Anthony Jacob Cossart, Jr.

His will is dated 12 23 1780 and was probated at the May term of court in 1781.

Anthony and his 8 sons migrated to the Hamptons Mill community of Granville County in 1753.

March 1, 1755 Anthony purchased 360 acres of land in Granville County, NC.

Source: http://www.e-familytree.net/F55/F55474.htm

Wilihelmina was most likely a member of one of the Somerset Co., NJ Dutch families. Some time between 1751 and 1753 Anthony's family moved to Granville Co., NC. He seems to have been the first of the family to break away from the old New Jersey family settlement. The first trace we find of Anthony's family in Granville Co., NC is on Oct. 8, 1754 when two of his sons David Cossort, Private and Anthony Cossort, Jr, Drummer, answer roll call at a general muster of Captain William Hampton's Co., Col. William Eaton's Regiment. (See Clark's History of North Carolina)

The following Spring March 1, 1755 Anthony Cossort purchased 360 acres of land in Granville Co., NC. In 1773 a land deed is recorded at Oxford on which the name of Anthony Cossort and wife Nancy appears, indicating that some time prior to this date Anthony's first wife, Wilhelmina, had died in Granville Co., NC and he had married a second wife Nancy Kenna or McKennie; by her he had three more sons.

His will dated Dec. 23, 1780 was probated at the May term of court in 1781. The Anne Cozart listed on the 1790 Granville Co., NC Tax List "2 white males 21 to 60; 1 white male under 21 over 60; three white females" was the widow of Anthony Cozart--Nancy/Anne. Two years later the marriage records of Granville Co., NC show that she married on June 13, 1792 to Thomas James. Found in a Granville Co., NC land deed record Nancy James, Joshua Cozart, Jeremiah Cozart, and Jesse Cozart sold some land to Fowler Hobgood in 1804.

The will of Anthony only makes mention of one of his eight sons by his first wife, although there are other Granville Co., NC records on which their names appear. The order of these eight sons is not certainly known outside of the three baptized at the Raritan Dutch Church. The evidence, however, seems to indicate that David was the eldest and the fact that Jacob must have been the second son. As far as John, James, and Simon we have found no evidence which would indicate the order of their births.

It is not known if Anthony, his wife and eight sons set out from New Jersey to North Carolina alone or whether they accompanied a party of New Jersey colonists to North Carolina, usually when these early migrations of our family took place it is found that they accompanied large parties of colonists to other states. This was the case when about 1764 Francis Cosart and wife Margaret Van Nest of Bound Brook, NJ, left with a large party of Somerset and Bergen Co., NJ families for the Conewago Valley in York Co., PA. Again it was true when in 1780 Peter Cossart and wife Maria Duryea accompanied a large colony from this York Co., PA settlement to the Kentucky River Valley in Kentucky, than a little later when Peter's nephew, Dr. Francis Cassatt and wife Martha Van Zandt accompanied another smaller party from this same York Co., PA settlement to the Lake country of New York state.

The same was the case when Samual and Henry Cozad of Mendham, NJ with their wives Jane McIlrath and Catherine Lozier were members of a large party that set out from New Jersey to the "Ten Mile Valley" in Washington Co., PA, in 1796, and the same was again true when Jacob Cozad and wife Mercy Woodward and his two cousins Aaron and John Casad with their wives Rhoda Dunn and Rosa Kirkendorf came with other New Jersey families to the Mad River Valley about Fairfield, Ohio. While it is quite probable, yet no evidence has been found that other New Jersey families accompanied Anthony and Wilhelmina Cosart to North Carolina.

The first trace we find of Anthony's family in Granville County, North Carolina, is on October 8, 1754 when two of his sons, David Cossart, Private, and Anthony Cossart, Jr. Drummer, answers roll call at a general muster of Captain William Hampton's Company, Colonel William Eaton's Regiment, Colonial Militia. (See Clark's History of North Carolina.)

The following spring, March 1, 1755 Anthony Cossart purchases 360 acres of land in Granville County (See Deed Book C, page 63, Oxford, North Carolina). Granville County was formed in 1746, considerable of its former area, has since been out off to form other counties, but the location of this original 360 acres home stead was in what is now the south-part of Granville County. In 1773 a deed is recorded at Oxford on which the name of Anthony Cossart and wife Nancy appears, indication that some time prior to this date Anthony's first wife Wilhelmina, had died and he had married a second named Nancy who evidently was a younger woman than the first wife, as by her he had three more sons making eleven in all.

His will dated December 23, 1780 was probated at the May term of court in 1781, which shows that he had died between these dates. the marriage records at Oxford show that on June 13, 1792 his widow Nancy and Thomas Jones secured a license to marry. The will of Anthony only makes mention of one of his eight sons by his first wife, although there are other Granville county records on which their names appear the order of birth of these eight sons is not certainly known outside of the three baptized at the Raritan Dutch Church. The evidence, however, seems to indicate that David was the eldest and the fact that Jacob must have been the second son. As for John, James, and Simon we have found no evidence whatever which would indicate the order of their births. The first census of North Carolina taken in 1790 and which only listed heads of families shows that six of Anthony's sons were then heads of families in that state, the other five were at this time either unmarried or dead or had removed from the state.

The Will of Anthony Cossart

Copy of will of Anthony Cozart of Granville Co., NC is recorded at Oxford, NC.

"In the name of God, Amen. I, Anthony Cozart, of the county of Granville, state of North Carolina, being sick of body, but of perfect mind and memory and calling to mind it is appointed by the Almighty Creator for all mortal men once to die, therefore am willing that it hath pleased God to bestow on me as my worldly goods, I give and bequeath as followeth, and my soul I recommend to my blessed Savior's hands who hath redeemed it with his own precious blood, and as to my body I recommend it to the ground to be decently buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named.

I give and bequeath to my beloved wife all my personal estate during her widowhood, after to be sold and divided to the children, the executors first making sale of as much as will pay all my lawful debts that I in conscience owe. My Land I give and bequeath to three of my sons, equally to be divided between Jessi, Jeremiah and Joshua and lately I do nominate and appoint William Jones and John Williams to be Executors of this will and testament and do hereby disannul and revoke all other wills by me made heretofore. In testimony whereof I have ratified and confirmed this to be my last will and testament and no other, this twenty-third day of December 1780.

Anthony Cozart Granville Co., NC May Court A.D. 1781

This will was duly proved by the oath of James Cozart and ordered to be recorded. Then John Williams and William Jones qualified as executors to the said will.

Test: Ruben Seacy C.C.

A Possible Resource

Satterfield and Allied Families of Person County, North Carolina and Surrounding Counties (Yarbrough, Carter, Bigger, Cary, Winstead, Cozart, Bumpass, Sargent, Gold, Carney, Walker and Davey Families)

By F. Claiborne Johnston, Jr., Indexed by Carolyn Satterfield Johnston

(December, 1992) 7009 Lakewood Drive, Richmond, Virginia 23229, (804)285-2380