The Fox family's origins in America date to 1685, when James Fox and others purchased 5000 acres of land from William Penn to establish a town and woolen manufactory in present day Plymouth Township, Montgomery County. James later abandoned that enterprise when it was discovered the quality of the land was inadequate for his purposes, and relocated to Philadelphia, where he was joined by another relative Justinian Fox. Justinian and his wife Elizabeth Yard were Quakers with seven children. One of their sons, Samuel, acquired vast acreage in western Pennsylvania, which later became the center of the petroleum industry. Samuel's son Joseph Mickle Fox purchased much of this western Pennsylvania acreage from his father's estate in 1808, and settled some of those plots after receiving his law degree in 1812. After living in Bellefont and Meadville, Joseph and his wife Hannah ultimately settled a plot in Clarion County, which they called Foxburg, located at the junction of the Clarion and Allegheny Rivers. Joseph was responsible for establishing a post office there, for which he served as post master for several years, and was elected a state senator in 1829. Joseph Mickle and Hannah Fox resided in Foxburg until their death, following which the land passed onto and was inhabited by their only son Samuel, his wife Mary, and their children. The town of Foxburg still exists today and the Fox's original home is now the club house of a world-renowned golf course, the Foxburg Country Club.
From the description of Fox family papers, 1755-1969 (inclusive, 1819-1910 (bulk). (Historical Society of Pennsylvania). WorldCat record id: 122347603
