Cox was born on April 30, 1813, in the North Branch section of Branchburg, New Jersey.
In 1834 or 1835, he moved onto a farm in Wheatland Township, Hillsdale County, Michigan.
[1] Cox set out one of the first orchards in Wheatland Township, along with Harvey McGee and Lyman Pease.
[3] In 1864, Cox served as a Wheatland Township highway commissioner, alongside Perry Knapp and Isaac Gates.
In 1865, Cox served as Wheatland Township's sole highway commissioner.