Martha Jane "Dovie" Blackmon was born in Alabama May 18, 1847, the older of two children of Reverend James Arthur Blackmon and Edith Mallory "Odie" Giddeon. (The other child is Simeon Isar Blackmon and he was born February 22, 1852 in Talladega County, Alabama.)
She lived in Coosa County more than 25 years before her death. She died at home on May 1, 1909 of chronic bronchitis complicated by emphysema, a 64-year-old widowed invalid. Her death certificate was signed by Dr. A. J. Peterson.
Dovie Blackmon was married twice. The first marriage was the William Adkin "Ad" Ashcraft. They were married on December 8, 1870 by Elijah Garrett in Talladega County, AL. The marriage license lists her name as "Missouri Blackman" (could be a mistaken transcription of "Miss Dovie"). Dovie and Ad had two children:
Daniel Bartlet Ashcraft
Mattie Edith Ashcraft Fulmer
Ad died after two years of marriage in 1872 at age 28 of appendicitis. Dovie lived with her father for a time before she married a second time, this time to a man 25 years her senior, James Washington "Wash" Smith who lived in front of Mt. Pleasant Church and Cemetery.
In the 1880 census, when Dovie was 35, she was a widow living in Talledega County, part of her father's household.
On May 1, 1881, Dovie married James W. "Wash" Smith. It is not known how these two met since one would have been in Talladega County and one in Coosa. It seems likely that John William Fulmer is the connection between them (Wash was his brother-in-law). Both John William Fulmer and James Blackmon, Dovid's father, were ministers.
Myrtle Ashcraft knew the situation well and said that Wash Smith was blind by the time he married Dovie. It sounds like this was marriage of convenience between a younger widow with of no means with two small children living with her aging father in Talladega County to an older man in Coosa County going blind but with a house and property, arranged by the local minister (John Fulmer) who married her to his brother-in-law who needed someone to look after him. It explains why the couple never had any children, even though at 36 Dovie was not beyond childbearing age at the time of her marriage to Wash Smith.
Myrtle recalls that Dovie and her son Dan and his wife Hattie and baby were living in the Smith House by Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and next door to a store owned by Rufus Smith. She also confirmed that when Wash died, he was buried with the Ashcrafts in one of the unmarked graves at Mt. Pleasant.
Wash died about 1899. Dovie continued to live in the Smith house until her death, per the situation described in Wash's Will, and was given land to farm and a mule named Lucy. He speaks foldly of her in his will as "my beloved wife" and specifies real estate for her "to have and to hold during her natural life." Her son grew up and married and the families continued to live together. In fact, Dan and Hattie Ashcraft are still found with the Smith family in the Smith house in the 1910 census, a year after Dovie's death.
Dovie died April 30, 1909, she was buried with her first and second husbands in another of the unmarked Ashcraft graves in Mt. Pleasant Cemetary in Hanover. According the Alice McElrath, Dovie's grave was just beyond Adkin's going toward the rear of the cemetery.
She lived in Coosa County more than 25 years before her death. She died at home on May 1, 1909 of chronic bronchitis complicated by emphysema, a 64-year-old widowed invalid. Her death certificate was signed by Dr. A. J. Peterson.
Dovie Blackmon was married twice. The first marriage was the William Adkin "Ad" Ashcraft. They were married on December 8, 1870 by Elijah Garrett in Talladega County, AL. The marriage license lists her name as "Missouri Blackman" (could be a mistaken transcription of "Miss Dovie"). Dovie and Ad had two children:
Daniel Bartlet Ashcraft
Mattie Edith Ashcraft Fulmer
Ad died after two years of marriage in 1872 at age 28 of appendicitis. Dovie lived with her father for a time before she married a second time, this time to a man 25 years her senior, James Washington "Wash" Smith who lived in front of Mt. Pleasant Church and Cemetery.
