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Hazel - -
Did you ever find any answers to your 2002 inquiry about William L. Childress / Minerva Bowling? I began creating my family tree in recent months and have had similar trouble with finding records about them. The two married in 1939 as confirmed by their Roane Co.,TN marriage certificate; however, this is the only document I've been able to find that proves William L. Childress even existed (until this evening). I can't find him on a census, or in any birth records. He either died or they divorced (neither theory substantiated). The next time Minerva shows up is on a 1950 census and having just recently entered into a 2nd marriage, same year I believe, to John Brient. She came to their marriage with two children from previous marriage to William L. Childress: a son James K. Childress, age 8 (in 1950) and a daughter Mary Eliza Childress, age 2 (in 1950). John Brient already had three sons. After they married, Minerva went on to have a number of children by Brient over the next 10 or more years as I recall. I descend from William & Minerva's daughter, Mary Eliza Childress. Any information about William L. Childress would be appreciated. This evening as I was Google searching, I found him on a the site (as well as your message board): www.roanetnheritage.com/research/military/mexican%20war/mw02.htm
He is on a list of men in Kingston, Roane Co.,TN (same place he married Minerva) and the surrounding area who enlisted in the Mexican War with the United States Company C, 4th Infantry in 1847. Minerva would have been pregnant with Mary Eliza at that time. Perhaps this explains why William seemed to vanish. Did he die in the war? Did he not make it back to Tennessee? Did he abandon his family? A real mystery. I will continue to research. The site referenced above states the following, which I have lifted word for word and pasted below:
CHILDRESS, William L. (age 27). He may have married , 17 Nov 1839 in Roane Co., TN, Minerva J. BOWLING.
There is no mention of him actually perishing at war. I tried to find records for Minerva prior to her marriage to William. No luck. Other ancestry trees have her maiden name spelled Bolling, not Bowling. I have seen MANY misspellings on marriage and census records for many ancestors due to the masses of citizens in the 1880's with no more than a 5th-8th grade education, so hard to know which spelling is accurate. Also I have found misread handwriting when transcribing. I've seen Minerva transcribed as Manerva on a census in the "Brient" household. In looking on five other family trees on Ancestry.com that include Minerva, (with unsubstantiated lineage/parentage), all trees have her as an only child, no brother. I'm sorry not to be able to confirm your theory. If I find any reliable information about whether Minerva had siblings, I will update this message board. In the meantime, if you have any updates about either Minerva Bowling/Bolling and William L. Childress, I would be grateful for the information.
Thank you, Dana Brown
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