Spencer J. Cox 1847-1933

COX, HOLLENBECK, DEVINNEY

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 2/19/2011 at 23:56:26

S. J. Cox – Last Member of Vandenberg Post Died Sunday
S.J. Cox passed away at his home on Roberts Street last Sunday morning. He was eighty-six years of age at the time of his death. He was the only surviving member of the Vandenberg Post G.A.R. and he will be greatly missed in this city. He has been the flag bearer of the post for years and has seen the passing of the entire membership of this post.

The first years we published the Enterprise we called on each member of the post and wrote a brief history and it’s sad to know that the last member of the Vandenberg post has now departed and that we now close the pages of that edition of which we were proud at the time we published it.

We give the brief history below as was given us by Mr. Cox in his younger days.

“S.J. Cox enlisted at Ottawa, Ill., April 15, 1864, in Company F, Fifty-third Illinois Infantry. He was mustered out of service August 28, 1865. His company engaged in their first battle at Bentonville, N.C., and they saw service from that time on. They were with Sherman at Atlanta and fought in the many desperate battles around that city. They had one hundred days of almost constant fighting from Chattanooga, Tennessee, to Atlanta. At Kenesau Mountain, the battle of the Twenty-eight, and at Janesboro they saw some of the hardest service of the war. There were three members of this post that took part in the hard fought battle of Janesboro. From Atlanta Mr. Cox went with Sherman’s army to the sea and was with him to the end of the war. During the entire time in service Mr. Cox kept a record of the distance he walked and it is most surprising to think that a man could walk 3000 miles as Mr. Cox did. After the close of the war Mr. Cox went to Seneca, Ill., to live. He remained there about thirty years and moved to Estherville twenty-one years ago. Mr. Cox is a very energetic man for his age but has always been very hard of hearing since he came out of the service.” – Taken from File of May 28, 1913.

Mr. Cox is survived by his wife and four sons: Jesse, George, Lee and Spencer.

The funeral services were held on Tuesday afternoon from the Methodist church, the Rev. W. A. WinterStein officiating. The services were in charge of the American legion and interment was made in Oak Hill Cemetery. Flags in the city were at half mast for the day in honor of our last retiring member of the Vandenberg Post G.A.R. (Estherville Enterprise, Estherville, IA, March 29, 1933)

Note: 1st wife, Julia Ann Hollenbeck; 2nd wife Octavia DeVinney