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John Thomas Poe and Martha Ann Hopson (Mary)

Notes from a descendant (Estelle Barger)

 
 John Thomas POE was born to John POE and Pheby ASHCRAFT
 
 1832 in Fayette County, Alabama. He lived there all of his life and he 
died there June 11, 1869. In 1852, he married Martha Ann HOPSON, daughter 
of Edmond HOPSON and Mariah PAPICIN/PAPIZAN. She was born December 10, 1834 
in Fayette County and died there January 16, 1913. Both are buried in 
Concord Baptist Cemetery which is located in the southernmost part of 
Fayette County.
 
 John Thomas and Martha lived during a very turbulent time in our nation's 
history,
 
a time when one part of our nation was at war with the other. John Thomas 
engaged in this battle and sustained either a wound or an illness which cut 
short his life. He served as a Confederate Soldier with the 41st Alabama 
Infantry Regiment. His tombstone bears witness to this fact.
 
 John Thomas and Martha tried to buy her father's farm when her father, 
Edmond HOPSON, died. John Thomas was the administrator of his 
father-in-law's Will
 
and he had bid on the farm with the stipulation that he would make final 
payment on the land at the end of one year; however, fate would not have it 
that way. John Thomas died and the land reverted back to the estate. A new 
administrator was selected and the place was auctioned off to the highest 
bidder, L. C. SHIRLEY.
 
 John Thomas was only 37 and Martha 34 years old when he died. Martha 
struggled by herself to raise their little family of one son and four 
daughters, the oldest, John, being sixteen and the youngest, Dena, being 
only five years old when their father died.
 
 Martha was able to draw John Thomas' pension which added a little to what 
income she could derive from her small farm in the Concord Community.
 
 In the 1870 Fayette County Census, Martha was head of her household and 
her children and blind brother were living with her. In the 1900 Census, 
she was living with her son. She was 65 years old and her occupation was 
knitting stockings. This census indicates that she had six children with 
only three living. One child never showed up
 
in the census (John T. POE?). In the 1910 Census, she was living with her 
daughter, Dena OSWALT.
 
 Their children were: (1) John Carroll POE (1853 - 1910) married Mary 
Louise OSWALT, (2) Amanda E. POE (1857 - 1878) married James Zachariah 
 "Zack" OSWALT, (3) Pheby M. POE (1859 - 1888) married
 
James Andrew HINTON, (4) Possibly John T. POE (1859), (5) D.A.
 
"Lula" POE (1862- ), (6) Dena C. POE (1864 - 1934) married Jacob
 
Newton OSWALT.
 
SOURCES: Edmond HOPSON's Will, Fayette County, Alabama;
 
Tombstones in Concord Baptist Church Cemetery; Census Records
 
and Martha HOPSON POE's Widow's Application for her husband's
 
pension; Martha's Death Certificate.
 
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JOHN THOMAS POE and MARTHA "MARY" ANN HOPSON
 
1. 1 NOV 1850 at census time, Martha was living with her parents in Fayette 
Co AL. US Census, Page 61A, Roll 5. Martha was 16 years old. John Thomas 
was living in the household of Jacob BLACK, his step-father.
 
2. I have no record of their marriage since the Fayette Co Courthouse burned 
in 1852.
 
3. 11 JUN 1860 at Census time, Martha and Thomas POE were living in Fayette 
Co AL. US Census, page 364, Roll 2. Martha was 26 and Thomas was 28 years 
old. Mary A. was living with them. (Martha's sister? Did Martha's mother 
die at or near Mary's birth?)
 
4. John Thomas was a Confederate soldier, 41st AL Inf Reg; has a CSA grave 
marker.
 
5. He started as the executor of his father-in-law, Edmond HOPSON's, estate 
which was probated in the Fayette Co AL Courthouse. John Thomas died before 
the will was completely probated. This will was the evidence I needed to 
verify Martha's identity. It lists Martha as the daughter of Edmond HOPSON.
 
6. Fayette Co AL Courthouse: Land Patent 10 NOV 1840, #23379.
 
7. Martha was an heir in her father, Edmond HOPSON's, 16 JUN 1871 Fayette Co 
AL Will. She drew her husband's Civil War Pension. She never remarried after 
her husband's death.
 
8. 7 SEP 1870 at Census time, Martha was head of household and living in 
Fayette Co AL. US Census, page 458, roll 16. In her household were her 
children and her blind brother, George HOPSON. (Was he blinded in the Civil 
War? Was this the George HOPSON who was in his father's 1867 estate 
settlement and was living in Pike Co AR? Fayette Co AL reimbursed Martha 
for keeping George.)
 
