Sunday, December 1, 2013

Briggs/McRae Marraige - What will these clues reveal?

As I am reviewing the information I have so far I come across a note I've written that says "Rufus Briggs--uncle down the street". My grandfather told me his half brothers uncle's name was Rufus Briggs and he married a school teacher named Miss McKoy. I searched for and found their marriage record however the only information filled in was their names..no dates..no witnesses. As I was browsing I found a marriage record for Joseph Briggs and Anna McRae. My heart skipped a beat when I saw one of the witnesses was J.E. Womack who is my great-grand father.
Sallie Briggs was my great grandfather's first wife. Martha McRae was my great grandfather's second wife. Since Sallie and James (sometimes Ed)last child together was born in 1907 I don't think Martha and James were married yet. Was James their in support of Joseph Briggs (possibly Sallie's brother) or Anna McRae (possibly Martha's sister)? I don't know what happened to Sallie Briggs and I've always presumed she died between 1907 (the year her last child was born) and 1910 (the first year Ed and Martha are listed as husband and wife on the census). Went back and took another look at the 1910 census and discovered Ed and Martha had been married for one year according to the information on the census. While I am curious about Sallie Briggs my focus is on Martha McRae. According to the information I have Martha was born in South Carolina. I don't know who her parents were or if she had any siblings. What will the information on the marriage certificate reveal? Is it possible Anna, Martha and Peter (another witness at the wedding)are siblings? I'm on a mission to find out!!
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10 comments:

  1. KristinDecember 1, 2013 at 7:21 AM

    I'm looking forward to reading what you find out!

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  2. LuckieDecember 1, 2013 at 10:33 AM

    GREAT job Erlaine! So a few questions: have you confirmed there isn't a death certificate to confirm Sallie's death? I with Kristin's a look at census records might reveal the relationships of Joseph & Anna. At the very least it reminds us how close knit communities use to be and how often that was a GOOD and BAD (messy) thing. The lines are rarely as "clean" as we'd like them to be. Just follow the records. One last thing -- why the issue with finding records for Ms. Martha?

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    Replies
    1. Erlaine DickensJanuary 17, 2014 at 6:15 PM

      I have been unable to find a death certificate for Sallie so far. I would like to find info out on Sallie because it will more than likely reveal some things about my great grandfather (especially where he was in 1900) but focus is on Martha because she is my great grandmother.

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  3. Denise MuhammadDecember 1, 2013 at 11:17 AM

    Great post Erlaine! I know how that is when your ancestors send you on a mission to find out more about their lives. I'm looking forward to hearing what you find out!. :)

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  4. LindaReDecember 1, 2013 at 11:23 AM

    I am sure you will find the answer. Checking through the census records may reveal your answer. Record the last census they were seen, you might want to order death records.

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  5. JG~LKDecember 1, 2013 at 12:25 PM

    Looking forward to what you learn and the steps taken to get there :) .

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