1900 Census, Loudon County, Tennessee

Minnie Ann King age 11 married Charles Lee (Charlie) Bray on 17 Jun 1906 in Loudon County.  Uncle Charlie was the son of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray and her first husband William George Washington Green.  As such, Uncle Charlie was the half-brother of my grandmother Lola Ethel Williamson.

Minnie was the daughter of William Benjamin King age 61 and Lillie Hortense Adams age 39.

Cora N. Thompson age 2 married James Hollie (Hollie) Williamson on 6 Sep 1913 in Loudon County.  Hollie was the son of James Alexander Williamson and Margaret Adeline Duggan, and the grandson of my second great grandparents Alexander L. (Alex) Williamson and Margaret Ann (Maggie) England.  As such, James Alexander Williamson was the brother of my great grandfather John William Williamson.

Cora was the daughter of Joseph G. (Joe) Thompson age 41 and Eliza C. (Liza) Stout age 34.

I'm by no means certain who Anna Bray age 19 was.  My second great grandparents Joseph A. (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore had a daughter Anna E. (Annie) Bray who was born 30 Mar 1881.  The two Anna Brays were living very close to each other in the 1900 census.  However, it seems very unlikely that the two Anna Brays were the same person because one was born in July and the other in March.  It also seems likely that the two Anna Brays were first cousins, both having been named for their grandmother Anna F. Messamore who married Edward Payne Bray.  Given all that, the most likely parents for this Anna Bray seem to have been Joseph A. (Joe) Bray's brother John H. Bray and John's wife Margaret Messamore.

Lester Lane age 18 later married Janette H. (Nettie) Peters, daughter of Robert A. Peters and Mollie I. Cole.  Nettie was the double first cousin of my grandfather Ernest Lester (Lester) Peters Sr.

William H. (Will) Rymer age 30 was the brother of Martha M. (Mattie) Rymer who married George Steward (Steward) Bryan.  Steward Bryan was the brother of my second great grandfather William Allen (Will) Bryan.

Will Rymer's wife was Fannie J. Rivers age 24.   In 1900, they were boarders in the home of Simona Eldridge.

My chief interest in Will Rymer is that he is reported to have raised his niece Pauline (Polly) Bryan in Asheville, North Carolina after Pauline's mother Mattie Rymer died.  Will Rymer did live in Asheville in subsequent censuses, but as of 1900 he had not yet made his way to Asheville.

1900, Dist. 9, Enumeration District 103, Loudon County, Tennessee, page 84b

John William Williamson age 22 and Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray age 26 were my great grandparents.  Lola Ethel Williamson age 1/12 was my maternal grandmother.

John William Williamson was the son of Alexander L. (Alex) Williamson and Margaret Ann (Maggie) England.

Haley Bray was the daughter of Joseph A. (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore.

At the time of the 1900 census, Haley Bray had borne three children of whom two were still living.  It is not known why she was enumerated as having borne one child instead of three. Perhaps the census enumerator made the assumption that John Williamson's step-son was also Haley Bray's step-son. Perhaps the census enumerator did not ask about other children and therefore was not aware that Haley Bray had borne a child who had died prior to the 1900 census. Therefore, the census enumerator could have assumed that Lola was the only child borne by Haley Bray.

Haley Bray's first child was Charles Lee (Charlie) Bray, listed as L. Chas. Green age 10 in this census entry.  Uncle Charlie was the son of Haley Bray and her first husband William George Washington Green.  Therefore, Uncle Charlie was enumerated correctly as the step-son of John Williamson who was enumerated as head of household, but Haley Bray was Uncle Charlie's birth mother. Oral family history reports that Uncle Charlie was raised by his grandparents Joseph A. (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore and that he took the Bray surname rather than the Green surname.  Therefore it was a bit of a surprise to discover him in the 1900 census living in the home of his mother Haley Bray and using the Green surname.  Despite the evidence in this census entry, subsequent evidence does confirm that Uncle Charlie used the Bray surname. Haley Bray's second child was Laura May Williamson who was born 29 May 1899 and died 12 Jul 1899.  The only extant record that is evidence for Laura May Williamson is the Williamson family bible. The current location of the family bible is unknown. My grandmother Lola was Haley Bray's third child.

John Williamson's sister who was living with the family was Amanda A. (Manda) Williamson. Manda was enumerated a second time about two weeks later in the home of her parents Alexander L. Williamson and Margaret Ann (Maggie) England. See below for more details. It is likely that Manda was staying in the John Williamson household temporarily to help out after the birth of Lola.

One last oddity/error in this census entry is that Haley Bray was listed as having been married for two years whereas no length of marriage was listed for John Williamson. They were married 25 Dec 1898 in Loudon County. Therefore he should have been listed as having been married for two years, as well.

1900, Dist. 9, Enumeration District 103, Loudon County, Tennessee, page 85a

Joseph A. Bray age 50 and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore age 51 were my second great grandparents.  Joseph's name and initial were inverted.  I can't explain Salina's name being listed so incorrectly.  But her age, birth date, and marriage date were all listed correctly.

I believe name and initial for Anna age 17 were inverted, and that she was Anna E. Bray.  Given that her middle initial was listed at various times as both E and L, her middle name was probably Elizabeth that sometimes was shortened to Liz or Lizzie.  J. Edward age 13 was John Edward, known as Edward.  W. John age 10 was John Walter, known as Walter.  M. Lilly age 7 was Martha Lilly, known as Lilly.

My great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Haley) Bray was the oldest child, and was already married at the time of the 1900 census.

I believe that the child who died before the 1900 census was Minnie Bell Bray b. 25 Dec 1883.

