Person Page 189

Alexander Allen Cobb^{1,2,3,4,5,6,7}

Photo of Alexander Cobb. This portrait was hanging in the courthouse in Vernon, Alabama, in August 2004. (Photo: robsgenealogy.net)

Facts and Notes

• Anecdote: See person note^8,9
• Birth: 5 March 1820; Madison County, Alabama, USABGO^1,7,10,5,6
• Residence: 1844; Fayette County, Alabama, USABGO¹¹
• Anecdote: Between 1844 and 1866; Alexander came from north Alabama to Fayette in 1844. He was the county Tax Assessor & Circuit Court Clerk in 1846. Became a merchant and shopkeeper in 1849. Moved to Mississippi in 1850s but returned after several years. Representative, 1861-1866.^11,9
• Marriage: 24 April 1844; Caroline A. Wallace; Mississippi, USABGO; Martha Stone indicates the marriage took place in "Lavender County"; however, I could find no reference to that county¹
• Marriage: 10 December 1846; Priscilla Mildred Murray; Fayette County, Alabama, USABGO; She was about 12 years younger than him, and was born in 1832.¹
• Residence: 1850; Lowndes County, Mississippi, USABGO; Age: 30.The family remained in Mississippi for at least five years, long enough for William A. Cobb to be born, but had returned to Alabama by 1860.²
• Occupation: 1850; Lowndes County, Mississippi, USABGO; Planter, with real estate holdings valued at 100 dollars. John W. Mallory, age 24, apparently acted as clerk and resided with the family on the farm for at least part of 1850.²
• Residence: 1860; Middle Division, Fayette County, Alabama, USABG; Age: 40³
• Occupation: 1860; Middle Division, Fayette County, Alabama, USABG; Merchant farmer with real estate worth about 1500 dollars and a personal estate of about 1000 dollars.³
• Occupation: Between 1861 and 1865; Alexander Cobb was elected State Representative for Fayette County in 1861, 1863, and 1865.¹²
• Residence: 1870; Big Pond Post Office, Sanford, Covington County, Alabama, USABG; Age: 50⁶
• Residence: 1880; Lamar County, Alabama, USABGO; Age: 60; Marital status: Married; Relation to Head of House: Self⁵
• Probate: 21 August 1881; Alabama, USABGO; Identified as the son of Bryant Cobb in estate proceedings^13,14
• Death: 21 November 1887; Lamar County, Alabama, USABGO; Died when he was 67 years old. Cause of Death: Brights Disease^1,7
• Burial: After 21 November 1887; Vernon Cemetery, Vernon, Lamar County, Alabama, USABG⁷

• Note: Alexander Cobb served as Probate Judge for much of his life. His first job as Probate Judge was in Madison County, around 1841, where his father and grandfather (John C. Grayson) served as JP's.
  
  Martha Stone Cobb Daniel wrote the following about Alexander Cobb: "Our great grandfather, Alexander Cobb, came to Columbus, Mississippi from Huntsville, Alabama and whether or not he was related to Alabama Governor Hamner Cobb, I do not know. Alex Cobb, as he was known, was an attorney and settled in Columbus where he met and married Priscilla Murray. Possibly he found competition too great but, nevertheless, his famous remark was 'he would move to a small town so his sons would one day amount to something.' Thus the Cobbs invaded the small town of Vernon, Alabama. Alex continued to practice law and later was elected as Probate Judge of Lamar County where he served in that capacity until his death. When I worked in the Probate Office many, many years later, I was told by some of the old-timers that Judge Cobb was a great man and a fine gentleman, and that no one could question the fairness of his court decisions. They told me there would never be another Alex Cobb. I felt that I had some contact with the grand old man as my recording duties required many copies of old records and several happened to be signed by Judge Alexander Cobb, and I found his signature always to be large, bold, and beautiful, and, through his penmanship, I felt I knew something of the man himself. The old-timers said he gave the clock which was still hanging on the wall."
  
