5/1887
Looking for parents of both John J. and Martha Jane.
Any information on siblings.
John J. Lenox is buried in the Adams Cemtery, St. James,Mo. his
tombstone reads: Corp.Co.K 10 Regt. Vet. Res.Corps."
Oliver was too young to be on the 1880 census.
Incidentally, Linda Lenox, wife of Dennis Lenox (son of Bob Lenox by his first marriage) replied to Larry's post 10 years later (2008) saying something about William Elza being the son of John L instead of John J. Lenox, but the dates don't work out. I am sure that is wrong.
The death certificate of J.J. Lenox I found on-line matches to Larry's information, and according to this death certificate he is buried in Adams Cemetery. This is also the cemetery where William Elza Lenox is buried. Also, the death certificate gives the name of his father as A. Lenox and says he was born in Tennessee instead of Kentucky, so I think some of the information on the death certificate is unreliable.
The muster rolls do list a Private John Lenox in the Confederate 10th Missouri Infantry, but there were other Lenox families in Phelps County, and I know for sure of another John Lenox who was a Confederate soldier.
There's also a "John LENOX" on the 1880 Phelps County Census in household 172 who is 48 years old and was also born in Kentucky. This other John Lenox also has a son named William, but he's much too old to be William Elza Lenox (who wasn't born yet in 1880).
There's yet another John Lenox with a Mary J. in his household, but he is listed as being 21 and under.
John, male, 21 and under
Edward, male, 10-18
Samuel, male, 10-18
Mary J., female, 18-21
Willy A., female, 10-18
Elen, female, under 10
Laura, female, under 10
Hariet, female, under 10
I found two different biographies of a Dr. W.H. Lenox and Dr. Wilson M. Lenox both sons of Hamilton Lenox (the son of William Lenox). At first I got these two confused..
There is a Hamilton Lenox buried in the same cemetery as J.J. Lenox (Adams Cemetery in Phelps County). However, I think he is a younger generation, not the Hamilton Lenox who was the father of Wilson Lenox.
Lenox, Hamilton, (stone unreadable)
... and he has two wives buried there...
Lenox, Orlena, d. Aug 5, 1877, aged 27 yr. 9 mo. 5 dys w/o Hamilton Lenox
Lenox, Martha E., b. Sep 28, 1848, d. Apr 26, 1900, w/o Hamilton Lenox
I found a death certificate for a Hamilton Lenox who died December 20, 1916 in Phelps County. He was 71 years, 10 mo., and 3 days old. The date of birth is hard to read. Apparently Feb. 17, 1845. His father was John Lenox and mother S. Hudson. The death certificate also says he is buried in Adams Cemetery. This is a different John Lenox, possibly the one who was a Confederate soldier mentioned above.
One of the oldest Lenox graves in the cemetery is:
Lenox, W. T., d. Jun 13, 1893 aged 84 yrs. 26 dys.
(so born 1809)
Larry Lenox e-mailed me on Sep. 5, 2009 and said, "I've decided that Martha Jane Lenox is the roots to the Lenoxes in Dent & Pelphs Co, not John J. I have the death certificate of JJ shows him being born in Tenn, father is A. Lenox, the informant was his son Thomas A. Tell what you think about this direction. I've been in touch with Linda and Dennis Lenox for the past couple of months. The Lenox family has more John's than the Astrodome."
Indeed, it is easy to get confused. John J. had a son named John L. who is also buried in Adams Cemetery.
Then there is another John Lenox buried in Adams Cemetery according to his death certificate who was b. 15 Mar 1831 d. 23 Mar 1910 whose parents were John Lenox (yet another) and Susan Hudson. This is probably the John Lenox who was a Confederate soldier. It appears to me that this Susan Hudson is the S A Lenox who is on the 1860 Phelps County census. The Hamilton Lenox in Adams Cemetery and the Shelton A. Lenox in Adams Cemetery are her sons.
1860 Phelps County census household 551...
S A Lenox, female, age 50, birthplace Kentucky (I am guessing this is the mother of the S A Lenox in household 550)
M A Lenox, female, age 16, birthplace Missouri
H S Lenox, male, age 15, birthplace Missouri
M J Lenox, male, age 10, birthplace Missouri (or is it W T Lenox?)
... in household 550...
S A Lenox, male, age 22 and birthplace Illinois.
