My Genealogy Hound

Below is a family biography included in The History of Jefferson County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Robert Coxwell, dealer in furniture and undertakers’ goods, De Soto, is a native of Devonshire, England, and was born in 1844. His parents were Shadrach and Annie (Sellek) Coxwell; the father, a florist by occupation, was born about 1800, and died in 1867; and the mother was born in 1819, and is still living. Of their five children three are still living, viz.: Robert, Thomas and Caroline, the latter two still in England. Robert Coxwell received his education at Exeter College, in his native country, and at the age of eighteen, in partnership with his uncle, engaged in the furniture business in Exeter; this he soon abandoned. In 1865 he married Miss Martha Bement, who was born in Devonshire, England, in 1835. They are the parents of three children: Ernest S., Metford S. and Henrietta Annie. In 1871 Mr. Coxwell immigrated to the United States; he remained in New York City six months and then removed to De Soto, Jefferson Co., Mo., and engaged in his present business, which was the first establishment of the kind opened in De Soto. He carries a first-class stock of goods, is a reliable business man, and one of the influential citizens of the town. In politics he votes the Republican ticket. He is a member of the Knights of Pythias. Mr. and Mrs. Coxwell are members of the Congregational Church.

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This family biography is one of 224 biographies included in The History of Jefferson County, Missouri published in 1888.  For the complete description, click here: Jefferson County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps

To view additional Jefferson County, Missouri family biographies, click here

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