Life History

Notes

• Mary McSwain is also referred to as Polly McSwain. We find Polly as a very common nickname for women named Mary in the 1800s.  From the general patterns of use of the name Polly, it appears that this person's proper name was Mary G McSwain who is also referred to by the nickname Polly.  She is reported a Polly G in 1850 and Mary G in 1860.  It is uncertain what the G stood for.  Some genealogies also report that she was also known by the nickname Ida.
  
  Some genealogies report she used a nickname of Ida.  One or two have reported Ida McSwain's husband was George.  I think this is an error, or they have confused two different women named Ida whose married name was McSwain.  Another likely reason is a misidentification on George's death certificate, which reports his father's name as George McSwain, with no further identification.  The name Ida for his mother matches a reported nickname of Mary (Polly) G "Ida" McSwain.
  
  1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 4 September, p 31, Hse/Fam #587
  George McSwain    57  [b abt 1793, note differences in ages from census to census] Farmer  $600 Real Estate b NC
  Catharine McSwain 34 b NC
  Polly G McSwain      7 b NC
  Sally H McSwain      5 b NC
  Phillip K McSwain     3 b NC
  Francis M McSwain  1 b NC
  Andrew Ruske        21  [Not known who this is] Farmer b NC
  Mary Weathers       75 [b abt 1775] b NC
  
  1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina, 6 August, p 54, Hse/Fam #385
  George McSwain  61 M Farmer $No Real Estate $100 Personal b NC [b abt 1799, note differences in ages from 1850, only 4 years]
  Catherine McSwain 40 F b NC
  Mary G McSwain  17 F b NC [Note change of name from Polly G to Mary G] [b abt 1843]
  
  1870 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas, 4 July, Prairie Township, PO St Charles, page 15, Hse/Fam #118
  McSwane, John F 30 M W Farm Laborer $No Real Estate $140 Personal Estate NC [b abt 1840]
  McSwane, Mary 26 F W Keeping House NC [b abt 1844]
  McSwane, George F 9mos  b Oct 1869 M W Tennessee
  
  It appears that Mary and John married about 1868.  I have not found their marriage record. We can tell from the birth state of George that they were married in Tennessee, and may surmise that it was in Giles County, where Mary's mother and siblings were still living at the time of the 1870 census.  Mary's mother Mary had apparently moved her family there from Cleveland County, North Carolina, in about 1865.
  
  "I read somewhere that she got remarried to, I think, a Padgett..in the late 1880s or early 1890s."
  --  Judy McSwain Miller, email to Orville Boyd Jenkins, 10 August 2014
  
  I found a marriage record that matched, in Arkansas County.  The person she is reported to have married here was the husband of Judith N McSwain, a daughter of Louis Hobbs McSwain and Mary Hamrick.  They were married in 1862 in North Carolina, and moved to Arkansas via Tennessee with other McSwains and Padgett relatives.  Mary was Phillip K McSwain's sister, the daughter of George McSwain (who died about 1865) and Catherine (Kate) Weathers.
  
  Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
  Edwin Padgett
  Age 48, Birth Year abt 1838
  Spouse's Name M G McSwayne
  Spouse's Gender Female
  Spouse's Age 43
  Marriage 12 Dec 1886 Arkansas County
  Marriage License Date 10 Dec 1886
  
  But I have not found a death record of divorce record for Edwin from his firs wife Judith McSwain.  Even more strange, I found another marriage record for E Padgett and Judie Padgett in 1886.  It may be that Edwin and Judith divorced before 1888, then Edwin married Mary McSwain (whose brother P K was married to Edwin's sister Lavinia Padgett),  Mary may have died shortly afterwards (I have not found her death record).  Then it appears that Edwin and Judith remarried.

Sources

• 1. 1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 4 September, p 31, Hse/Fam #584
• 2. 1860 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • 6 August, page 54, Hse/Fam #385
• 3. 1870 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 4 July, Prairie Township, PO St Charles, page 15, Hse/Fam #118
• 4. Arkansas, County Marriages Index, 1837-1957
• 5. 1850 Federal Census, Cleveland County, North Carolina
  • p 31, Hse/Fam #587
• 6. Judy McSwain Miller
• 7. 1910 Federal Census, Taylor County, Texas
  • 4 May, Justice Precinct 3, District 271, page 12,  209 Hse/Fam #197
• 8. 1900 Federal Census, Delta County, Texas
  • 21 June, Justice Precinct 3, District 36, page 18B, Hse #320, Fam #332
• 9. 1920 Federal Census, Baylor County, Texas
  • 7 January, Justice Precinct 1, District 10, page 2A, Throckmorton Rd, Hse #21, Fam #22
• 10. 1930 Federal Census, Baylor County, Texas
  • 11 April, Justice Precinct 5, District 7, page 5A, South Hwy 30, Hse #83, Fam #86
• 11. 1940 Federal Census, Gaines County, Texas
  • 4 April, Seagraves, District 83-1B, page 4B, Hse #74, Owns $1000
• 12. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
• 13. 1900 Federal Census, Delta County, Texas
  • 27 June, Justice Precinct 3, District 36, page 23A, Hse #404, Fam #421
• 14. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942
• 15. 1920 Federal Census, Logan County, Arkansas
  • 6 January, Revilee Township, District 55, page 2B, Hse/Fam #27
• 16. 1930 Federal Census, Beckham County, Oklahoma
  • 10 April, Elk Township, District 5-121, page 5A, Hse #78, Fam #79
• 17. Gravestone of John A and Vessie E McSwain, Fairlawn Cemetery, Elk City, Beckham County, Oklahoma
• 18. 1910 Federal Census, Logan County, Arkansas
  • 2 May, Revilee Township, District 52, Page 14A, Magazine and Chismville Rd, Hse #263, Fam #270
• 19. 1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 18 June, Prairie Township, District 7, page 18A, Hse #21, Fam #212
• 20. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 18 April, Prairie Township, Country Road, District 15, page 2A, Hse/Fam #18
• 21. Ancestry Trees
• 22. 1920 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 10 February, South Prairie Township, District 16, page 9A, Hse #158, Fam #167
• 23. Find a Grave Memorial Registry
  • Memorial #51961927, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=51961927
• 24. 1910 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 15 April, Prairie Township, District 18, page 1A, Hse/Fam #5
• 25. 1900 Federal Census, Arkansas County, Arkansas
  • 15 June, South Prairie Township, District 7, page 11B, Texas Ave, Hse #190, Fam #195