Cotton Family Genealogy by William Melvin Cotton of San Marcos, TX

COTTON FAMILY GENEALOGY
(By William Melvin“Bill”Cotton)

1. WALTER COTTON (1639-c1713) born Crakemarsh, Staffordshire, England and migrated to Southwark Parish, Surry County, Virginia by 1676 at the latest, married Elizabeth ? , children: Richard, Ann, William and Thomas (who married Jane Hyde and is the direct ancestor of Robert Hugh Cotton, now known as Hikaru Kitabayashi of Tokyo, Japan and a prolific Cotton researcher.) He probably died in Prince George Co., VA. Four children born in the late 1680s and early 1690s.

2. WILLIAM COTTON (1694-1740) born Surry or Prince George Cos.,VA, died in Prince George Co., married Mary Smith d/o John Smith and Elizabeth Hyde (who was d/o Richard Hyde and Mary (?) who, after Richard's death married Thomas Cotton, bro. of Walter above. Last above Richard Hyde was son of another Richard Hyde (1611-1673) who migrated from England to Surry Co. in 1635 on ship “George”.)

William and Mary apparently had only two children: Major, who was apparently incapacitated, either physically or mentally, born 1730; and William born 1735; both in Prince George Co., VA. An 81-acre tract was surveyed for him 10/27/1719 on south side of Joseph’s Swamp and both sides of Nottaway River in Prince George Co., VA.

3. WILLIAM COTTON (SR.?) (1735-1788) born, lived and died in Prince George Co., married Lucy (last name unknown) who died in 1820s in Prince George Co.; children: John, Mary, Smith, William , Frances and Martha. Will dated 6 Sep 1787 names son John as executor and names all children plus a grand daughter Nancy, daughter of Mary, who married Wm. Scoggin.

4. SMITH COTTON (1767-1855) born Prince George Co., VA and died in Harris Co., GA., married in 1789 Martha Gee Gary d/o Wm. Gary, Jr., a Revolutionary War veteran, and Boyce Gee. Children: William Gee and Stephen Gary, twins, Marguerite, Lucy H., Pleasant Gray, Betsy, Laura May, Martha and James Gary. Moved to Newberry Co. or District, S.C. about 1794, to Hancock Co., GA about 1799 (where he established first Methodist Church in Co.), to Putnam Co., GA about 1810 and to Harris Co., GA about 1830, where he died in 1855 due to a fall from his horse. His first wife died 1835 and he subsequently married (2) the widow Hamilton and (3) Elizabeth G. Moseley.

5. JAMES GARY COTTON (1806-1866) born Hancock Co., GA & died Harris Co., GA. Was a Methodist preacher and a farmer like his father Smith. Married in 1830 Ann Elizabeth Burford d/o Leonard Burford and Ann Elizabeth (Polly) Smith and had sixteen children: Biddleman Bascom, John Smith, Saphronia Pharington, Martha Eliza, Sarah Frances, Jason Lee, William Caroosa, Amanda Melvina, Lorenzo Dowe, Rueben Albert, James Edward, Emily Ann, Laura Augusta, Ida Addalee, Mary Margaret and Ella May. Wife Ann born 1816, married at age 14 and died in 1893 in Troup Co., GA.

6. BIDDLEMAN BASCOM COTTON (1850-1910) born Harris Co., GA and died Columbia Co., Arkansas, married 1873 Carrie Rebecca Pierce, d/o Lovick Warren Pierce, M.D. and Mary Elizabeth Clayton, children: Sally Fannie, Biddleman Bascom, Jr., James Frederick, Ann Elizabeth (Bessie), Lovick Pierce, Addie Lee (Lela), William Milton and George Clyde. Biddle was a farmer all his life.

7. WILLIAM MILTON COTTON (1874-1937) born in Harris Co., GA, married at Mangum, Greer Co., OK. 1902 to Flaudie Lee Michie. Died in Potter Co., TX but was living in Oldham Co., TX. Children: Rufus Frederick (Fred), Thomas Milton (Tom), Mary Estelle (Stella), Robert Lee (Bob), Ruth, Iva Belle & Avis Dagmar, twins, Odis Clarence (O.C.), Lilly Mae and William Melvin. A farmer all his life, except for brief periods in the ice business and as a realtor. Lived in Harris Co., GA., Columbia Co., Arkansas, Greer Co., OK., and Hemphill, Wheeler, Roberts and Oldham Cos., TX.

8. WILLIAM MELVIN COTTON (1924-2005) born near Vega, Oldham Co., TX on a farm, attended Vega Schools graduating 1941, spent nearly three years in U.S. Army (1942-46), mostly in 17th Armored Infantry Battalion, 12th Armored (Hellcat) Division and in the Information Services Branch in Vienna, Austria after war ended. Attended Amarillo College 1 yr, West Texas State College at Canyon 3 yrs (BS degree), School of Law at the University of Texas at Austin 2 & _ yrs (JD Degree 1953 -first college graduate in family). Married 1955 Peggy Eloise Stoops d/o Earl Stoops and Vella Anderson of Hugoton, KS. Children: William Wade, Thomas Clay (who has 2 sons Clayton William and Landon Blair), Elizabeth Lee (Betsy) and Douglas Earl. First job out of Law School as staff attorney for Phillips Petroleum Co. in Amarillo, moved to Midland, TX 1955 as an associate with law firm of Stubbeman, McRae, Sealy, Laughlin & Browder, becoming partner in 1960. Helped start firm of Cotton, Bledsoe, Tighe & Dawson in 1974 in Midland, suffered heart attack in 1980, retired in 1985, and moved to Village of Lakeway on Lake Travis about 25 miles NW of Austin, TX in 1985; and to San Marcos, TX in 1999, to be close to a kidney dialysis lab, where he spent about 5 hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

9. Children of last above William Melvin are: William Wade born 2/9/56; Thomas Clay born 4/20/57; Elizabeth Lee (Betsy) born 3/10/60; and Douglas Earl born 1/26/62.

10. Children of the last above Thomas Clay are: Clayton William born 12/18/86 and Landon Blair born 10/21/88; they being the twentyfourth (24) generation of the Cotton Family on which we have some information. For the generations before the pioneer, Walter Cotton, see the lineage listed as being representative of B-Haplotype Set.