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Mary J. Adams

Mary J. Adams

Female 1838 - 1901  (~ 62 years)

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  • Name Mary J. Adams  [1
    Born Nov 1838  Tennessee, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [1, 2, 3
    • Age 17 at the time of her March 1854 marriage to Thomas Atkinson.

      Info from descendant Mary Lee Shelton gives her birth in July 1838. The 1900 census gives her birth as November 1838.
    Gender Female 
    Note 1850  Dallas County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Mary J. Adams married Thomas Atkinson, who appears on the same page of 1850 census, in Saline township, Dallas County, with his father Thomas Atkinson. The 1850 slave schedules reflects that Thomas Atkinson owned 20 slaves, ages 37 down to 6 months. 
    Census (State) 28 Jul 1870  Red Land township, Bradley County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [4
    1. Ledbeter [Ledbetter], John, 36, male, white, farmer, real estate $200, personal $350, tennessee
    2. _____, Mary, 32, female, white, keeping house, Tennessee
    3. _____, Charles, 3, male, white, Arkansas
    4. Atkinson, Bettie, 13, female, white, Arkansas, cannot write
    5. _____, Henry, 10, male, white, Arkansas 
    Census 7 Jun 1880  Prairie township, Dorsey County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [5
    1. Ledbetter, John, white, male, 46, married, farmer, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee
    2. _____, Mary, white, female, 42, wife, married, keeping house, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee
    3. _____, Charles, white, male, 13, son, farm hand, attending school, [can read, implied], cannot write, Arkansas, Tennessee, Tennessee
    4. Atkinson, Hal, white, male, 19, stepson, single, farm hand, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee 
    Census 21 Jun 1900  Kingsland township, Cleveland County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [3
    1. Ledbetter, John, head, white, male, November 1835, 64, married, 34 years, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee, farmer, can read and write, owns farm free of mortgage, farm schedule no. 141
    2. _____, Mary, wife, white, female, November 1838, 61, married 34 years, 6 children 3 living, Tennessee, Tennessee, Tennessee, can read and write

    [Son Charles appear just above them on the same page, Some people think that Mary died earlier and this is a different wife. However:
    1. Her name is Mary
    2. She was born in TN
    3. She is born Nov 1838, calculating to about the right birth year to be the same person as Mary (Adams) Atkinson.
    4. They have been married 34 years, calculating to 1866--the year that Mary (Adams) Atkinson married John Ledbetter.
    5. The death certificate of Bettie Atkinson, Mary's daughter, names her mother as "Tom Adkinson" and "Mary Adams." Bettie's obituary names among her brothers "Mr. C. E. Ledbetter" of "Kingland, Arkansas." (Charley actually lived in Kingsland, Cleveland County, Arkansas.)

    Conflicts:
    1. Her mother was born in GA, while the census record states her mother was born in TN. We don't know who supplied the info--and her mother was _from_ Tennessee.

    It seems likely that this is Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter. 
    Died 21 Oct 1901  near Kingsland, Cleveland County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    • This death date was established from the 24 October 1901 notice in the Cleveland County Herald stating that Mrs J. R. Ledbetter had died on Monday. The previous Monday would be 21 October 1901.
    Obituary 24 Oct 1901  Rison, Cleveland County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [6
    Appearing in the Cleveland County Herald
    "Mrs J. R. Ledbetter

    We are sorry to learn that Mrs J. R. Ledbetter died at her home near Kingsland Monday. Mr. Ledbetter an his family have our sympathy in this, their sad bereavement." 
    RESEARCH
    Some researchers seem to believe that the M. J. Atkinson buried at Curry Family Cemetery in Curry County, Arkansas, is the subject individual. However, this seems unlikely.

    The woman buried in Curry Family Cemetery was born in 1855 and died in 1879. The subject Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter was born around 1838, according to other sources and all indications are that she lived longer than 1879.

    Additionally, there is a Mary J. Atkinson Ledbetter buried at Watson Gum Grove Cemetery in Cleveland County, Arkansas, whose birth date matches that of Mary J. Adams. And John R. Ledbetter is buried in the same cemetery.

