Life History

Other facts

Notes

• Mary Ann's maiden name came from Steve Squier's tree.  We had worked together on our common branch of the Gregory lineage.  But he has no documentation or citations, so it was valuable only as a clue.
  
  William died in August 1837 and his father was appointed the administrator, but then died beforre the process could be completed.  One of the provisions of Tennessee law is that a widow is entitled to dower rights, that is the produce of crops and edible yield as well as some of the livestock of the land for one year.  In the original probate decisoins in 1837, one record indicates such a privision was implemented.
  
  Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008
  Wm Gregory
  Allowance to Widow Mary Ann Jefferson, Tennessee:  supplies, livestock and crops equivalent to the support for 1 year.  Three men were assigned to do this, and they signed the probate record to that effect.
  Witnessed 4 September 1837 by:
  P M Dunwoody
  Jos W Headrick
  Joel W Cowan
  Typed transcription, p 342, on microfilm, from the original will book, p 460
  Jefferson County Will Books, 1792-1844, pp 342-343
  
  However, Mary Ann later sued, claiming she had never received the dower rights.  The case was still open by 1859, when Mary Ann and her new husband Andrew Mason sued her father's estate for dower lands due her by Tennessee law.  My thanks to co-researcher Erin M L for pointing me to this and other relevant Tennessee Supreme Court cases in June 2019.  This summary record tells us Mary Ann and William had one chld, a daughter Darthula (or Dorthula, as transcribed in the record).
  
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  1859
  
  Andrew L & Mary Ann Mason v B J & Dorthula A Ward
  Jefferson County, Tennessee
  
  Fraud
  
  Defendant's name is Benjamin F Ward.  William Gregory died owning land on south side of French Broad River, leaving plaintiff Mary Ann (who later married Andrew) as his widow.  Richard Gregory, deceased, administered William's estate but never assigned dower to Mary Ann, so Plaintiffs now claim dower out of that land.  William & Mary Ann had 1 child, Defendant Dorthula.  At time of suit, both parties lived on the land at issue. Plaintiffs claim Defendants are trying to cheat & defraud them out of Mary Ann's dower.
  
  East Range 7, Section G, Shelf 1, Box Number 680, page 126
  
  --  Tennessee Supreme Court Cases, Tennessee State Library and Archives, https
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Sources

• 1. Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008
• 2. Tennessee State Archives
• 3. 1860 Federal Census, Jefferson County, Tennessee
  • 11 September, page 346, Hse #2452, Fam #2496