Mary Ellen Cheek
of Alleghany County, NC
Mary Ellen Cheek, daughter of Henderson CHEEK & Lucy BRYAN, was born Oct. 13, 1857, in Ashe Co., NC, and died Jan. 26, 1941, in Alleghany Co., NC. She married (1) John C. Edwards, son of Center J. EDWARDS & Mary J. CHOATE, Nov. 19, 1876, in Alleghany Co., NC. He was born July 21, 1853, in Ashe Co., NC, and died Feb. 20, 1890, in Alleghany Co., NC. She married (2) Hiram S. Edwards, son of Berry EDWARDS, Sr., & Ruth DAVIS, Jan. 1, 1891, in Alleghany Co., NC. He was born Feb. 2, 1838, in Ashe Co., NC, and died July 3, 1909, in Alleghany Co., NC. Mary Ellen, John C., and Hiram S. Edwards are buried in the Center Edwards Cemetery, located off Hwy. 21 near Sparta, Alleghany Co., NC.
Child of Mary Ellen Cheek & John C. Edwards:
- Rufus Center Edwards, b. Oct. 29, 1877, Alleghany Co., NC; d. May 14, 1958, Alleghany Co., NC; m. Laura Etta RICHARDSON, daughter of Henry R. RICHARDSON & Nancy Cornelia CHOATE, Nov. 7, 1894, Alleghany Co., NC (b. Jan. 3, 1878; d. Jan. 5, 1906); bur. Center Edwards Cemetery, Alleghany Co., NC. Children: Hattie Mae Edwards (1895), John Robert Edwards (1896), Hiram Odell Edwards (1898), William Bryan Edwards (1900), Grace Ellen Edwards (1904), infant (1905).
Children of Mary Ellen Cheek & Hiram S. Edwards:
- Maude Emeline Edwards, b. 1891, d. 1893; bur. Center Edwards Cemetery, Alleghany Co., NC.
- Infant Edwards, b. 1897.
Notes
Mary Ellen Cheek married her first husband John C. EDWARDS on Nov. 19, 1876, in Alleghany Co., NC, when she was 19 and he was 23. (See G.H. Latham, Alleghany County Marriages (Heritage Books, 1996).) They were 2nd cousins once removed. Mary Ellen and John C. Edwards had one son, Rufus Center Edwards, in 1877. John C. Edwards died in 1890 and Mary Ellen remarried to her 2nd cousin Hiram S. Edwards, who was John C. Edwards' uncle. She and Hiram had 2 children, but both died in infancy.
Census listings for Mary Ellen:
- 1880 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp. (HH#166):
JOHN EDWARDS, 27, farmer, NC NC NC - -- Ellen, 22, wife, NC NC NC
- -- Rufus, 2, son, NC NC NC
- BLEVINS, Mary, 12, servant, NC NC NC
- 1900 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp.
(HH#284):
ELLEN EDWARDS, Oct. 1857, age 42, m. 25 yrs, 3 children/2 living, NC NC NC, farmer - -- Laina[?], son, Dec. 1887, age 12, NC NC NC
- -- Ellis L., son, Feb. 1890, age 10, NC NC NC
Note: Laina and Ellis L. Edwards were Mary Ellen's stepsons.
1910 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp., p.20
(Rufus C. Edwards, HH#33):
Mary E. EDWARDS, mother, 52, wd, NC NC NC
1920 Census, Alleghany Co., NC, Gap Civil Twp., p.12
(Rufus C. Edwards, HH#203):
Mary E. EDWARDS, mother, 62, wd, NC NC NC
Death Certificate: MARY ELLEN EDWARDS, age 83, b. Oct. 1857, Alleghany Co., NC; d. 26 Jan. 1941, Sparta, Alleghany Co., NC; father: Henderson CHEEK; mother: Lucie BRYANT; burial: Edwards Cemetery, Sparta, NC. (Ancestry.com)