In Memoriam: Margaret Cooper (abt 1822 - 1912)

 

Margaret Cooper

Born: abt 1822

Died:  December 26, 1912

United with the Union Ridge Baptist Church abt 1852

Predeceased by parents (d. abt 1832)

Her obituary tells of her helping her maiden aunt to raise Margaret's 3 younger siblings as her parents passed when Margaret was 10 yrs old. She also raised an orphan nephew.  

Margaret is buried in the family plot of  Bro. Tom Taylor who conducted her funeral at the Aenon Church.

I have looked for more information but have not found much other than this.  I will add any additional info I find to this post.

Sources:

Baptist and Reflector, April 17, 1913, p  16, col 4; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-obituary-for-marga/206824346/ : accessed September 27, 2026), clip page for Obituary for Margaret COOPER.

In Memoriam: Maggie Thomason Sanders (1884 - 1911)

 

Margaret Jane "Maggie" Thomason Sanders

Born: January 11, 1884

Died:  July 26, 1911

Buried in the Thomason Cemetery in Bedford County, Tennessee.

Predeceased by mother--Margaret Carolina Weaver Thomason

Survivors:

Husband--Albert Preston Sanders--married November 20, 1901

Children:

George Burnard Sanders

Alta Mae Sanders Jordan

Annie Weaver Sanders Hamilton

Father--James S Thomason

Sources:

Baptist and Reflector, October 5, 1911, p 15, col 1; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-maggie-thomason-sa/207920365/ : accessed October 9, 2026), clip page for Maggie Thomason Sanders obituary.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29092604/margaret_jane-sanders: accessed 9 Oct 2026), memorial page for Margaret Jane “Maggie” Thomason Sanders (11 Jan 1888–26 Jul 1911), .Memorial ID 29092604, citing Thomason Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

In Memoriam: William Floyd Elmore ( 1859 - 1925 )

 

William Floyd Elmore

Born:  August 22, 1859

Died:  July 5, 1925

Buried in Simpson Cemetery

Joined Union Ridge Baptist in 1875.

Served as 

• Church Clerk(July 21, 1900 - September 1919)
• Deacon
• Sunday School Superintendent
• Teacher of Bible class

Predeceased by:

Parents--James Hugh Elmore & Nancy Tillman Gault Elmore

Son-- Jimmie Elmore (died young)

Brothers:

James A Elmore

Hugh M Elmore

Survivors:

Wife--Salome Duggan Hester Elmore

Children:

Mary Tillman Elmore (died in  Aug 1925)

Ruth Elmore Blanton

Paul Hale Elmore

Josephine Elmore (died in Dec 1925)

Wilfred "Billie" Elmore Harris

Sisters:

Tennie Elmore Allison

Nancy Elizabeth Elmore

Brother-- Granville Sandusky Elmore

Sources:

Baptist and Reflector, October 1, 1925, p 16, col 3; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-w-f-elmore-obit/207897761/ : accessed October 8, 2026), clip page for W. F. Elmore obit d 5th July 1925.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209326792/william_floyd-elmore: accessed 8 Oct 2026), memorial page for William Floyd Elmore (22 Aug 1859–5 Jul 1925), Memorial ID 209326792, citing Simpson Cemetery, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA.

Charlotte & James Hitchcock Divorce and Land Division in Bledsoe Co. TN (1883)

In the process of looking for more information about my 2 great grandparents Wm  P Hale & Arminda Hitchcock Hale, I found two divorces, neither of which I'd ever heard about.  One for Wm P Hale's sister and her 2nd husband which I blogged about in an earlier post and this document, the divorce of Arminda's parents, James P Hitchcock & Charlotte Hitchcock who were in their 70s.

Included here are is a summary of the entries I found along with a partial transcription from the proceedings which granted the divorce.  There was also a drawing of the land included.

To see the full entries please visit the links given in the sources listed at the end of this post.