M A Lenox, female, age 19, birthplace Kentucky
J W Lenox, male, age 9, birthplace Missouri
John J. is very close to Shelton's age and both were born in Kentucky. If John J. and Shelton are cousins that could mean the whole family migrated from Illinois to Kentucky (Susan's birth place) between 1838 (the year Shelton was born) and 1839 (the year John J. was born) and on to Missouri sometime before 1844 (when Shelton's next oldest sibling was born). Of course, even if they are related, they didn't all necessarily move to Missouri all at the same time.
I also found an obituary online (at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mophelps/obits/1932.htm ) of a David Taylor Lenox, "... the son of Rev. David Lenox, a pioneer Baptist minister, who migrated into this section from Kentucky in 1825. Settled on Little Piney River and took up large tracts of land on Little Piney and on Dry Fork... He united in marriage with Miss Sarah Rebecca Burkitt in 1867. To this union ten children were born, six of whom with their mother preceded him in death. He is survived by three sons and one daughter. They are H. W. Lenox, K. M. Lenox of Lake Spring; I. L. Lenox, Rolla and Mrs. J. D. Sturgeon of Hobson. ... One brother, Hon. J. M. Lenox, of Eram, Okla., survives. ... The Pall bearers were his nine grandsons: D. T. Lenox II, Ken Lenox, Ike Lenox, Hamilton Lenox, J. M. Freeman, Steve Sturgeon, Lenox Sturgeon, Robert Sturgeon, and Jack Sturgeon."
I found on another site a reference to David Lenox and Little Piney River (at http://www.carrollscorner.net/WilliamP.JacksonFamilyHistoryOfMissouri.htm). It reads, "Philip then purchased the grist mill at Yancy [later called Yancy Mills] & 80 acres of prime bottom land for farming on the Little Piney River, on 7 Dec. 1857, for the substantial sum $3,500. The Yancy Mill had been built in 1846 by David Lennox & Lindsey Coppage. It was an impressive structure for the frontier of those days - 50 feet high, 40 feet wide & 60 feet long, beautifully constructed of massive square logs on a stone foundation. It was the only mill in the county at that time, so Philip kept it in operation day & night."
I found there was a John Lenox in the household of David Lenox (Leonox) on the 1850 Pulaski County Census who is the same age as John J. Lenox. The middle initial is different on the census ("John W. Loenox"). What are the odds there would be two John Lenox's born the same year? So, I had thought that maybe the death certificate of J.J. Lenox was wrong and he's actually the same as this John W. Lenox, son of David Lenox, but the book Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin (which I found at the St. Louis County Library) says that John W. Lenox died in 1863. So, at least that book ruled out one theory I had, but it did nothing else to help me place J. J. Lenox and/or his father A. Lenox into the larger Lenox family.
There has also been some discussion on the genealogy.com Lenox GenForm of a David Wayne Lenox born about 1842 in Missouri whose father's name was John. David apparently also fought in the Civil War on the Union side, and he is said to have gotten married in 1863 to Louisa Cooley (supposedly in Phelps County, but the LDS IGI shows the marriage took place in Dent, Missouri on 14 Aug 1863 - I don't know if this is Dent County or the town of Dent in Texas County, but both are south of Phelps County, although I'm not sure how the county lines may have changed since 1863). Anyway, this David apparently also had a brother named John who it has been speculated may be John J. Lenox. David also had a sister named Susan. Larry Lenox was one of the participants in this discussion.
The Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin book cleared up a lot on the Lenox families of Elder David Lenox, but did nothing to help me put John J. Lenox into the larger Lenox family. In fact, I could find no mention of him in the book at all, which is surprising since he's buried in the same cemetery as many of these people.
I remember Bob Lenox (grandson of J.J.) saying there were two generations between him and his Civil War ancestor and just two more generations between that person and a Revolutionary war ancestor. Charles Lenox, the oldest known ancestor of the Lenox family discussed in the Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin book, was evidently a soldier in the American Revolution. So, it could be that A. Lenox, father of J.J. Lenox was a son of Charles Lenox, but I haven't been able to confirm that theory.
The death announcement for John J. Lenox in the St. James Journal shows he was born in Madison County, Kentucky. This would seem to be further evidence that he is part of the Lenox family that is descended from Charles Lenox. The Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin book places the family members in Madison, Clark, and Estill Counties, which are all located next to each other.
I found "Jno. J. Lenox" listed right alongside Hamilton Lenox both serving on the jury for a murder case in the Rolla New Era Newspaper, 21 Aug 1880 (found on the Missouri Digital Heritage web site).
