Let us begin with our first caution to Virginia, COBB researchers. By 1650, there were two UNRELATED Cobbs families firmly established in Virginia, within just a few miles of each other...the families of Ambrose Cobbs in what is now York County, and that of Joseph Cobb in Isle of Wight County. As Joseph arrived about twenty years before Ambrose, it is painfully common to find books, websites, and even downloadable GEDCOMS that have credited entire generations of the Ambrose line as being descendants of Joseph Cobb...and there seems to be no way of putting an end to it.
Both families have been professionally researched and thoroughly documented in "The Cobbs of Tennessee", Cully Alton Cobb, Ruralist Press, Atlanta, 1968; and "The Cobbs of the Tidewater", Bruce Montgomery Edwards, Montgomery Publishing Company, Knoxville, 1976. Neither of these works is 100% error-free and each has its share of critics. Nonetheless, they are thorough, and the only known major works published on the two Cobb families. Both examined the possibility of there being a relationship between the two Virginia, Cobb families. And both make it clear (with the Tidewater book stating it flat out) that there is no credible documentation connecting the two families. The Tidewater book did speculate however, the "possibility" of there having been occasional business dealings between them.
Concerning the two authors referenced in the preceding paragraph. An attempt to find biographical information on Bruce Edwards has been unsuccessful. However the credentials of Cully Alton Cobb are nicely outlined here.
Another caution will be offered concerning the spelling of the surname. While it is possible to occasionally find records where members of Joseph's line spelled the name "Cobbs", this practice had pretty well ceased within the first two American generations. On the other hand, the Ambrose Cobbs line did not begin to drop the final 's' from the name, at least in significant numbers, until after being in America for well over a hundred years. Those branches (of the Ambrose line) that remained in Virginia, appear to have most faithfully retained the 's', but at least two lines (now in Georgia and Alabama) continue to carry it to this day.
Along this same vein, there seems to be a pattern with the naming of males within these two lines. The given name "Ambrose" repeats on an epidemic scale in the descendant lineage of Ambrose Cobbs. In the lineage of Joseph Cobb, it is quite common to find males with biblical given names.
Another clue that seems to distinguish the families of Ambrose Cobbs and Joseph Cobb was their pattern of migration, after reaching America. The Ambrose line wasted no time in beginning a migration into western Virginia, then from there to the Carolinas, Kentucky, what is now West Virginia, and the upper Ohio River valley. The Joseph Cobb line, however, seemed to remain concentrated in the tidewater region of Virginia, then migrated southward into the coastal counties of North Carolina, before ever beginning to move westward. Incidentally, in those times, someone that "went West" meant they were still probably somewhere East of the Mississippi River.
One final clue to aid researchers! It is speculated that Joseph Cobb immigrated to America, on religious grounds. This is possibly the reason why it seems quite common to find males of that line with biblical first names. However, this phenomenon is very, very rarely found in the Ambrose Cobbs line.
Reminder: Each family line has its own separate index.
Descendants of Joseph Cobb
Elsewhere at this Website:
- The Cobb Archives
- Home
- The Cobbs of Kent
- Descendants of Ambrose Cobbs of Virginia (The "Cobbs Hall" Cobbs)
- Descendants of Henry Cobb of Massachusetts (The Barnstable Cobbs)
- The Swanage/Taunton Cobbs of NJ (Includes Clisby Cobb of North Carolina)
- Descendants of Nathaniel Cobb of South Carolina