Life History

Notes

• North Carolina, Birth Indexes, 1800-2000
  Andrew Mason
  Birth Martin County, North Carolina
  Father's Name Andrew Mason
  Birth Records Volume 22, Page 737
  
  After William Gregory died in August 1837, Andrew marrieed his widow, Mary Ann Bragg Gregory.  The administrator of William's estate, his father Richard Gregory, died at some point in the robate process.  A note form 1837 appears in the probate records providing for a year's crops and some livestock and fruit produce fomr the acrage for a year after William's death.
  
  However, as the probate process dragged on, the case may have still been open in 1859, when Mary Ann and her new husband Andrew L Mason sued Mary Ann's daughter Dorthula )or Darthula) and her husband Benjamin Ward for the dower rights she clims she never received.  In June 2019 a Gregory co-researcher Erin M L was responsible for pointing me to the record of this case and other relevant Tennessee Supreme Court cases.  We do not know how this case was finally adjudicated.
  
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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. North Carolina, Birth Indexes, 1800-2000
• 2. Tennessee State Archives