  E.A. Powell wrote the following about Alexander Cobb in his book Fifty-Five Years in West Alabama: "Alexander Cobb is a native of North Alabama, a nephew of the late invincible W. R. W. Cobb, who beat all the crack men who could be brought against him for Congress in the Huntsville District. Alexander Cobb came to Fayette county about the year 1844, as a merchant: was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court, which office, I think, he resigned and moved to Mississippi, and engaged in commercial business. Afterward he returned to Fayette county previous to the time of his first election. In the House he took the position always awarded to extraordinary good sense and close attention to business. He is not what may be termed a polished speaker, but is very forcible and the opponent who tackles him may look out for blows that will be felt whenever they strike, and they are almost sure to hit. Mr. Cobb is now a candidate for the third term as Probate Judge of Lamar county. He refuses to let his claims to before a Convention, and the people have heretofore sustained him in so doing. He is a Democrat of the Free Trade School. In office he is courteous and obliging; discharges his duties to the satisfaction of all parties, by sinking the partizan into the officer. As a citizen he is held in high esteem by all who know him. (Since the foregoing was written the election has taken place, and Mr. Cobb has been elected by a very large majority over several good men.)"

• Related Pages: Ancestors of Richard Sicard Cobb; Notable People; Vernon Cemetery List of People

Citations

1. [S457] Daniel, Martha Stone, Genealogy Project, Daniel, Martha Stone. Genealogy Project. Privately held by Provided by Richard S. Cobb, Arlington, Virginia, 1995., Descendants of Alexander Cobb
2. [S398] Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1850usfedcenancestry&h=3464511&indiv=try, Year: 1850; Census Place: Lowndes, Mississippi; Roll: M432_376; Page: 101B; Image: 206, Record for Alexander Cobb
3. [S415] Ancestry.com, 1860 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1860usfedcenancestry&h=17540638&indiv=try, Year: 1860; Census Place: Middle Division, Fayette, Alabama; Roll: M653_9; Page: 450; Image: 456; Family History Library Film: 803009, Record for Alexander Cobb
4. [S369] Ancestry.com, Alabama, Deaths and Burials Index, 1881-1974, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FSAlabamaDeath&h=1896045&indiv=try, Record for Roland Wallace Cobb
5. [S353] Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1880usfedcen&h=7605972&indiv=try, Year: 1880; Census Place: Lamar, Alabama; Roll: 17; Family History Film: 1254017; Page: 603A; Enumeration District: 132, Record for Allex Cobb
6. [S471] Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1870usfedcen&h=12821870&indiv=try, Year: 1870; Census Place: Trulls, Sanford, Alabama; Roll: M593_39; Page: 296A; Image: 43; Family History Library Film: 545538, Record for Alex Cobb
7. [S448] Ancestry.com, U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=FindAGraveUS&h=8837203&indiv=try, Record for Alexander Allen Cobb
8. [S26] Daniel, Martha Stone Cobb, Daniel, Martha Stone Cobb, "Cobb Notes" to Cobb, Richard and Marianna, Geneaology Correspondence, Geneaology Correspondence., 25 November, 1971
9. [S623] Powell, E.A., "Fifty-Five Years in West Alabama (Chapter Five; printed in the Tuscaloosa Gazette August 12, 1886)", http://alabamapioneers.com/fayette-county/#sthash.O9acqSb2.XBByLYzD.dpbs, accessed 29 Jun 2016
10. [S450] Ancestry.com, 1910 United States Federal Census, http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?db=1910USCenIndex&h=2309&indiv=try, Year: 1910; Census Place: Vernon, Lamar, Alabama; Roll: T624_20; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 0057; FHL microfilm: 1374033, Record for Ratie W Coob
11. [S622] Hawkins, Carolyn Miller, "Fayette County, Alabama - Soldiers, Statesmen & Scalawags", http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alfayett/PreCivilWarPeople.htm#C, Entry for Alexander Cobb; accessed 29 Jun 2016
12. [S378] Hon. E. A. Powell, Fifty-Five Years in West Alabama, http://alabamapioneers.com/fayette-county/?ftm=1#sthash.KXsM9FPu.fpvqp8hq.dpbs, Accessed 1 March 2015
13. [S4] Compiler: Gandrud, Pauline Jones, Gandrud, Pauline Jones, Alabama Records, Gandrud, Pauline Jones. Alabama Records. 245 volumes., Vols 1-4, Alabama Soldiers of the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Indian Wars
14. [S4] Compiler: Gandrud, Pauline Jones, Gandrud, Pauline Jones, Alabama Records, Gandrud, Pauline Jones. Alabama Records. 245 volumes., Volume 145, Madison County "C" Surnames: Wills and Estates