In a message dated 8/10/00 2:00:36 AM Central Daylight Time, ARYELL-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: > I am searching the McArthur line from GA->AL->Perry/Conway County AR. > Mable McArthur's mother was Mollie Mary Ellen Harper. Her father was John > Harper and his wife was Jimia Brazell. > This is mostly theory. I have one census record with Mollie's name on it. > I have acquired a Family group sheet for Peggy Blazer's line with some of the > above names on it. I am hoping ya'll can either prove or disprove a theory I > have about Mollie. <snip> > ***Could the Mary Emma Harper be Mollie Mary Ellen Harper? Could Mollie's > name be Mary Ellen "Mollie" Harper? > Mollie was born in 1878 the same year as Mary Emma. I also think it is > strange that Mary Emma and Missouri married the same man. Missouri died in > 1947. I realize that men married sisters of their wives but I thought that > was only when the first wife died. It does not sound reasonable to me that > if > Daniel and Missouri got a divorce that he would marry her sister. > > If you know of someone else that might give me a clue please pass this on. > Mollie or Polly is/was nicknames for Mary. Not only did sisters marry the same man after the death of one, but sibling rivalry was as rampant in past years as now. There were cases where divorces happened and ex-in-laws married. There have also been cases where one (cuter, smaller, more personable - who knows why or how) sister actually "stole" a sister's husband during a period of stress in the marriage. This resulted in a divorce and remarriage. While it was not a common occurrance, it did happen. Don't discount the truth of a pedigree because of that happening. I know of at least one situation where a woman married, husband died, she went back home with her babies to keep house for her half-brother and ended up marrying him. Many strange things happened in times past that we today cannot understand or even picture happening to ourselves. Don't forget that most women were really completely under the dominence and dependent on the males of their families even up through the midway mark of the 20th Century. I hope this helps in interpreting your family tree. Maryann Dixon Moseby