The earliest members of the Cotton family appear in the census of 1870. Ephraim Cotton is listed with his family.
1. Ephraim Cotton (born March 1837 – died 1915)
In 1870 we find Ephraim Cotton in the Census records. He is said to be 40 years old, and his wife Mary is 25 years old. Census records are well known to be somewhat unreliable when it comes to the spelling of the names of people and their ages. Ephraim and Mary have 4 children in 1870: Menerva Cotton, William Cotton, James Cotton, and Hannah Cotton. Ephraim is a farmer, but does not own his own land, so he is a sharecropper. He cannot read or write, which would have been typical for most emancipated slaves. He does have personal property worth $689. This could refer to farm equipment or even cattle that he may have owned. The Census mentions that the record was made on the 10th of August 1870 in 16 Township, County of Noxubee in Mississippi.
Ephraim and Mary were both born in Alabama, and all of their children were born in Mississippi. The neighbors of Ephraim and Mary in 1870 are a white farmer named Hannah Cotton (52 yrs old) and many black families that also went by the last name Cotton. It is likely that the black men and women in that township were the emancipated slaves of Hannah Cotton. Hannah and her son Walter (23 years old) own combined $8,500 worth of real estate (land) and the owners of the land farmed by the black families.
In the 1880 census Ephraim is said to be 41 years old, and his wife is called Moretta Cotton and is said to be 25 years old. The later 1900 census indicates that Mary, Moretta and Marietta are the same person. The 1900 census indicates that Ephraim and Marietta married in 1864 as they were married for 36 years at that time. The eldest children in 1880 are named Menerva, Bill , James and Hannah which indicates the Ephraim in the 1880 census is the same person as the one mentioned in 1870. It is interesting that Ephraim is recorded as being a mulatto, indicating he had a white ancestor (father?, grandfather?). Ephraim is still working as a farmer. His daughter Menerva is not said to have had a job, but she may have been helping her mother. The children William (Bill), James, Hannah, Fannie, and John are said to be going to school.
- Menerva Cotton (born 1862) There are two women named Minerva Cotton living in Noxubee County in 1900. Both are widows, but it is not clear which one is the daughter of Ephraim. In the 1910 census Manervia lives with her parents and is listed as having 10 children, 9 of whom survived. Implied from the listing Manerva had two daughters living with her: Vinia Cotton (23 years old) and Moria Ann Cotton (8 years old) and two sons: Gradie Cotton (17 years old) and Isaiah Cotton (13 years old)
- William Cotton (born 1864)
- James (Jim) Cotton (born 1866) In 1910 Jim Cotton is listed as living next to his parents. He appears to be living alone and is listed as single.
- Hannah Cotton (born 1868)
- Fannie Cotton (born 1874)
- John Cotton (born December 1878 – died 1969)
- Isaac Cotton (born 1879)
- Isaiah Cotton (born June 2, 1881 – died 1969) (See nr 2 for more detailed information.)
- Wilson Cotton (born December 1885). In 1910 Wilson and his wife Sue Lee live next to his parents Ephraim and Marietta. Wilson and his wife have 2 daughters Sadie (3 years old) and Ida May (6 months old). A nephew named W.C. Cotton (7 years old) also lived with Wilson and his wife.
- Marietta Cotton (born December 1887 – died 1962)
The 1900 census shows that Ephraim and his wife owned the farm they worked on. They still had a mortgage at this time, but they were not renting the farm. Ephraim was 63-years old at this time and was working the farm with his wife and his sons John Cotton and Isaiah Cotton who we 21 and 18 years old respectively. The family also had two grandchildren living with them: granddaughter Lula (13-years old) and grandson Samuel (3-years old). The records show that the eldest sons were literate and had learned to read and write. Children Wilson (14-years old) and Marietta (13-years old) and granddaughter Lula (13-years old) were all going to school.
but shows what their farm may have looked like
2. Isaiah Cotton (1875-1969), son of Ephraim Cotton and Marietta (Mary) Cotton.
Isaiah grew up in Noxubee County Mississippi. He married twice and had many children
Isaiah first married Sarah Cotton (1878–1915) in 1907. In 1910 Isaiah and his wife Sarah lived with his parents Ephraim and Moria. Sarah was older than her husband Isaiah, and according to the census she was 33 years old and had 9 children, of whom 2 survived. The two sons are called Smith Cotton (9 years) and T.J. Cotton (9 months). It appears that Smith Cotton was an adopted son.
- Smith Cotton (1901) – Likely a son of Sarah and her previous husband. Listed in the 1910 census as living with his mother and stepfather Isaiah, but not living with the widowed Isaiah in 1920.
- Wesley Cotton (1902–1994) Listed as “adopted” in the 1920 Census. This appears to be the W. J. Cotton who is listed as a nephew living with his uncle Wilson in 1910. Wesley is likely the son of one of Isaiah’s brothers.
- Sylvester (also written Sylvesta) Cotton (1909–1965) marries Lula McCoy.
