Sometime in 1874, widow Elizabeth "married" John Thomas Sizemore (18 years her junior) and she bore him two daughters - Jesse Maybelle in 1875 and Mittie Eudora in 1878. In the 1880 Census they were living as a family next to her father Isaac West Walker. On 25 April 1882 when Irvin's will was finalized, Elizabeth was still using the name Sizemore.
Sometime before 3 Oct 1883, when she bought 1/2 acre in Greenville, John Thomas Sizemore had disappeared and she was now using the name Rowe, as were Belle and Mittie. On Mittie's death certificate her oldest son Fred listed her parents as: John Rowe and Elizabeth Walker.
South Carolina had no law requiring marriage licenses or registration until 1 Jul 1911. Prior to then, marriages were legal if performed according to canonical law or by common law. Many churches recorded marriages but the number of documented marriages was small. Newspaper accounts of marriages from 1732 to the present are a primary source of marriage documentation in SC. Many people who were married by a preacher or by common law would just break up later, thinking that their separation ended the marriage. Until 1949, divorce was illegal in SC.
Marriage settlements made by a widow and her second husband to protect the heirs of her first husband were popular for a while. These records date from about 1760 to about 1890 and are found in county conveyance books.
Sometime in 1874, widow Elizabeth "married" John Thomas Sizemore (18 years her junior) and she bore him two daughters - Jesse Maybelle in 1875 and Mittie Eudora in 1878. In the 1880 Census they were living as a family next to her father Isaac West Walker. On 25 April 1882 when Irvin's will was finalized, Elizabeth was still using the name Sizemore.
Sometime before 3 Oct 1883, when she bought 1/2 acre in Greenville, John Thomas Sizemore had disappeared and she was now using the name Rowe, as were Belle and Mittie. On Mittie's death certificate her oldest son Fred listed her parents as: John Rowe and Elizabeth Walker.
South Carolina had no law requiring marriage licenses or registration until 1 Jul 1911. Prior to then, marriages were legal if performed according to canonical law or by common law. Many churches recorded marriages but the number of documented marriages was small. Newspaper accounts of marriages from 1732 to the present are a primary source of marriage documentation in SC. Many people who were married by a preacher or by common law would just break up later, thinking that their separation ended the marriage. Until 1949, divorce was illegal in SC.
Marriage settlements made by a widow and her second husband to protect the heirs of her first husband were popular for a while. These records date from about 1760 to about 1890 and are found in county conveyance books.
Family Members
See more Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe memorials in:
- Inglewood Park Cemetery Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe
- Inglewood Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe
- Los Angeles County Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe
- California Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe
- USA Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe
- Find a Grave Ballenger or Sizemore / Rowe