9. May 1875, Court Actions of Fayette County Commissioners: County Paupers - 
"It is ordered by the Court that the Court receive the bid of Levingston 
BOBO to keep the paupers of the County except Leroy HOPSON; (He will board 
with Martha POE). The county will pay seven dollars per month and shall pay 
in cash..."
 
10. 1900 Census, Martha was living with her son, John C. POE and his wife, 
Mary OSWALT, in Fayette Co AL. US Census, page 31A, Roll 16. Martha was 65 
years old; her occupation was knitting stockings.
 
This Census indicates that she had six children with 3 living. One child 
never showed up in the US Census.
 
11. 1910 Fayette Co AL Census: Martha was living with her daughter, Dena, 
and her husband, Jacob Newton OSWALT. Martha was a 78 year old widow. She 
was born in AL, father in SC(NC), mother in AL.
 
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Descendants of: John Thomas POE and Martha HOPSON :
 
1 John Thomas POE b. 1832 d. 11 JUN 1869 m. Martha Ann HOPSON m. 1852 b. 10
DEC 1834 d. 16 JAN 1913 [daughter of Edmond HOPSON and Mariah PAPIZAN]
 
 2 John Carroll POE b. 1 NOV 1853 d. 10 JAN 1910 m. Mary Louise OSWALT m.
15 OCT 1873 b.
 28 SEP 1856 d. 9 FEB 1927 [daughter of Jacob Zachariah OSWALT and
Joannah HALLMAN]
 
 2 Amanda E. Poe b. 1857 d. 8 AUG 1878 m. James Zachariah OSWALT m. 5 OCT
1874 b. 1854 d.
 1940 [son of Jacob Zachariah OSWALT and Joannah HALLMAN]
 3 Lou Vinia OSWALT b. 5 AUG 1875 d. 2 MAR 1936 m. James Alford PATTERSON
m.
 23 OCT 1892 b. 26 FEB 1869 d. 22 APR 1949 [son of John Ledford
PATTERSON, Sr. and Lucy
 F. JONES]
 3 Amanda Marcella OSWALT b. 3 AUG 1878 d. 1 JUN 1913m. Willis Mansfield
WEST m. 30 APR
 1899 b. 23 APR 1878
 
 2 Phoebe M. POE b. 31 MAY 1859 d. 21 MAY 1888 m. James Andrew HINTON m.
18 NOV 1880
 b. 14 JAN 1860 d. 21 NOV 1939 [son of James Willis HINTON and
Margaret Ann LOFTIS]
 
 2 John Thomas POE b. Abt 1859 d. JAN 1860
 
 2 D.A. POE b. 1862 m. J.A. MCINTIRE m. 10 SEP 1882
 
 2 Dena C. POE b. 26 AUG 1864 d. 7 MAY 1934 m. Jacob Newton OSWALT m. 16
NOV 1884 b.
 22 MAR 1863 d. 4 MAY 1939 [son of Jacob Zachariah OSWALT and Joannah
HALLMAN]
 

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These are all children of the above John Carroll and Mary OSWALT POE:

3. Clara A. POE b. 22 SEP 1874 Fayette Co AL; d. 3 JAN 1941

m. W.R. WHITE b. 21 JUN 1871 d. 28 FEB 1953

[son of Rev. J.S. WHITE and Martha A. UNKNOWN]

3 Quillie POE b. 1877

m. John G. TAYLOR

3 Jacob Thomas POE b. 23 MAR 1880

m. Icy OLIVE m. 21 MAY 1905 b. 14 AUG 1886 d. 24 FEB 1956

3 Ausborn A. POE b. 23 JUL 1882 d. 18 JAN 1951

m. Alma PATTERSON m. 3 DEC 1905 b. 13 SEP 1890

[daughter of J.J. PATTERSON and Cenath RICE]

3 Alice V. POE b. 30 JUL 1885 d. 16 AUG 1886

3 Alma POE b. 30 AUG 1887 d. 20 APR 1970

m. William Anderson SOUTH m. 31 DEC 1911 b. 13 SEP 1890

[son of Rudolphus Levi SOUTH, Sr. and Mary Elizabeth JONES]

3 William Carroll POE b. 5 AUG 1889 d. 1 JAN 1963

m. Virginia Maybelle WRIGHT m. 5 JAN 1913 b. 6 MAR 1886 d. 9 MAR 1965

[daughter of Michael Jasper WRIGHT and Mary Elizabeth APPLING]

3 Jessie POE b. DEC 1891

m. Ewel WHITE d. SEP 1994

3 Curby C. POE b. AUG 1895 d. 2 JUL 1962

m. Estelle PINION m. 9 OCT 1927

3 Victor POE, Sr. b. JAN 1898 d. 1936

m. Pauline MITCHUM m. 24 DEC 1925