A Wilson Family Tree
Notes for Mary Ann Newsom
Carolyn Gathright listed her as Mary Ann Newsome McDonald. Other sources list her as Mary A. Newsome, except Craig Gathright, who listed her as Mary Ann Newsom. Death certificates for sons Jesse Franklin and Jefferson Dorsey list her as Mary Newsom.
There is a marriage record for Mary Newsom with H. B. McDonald in Union Parish, LA, on 26 May 1855. If this is her, she was only about 15 at the time. When she married James Gathright, she was not much older than his oldest child... Carolyn Gathright lists a child from her marriage with McDonald, named Mollie and born about 1861. This makes no sense since she was definitely already with James Gathright in the 1860 census. It is mentioned that she was listed as a stepdaughter in the 1880 census; seems likely to have been Susan's daughter. In fact, one of the notes under Susan Norsworthy mentions that she had a daughter named Mollie when she married James.
Carolyn Gathright lists Ellen, Ida, and Loerna as her children; WFT 5 # 1346 listed them as children of Miles' third wife, Susan or Sara.
WFT 5 # 1346 had a note saying that the marriage of Mary and James ended in divorce, but I haven't seen that elsewhere -- and it does not fit with the story of her death given by Carolyn Gathright (see below).
From Craig Gathright (Dallas Gathright family tree):
Mary Ann Newsom(e) and her ancestry are somewhat of a mystery. We know that she was born in Mississippi about 1840 based on her 1860 and 1870 census entries.
Mary Ann married James "Miles" Madison Gathright around 1858 and this may present some clues regarding her origins. James was a Deacon at the Springhill Baptist Church in Oakland, Union Parish, Louisiana and was buried there. Matthew P. Newsom (b. 9 Oct 1822/MS d. 20 Nov 1904/Union Par., LA) was an Elder at Springhill Baptist. It is possible that Matthew Newsom was an older brother to Mary Ann Newsom based on the fact that they were both Baptist and natives of Mississippi. It could be that when James "Miles" Gathright's first wife died in 1858 he met Mary through Matthew and the couple was married by 1860. James was also the grand uncle of William Walter Gathright. William was married to Lillie Newsom in Union County, Arkansas in 1899. Lillie Newsom may also be related to Mary in some form or fashion.
Mary and James had at least nine children together and some researchers believe that they may have had as many as eleven. Many researchers believe that Mary Henrietta Gathright was a child of Mary and James. Others say that James had daughters named Mary with Mary A. Smith and Mary Ann Newsom in 1857, but I find this difficult to believe. Some also say that Lorena was a child of Mary Ann’s. I can’t confirm or deny the veracity of this claim so I have Lorena listed as one of Mary’s children bringing her total issue to ten.
Mary and James Gathright lived close to the Arkansas/Louisiana Stateline and seem to have owned land in both states. . We also know that Mary was probably a Baptist because this was the faith advocated by her husband and children. James M. Gathright was a member of Antioch Baptist in Union County, Arkansas and a Deacon at Springhill Baptist in Union Parish, Louisiana and it is likely that Mary was also a member of one or both of these congregations.
The date of Mary’s demise is also unknown. We know that she was alive around 1875 when her daughter, Ida Malissa Gathright, was born. Many genealogists speculate that Mary had an eleventh child, Lorena M. Gathright, born after Ida in 1875. By the time f the 1880 Mary Ann (Newsom) Gathright was nowhere to be found and James was remarried. It is thus assumed that Mary died sometime between 1875 and 1880. A grave marker might provide a date for Mary’s death, but her burial location has eluded researchers thus far. It is believed that Mary is buried in Union County, Arkansas or Union Parish, Louisiana.
From Carolyn Gathright:
[JOYCE]- b 1840 Mississippi
[JLG]- PD letter to Clyde L.; ... married a widow with one daughter. Her maiden name was Newsome; she had married a man named McDonald who had one dau & there is no further record of the girl, her husband had died several years previous....
They moved to Howard Co, Arkansas, for a while and when they were moving back to Union Co in a covered wagon, ... this wife died enroute. I came into possession of the following story of her death but to get it verified I drove to St. Joseph, MO, to see Aunt Mary Jones who was the only living person that was present on the occasion, although the substantial facts had been told by others who had long since died. She told me that she was about 7 Yrs old at the time and vividly remembered. She said, "Mother was sick with a splitting headache as they traveled in a wagon, which aggravated the trouble. They stopped at a small village and a doctor fixed her two doses of medicine, a sedative, most likely, morphine, as that was a drug in common use." He told her to take one dose and if that didn't give relief soon to take the other one. She took the other one as we traveled along. Mother started getting drowsy as we jolted along she became more drowsy and we were not to awaken her because she needed the rest." Aunt Mary didn't know how far the traveled before reaching the next little town but her mother slept all the way. She remembered, too, that when they stopped for the night her mother was carried into a church building and placed on a mattress on the floor. Later, when they tried to awaken her from her lengthy slumber, she could not be revived. she died from an unintentional overdose of the drug.....
Note that Mary (Gathright) Jones was born about 1869, which would make her mother's death about 1876.
Note: Some of the information in these pages is uncertain. Please let me know of errors or omissions using the email link above. ...Mike Wilson
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