William M FORRESTER Thalia Ann FORRESTER Mary Adelina FORRESTER Harriet J FORRESTER Nancy M FORRESTER Joseph N FORRESTER Louisa Amanda FORRESTER Zenith Elvira BARNES Mini tree diagram
Martha Mealle FORRESTER

Martha Mealle FORRESTER4,5,6,2,2,3,1,2

also known as 1,3

Jul 18614,5,6,1 - 25th Feb 19261,3

Life History

Jul 1861

Born in Jerusalem, Pickens, Georgia.4,5,6,1

25th Feb 1926

Died in Pauls Valley, Garvin, Oklahoma.1,3

Uremic Poison

26th Feb 1926

Buried in Mt Olivet Cemtery, Pauls Valley, Garvin, Oklahoma.1,2,3

Notes

  • 1870 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 25 July, PO Jasper, page 111 (scan 55), Hse/Fam #863
    Forester William 51 M W Farmer $200 Real Estate $200 Personal born S Carolina [b abt 1839]
    Forester Zenith 43 F W Keeping House born S Carolina [b abt 1827] Cannot read or write
    Forester Martha M 8 F W At Home born Georgia [b abt 1862]

    1880 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 12 June, Jerusalem, District 163, page 19B, Hse/Family #165
    Forrester, William W M 61 Farmer SC NC SC Forrester
    Forrester, Zenith  W F 51 Wife Keeping House SC SC SC
    Forrester, Martha M   W F 17 Dau House Keeping GA SC SC

    Terri Smith, a great-granddaughter of Manda, shared these bits of information in some exchanges with me.  Terri has developed a genealogy focusing on the Forrester line.  Originally Terri and some other researchers understood Martha's middle name and main name to be Manda.  Terri's great grandmother is named Amanda Forrester, and some genealogies report this Amanda as a child of William Forrester and Zenith Barnes Forrester.  Amanda's Oklahoma death certificate reports that her parents were Bill Forrester and Zenis Barnes, which certainly sounds like our William and Zenith.  However, no Amanda ever appears with William and Zenith in censuses.

    Her original comments reflected this:
    "Manda Forrester is my great grandmother and we believe her full name to be Martha Manda Forester married to Robert Smith. Her parents are William Forrester and Zenith Barnes of South Carolina. An early census says Zenith had 7 children, but only 6 living as Thalia Ann, Mary Adalina, Martha Manda, Joseph N, and Louisa N [and Nancy M]. The birth dates for Manda vary from 1861 to 1866 on the censuses. Any idea who the 7th is and it appears they died young and Martha Manda's real birth date I have a tree on ancestry.com Smith, McClellan, Findley etc that searched the Forresters quite a way back starting with William b-1819."
    --  Terri Smith Escamillo, personal message on genealogy site Our Family Tree, 27 February 2011

    I determined that Martha was not Amanda.  Terri later changed her view as well and information seemed to build to the conclusion that Amanda was the daughter known in early records as Louisa.

    Some genealogies have merged Amanda and Martha, taking Martha's middle initial M as the name Manda for Amanda.  This is not possible, however, due to census records establishing Amanda and Martha as two separate individuals.  Martha is still single and living with her mother in the 1900 census, while Amanda is found in James County, Tennessee, with her husband Robert Smith.  They later moved to Indian Territory.  Manda is honored on a gravestone with the names of several of her family members, including her sister Martha, named a Meall on the stone.

    The 1900 census reports that Martha's mother Zenith has borne 7 children, but only 5 are accounted for in the census reports of 1860-1880.  Only 4 children are reported as still living in 1900, which accounts for the 3 in the 1880 census and Nancy in the 1870 census.  With these accounting for the 4 reported as living, the others must have died before 1900.

    When enumerated for the 1900 census, Martha was still single and living with her widowed mother.  Martha's father William died in 1894.  Living in the household is also a boarder, whose name appears to be spelled Winnie Findly (Findley or Finley).   I have not found Martha after 1900.

