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HOAX ALERT – Samuel Moss and Elizabeth Cobb
This is a long message. You’ll just have to bear with me or delete it without reading it at all.
From time to time a particular claim (re)emerges on the net, to wit: Samuel Moss, born about 1716; married Elizabeth Cobb about 1742, and ......
(1) They were married in either Surry or Sussex county, Virginia or Granville Co, NC … take your pick. For the record, Sussex was not even created until 1753.
(2) She was the daughter of the Robert Cobbs who was born in what is now York Co, VA about 1690, and who married a female named Crosia Howel ... and further, that he was the son of the Ambrose Cobbs who married Frances Elizabeth Pinkett.
This is a hoax.
#1 – It has now been shown that the wife of Ambrose Cobb was the widow of a Mr. Pinkett when she married Ambrose. Therefore her maiden name is unknown. Further, no evidence can be found to show that her name was anything other than just Elizabeth. Ambrose signed his LWT on April 24, 1718 in York County, Virginia. It was proved on June 16th of that same year.
Reference:
"Genealogies of Virginia Families, Vol II". Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore. 1982. Pg 2. Will of Ambrose Cobbs of Bruton Parish Church at Williamsburg. Witnesses: Anne Frith, Joseph Frith, Matthew Pierce. Dated 24 Apr 1718, proved 16 Jun 1718.
#2 - This particular Robert Cobb(s) ... son of Ambrose, above ... did indeed marry Crosia … but her maiden name was FRITH. I have no clue where this Howel business got started. Her parents, Joseph and Ann Frith, witnessed the LWT of Robert’s father Ambrose in York County in 1718 (above). In 1742, Robert was the executor of the LWT of Ann Frith, Crosia’s mother, and he was specifically named as her son-in-law in that document.
Reference:
Some Wills from the Burned Counties of Virginia, and Other Wills Not Listed In Virginia Wills and Administrations, 1632 - 1800". William Lindsey Hopkins. Richmond. 1987. Pg 60. Ann Frith, will dated 1740, Henrico County.
Other references to her Will:
"Henrico County Order Book, 1737 - 1746"
"Henrico County Wills, 1737 - 1781"
In April 1740, he (Robert) was named the Executor of the Last Will and Testament of Ann Frith, of Dale Parish in Henrico County. In this Will, he was specifically identified as the son-in-law of Ann Frith. It is noted from the Will that he also received the most substantial part of Ann's estate, despite the fact that a son John F. Frith was also named. John received 200 acres on the south side of the "second branch" including the plantation where he lived, along with the family bible. A daughter Rebecca Eddings received one shilling. Robert Cobbs received 200 acres on the north side of the "second branch" in addition to the plantation where he lived with all its adjoining lands, and "all the rest of my estate". Witnesses were George Hastenes, Danell Brown, and Mary Cobbs.
#3 – Robert Cobb signed his LWT in Halifax Co, VA on June 30, 1768. It was proved on January 19, 1769. His wife Crosia was not named, therefore it is assumed she was already deceased. Robert did name five daughters, to wit: Ann Crumphill ... Elizabeth Cobb ... Sarah Cobb ... Mollie Anderson ... and Judith who was apparently already deceased, as Robert referred to her two children.
The daughters that were married were listed under their married name. Therefore, we can deduce that Elizabeth and Sarah were yet unmarried ... in 1768. Thus, it is highly unlikely Elizabeth was the bride of Samuel Moss or anyone else in 1742.
Last but not least, this particular Cobb family never lived anywhere near Surry or Sussex, Virginia; or Granville Co, North Carolina ... where Elizabeth allegedly married Samuel Moss. Robert Cobb was born in York County; later lived in Henrico County; and moved to Lunenburg County in 1749. Halifax was created from Lunenburg in 1752.
Now, the reference given for this claim about Samuel Moss and Elizabeth Cobb is never specific. It is merely given as being a History of Henderson County, Kentucky. There have been two such books published.
(A) History of Henderson County, Kentucky, by Edmund L. Starling, 1887
(B) The History of Henderson County, Kentucky, edited by Frieda J.
Dannheiser, 1980, Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society.
I have corresponded with the following persons:
Netta Mullins; President of the Henderson County Genealogical Society
Linda Hallmark; Henderson County Public Library
Dorothy Lauver; Henderson County Public Library
Harrell Lambert and Gale Brisa; individuals who own a copy of the book
Both books have been checked and re-checked with the following results.
The 1887 Starling work names one Reuben Moss as being an early Henderson County pioneer. (It is popularly claimed he was a descendant of Samuel and Elizabeth.) There is nothing in the book regarding his ancestry. Nada, Nicht!
The 1980 Dannheiser book does list Samuel Moss as being married to one Elizabeth Cobb. However, (1) the date and place of their marriage is not given, (2) the source for the information is not cited, and (3) there is no mention who her parents were.
In short, the entire claim is utterly bogus! It is speculative on my part that this was probably submitted to Dannheiser by an unknown researcher as part of a celebratory county history project.
So ... there is no documentation to prove a Samuel Moss ever married an Elizabeth Cobb. And if such a union ever did occur, (1) Nobody knows where or when, and (2) She was not the daughter of Robert Cobb and Crosia Frith.
To learn more, I went to the source of all sources for genealogy hoaxes … the LDS website (www.familysearch.org). Lo and behold, it is revealed this bit of misinformation has been submitted and re-submitted to the LDS periodically since 1983. Who knows how many databases and websites are now contaminated with this junk, not to mention all those “wonderful” WFT CDs.
As I type this now, there are not less than 12 GEDCOMs at the Rootsweb World Connect Project website propagating this hoax. At least one COBB website has also picked up on it.
I don’t mean to preach, but this hobby can be challenging enough without having to sort out the garbage that is spread across the internet by otherwise well-meaning people. It only takes one piece of bad data ... just one time ... to put countless people on the entirely wrong trail. And I cannot help but put in a plug for DNA testing at this point. Anyone who thinks they don’t need it to verify their findings is seriously disillusioned. It’s the only way to be sure of anything anymore.
I will close by including links to a couple of articles published by “America’s First Families”. It would do us all good to read these occasionally.
“Beware of the Source Hoax” … http://personal.linkline.com/xymox/fraud/hoax.htm
“Family Group Record Fraud” … http://personal.linkline.com/xymox/fraufgr.htm
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