WILLIAM UPHAM COX
WILLIAM UPHAM COX, eldest son of Jonathan Upham Cox and Lucinda Blood, lost his wife about the time of the discovery of gold in California. He had 2 daughters, Esther and Sarah Ann. One of them married and had a family.William, being lonely, took passage on a ship around the Cape to the gold fields. On the way, they ran out of provisions and were rationed to wormy seabiscuits and water. The officers of the ship had only the best of food to eat. The captain was a cruel and wicked man. He had their passage money , so their privations meant nothing to him. The passengers were patient, hoping to get relief when they touched port on the Chilean coast, but the captain took a wide circuit and avoided two ports, not giving them a chance to complain to the port pilots. This so enraged the passengers that they took possession of the stores and obliged the officers to share the same rations they themselves had.
When they reached the coast of California and a pilot came aboard, he saw the starved, wretched condition of the people and heard and saw the cruelty of the captain. He proclaimed himself commander of the ship, hurriedly put into the nearest port, organized a vigilante committee, and the infamous captain was never seen again.
William visited in Utah, then returned to Sidney, Iowa, where he died 14 Aug 1865. He was born 3 Mar 1808 in Boston, Massachusetts.