    1900 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia, 9 June, Jerusalem Township, District 108, page 5B, Hse #86, Fam #89
    Forrester, Zenith Head W M May 1824  76 Widow 7 children/4 living SC SC SC Farmer Owns
    Forrester, Martha Dau W M July 1861  38 Single GA GA SC
    Findly, Winnie Boarder W F Dec 1812  87 Widow 14 children/12 living SC SC SC

    Terri Escamillo obtained and shared with me a copy of Martha's death certificate, which gives her name as Mill Foster.  The parents' names match, though the last name is Foster instead of Forrester.  Terri provides other information from her research and family sources.

    ------------------------
    Zenith did have 7 children according to the census as follows:
    Thalia Ann, Mary Adeline, Harriet J. (died as a child), Nancy M, Martha Mealle (never married and is buried with sister "Mandy Smith", Joseph N, and Louisa Amanda "Mandy."  Mandy was born between 1865-1867 and died 1940 Paul's Valley, OK.
    --  Terry Escamillo, note on genealogy Our Family Tree, http://www.ourfamtree.org/browse.cfm?pid=60465
    ------------------------

    It appears Martha is the person named simply as Meall on the joint tombstone with her sister Amanda (Louisa) Smith, with several other members of Amanda's Smith family.  On the grave her name is Meall, with no further last name.  The single gravestone has several family names on it, as a single grave.  But the only surname is Smith across the top, making it appear that all names were members of the Smith family.  She is reported on her death documents simply as Mill Foster [instead of Forrester].  Mill was never married.

    The cause of death was uremic poison[ing], which is the result of kidney failure.  Concerning burial, Mill's death certificate says burial was in Pauls Valley.  The Funeral Register, which has the same information as the death certificate, states further that burial was in the Mt Olivet Cemetery of Pauls Valley.  But her name does not appear, either under Forrester or Foster, in the Mt Olivet register compiled by the Oklahoma GenWeb Project.
    --  Mt Olivet http://www.okgenweb.org/~okgarvin/mtolivet/olivetfsurnames.htm

    Her death certificate has her name as Mill Foster, and Mill's parents as Bill Foster and Zenas Barns [sic].  This matches Martha, whose full name Terri Escamillo says is Martha Mealle Forester.  Martha (Mill) never married.  Mill died in  or near Pauls Valley.  The death certificate says she lived east of town.

    Oklahoma Certificate of Death
    Mill Foster [Mealle Forrester]
    Single, White Female
    Age 63, Born Georgia, No birth date reported
    Occupation Housework
    Death 25 February 1926 Paul's Valley, Garvin, Oklahoma
    Cause of Death Uremic Poison
    Physician E E Norvell, Wynnewood
    Father Bill Foster [Forrester] born Georgia
    Mother Zenas Barns born Georgia
    Burial Pauls Valley, by Williamson Funeral Company
    Filed 18 March 1926

    Funeral Register, Williamson Funeral Home
    Remains of Mill Foster, Single
    Residence east of Pauls Valley
    Father's Name Bill Foster, born Georgia
    Mother's Name Zenas Barnes, born Georgia
    Date of Death 2/26/26, age 63 years
    Date of Funeral 2/26/26
    [Death certificate reports death was 25 Feb and funeral 26 Feb]
    Place of Death east of Pauls Valley
    Occupation House Work
    Cause of Death Uremic Poison
    Physician E E Norvell, Wynnewood
    Charged to D W Smith [Her attending physician, according to the death certificate]  Paid
    Interment Mt Olivet Cemetery, Pauls Valley, Oklahoma
    Coffin or Casket $50.00, Total of Bill $50.00
    Williamson Funeral Register page 103

Sources

  • 1. Oklahoma Certificate of Death
  • 2. Terri Smith Escamillo
  • 3. Williamson Funeral Home, Funeral Register
  • 4. 1880 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
    • 12 June, Jerusalem, District 163, page 19B, Hse/Family #165
  • 5. 1900 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
    • 9 June, Jerusalem Township, District 108, page 5B, Hse #86, Fam #89
  • 6. 1870 Federal Census, Pickens County, Georgia
    • 25 July, PO Jasper, page 111 (scan 55), Hse/Fam #863

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