Ola M. (Ollie) Lewis age 2 was the second wife of Robert Henry (Henry) Bray.  They were married on 24 Dec 1916 in Loudon County.  Uncle Henry was from Loudon County, but he was enumerated in the 1910 census in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama and in the 1920 census in Spaulding County, Georgia.  He must have been living back in Tennessee in between, perhaps to have some help from his family raising his children after the death of his first wife and before he remarried.  Uncle Henry was living relatively nearby (in dwelling number 136 above).  Therefore Henry and Ola may have known each other before Henry's first marriage and before Henry returned to Tennessee.

Uncle Henry was the son of my second great grandparents Joseph A (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore.  As such, Uncle Henry was the brother of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.

Ola was the daughter of Wiley A. Lewis age 26 and Laura A. McCarrol age 25.  Wiley and Laura were married on 21 Aug 1892 in Loudon County.

Wiley and Laura were listed at the bottom of the page with the children appearing at the top of the next page.  The area of the page where Wiley and Laura were listed was heavily water damaged and was very hard to read.  I believe I have transcribed it correctly, but my transcription should nevertheless be taken with a grain of salt.

Moses Green age 20 married Rhoda Amos on 6 Oct 1904 in Loudon County.  Rhoda married first William Webster (W.W. or Billy) Bray on 29 Sep 1895 in Knox County.  Uncle Billy was the son of my second great grandparents Joseph A. (Joe) Bray and Ferriba Salina (Salina) Moore.  As such Uncle Billy was the brother of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.

Moses was the son of Isaac P. Green age 52 and Martha (Mattie) McMahan age 49.  Isaac and Mattie were also the parents of William George Washington Green who was the first husband of the aforementioned Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.

George Samuel Bray age 25 was the son of my second great grandparents Joseph A. Bray and Ferriba Salina Moore.  As such, George was the brother of my great grandmother Mary Mahala Jane (Mahala or Haley) Bray.

Lucille (Lou) McDaniel age 24 was the daughter of Alfred F. McDaniel and Elizabeth Loudy.

The census says that Lou McDaniel had borne two children, neither of whom was still living in 1900.  Thus far, I have identified only one of these children, namely Millie Florence Bray who was born in 1896 and died in 1897.

James Alexander Williamson age 25 was the son of my second great grandparents Alexander L. (Alex) Williamson and Margaret Ann (Maggie) England.  As such, James was the brother of my great grandfather John William Williamson.

Margaret Adeline (Addie) Duggan age 26 married James on 12 Nov 1892 in Loudon County

Alexander L. (Alex) Williamson age 47 and Margaret (Maggie) Ann England age 49 were my second great grandparents.  My great grandfather John William Williamson had left home before 1900 (he was married in 1898).

Alex Williamson was the son of Trion McFarland Williamson and Catherine.  Maggie England was the daughter of Jacob England and Dica Ann (Dicy) Smith.

I do not have a marriage or a child listed for Amanda A. (Manda) Williamson.  I don't know who she married or where her child was living in 1900.  I do know, however, that she was enumerated twice in the 1900 census.  She was enumerated in the home of her brother John William Williamson about two weeks earlier, on 6 Jun 1900.

John L. Jenkins age 25 married first Minnie B. Day age 23 and married second Bertha Lee Collins.  Bertha was the daughter of William B. Collins and Anna Jane (Annie) Peters.  Annie was the daughter of Francis Asbury Peters and Sarah Jane Scarbrough.  As such, Anna was the niece of my third great grandfather John W. Peters.

Minnie's daughter was Nona Grace (Grace) Jenkins age 2.  Minnie died before 1904.  I do not know if she had any additional children, but all additional surviving children of John L. Jenkins appear to have been the children of Bertha Lee Collins.

Edward Marion (Ed) Cruze age 16 married Amanda A (Mandy) Williamson on 13 Sep 1902 in Loudon County.  Mandy was the daughter of my second great grandparents Alexander L (Alex) Williamson and Margaret Ann (Maggie) England.  As such, Mandy was the sister of my great grandfather John William Williamson.

Ed was the son of Florence C. Cruze age 38.  I have not been able to find Ed's father.  This census entry says that Florence was single, and it is not clear if Florence was ever married.  I cannot find her in the 1880 census.  Another clue is Florence's putative daughter Lessie H. Sowards age 26.  I believe her name was Lossie rather than Lessie.  If Lossie was really really Florence's daughter, then Florence was only 12 years old when Lossie was born.  And in any case, I cannot find a marriage for Lossie to a man named Sowards.  And indeed, there is a marriage record for Lossie Cruze to Arthur Evans on 5 Apr 1907 in Loudon County.  Therefore it's all very puzzling.

Claude A. Waller age 12 later married Hattie Worthington.  Hattie was the daughter of Joseph B. (Joe) Worthington and Sarah/Sallie Effie Founlee (Effie) Scarbrough.  Claude was the son of Thomas Jefferson Waller and Mattie L. Tune.

Effie was the sister of Tolbert Ross (Ross) Scarbrough who married Cordelia Rene (Cordie) Cole.  Aunt Cordie was the sister of my great grandmother Sallie Jane Cole.

Joseph B. (Joe) Worthington was a distant relative.  He was the son of Samuel Worthington and Catherine Black, and the grandson of Joseph Worthington and Susannah England.  Susannah was the daughter of my fifth great grandparents John England and Vesta Zipporah (Zipporah) Choate.  As such, Susannah was the sister of my fourth great grandfather Titus England, and she was also the sister of my fourth great grandmother Sarah (Sallie) England.