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Henry Peyton Spears and Telitha Ann Fry had eight children, one of whom was Jesse. He married Mertie (also found spelled as Merty) Elkins, d/o Boyd Wilson Elkins and Mary Elizabeth Nichols. Jesse and Mertie had seven children, though this may not be 100% accurate. Due to the lack of the 1890 Census and the fact that the Lincoln Co. Courthouse burned in 1909, some of these are hard to confirm. Also, several family histories are out there on the net and none of them seem to agree. And even stories passed down through my family are not complete, nor verifiable. I just happened to be going through the 1900 Census for Lincoln Co. and verified that Mertie (Elkins) Spears was in fact married to Chester Walls and that Nona and her sister Martha were listed as Chester's step-daughters.
There is a mystery concerning the Jesse/Mertie Spears family that may never be solved. I was told over the years that Jesse was pretty much a rounder and that he had fathered a child by Mertie's sister Angeline, which is possible I suppose, but I've heard since that Mertie wasn't too particular about keeping her marriage vows either, supposedly having children by Jesse's brother Hiram, who in some family trees is listed as her husband. I don't agree with the marriage part since she is listed as Myrtle Tennessee Elkins in one tree. Hiram did marry Tennessee Vance, d/o John Vance and Rhoda Sanson. Jesse Spears died in 1897 and Mertie was free to marry whom she chose and from the Census records of 1900, it was Chester Walls. I just wish we had the 1890 Census and the Court records to give us more details.
The children I have for Jesse and Mertie are:
Noah, Stella, Malinda Mae (my Great Grandmother), Roxie, Martha, Nona, and Wilson Boyd.
I'm certain about Malinda, Wilson, Martha and Nona. There are two other children who I'm told are half brothers to the above. They are Hershey Freeman Spears and Evermont Ward Spears. I can be certain that Evermont Ward is a half brother, as my father remembered him and knew him as my Great Grandmother Malinda's half brother. He was supposedly the son of Angeline Elkins.
So to get back to your original question, Nona Spears was the step-daughter of Chester Walls, not the wife. I hope this will help you and I hope I haven't confused you with the other information. It's a confusing situation and until more information is unearthed, is liable to stay that way.
Good luck!
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