History of Rush County Indiana
Brant & Fuller
Chicago
1888
Page 771 and 772
Surnames in the biography are: Fox, Carson, Penn, Heath, Burgess, Rich, and McFadden
WILLIAM CARSON FOX, son of Ellis and Mary (Carson) Fox, was born in
Washington County, Pa., near Monongahela City, September 7, 1828. His father was a
native of Maryland, and belonged to the Society of Friends. He was a descendant of the
Fox family who came to the United States with William Penn, in the Seventeenth
century. Ellis (our subject's father) was the son of Joshua and Sarah (Heath) Fox, and
Mary, his wife, was the daughter of William and Mary (Burgess) Carson. About the
year 1829 or 1830, Ellis came from Washington County, Pa., to Union Township, Rush
Co., Indiana and purchased a farm, carrying with him $600 in silver, and then returned to
his Pennsylvania home, making the entire journey on foot. In the spring of 1831, with his
wife and three children, viz.: Elizabeth, John, and William C. (the subject of this sketch),
he began the journey toward his new home in the far west, and with the tide of western
migration they floated down the Ohio River to Cincinnati, and in a few weeks located on
the farm where William now resides. During his young manhood, the father worked at
the trade of stonemason. He was one of the original members of the Christian Church,
which worshiped at Plum Creek, and during his entire life, his influence was on the side
of truth, justice, and morality. He died in 1852; his wife, Mary, followed him in July
1860, and together they rest in the burying ground at Fairview. On the 19th of September
1849, William C. married Margaret Rich, a daughter of Tillman and Martha (Carson)
Rich, who came from Ohio to Indiana, in an early day. The children of this marriage are
Mary, married Joseph McFadden, 1870; John E. H., deceased, and Elgie. Mr. Fox has
never been a candidate for any office is a quiet, unassuming gentleman, respected by his
neighbors and usually votes the Democratic ticket. He is living a quiet life on the
farm where his father died. Lora1957@aol.com