- Mary L Cotton (1911–?)
- Jessie Cotton (1913–)
It is not clear when exactly Sarah dies, but it is before 1925 when a new wife appears in the records. Isaiah registers in 1918 with the army and lists his father as his next of kin, and not his wife, which suggests that she passed away by that time..
At some point in about 1920 Isaiah remarries the younger Dosia Henry.
- Mora(y) Cotton (1920 – ) It is not clear if Mora was an older sister of Mabel, or the same person. The recorders of the census were well-known for taking down names by sound, and occasionally they interviewed the neighbors, who may have used nicknames.
- Mabel Cotton (1921–1993) married Taylor Page (source: obituary of her brother Isaiah). Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis.
- Nora Lee Cotton (1922–1995) A construction worker who later moved to Florida. Nora had a wife named Ruthie Mae. He served in the Navy in World War II.
- Picallo Cotton (abt 1924?)
- Isaiah Cotton (Jr.) (1927–1992) Worked as a bridge construction worker. Married Lucy Baskin, and later Bernice Harvey, daughter of John Harvey and Maudie Mae O’Neill. Isaiah served as a sergeant in World War II.
- Josephine (Joan) Cotton (1930–2016) Married Whittingham and lived in St. Louis (source: obituary of her brother Nora)
- Plunket Cotton (1931), son of Isaiah and Dosia
- Bernice Cotton (1932 – 2011) , married Dent and later lived in Chicago (source: obituary of her brother Nora, and page on FindaGrave)
3. Wesley Cotton 1902-1994, seems to be a grandson of Ephraim Cotton and raised as the adopted son of Isaiah Cotton. It is not clear who his parents are.
Wesley Cotton married Mollie Ivy (1900–1935) the daughter of Bob and Lula Belle Ivy. They had several children. In 1930 they lived in New York at 400 186th Street in the Bronx. Wesley and Molly rented an apartment for about $20 a month. Wesley worked as a janitor. (Based on the 1930 census.)
- John W Cotton (1923–2003) by age 7 he lived in New York with his parents. In 1940 Smith lived with his grandpa Ivy back in Noxubee, Mississippi.
- Smith Cotton (1924–1977) Probably born in Mississippi, but by age 6 he lived in New York with his parents. In 1940 Smith lived with his grandpa Ivy back in Noxubee, Mississippi. At age 18 Smith worked for the Williams sawmill in Macon, Mississipi, and registered for military duty. He is described as 5 ft. 6 and 125 lbs on the registration card. Said to have been born in East St. Louis.
- Willoughby (Willie B.) Cotton (1927–2008) Listed as living on E 168 St in the Bronx, New York with his parents when he was 3.
- John Cotton (1929-2003) According to the social security records John Cotton was born on 9 Dec 1929 in New York. His death date is given as 17 Dec 2003 Son of Wesley Cotton and Molly Ivy
SSN 110362143. We suspect that this is the same John as the one mentioned above. It is not clear how or why have may have changed his age. - Eillene Cotton (1931–1991) In 1940, after the death of her mother, Eileen is said to be living at an institution called Little Flower Homeless Colored Children, located in Riverhead,Suffolk,New York with her brother Robert. On her social security documents she is said to be the daughter of Wesley Cotton and Molly Iovry. Her ID was 055281217. She used several different names over time: Jul 1951 Eileen Cotton; 1952 Eileen Elizabeth Cotton; 1961 Earline Elizabeth Cotton; Jan 1963 Earline Elizabeth Johnson; Mar 1964 Earline Cohen; 06 Apr 1991 Earline Johnson
- Robert Cotton (1932–1971) In 1940, after the death of his mother, Robert is said to be living at an institution called Little Flower Homeless Colored Children, located in Riverhead,Suffolk,New York with his sister Eilene. Robert marries Mattie Mae Cotton and moves to Gary Indiana. He dies in 1971 from spinal cord injuries in a car accident. His obituary mentions his siblings Willie B., John, and Smith Cotton, Charles Cotton (probably his half-brother from his mother’s side), Earlene Cotton and Geraldine Cotton. Robert served as a private 1st class in the army. His application for a military headstone indicates he may have served in 1953 in Korea.
- Geraldine W. Cotton (1935–1990)
4. Geraldine W. Cotton 1935-1990, the daughter of Wesley Cotton and Mollie Ivy.
Geraldine had a son
- Mike Cotton (1957–?).
She married L.T. Barton in ca 1958.
- Luther Barton (1959–2009)
- Earline Barton (1960–present)
- Roger Barton (1961–2023)
- Kenneth K. “Kenny” Barton (1965–present)
- Barbara Jean Barton (1969–2016)
5. Earline Barton 1960- Daughter of Geraldine W. Cotton and L.T Barton
6. Durrell Love 1990- Son of Earline Barton and later adopted by Anneke Bart.
7. D’Mar Love, Son of Durrell Love and Marleena Thomas