COX, Rev. Alexander F., Beeville, Weekly Picayune, Friday, 9 Apr 1897, front page:

AN AGED PREACHER GONE
Rev. A. F. Cox Passes Peacefully Over the River

It is our painful duty to chronicle the death of a good man, Rev. A. F. Cox, who quietly 
passed away at his home in this city Monday at 4 a.m.  Bro. Cox was widely known, having 
resided in this portion of the state for about forty years, he having reached Goliad 
December 1, 1856,and being a minister and most of the time actively engaged in 
preaching, his acquaintance was large.

He was born in Washington county, Va., December 1, 1823, was at the time of his death 
73 years, 4 months and 4 days old.  On May 1, 1850, he was married to Miss Amelia V. 
Atlee, who, with seven children survive him.

For fifty-two years, six months and twenty-one days he was a preacher of the gospel in 
the Methodist church.  Several years of that time he was in the itinerancy and filled some 
of the most responsible positions in the conference. For seven years he was editor and 
publisher of a weekly paper in the town of Goliad, called the Goliad Messenger, which 
was finally changed to the Goliad Guard by the father of the present publisher (R. T. Davis). 
For about twenty-five years Bro. Cox has been a member of the West Texas conference, 
and cheerfully went to his appointments anywhere. 

In his death earth is poorer and heaven richer.  Bro. Cox was a Mason and was buried by 
that order. His dust rests in the Beeville cemetery awaiting the resurrection of the Just.


FROM A FRIEND
Rev. Alexander F. Cox, the subject of the following brief memoir, was born in Abington, Va., 
Dec. 1st, 1823.  He was a man of fine physical constitution. Up to within the last three or four 
years, his health seemed perfect, and even after that, he has been regarded as a hale old man. 
He was physically strong even to the last, and it was difficult for his friends to think of death 
as near. But "la grippe." that insidious disease, attached him a time or two, sapping the 
foundations of his strength, involving his heart, "binding the strong man," and -- "the weary 
wheels of life stood still at last"  But he was ready. 

In his youth he was not unmindful of his Creator, and in his old age his Creator was not 
unmindful of him. When but twenty-one years of age he was licensed to preach, and from 
that time for more than fifty years he  ministered to the people of the grace of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Nor did he preach an effeminate gospel; it was masculine and masterful throughout. 
When at his best he was the peer of almost any man I have heard. He especially excelled as 
a doctrinal preacher, and was one among the best theologians of his conference. He was at 
once an exponent of the truth, and an able defender of the faith. To this work he brought a 
strong, well-cultivated mind, and was withal a man of positive convictions. To this work he 
devoted his life, forty years of which was given to Texas Methodism in West Texas.

But Bro. Cox's greatest virtue was in the singular purity of his life. Intimately acquainted with 
him for forty years, the writer does not recall a single unclean word or even indelicate 
expression. He kept himself pure, and it was an easy thing for him to enjoy his religion. 
His brethren will miss his beaming face and hearty ejaculations of praise and thanksgiving. 
It was hard for him to retire from the active work of the ministry; indeed, he did not retire except 
in so far as the limitations of age and weather compelled. Even as it was he loved to preach and 
upon his sick bed he planned for his old time work to begin again when health and spring 
should come. But they never came. Death was quicker than they, and heaven nearer, and so 
he went home. Of him it may be said: He ceased at once to work and live.

His old friend and Fellow soldier, JOHN S. GILLETT