      [7
    Buried Watson Gum Grove Cemetery, Kingsland, Cleveland County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [8
    Person ID I6027  Full | ProgenitorWalker
    Last Modified 8 Apr 2022 

    Father Thomas Adams,   b. Abt 1803, Virginia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 2 Nov 1859, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 56 years) 
    Mother Retha Walker,   b. Abt 1799, Georgia, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 1850  (Age ~ 52 years) 
    Married Between 1823-1850  [10, 11
    • Ritha was "Ritha Turner" in 1823. She could have married Thomas Adams any time after that date and prior to the enumeration in 1850 Dallas County, Arkansas.

      If Thomas's children in the 1850 census were also Ritha's children, they were probably married prior to 1833, and they could have had an older child, as well.

      The family group sheet prepared by Esther Pratt has a notation that appears to indicate Retha's marriage to Thomas Adams in Humphreys County, in 1843. If this is the case, the children were Thomas's by a previous marriage. [9]
    Family ID F458  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Thomas A. Atkinson,   b. 1831, Tennessee, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 15 Mar 1862, Jacksonport, Jackson County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 31 years) 
    Married 2 Mar 1854  Dallas County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [2, 12
    Children 
    +1. Bettie Walker Atkinson,   b. Jan 1857, Dallas County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 8 Feb 1930, Rapides Parish, Louisiana, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 73 years)
     2. Henry "Hal" Atkinson,   b. 18 Sep 1860, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 27 Nov 1936, Dallas County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 76 years)
    Last Modified 17 Jan 2015 
    Family ID F2138  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 2 John R. Ledbetter,   b. 14 Nov 1835, Tennessee, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married 18 Jan 1866  Bradley County, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location  [13
    Children 
     1. Charles Ledbetter,   b. Abt 1867, Arkansas, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Last Modified 16 Jan 2015 
    Family ID F2224  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Documents
    Marriage of Mary J. Adams to Thomas Atkinson, 1854, Dallas County, Arkansas
    Marriage of Mary J. Adams to Thomas Atkinson, 1854, Dallas County, Arkansas
    Dallas County, Arkansas, Marriage Book A: 137, Thomas Atkinson-Mary Adams, 2 March 1854; digital image, "Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1957," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2015); citing FHL film no. 1,994,225; original records, County Clerk, Fordyce. [url:…
    Loose papers, marriage Mary J. Adams to Thomas Atkinson, 1854, Dallas Co ARK
    Loose papers, marriage Mary J. Adams to Thomas Atkinson, 1854, Dallas Co ARK
    Dallas County, Arkansas, marriage records, loose papers, certificate of marriage, Thomas Atkinson-Mary Adams, 2 March 1854; digital image, "Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1957," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2015); citing FHL film no. 985892; original records, Dallas County Clerk, Fordyce. [url:…
    Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson, marriage to John R. Ledbetter, 1866, Bradley County, Arkansas
    Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson, marriage to John R. Ledbetter, 1866, Bradley County, Arkansas
    Bradley County, Arkansas, Marriage Book A: 261, John R. Ledbetter-Mary R. Atkinson, 18 January 1866; digital image, "Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1957," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2015); citing FHL film no. 981060; original records, Bradley County Clerk, Warren. [url:…
    1870 Bradley County, Arkansas, census for Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter and husband John R. Ledbetter
    1870 Bradley County, Arkansas, census for Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter and husband John R. Ledbetter
    1870 U.S. census, Bradley County, Arkansas, population schedule, Red Land township, p. 7 (penned), p. 577 (stamped, recto), dwelling 54, family 52, John Ledbetter household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 16 January 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 48.
    1880 Dorsey County, Arkansas, census for Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter and husband John Ledbetter
    1880 Dorsey County, Arkansas, census for Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter and husband John Ledbetter
    1880 U. S. census, Dorsey County, Arkansas, population schedule, Prairie township, enumeration district (ED) 82, p. 9 (penned, recto), p. 352 (stamped, recto), dwelling 77, family 77, John Ledbetter household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 18 January 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 43.
    1900 Cleveland County, Arkansas, census for Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter and husband John Ledbetter
    1900 Cleveland County, Arkansas, census for Mary J. (Adams) Atkinson Ledbetter and husband John Ledbetter
    1900 U.S. census, Cleveland County, Arkansas, population schedule, Kingsland township, enumeration district (ED) 39, sheet 19B, p 70 (stamped, verso), dwelling 368, family 369, John Ledbetter household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 18 January 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 54.
    Bettie (Atkinson) Wright, death certificate, 1930, Rapides Parish, Louisiana
    Bettie (Atkinson) Wright, death certificate, 1930, Rapides Parish, Louisiana
    Louisiana State Board of Health, vol. 5, death certificate no. 2403 (1930), Mrs. Bettie Wright, Rapides Parish; Louisiana State Archives, Baton Rouge. [Judy Riffel pulled this.]

