Mary E. Tilson was the oldest daughter, and second of seven children born to Zachary Taylor Beachum (1854-1926) and his wife Emeline Amanda "Emma" Steen (1858-1937). Her paternal grandparents were Jeremiah W. Beachum & his wife Mary Jane Taylor of Anson County, NC, and her maternal grandparents were Joseph Steen & Elizabeth Ann Taylor of Chesterfield Co., SC. Mary was born in Anson County, NC, but her family moved to South Carolina when she was a small child.

While I've only ever seen her name written as "Mary E." I feel pretty confident that she was named Mary Elizabeth, in honor of both her grandmothers... who also happened to be sisters. (Her parents were cousins, which wasn't an unusual thing in those days.)

Mary married William Allen Tilson (c. 1870-28 Aug. 1920), a veteran of the Spanish American War, around 1899. While William told the census taker in 1900 that he was born in Jan. 1870, his tombstone says he was born 9 Feb. 1871, and his death cert. says born 13 Jan. 1880! I believe he was either born in Dec. 1869 or Jan. 1870, in Cherokee Co., NC or Union Co., Georgia. I am still working on that.

Mary and William were living in Laurens County, SC in 1900, and in Scotland Co., NC in 1910. By 1920, they'd moved to Petersburg, Virginia, and William died that year. He was buried at Blandford Church, Petersburg, Va. In 1930, Mary was living in Hopewell, Virgina, and she was suprevisor of a silk mill. By 1940, she'd remarried to James Robert Justice (1866-1951), another Spanish American War veteran. I've just discovered this, and discovered that she's buried with him at City Point Cemetery, Hopewell, Virginia.

The children of William A. Tilson and Mary E. Beachum were:

1. Eva Clara Tilson (1 April 1905-11 April 1984) m. Bernard H. Prosise, She was born in Laurens Co., SC, lived at Washington D. C., died at Miami, Florida, and was buried at Blandford Church, Petersburg, Virginia,
Find A Grave # 73743874

2. William Earl Tilson (c.1907/8-?) He's the only one I haven't found any information on yet. He was still living with his mother and siblings in 1930.

3. Carl C. or T. Tilson (7 June 1913-17 Nov. 1999) born in Laurinburg, Scotland County, NC, died in McKenny, Dinwiddie County, Virginia. He married Sara Margaret Clark (10 June 1919-25 May 1996, daughter of John M. Clark & Sallie E. Willis). They're buried at Mansons Methodist Church, McKenny, Dinwiddie Co., VA,
Find A Grave # 24551731

4. Mary Evelyn Tilson 10 (9 January 1920-5 Jan. 1999). married Oscar William Sanker, Jr. (11 Sept. 1916-21 July 1972). They lived at Arlington, Virginia, and are buried Columbia Gardens Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia,
Find A Grave # 83954847

I would be most grateful to anyone who could give me any information on Cousin Mary and her family.

Update: 12 Sept. '15: Having just discovered Cousin Mary's second husband and where she's buried, I find there's already a memorial for her in this cemetery. However, since mine had a lot more detail (that I worked on for a long time), I don't want to delete it. The other memorial is Find A Grave # 3073323