William Jessie Cozart is The Ancestor Detector’s 4th Great-Grandfather!

Blog no. 37

William Jessie “Billy” Cozart was born on April 2, 1854, in Rutherford County, TN, to John W. Cozart and Mary Adelaide Jordan. He had two brothers, and their names were Ben W. Cozart and John Wesley Cozart.

On February 11, 1872, in Rutherford County, TN, Billy married Sarah Polemly “Clemmie” Helton. They had 7 children plus 6 infants that died. The children that survived to adulthood’s names were James Virgil “Jimmy” Cozart, John William Cozart (my 3rd great-grandfather,) Sarah Ada (Cozart) Miller, Cora Frances (Cozart) Dark, Benjamin Alexander “Ben” Cozart, Aubrey Jennius Cozart, and Jesse Myrtle Cozart. After Sarah died in 1923, Billy married Willie Maude “Maude” Caldwell. They had two children together. Their names were Samuel Joseph “Sammy” Cozart, who would die at a year old, and William Jessie Cozart Jr., who would be given to a Nashville Adoption Center as a baby, I believe it was because Maude had died during birth and Billy was already in his 70’s. William Jessie Jr.’s whereabouts and name (which was most likely changed after being adopted) are unknown.

Billy and his family, around 1880 and 1900, moved to Marshall County, TN. The family lived in a large house that still stands at 2300 Cedar Brook Lane in Lewisburg, Marshall County, TN.

The Cozart family is one of the branches of my family that makes me related to everybody in some way. Billy was the man who started the huge family and the man that everyone is a descendant of it seems. My grandaunt, Daisy Jett, married James Calvin “Calvin” Cozart, a great-grandson of Billy, through his son, Jesse. My granduncle, Leonard Jett, married Beatrice Louise Cozart, a great-granddaughter of Billy, through his son, Benjamin. I have found many more connections like that through the Cozart family, there are just too many to name in this blog. Another fun fact about Billy is that his daughter, Cora, married the uncle of Spring Hill Public Library librarian, Helen Dark, James Henry Albert Dark.

Sadly, on November 18, 1939, in Lincoln County, TN, while visiting his daughter Cora, Billy died. He was buried in Lone Oak Cemetery, in Lewisburg, Marshall County, TN.

Are you related to William Jessie Cozart? If so, I would love to hear from you!

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