Mariah Langston was my 3-x great-grandmother. She was born February 25, 1833[1] in Sevier County, Tennessee[2]. She married Monteville Roberts July 18, 1852 in Bradley County, Tennessee2. They lived in Hamilton County, Tennessee[3], just across the Georgia state line during their early marriage.
Mariah is one of my heroes from my family tree. When her husband was away, fighting in the Civil War, their home and family businesses (grist mill, blacksmith shop, etc.) were burned to the ground by the Yankees. Mariah gathered up the few belongings that remained and walked with her six children – ranging in age from 2 to 12 – to Spring Place, Murray County, Georgia. Fighting was hot in Northwest Georgia at that time, so enemy soldiers would have been everywhere. Family legend says that Mariah got a wagon-ride with a Union soldier by flashing him a secret Mason signal[4] – Monteville was a Freemason and Mariah was in the Order of the Eastern Star (see the symbol inscribed at the top of her tombstone).
Mariah resided in Spring Place until at least 19072. She is pictured in the Roberts Family Reunion photograph that I posted here, standing next to the left porch column, wearing a black hat and scarf[5]. She appears on the 1910 census twice, living with two different grandsons.[6] and [7] She died April 19, 19161 at the age of 83 and is buried at Spring Place Cemetery1.
[1] Spring Place Cemetery, (Spring Place, Murray County, Georgia), Mariah Roberts monumental inscription, personally photographed by Tonia Kendrick, 27 Dec 2007.
[2] “Georgia, Confederate Pension Applications, 1879-1960”; online database and digital images, Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com, (www.ancestry.com), entry for Mariah Roberts, widow of Monteville Roberts,”29th Tennessee Inf., Co. A, 1901 Indigent Widow.” accessed 15 Feb 2009.
[3] 1860 U.S. census, Hamilton County, Tennessee population schedule; digital images, Ancestry.com; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm M653, (http://www.ancestry.com), Roll M653_1253, population schedule, District 6, p. 47 (penned), dwelling 329, family 331, Mariah Roberts; accessed 31 Dec 2007.
[4] “Descendents of John M. Roberts,” supplied 2008 by Mosteller; photocopy supplied by D. H. Davis., B. Mosteller, 3 (Reliability: 1), 02 Nov 2008.
[5] G. Cochran [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE,] to Tonia Kendrick, e-mail; privately held by Kendrick, [(E-ADDRESS) FOR PRIVATE USE,], 14 Mar 2009, “Comments”; (Reliability: 2), 25 Jul 2009.
[6] 1910 U.S. census, Whitfield County, Georgia population schedule; digital images, Ancestry.com; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624., (http://www.ancestry.com), roll T624_220; population schedule, Dalton, enumeration district (ED) 155, sheet 12 A, dwelling 233, Mariah Roberts; accessed 30 Dec 2008.
[7] 1910 U.S. census, Murray County, Georgia population schedule; digital images, Ancestry.com; citing National Archives and Records Administration microfilm T624, (http://www.ancestry.com), roll T624_205; population schedule, Bull Pen District, enumeration district (ED) 111, sheet 1 A, dwelling 3, Mariah Roberts; accessed 29 Dec 2008.
