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An American Family History

Temperance Fox

Loudoun County is part of Northern Neck of Virginia. Settling of the Loudoun area began between 1725 and 1730. Settlers came from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland.

Cattle were vital to a household and an important legacy.
Unweaned cattle are calves.
Female cattle are heifers and cows (had a calf).
Male cattle are steers (castrated) and bulls.
Oxen
are trained draft animals and are often castrated adult male cattle.

Temperance Fox was born about 1769 in Pennsylvania according to the 1850 mortality index. She as not the daughter of John Dickerson because his daughter appears in the 1830 cenus of Moon Towship, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Her grandson, James Greene wrote in his autobiography,

Grandma Temprence died at 83. She lived in a cabin, by herself, four miles from Hamilton. She smoked a pipe as did most of the older ladies of southern Ohio. One time, for a prank, I gave her a high‐strung horse to ride home from a visit. She was then over eighty, but mastered the animal as well as any man. Her children persuaded her not to ride the horse again.

She married Bonham Fox before 1794. Their children and life together are described in the section on Bonham and Temperance Fox.

Her daughter, Mary Fox Green's obituary said that

on the way [to Ohio], her [Mary Fox's] father [Bonham] was taken sick and her mother [Temperance], unaided, managed the boat and took care of the young children and stock, landing below Cincinnati. In passing the site of that city, she was offered a hundred acres of land along the river, where the city is now built, for a barrel of whiskey, but declined the trade.

She became a widow when her husband died in September, 1825.  Temperance was the administratrix of her husband's estate.  According to the probate records she received the items in the lists below. Married women at that time could not own property in their own names.

Separate schedule of the property that is allowed  by law to the widow to wit       

2 bed and bedding  $20.00
All the yarn in possession 09.00 2
pots or kettles 02.00 6?
Sheep  06.00
His wear Apearel 02.00 2
wheels  02.00
One cow  10.00
One year provison 51.00
Two hoggs 04.50
One hefer for Beef 05.00
One seventy five busel of corn 09.37 3/1
[Total] 69.87 2/1


A Separate Schedule of the fifteen Dollars
allowed the widow by law to wit
                        
One pot $.50
One skillet 0.37 3/1
One teakittle 0.37 3/1
Cowherd Afoirs?? 2.00
One old axe  0.50
One smooing (sic) iron 0.25
One pair of sheepshears 0.25
One coffy pot 0.12 3/1
One tin bucket 0.12  3/1
Five chairs 0.37 2/1
One trunk 1.00
One table 2.00
Two barrels 0.50
One saddle 0.50
One trammel [A trammel is a shackle used to teach a horse to amble] 1.00
One shovel 0.25
One pair of gears 0.75
One tub 0.21
[total] $11.06 2/1
Samuel Johnson
John Walker Mark
John Y. Eckles

She was listed in the 1830 census in Rossville, St. Clair , Butler County. She was between 60 and 70. 

She was not listed as a head of household in the 1840 census.

She died in April, 1850 in St. Clair Township, Butler County, Ohio.

Children of Temperance
and Bonham Fox
  • Levi Fox, Sr.
  • Mary Fox Green
  • Christina Fox Riley
  • David Fox
  • Jonathan Fox
  • Isaac P. Fox
  • During the 17th and 18th centuries an adult unmarried woman was considered to have the legal status of feme sole, while a married woman had the status of feme covert. A feme sole could own property and sign contracts. A feme covert was not recognized as having legal rights and obligations distinct from those of her husband and could not own any property. When a woman became a widow she became a feme sole again.

    The first Europeans settled in the Northwest Territory in 1788. Migrants came from New York and New England. Ohio was admitted to the Union as the 17th state on March 1, 1803.

     

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    ©Roberta Tuller 2023
    tuller.roberta@gmail.com
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