Martha Stancil Cox |
Martha Hawkins Stancil Cox
Martha Stancil Cox was born April 18, 1904, and died Aug. 10, 1992. She married James Kenneth Mitchell on March 13, 1926. She married Bruce Marsh Poe in 1936. She married Ralph Jennings Cox on Jan. 12, 1951.
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Martha Hawkins Stancil, daughter of John and Pinetta Edwards Stancil, was born on April 18, 1904. She was slender and very pretty with jet-black hair, blue eyes, and porcelain skin. Martha was funny, full of life, and had a stubborn streak that often got her way. She had a natural musical ability, which her father recognized, and he bought her a piano. Martha entertained many with her ability to play by ear.
Martha quit school and moved to Durham, where she began working for the American Tobacco Company and later for Leggett and Meyers Tobacco Company. Despite her busy work life, Martha never had a shortage of suitors due to her striking appearance and lively personality.
On March 26, 1926, Martha married James Kenneth Mitchell, who was born on March 7, 1900. James Kenneth was believed to have a family connection to the Josiah Branch and was the grandson of Necy A. Mitchell. Their marriage, however, was not meant to be, and they later separated and divorced. Kenneth died in October 1966 in Goldsboro, NC, and Martha confided that he drank excessively.
Around 1936, Martha married Bruce Marshall Poe, who was 30 years her senior. Bruce was a respected businessman and a widower with an adoptive daughter, Minnie Lee. Martha joined Bruce's church, The First Christian Church, but did not like having children around all the time. Bruce made other living arrangements for Minnie, who later married Bruce Williams of Fairfax, Virginia, and had three children.
After Bruce's death on January 27, 1941, Martha inherited a sizable estate, mostly real estate. She then joined the Watts Street Baptist Church and married Ralph Jennings Bryan Cox Sr. on January 12, 1951. Ralph, born on April 2, 1908, was a meat cutter and was overshadowed by Martha's charismatic personality. Ralph had two children from his first marriage, and Martha helped raise his son, Ralph Jennings Bryan Cox Jr.
Martha's rural roots were evident in her well-manicured yard, lovely roses, and vegetable garden. She was very smart and used her money wisely, aiming to become financially independent. In the 1960s, Martha came down with shingles, which left her blind in one eye. Despite this, she remained attractive into her old age, always keeping her hair done.
Martha attended her last Stancil Reunion in 1983. She had heart problems and spent 26 months in a Durham nursing home before passing away on August 10, 1992. She was buried in Durham. Ralph lived to be 99 years old, passing away on October 31, 2007, at Hillcrest Convalescent Center. He was survived by two daughters, Betty C. Hovis and Barbara C. Riddle, and two sons, Ralph J.B. Cox Jr. and W. Kenneth Cox.
Martha's signature
Family archives
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