In the 1880 census, when Dovie was 35, she was a widow living in Talledega County, part of her father's household.
On May 1, 1881, Dovie married James W. "Wash" Smith. It is not known how these two met since one would have been in Talladega County and one in Coosa. It seems likely that John William Fulmer is the connection between them (Wash was his brother-in-law). Both John William Fulmer and James Blackmon, Dovid's father, were ministers.
Myrtle Ashcraft knew the situation well and said that Wash Smith was blind by the time he married Dovie. It sounds like this was marriage of convenience between a younger widow with of no means with two small children living with her aging father in Talladega County to an older man in Coosa County going blind but with a house and property, arranged by the local minister (John Fulmer) who married her to his brother-in-law who needed someone to look after him. It explains why the couple never had any children, even though at 36 Dovie was not beyond childbearing age at the time of her marriage to Wash Smith.
Myrtle recalls that Dovie and her son Dan and his wife Hattie and baby were living in the Smith House by Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and next door to a store owned by Rufus Smith. She also confirmed that when Wash died, he was buried with the Ashcrafts in one of the unmarked graves at Mt. Pleasant.
Wash died about 1899. Dovie continued to live in the Smith house until her death, per the situation described in Wash's Will, and was given land to farm and a mule named Lucy. He speaks foldly of her in his will as "my beloved wife" and specifies real estate for her "to have and to hold during her natural life." Her son grew up and married and the families continued to live together. In fact, Dan and Hattie Ashcraft are still found with the Smith family in the Smith house in the 1910 census, a year after Dovie's death.
Dovie died April 30, 1909, she was buried with her first and second husbands in another of the unmarked Ashcraft graves in Mt. Pleasant Cemetary in Hanover. According the Alice McElrath, Dovie's grave was just beyond Adkin's going toward the rear of the cemetery.
Martha Jane "Dovie" Blackmon was born in Alabama May 18, 1847, the older of two children of Reverend James Arthur Blackmon and Edith Mallory "Odie" Giddeon. (The other child is Simeon Isar Blackmon and he was born February 22, 1852 in Talladega County, Alabama.)
She lived in Coosa County more than 25 years before her death. She died at home on May 1, 1909 of chronic bronchitis complicated by emphysema, a 64-year-old widowed invalid. Her death certificate was signed by Dr. A. J. Peterson.
Dovie Blackmon was married twice. The first marriage was the William Adkin "Ad" Ashcraft. They were married on December 8, 1870 by Elijah Garrett in Talladega County, AL. The marriage license lists her name as "Missouri Blackman" (could be a mistaken transcription of "Miss Dovie"). Dovie and Ad had two children:
Daniel Bartlet Ashcraft
Mattie Edith Ashcraft Fulmer
Ad died after two years of marriage in 1872 at age 28 of appendicitis. Dovie lived with her father for a time before she married a second time, this time to a man 25 years her senior, James Washington "Wash" Smith who lived in front of Mt. Pleasant Church and Cemetery.
In the 1880 census, when Dovie was 35, she was a widow living in Talledega County, part of her father's household.
On May 1, 1881, Dovie married James W. "Wash" Smith. It is not known how these two met since one would have been in Talladega County and one in Coosa. It seems likely that John William Fulmer is the connection between them (Wash was his brother-in-law). Both John William Fulmer and James Blackmon, Dovid's father, were ministers.
Myrtle Ashcraft knew the situation well and said that Wash Smith was blind by the time he married Dovie. It sounds like this was marriage of convenience between a younger widow with of no means with two small children living with her aging father in Talladega County to an older man in Coosa County going blind but with a house and property, arranged by the local minister (John Fulmer) who married her to his brother-in-law who needed someone to look after him. It explains why the couple never had any children, even though at 36 Dovie was not beyond childbearing age at the time of her marriage to Wash Smith.