Lenox, John J. CPL CO K 10 REG VET RES CORPS
Bob Lenox (J.J.'s grandson) said that John's brother also fought in the Civil War. I thought he said the brother's name was William, but that was years ago, and he's not alive now for me to verify the details. Bob Lenox also told the story of how John's brother (or maybe John, but I'm pretty sure it was the brother) switched sides after being captured.
I found "J J LENOX" in a transcribed version of the 1880 Phelps County Census, Meramec Township. He is listed as the head of household 162. The wife's name and the names of the 4 children match the information that Larry Lenox has. He is listed as being 46 years old, which would mean he was born about 1835 rather than 1839. According to this census, he, his parents, and his wife's parents were all born in Kentucky. I found this online again and it lists the children born up to that point.
Household Gender Age
J. J. Lenox M 40
spouse Martha J. Lenox F 27
child Nonna M. Lenox F 6
child Ida E. Lenox F 5
child Samuel L. Lenox M 3
child Thomas Lenox M 1
Larry Lenox gave more info in a 1998 posting on genealogy.com:
"John J. Lenox, my GGrandfather b:July 1839 in KY d:St.James,Mo
Spouse Martha Jane (?) m:2/13/1873 in Phelps County,Mo.
Seven children all born in MO.:
Anna M. Lenox b: 12/1873 Ida E. Lenox b: 1874
Samuel L. Lenox b: 6/1877 Thomas A. Lenox b: 3/1879
Oliver E. Lenox b: 1/16/1882 William E. Lenox b: 10/1884
John L. Lenox b: 5/1887
Looking for parents of both John J. and Martha Jane.
Any information on siblings.
John J. Lenox is buried in the Adams Cemtery, St. James,Mo. his
tombstone reads: Corp.Co.K 10 Regt. Vet. Res.Corps."
Oliver was too young to be on the 1880 census.
Incidentally, Linda Lenox, wife of Dennis Lenox (son of Bob Lenox by his first marriage) replied to Larry's post 10 years later (2008) saying something about William Elza being the son of John L instead of John J. Lenox, but the dates don't work out. I am sure that is wrong.
The death certificate of J.J. Lenox I found on-line matches to Larry's information, and according to this death certificate he is buried in Adams Cemetery. This is also the cemetery where William Elza Lenox is buried. Also, the death certificate gives the name of his father as A. Lenox and says he was born in Tennessee instead of Kentucky, so I think some of the information on the death certificate is unreliable.
The muster rolls do list a Private John Lenox in the Confederate 10th Missouri Infantry, but there were other Lenox families in Phelps County, and I know for sure of another John Lenox who was a Confederate soldier.
There's also a "John LENOX" on the 1880 Phelps County Census in household 172 who is 48 years old and was also born in Kentucky. This other John Lenox also has a son named William, but he's much too old to be William Elza Lenox (who wasn't born yet in 1880).
There's yet another John Lenox with a Mary J. in his household, but he is listed as being 21 and under.
John, male, 21 and under
Edward, male, 10-18
Samuel, male, 10-18
Mary J., female, 18-21
Willy A., female, 10-18
Elen, female, under 10
Laura, female, under 10
Hariet, female, under 10
I found two different biographies of a Dr. W.H. Lenox and Dr. Wilson M. Lenox both sons of Hamilton Lenox (the son of William Lenox). At first I got these two confused..
There is a Hamilton Lenox buried in the same cemetery as J.J. Lenox (Adams Cemetery in Phelps County). However, I think he is a younger generation, not the Hamilton Lenox who was the father of Wilson Lenox.
Lenox, Hamilton, (stone unreadable)
... and he has two wives buried there...
Lenox, Orlena, d. Aug 5, 1877, aged 27 yr. 9 mo. 5 dys w/o Hamilton Lenox
Lenox, Martha E., b. Sep 28, 1848, d. Apr 26, 1900, w/o Hamilton Lenox
I found a death certificate for a Hamilton Lenox who died December 20, 1916 in Phelps County. He was 71 years, 10 mo., and 3 days old. The date of birth is hard to read. Apparently Feb. 17, 1845. His father was John Lenox and mother S. Hudson. The death certificate also says he is buried in Adams Cemetery. This is a different John Lenox, possibly the one who was a Confederate soldier mentioned above.
One of the oldest Lenox graves in the cemetery is:
Lenox, W. T., d. Jun 13, 1893 aged 84 yrs. 26 dys.