  • Sources 
    1. [S4346] FamilyTreeDNA (https://my.familytreedna.com : accessed 13 June 2014), gedcom for Mrs. Mary Lee Shelton (mlbs1@aol.com), 23. 64 cM match for John Porter McMeans. .

    2. [S4621] Dallas County, Arkansas, marriage records, loose papers, certificate of marriage, Thomas Atkinson-Mary Adams, 2 March 1854; digital image, "Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1957," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2015); citing FHL film no. 985892; original records, Dallas County Clerk, Fordyce. [url: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-12165-222995-70?cc=1417439 ].

    3. [S4625] 1900 U.S. census, Cleveland County, Arkansas, population schedule, Kingsland township, enumeration district (ED) 39, sheet 19B, p 70 (stamped, verso), dwelling 368, family 369, John Ledbetter household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 18 January 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 54.

    4. [S4619] 1870 U.S. census, Bradley County, Arkansas, population schedule, Red Land township, p. 7 (penned), p. 577 (stamped, recto), dwelling 54, family 52, John Ledbetter household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 16 January 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication M593, roll 48.

    5. [S4626] 1880 U. S. census, Dorsey County, Arkansas, population schedule, Prairie township, enumeration district (ED) 82, p. 9 (penned, recto), p. 352 (stamped, recto), dwelling 77, family 77, John Ledbetter household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : downloaded 18 January 2015); citing NARA microfilm publication T9, roll 43.

    6. [S4627] US GenWeb Archives, “Obituaries, Cleveland County Herald: 1901,” transcriptions, Arkansas Archives: Cleveland County, Arkansas (http://www.usgwarchives.net/ar/cleveland : accessed 18 January 2015); transcription from Cleveland County Herald, 24 October 1901, death notice of Mrs. J. R. Ledbetter.

    7. [S4628] Michelle Rasberr, creator, “M. J. Atkinson,” database, Curry Family Cemetery (Bussey, Columbia County, Arkansas, USA) memorial no. 130485903, FindAGrave (http://www.findagrave.com/ : viewed 18 January 2015).

    8. [S4629] Pat Hall, creator, “Mary Atkinson Ledbetter,” database, Watson Gum Grove Cemetery (Kingsland, Cleveland County, Arkansas, USA) memorial no. 6173459, FindAGrave (http://www.findagrave.com/ : viewed 18 January 2015). .

    9. [S1427] Esther Pratt (Nashville, Tenn.), [Unknown] Walker-Elizabeth Walker of Dickson County, Family Group sheet; from Walker file folder, Dickson County Archives, Charlotte, Tennessee; no sources cited on the sheet.

    10. [S99] Esther Pratt (6408 Worchester Drive; Nashville, Tennessee) to Sandra Johnston (Oklahoma), letter, 13 May 1997, regarding the Elijah Walker family of Dickson County, Tennessee. Privately held by Ms. Johnston. The author has lost contact with Ms. Johnston and no longer knows her whereabouts.

    11. [S1405] 1850 U.S. census, Dallas County, Arkansas, population schedule, Saline township, p. 42 (penned, recto), p. 21 (stamped, verso), dwelling 287, family 287, Thos. [Thomas] Adams household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 Jan 2010); citing NARA microfilm publication M432, roll 26.

    12. [S4623] Dallas County, Arkansas, Marriage Book A: 137, Thomas Atkinson-Mary Adams, 2 March 1854; digital image, "Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1957," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2015); citing FHL film no. 1,994,225; original records, County Clerk, Fordyce. [url: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11662-73651-82?cc=1417439].

    13. [S4620] Bradley County, Arkansas, Marriage Book A: 261, John R. Ledbetter-Mary R. Atkinson, 18 January 1866; digital image, "Arkansas, Marriages, 1837-1957," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 16 January 2015); citing FHL film no. 981060; original records, Bradley County Clerk, Warren. [url: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-267-11566-111431-13?cc=1417439 ].