Summary

p 158  Image 111

Charlotte Hitchcock complainant

James Hitchcock defendant

James was subpoenaed and failed to come forward and offer a defense.  

Hearing date set.

p  175 Image 119[FamilySearch IGN 8478557]

it appears to the satisfaction of the Court, that the Petitioner Charlotte Hitchcock is entitled to the relief sought. It is therefore ordered, adjudged & decreed by the Court that the bonds of matrimony heretofore subsisting between the petitioner Charlotte Hitchcock and defendant James Hitchcock be and is dissolved and this petitioner Charlotte Hitchcock be restored to all the rights and powers of a single woman And it appearing to the satisfaction of the Court that defendant is the owner of a lot of personal property, set out in the petition in this cause a portion of which is in the possession of petitioner and the Court being of opinion that the Petitioner is entitled to a personal property, as alimony he is pleased to adjudge & decree that Petitioner keep & retain as her absolute property, the personal property shown in her petition to be in her possession, which about one half said property and if further appearing to the Court that the Deft is the owner of the following described real estate, in Bledsoe Co. Term situated in the 1st Civil district in said County, One Two Thousand Tract of land granted by the State of Tenn to James Hitchcock per grant No 11233 Registered in the register 's office Mountain District Book X pages 376 & 377 and Survey is dated 18th day of February 1854.

p 176 Image 120 [FamilySearch IGN 8478557]

Nov 12, 1883

County Surveyor and Commissioners ordered to divide the land

p. 191-193 Images 127-128 [FamilySearch IGN 8478557]

Contains a description of the division and this drawing

Sources:
Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889, p. 158, Charlotte Hitchcock vs James Hitchcock; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQG9-5 : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 111 of 622.

Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889,p. 175, Charlotte Hitchcock vs James Hitchcock; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQL1-8 : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 119-120 of 622.

Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889, p. 191-193, Charlotte Hitchcock vs James Hitchcock; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQGS-N : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 127-128 of 622.

William M Davis vs. Lucinda C Davis-Bledsoe Co. TN(1884)

While exploring a lead on my Hale / Hitchcock line I ended up finding more about Wm P Hale's sister, Lucinda C Hale Bishop Davis.

While I have never been able to find her marriage to William Davis, I did find their divorce.

Image 111

The court claims the default judgement since Lucinda didn't show up after being subpoenaed.

Image 128  

Hearing Date:   10 March 1884

appearing to the court that Deft. Lucinda Davis had been guilty of

dwelling since her intermarriage with the complainant, with divers persons in violation of her marriage vows and it further appearing to the court that complt is a man of good character.  It is therefore ordered and decreed by the court that the bonds of matrimony subsisting between complainant & defendant be and hereby dissolved, decread & declared null and void for nothing held and that they be and are hereby divorced dvincul And it is further adjudged by the court that Deft recover of complainant all court cost in this case except state and co. tax for which execution will issue.

More clues about my Hale family. 

Sources:

Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889

p. 158, William Davis vs. Lucinda C Davis; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQG9-5 : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 111 of 622.

Bledsoe Co TN Minute Books, Civil & Criminal Oct 1881-Nov 1889

p. 193, William Davis vs. Lucinda C Davis; image, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C39J-CQL1-P : accessed October 6, 2026), IGN 8478557, Image 128 of 622.

In Memoriam: Jennie Fergerson (1847 - 1914)

 

Jennie Fergerson

Born:  April 4, 1847

Died:  November 30, 1914

Joined Union Ridge Baptist Church in 1876.

Survivors

Son

Sister

I believe that John W Fergerson was her son.  He is buried at Westbrook Cemetery in Rutherford Co TN and  Jennie may alao be buried there.  I haven't been able to find much information on her.  I will add any additional info I discover as I find it.

Sources:

Baptist and Reflector, April 8, 1915, p  15, col 2; image, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/baptist-and-reflector-jennie-ferguson-o/206034199/ : accessed September 15, 2026), clip page for Jennie Ferguson--obit.