Myrtle recalls that Dovie and her son Dan and his wife Hattie and baby were living in the Smith House by Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and next door to a store owned by Rufus Smith. She also confirmed that when Wash died, he was buried with the Ashcrafts in one of the unmarked graves at Mt. Pleasant.
Wash died about 1899. Dovie continued to live in the Smith house until her death, per the situation described in Wash's Will, and was given land to farm and a mule named Lucy. He speaks foldly of her in his will as "my beloved wife" and specifies real estate for her "to have and to hold during her natural life." Her son grew up and married and the families continued to live together. In fact, Dan and Hattie Ashcraft are still found with the Smith family in the Smith house in the 1910 census, a year after Dovie's death.
Dovie died April 30, 1909, she was buried with her first and second husbands in another of the unmarked Ashcraft graves in Mt. Pleasant Cemetary in Hanover. According the Alice McElrath, Dovie's grave was just beyond Adkin's going toward the rear of the cemetery.
She lived in Coosa County more than 25 years before her death. She died at home on May 1, 1909 of chronic bronchitis complicated by emphysema, a 64-year-old widowed invalid. Her death certificate was signed by Dr. A. J. Peterson.
Dovie Blackmon was married twice. The first marriage was the William Adkin "Ad" Ashcraft. They were married on December 8, 1870 by Elijah Garrett in Talladega County, AL. The marriage license lists her name as "Missouri Blackman" (could be a mistaken transcription of "Miss Dovie"). Dovie and Ad had two children:
Daniel Bartlet Ashcraft
Mattie Edith Ashcraft Fulmer
Ad died after two years of marriage in 1872 at age 28 of appendicitis. Dovie lived with her father for a time before she married a second time, this time to a man 25 years her senior, James Washington "Wash" Smith who lived in front of Mt. Pleasant Church and Cemetery.
In the 1880 census, when Dovie was 35, she was a widow living in Talledega County, part of her father's household.
On May 1, 1881, Dovie married James W. "Wash" Smith. It is not known how these two met since one would have been in Talladega County and one in Coosa. It seems likely that John William Fulmer is the connection between them (Wash was his brother-in-law). Both John William Fulmer and James Blackmon, Dovid's father, were ministers.
Myrtle Ashcraft knew the situation well and said that Wash Smith was blind by the time he married Dovie. It sounds like this was marriage of convenience between a younger widow with of no means with two small children living with her aging father in Talladega County to an older man in Coosa County going blind but with a house and property, arranged by the local minister (John Fulmer) who married her to his brother-in-law who needed someone to look after him. It explains why the couple never had any children, even though at 36 Dovie was not beyond childbearing age at the time of her marriage to Wash Smith.
Myrtle recalls that Dovie and her son Dan and his wife Hattie and baby were living in the Smith House by Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and next door to a store owned by Rufus Smith. She also confirmed that when Wash died, he was buried with the Ashcrafts in one of the unmarked graves at Mt. Pleasant.
Wash died about 1899. Dovie continued to live in the Smith house until her death, per the situation described in Wash's Will, and was given land to farm and a mule named Lucy. He speaks foldly of her in his will as "my beloved wife" and specifies real estate for her "to have and to hold during her natural life." Her son grew up and married and the families continued to live together. In fact, Dan and Hattie Ashcraft are still found with the Smith family in the Smith house in the 1910 census, a year after Dovie's death.
Dovie died April 30, 1909, she was buried with her first and second husbands in another of the unmarked Ashcraft graves in Mt. Pleasant Cemetary in Hanover. According the Alice McElrath, Dovie's grave was just beyond Adkin's going toward the rear of the cemetery.
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See more Ashcraft Smith or Blackmon memorials in:
- Mount Pleasant Cemetery Ashcraft Smith or Blackmon
- Coosa County Ashcraft Smith or Blackmon
- Alabama Ashcraft Smith or Blackmon
- USA Ashcraft Smith or Blackmon
- Find a Grave Ashcraft Smith or Blackmon
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