Jeremiah Cox was a man of intelligence and standing in the Community-a man of comparative distinction. He was so regarded by his contemporaries in both Wayne County (where he lived from 1805 or 06 till 1826) and in Randolph where he resided from 1826 till the time of his death about 1830.
             Jeremiah Cox had three wives: Margery Piggott (daughter of Benjamin and Mary Piggott); the mother of his first eight children: Jemima Rhoads, mother of his son Elijah, and perhaps Enoch, and Catherine Morrison (daughter of  Robert and Hannah Morrison) who was the mother of his last seven children. These last seven children, as shown in Table II, and Elijah were the ones whom he brought to the Jericho neighborhood. Jeremiah Cox was among the first five men to settle in Wayne County, where he arrived either in 1805 or 1806. He took land on the White Water near Elkhorn Creek. His land embraced much of the land now occupied by the city of Richmond. He was a member of the Convention, which formed the first constitution for the State of Indiana in the year 1816.
             The town of Richmond was laid out in 1816 and incorporated in 1818. He was not in sympathy with the project, particularly with regard to establishments for the sale of intoxicating liquors. He is quoted as saying in effect: I had rather watch the flag of a white-tailed deer than signs advertising the sale of liquor. Accordingly, in 1818, he purchased considerable land in Randolph County, partly as shown on Fig. I and some other. He was a miller both in North Carolina, in Wayne County and later in Randolph. Accordingly, his land was located astride the streams, where waterpower sites were available.
             The exact time of his removal to Randolph is not surely known. The date of transfer of his membership, from the White Water Monthly Meeting of Friends to the White River Monthly Meeting, was October 18, 1826. However, he built his mill (History Randolph County, Tucker p. 98), as well as his residence at Jericho, in 1825. This mill was famous in its day and ran till the five dry years 1864-69, after which it was torn down. His house was said to be the first frame house in Randolph County, though there is some doubt of this. It is not known whether the transfer of his membership in the Meeting lagged behind the beginning of his residence. It is certain, however, that because of his interest here, he spent considerable time in the neighborhood previous to the removal of his family. His son, Elijah, lived here from the very beginning, probably to look after his father's interests.
             Jeremiah Cox was related to many of the first settlers in the Jericho and White River communities. He was a brother to John Cox of White River; an uncle to William Pickett who helped as a young man the construction of his mill: a father to Elijah Cox, and uncle to William Cox, both of whom were charter members of the first Jericho Meeting: and more distantly related to Joshua Cox, Amy Cox, Solomon Cox, Samuel Cox; and to Absalom Gray through Absalom's first wife. In addition, he was a close friend to Abram Peacock and his following. The association of his name with that of the Meeting and the community has already been described. He was a man of great respect and influence in the early community, having been a member of the First Constitutional Convention for Indiana. However, by late 1829 or early 183) he was dead and buried in the little first cemetery. Today's association with the first Meeting has been largely forgotten.
Jericho Friends Meeting And Its Community, Randolph County Indiana, 1864
Submitted by Lora Addison Radiches