Tom, I have the 1885 Memphis City directory, also, the History of the Yellow Fever, 1878. I looked for all those names,and came up with nothing. In the History, it even list other cities and states. I will keep an eye out for you, as the yellow fever epidemic is my main focus too. You might also check our library web site....memphislibrary.lib.tn.us. They have a death index on there that goes way back. Bobbie in Memphis -----Original Message----- From: Tom Robertson <kf6dav@home.com> To: TNSHELBY-L@rootsweb.com <TNSHELBY-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Monday, November 09, 1998 5:59 PM Subject: Annie Laura Lincoln >Hi fellow searchers -- > >Of all my lines, this one is the shortest, leaving me more than a little >frustrated. The really bad thing is that some of the information I have >might be bogus. > >After the Civil War, a minister (and Confederate veteran) and his wife, >Chappel and Mary Averett (the spelling varies), moved from Lunenburg >County, VA, to Memphis, TN, to serve some religious function. They're >listed in the 1870 census for Shelby County, TN. > >Supposedly, my great-grandmother, Annie Laura Lyncoln (her spelling) was >born on in Memphis on 25 Dec 1867 (a suspicious date if I ever saw >one!). Then, during the centennial (or more likely, in 1878), a major >epidemic of yellow fever swept Memphis, leaving Annie Laura an orphan. > >She was taken in (adopted?) by the Averetts, who brought her back with >them when they returned to Lunenburg County, VA, a few years later. > >On 23 Apr 1884, when she was 16, the Averetts married her to Albert >Hatcher Keeton, also of Lunenburg County, who was almost 30. On her >marriage license she listed her name as Annie Laura Averett Lyncoln. It >is said that, after the ceremony, Chappell Averett burned Annie Laura's >"adoption papers," saying they would no longer be needed. > >As one might expect, the marriage was not a happy one. In later years, >Annie Laura went to live with her son in Florida, where she died in 1923 >of cancer. Albert lived until 1932, and was buried in Farmville, VA. > >I would appreciate any information that anyone can send me. This is a >sad story and I'd like to know more about this ancestor's background. >Incidentally, she's the only ancestor I've uncovered who wasn't born in >Virginia (except for a couple of colonial immigrants). It seems that my >people came over here and pretty much dug in where ever they landed -- >at least, until my generation. > >Tom Robertson >Escondido, CA >