(so born 1809)
Larry Lenox e-mailed me on Sep. 5, 2009 and said, "I've decided that Martha Jane Lenox is the roots to the Lenoxes in Dent & Pelphs Co, not John J. I have the death certificate of JJ shows him being born in Tenn, father is A. Lenox, the informant was his son Thomas A. Tell what you think about this direction. I've been in touch with Linda and Dennis Lenox for the past couple of months. The Lenox family has more John's than the Astrodome."
Indeed, it is easy to get confused. John J. had a son named John L. who is also buried in Adams Cemetery.
Then there is another John Lenox buried in Adams Cemetery according to his death certificate who was b. 15 Mar 1831 d. 23 Mar 1910 whose parents were John Lenox (yet another) and Susan Hudson. This is probably the John Lenox who was a Confederate soldier. It appears to me that this Susan Hudson is the S A Lenox who is on the 1860 Phelps County census. The Hamilton Lenox in Adams Cemetery and the Shelton A. Lenox in Adams Cemetery are her sons.
1860 Phelps County census household 551...
S A Lenox, female, age 50, birthplace Kentucky (I am guessing this is the mother of the S A Lenox in household 550)
M A Lenox, female, age 16, birthplace Missouri
H S Lenox, male, age 15, birthplace Missouri
M J Lenox, male, age 10, birthplace Missouri (or is it W T Lenox?)
... in household 550...
S A Lenox, male, age 22 and birthplace Illinois.
M A Lenox, female, age 19, birthplace Kentucky
J W Lenox, male, age 9, birthplace Missouri
John J. is very close to Shelton's age and both were born in Kentucky. If John J. and Shelton are cousins that could mean the whole family migrated from Illinois to Kentucky (Susan's birth place) between 1838 (the year Shelton was born) and 1839 (the year John J. was born) and on to Missouri sometime before 1844 (when Shelton's next oldest sibling was born). Of course, even if they are related, they didn't all necessarily move to Missouri all at the same time.
I also found an obituary online (at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mophelps/obits/1932.htm ) of a David Taylor Lenox, "... the son of Rev. David Lenox, a pioneer Baptist minister, who migrated into this section from Kentucky in 1825. Settled on Little Piney River and took up large tracts of land on Little Piney and on Dry Fork... He united in marriage with Miss Sarah Rebecca Burkitt in 1867. To this union ten children were born, six of whom with their mother preceded him in death. He is survived by three sons and one daughter. They are H. W. Lenox, K. M. Lenox of Lake Spring; I. L. Lenox, Rolla and Mrs. J. D. Sturgeon of Hobson. ... One brother, Hon. J. M. Lenox, of Eram, Okla., survives. ... The Pall bearers were his nine grandsons: D. T. Lenox II, Ken Lenox, Ike Lenox, Hamilton Lenox, J. M. Freeman, Steve Sturgeon, Lenox Sturgeon, Robert Sturgeon, and Jack Sturgeon."
I found on another site a reference to David Lenox and Little Piney River (at http://www.carrollscorner.net/WilliamP.JacksonFamilyHistoryOfMissouri.htm). It reads, "Philip then purchased the grist mill at Yancy [later called Yancy Mills] & 80 acres of prime bottom land for farming on the Little Piney River, on 7 Dec. 1857, for the substantial sum $3,500. The Yancy Mill had been built in 1846 by David Lennox & Lindsey Coppage. It was an impressive structure for the frontier of those days - 50 feet high, 40 feet wide & 60 feet long, beautifully constructed of massive square logs on a stone foundation. It was the only mill in the county at that time, so Philip kept it in operation day & night."
I found there was a John Lenox in the household of David Lenox (Leonox) on the 1850 Pulaski County Census who is the same age as John J. Lenox. The middle initial is different on the census ("John W. Loenox"). What are the odds there would be two John Lenox's born the same year? So, I had thought that maybe the death certificate of J.J. Lenox was wrong and he's actually the same as this John W. Lenox, son of David Lenox, but the book Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin (which I found at the St. Louis County Library) says that John W. Lenox died in 1863. So, at least that book ruled out one theory I had, but it did nothing else to help me place J. J. Lenox and/or his father A. Lenox into the larger Lenox family.
There has also been some discussion on the genealogy.com Lenox GenForm of a David Wayne Lenox born about 1842 in Missouri whose father's name was John. David apparently also fought in the Civil War on the Union side, and he is said to have gotten married in 1863 to Louisa Cooley (supposedly in Phelps County, but the LDS IGI shows the marriage took place in Dent, Missouri on 14 Aug 1863 - I don't know if this is Dent County or the town of Dent in Texas County, but both are south of Phelps County, although I'm not sure how the county lines may have changed since 1863). Anyway, this David apparently also had a brother named John who it has been speculated may be John J. Lenox. David also had a sister named Susan. Larry Lenox was one of the participants in this discussion.
The Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin book cleared up a lot on the Lenox families of Elder David Lenox, but did nothing to help me put John J. Lenox into the larger Lenox family. In fact, I could find no mention of him in the book at all, which is surprising since he's buried in the same cemetery as many of these people.
I remember Bob Lenox (grandson of J.J.) saying there were two generations between him and his Civil War ancestor and just two more generations between that person and a Revolutionary war ancestor. Charles Lenox, the oldest known ancestor of the Lenox family discussed in the Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin book, was evidently a soldier in the American Revolution. So, it could be that A. Lenox, father of J.J. Lenox was a son of Charles Lenox, but I haven't been able to confirm that theory.
The death announcement for John J. Lenox in the St. James Journal shows he was born in Madison County, Kentucky. This would seem to be further evidence that he is part of the Lenox family that is descended from Charles Lenox. The Cowan/Lenox & Next of Kin book places the family members in Madison, Clark, and Estill Counties, which are all located next to each other.
I found "Jno. J. Lenox" listed right alongside Hamilton Lenox both serving on the jury for a murder case in the Rolla New Era Newspaper, 21 Aug 1880 (found on the Missouri Digital Heritage web site).
Events
| Birth | 30 Jul 1839 | Madison County, Kentucky, United States | |||
| Military | 11 Sep 1862 | Enlisted, 32nd Regiment Infantry Volunteers, Company F, Union Army - Rolla, Missouri, USA |  | ||
| Military | 18 Oct 1862 | transferred to 10 Veteran Res Corps., Company K, Union Army - Missouri, USA | | ||
| Marriage | 13 Feb 1873 | Phelps, Missouri, USA - Martha Jane Lenox | | ||
| Census (family) | 1880 | Meramec, Phelps, Missouri - Martha Jane Lenox | | ||
| Occupation | 1889 | Road Overseer - Phelps, Missouri, United States, | | ||
| Census (family) | 1900 | Phelps, Missouri, United States - Martha Jane Lenox | | ||
| Census (family) | 1920 | Meramec, Phelps, Missouri, United States - Martha Jane Lenox | | ||
| Death | 28 Jun 1922 | Missouri, USA | |||
| Burial | 29 Jun 1922 | St. James, Phelps, Missouri, USA | |||
| Alt name | General John Lenox |
Families
| Spouse | Martha Jane Lenox (1854 - ) |
| Child | Anna M. "Nonna" Lenox (1873 - ) |
| Child | Ida E. Lenox (1875 - ) |
| Child | Samuel L. Lenox (1876 - 1947) |
| Child | Thomas A. Lenox (1879 - ) |
| Child | Oliver E. "Ollie" Lenox (1882 - ) |
| Child | William Elza Lenox (1883 - ) |
| Child | John L. Lenox (1886 - 1942) |
| Father | A Lenox (1800 - ) |
Endnotes
1. Missouri Soldiers' Records: War of 1812 - World War I internet: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/, box 51, reel s862.
2. War Department, "United States, Applications for Headstones for U.S. Military Veterans ," digital images, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 7 January 2012), John J. Lenox; citing film number 1878218.
3. Missouri Soldiers' Records: War of 1812 - World War I internet: http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/soldiers/, box 51, reel s862.
4. Civil War Muster Rolls Index Internet.
5. Larry R. Lenox, Descendants of John J. Lenox Photocopy.
6. "United States Census, 1880 at FamilySearch.org," , The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, FamilySearch.org (https://familysearch.org : accessed 8 January 2012), J.J. Lenox.
7. "Road Overseers Appointed and Qualified for the Year 1889," Rolla New Era, Rolla, Missouri, 2 March 1889; Missouri Digital Heritage (http://cdm.sos.mo.gov : accessed ).
8. 1900 U.S. Census, Phelps County, Missouri, Meramec Township, enumeration district (ED) district 0105 , p. 4, John J. Lenox; digital images, ( : accessed 23 January 2012).
9. "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8C2-J8F : accessed 1 April 2018), Martha J Lenox in household of John J Lenox, Meramec, Phelps, Missouri, United States; citing ED 72, sheet 2A, line 35, family 29, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 941; FHL microfilm 1,820,941..