Third Generation

22. Matilda J. Bray^1,3,5,22,30. Birth: about 1853, Anderson County, Tennessee.

Census: 1860, Anderson County, Tennessee, Matilda 7 f w TN.

Census: 1870, Anderson County, Tennessee, Lutilda 12 f w at home TN.

Census: 1880, Anderson County, Tennessee. (Enumerated with her parents): Matilda daughter, female, single, white, 21 TN KY TN home. (Enumerated with her husband): Mallinda wife 28 female married white, keeping house, born TN, father and mother born TN.

Matilda offers us several mysteries. She was enumerated with her parents in the census, age 7 in 1860, age 12 in 1870, and age 21 in 1880. Her name was Matilda in 1860, Lutilda in 1870, and Matilda in 1880. The "Matilda" in 1880 is from the 1880 LDS CD's, so the LDS transcriber thought it was Matilda. But it looks for all the world like "Lutilda" to me, even in 1880. So perhaps I am mistranscribing 1870 as well.

There was an Anderson County marriage, W.R. Dew to M.J. Bray on 19 Aug 1871. Ron Bartholomew believes that this was Matilda Bray. He further states that there was a divorce, and that Matilda regained Bray as her surname in the divorce. However, I do not know when the divorce occurred. In 1880, W.R. Dew was enumerated as Robert Dew with his wife Mallinda age 28 (his full name was William Robert Dew). So it appears that Mallinda Dew age 28 and Matilda Bray age 21 in the 1880 census were the same person. In all truth, I find age 28 much more credible, based on her age of 7 in the 1860 census. It's certainly possible that the divorce occurred at about the same time as the 1880 census.

I think we have to treat the equivalence of Matilda and Mallinda as very likely but unproven without further evidence. (RGB)

Living (private).