Surnames: ELLIS, STARNES, WEEKS, GRAVES, McGINTY, LOVINGOOD KILBY, possibly JAMES or VAUGHN: Others associated: WINKLER? I am looking for the information on the first wife of my great-great grandfather James F. ELLIS, b. 1824-1826 Iredell Co., NC. d. 1883 Cherokee Co., NC. He is the son of Allen ELLIS b. abt 1796-1798 Iredella Co. (son of Joshua who was son of Samuel of Iredell Co., NC) and Laurana WEEKS b. 1800 Rutherford Co., NC d. unk.; d/o Elisha WEEKS (b. 1767 NC d. aft 1860 MS) and Anna ?. In the 1850 Cherokee Co Census it shows him to be 27 and living with his family and siblings; Joshua 21, Theophilus 17 and Jasper A.. (Prior to this in the 1840 it noted Allen Ellis with 5 males/4 females), so I don't know what happened to the others. It also shows in 1840 two WEEKS children living with them; Berton 20 and Martha 15. In the 1860 Cherokee Co Census it shows James to be 39 and living in the household of Wm. and Anna (McGINTY) GRAVES with an ELLIS child, Jasper 7 mos old. Others living in the household were; Jane 25 (assuming this is Martha Jane STARNES, daughter from Anna McGINTY's first marriage to Ira STARNES); John 20, Caroline 18, Emeline 16, Matilda 13, Wm 7, Eliza 5, Jas 6, Pheby 5 and Samuel 10 mos of age (am told that Martha James (Jas?) Pheby and Samuel were Martha's children). It appears that somewhere after 1850 and before 1860 James F. ELLIS married someone, but who? It does not list him in the 1860 Census as having a wife with him and his son Jasper (Wm. Jasper). After 1860 he had other children but I have not been able to locate him on the 1870 Census for Cherokee Co. His children born prior to 1870 are; William Jasper (same child in 1850 census) b. abt 1859 Winnie C. b. abt 1860-1861 Emeline b. abt 1865-1866 John A. (my g-grandfather) b. 17 Aug 1866 NC d. 1955 TN Louisa b. abt 1867-1868 Are there other counties nearby that he may have gone to and been when the 1870 Census was taken......TN maybe?, then returning to Cherokee Co. by 1871.? On the 1870 Census for Cherokee County it show Martha's son Samuel as living in the household of Benjamin and Clarinda nee BATES LOVINGOOD, as being 10 yoa, and by 1880 he had changed his name to LOVINGOOD. It shows James as living with his grandparents, Wm. and Anna GRAVES. I do not know what happened to Martha's daughter. On 4 August 1871, James F. ELLIS married Martha Jane STARNES in Cherokee County. In the 1880 Cherokee Co. Census it shows James and Martha and the children noted above of James'. Her own children were not living with them. So, to finalize this, I guess I'm looking for a marriage (maybe two) after 1858 and before 1871. Down through the years I had been told that John A. ELLIS'S mother's name was Martha JAMES, but most often heard was Martha VAUGHN. I'm just wondering if they misunderstood the name since Martha Jane is so close to Martha JAMES. The descendants of John would not have known John's real mother as she had died prior to John A. ever having children. John A. ELLIS married Cordelia KILBY in Cherokee Co., NC. She was born 1865 somewhere in GA (death certificates says GA) and d. 1910 in Rafter, Monroe Co., TN. They had several children in Cherokee County before leaving and moving over to Monroe County. In the 1910 Census I have John A. with his children, and Martha (which it says Mother-In-Law) but am assumung his step-mother Martha Jane STARNES ELLIS as the age is the right for her. Cordelia KILBY we're told was married before John A. to a ? WINKLER, had two children; a daughter ? and a son Arthur b. 1886. Her husband supposedly left her, took the daughter and left the son. She and John A. did not have children until 1890 when Fonds Allen was born. I do not have a marriage date for John A. ELLIS and Cordelia KILBY, but it would have been after 1886 and before 1889-90, supposedly in Cherokee County, NC. I have absolutely no information on Cordelia and her family and would very much like to. I thank you all for any help you can shed on this family. Linda Spivey-Bjorklund <[email protected]> 2217 Miller St. Baker City, Oregon