52 Ancestors: Week 2 "Challenge": Mary Nevins

I have not been able to identify any relatives of my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins, other than her husband and children. I know that she was born in Ireland in the 1830s and was in the Davidson County, Tennessee by January 1855, when she married my 3rd-great-grandfather William Dow Gatlin.

I don't know whether she immigrated to the United States with other family members. I searched for others in the Nashville area with the surname Nevins, and found Robert F. Nevins, a grocer. He turned out to have been born in Tennessee about 1830. He couldn't have been Mary's brother.

I found a death certificate for Alexander Nevins, son of Joseph Nevins and Mary Haley born 21 December 1832 in Ireland. He died in Nashville on 8 April 1922 at the Little Sisters of the Poor home. However, he had previously been in the National Soldiers Home in Washington County, Tennessee. He had previously lived in North Carolina. He had initially enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1857 in Boston Massachusetts. I have not found any evidence that he and Mary were related.

The names of Mary's sons may provide clues. My 2nd-great-grandfather was named John William Morton Gatlin (but was usually known just as William Morton Gatlin or William M. Gatlin.) His paternal grandfather was John McNairy Gatlin. His father was William Dow Gatlin and his great-grandfather (his paternal grandmother's father) was William Gower. Perhaps the name Morton came from Mary's side of the family. Another son was named Clarence Bateman Gatlin. I do not know of anyone (family, friends, or famous people) that he could have been named after. These names also may have come from Mary's side of the family.

Mary died on 9 September 1888. Her death was recorded in the Davidson County, Tennessee death register, but parents' names were not recorded then. Researching Mary has definitely been a challenge. Hopefully I will eventually break down this brick wall.

Wednesday's Child: Mary Nevins Gatlin

Mary Nevins Gatlin was born on 30 May 1895 in Nashville, Tennessee. She was the daughter of my 2nd-great-grandfather's brother Clarence Bateman Gatlin and Ella Lee. She was named after her paternal grandmother, my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins.

Nashville, Tennessee city birth records, May 30-31, 1895. Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Birth Records, 1881-1915 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: City Birth Records. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Mary died on 13 April 1900, a month and a half before her fifth birthday.

Nashville American, 14 April 1900, page 2

Nashville American, 17 April 1900, page 3

Clarence's brother-in-law John Bailey came from Bowling Green, Kentucky for the funeral. His wife, Clarence's sister Lillie May (Gatlin) Bailey, and their daughter Mary Elizabeth Bailey probably came with him.

Nashville American, 19 April 1900, page 3

Surname Saturday: Nevins

According to the Internet Surname Database, the surname Nevins is of Gaelic origin and is found in both Scotland and Ireland. Variant forms of the name are Nevin, Niven, McNiven, McNevin, and Nevinson. The surname may originate from the Gaelic personal name Naoimhin ("little saint"). It could also come from the name MacCnaimhin. Cnahm means "bone."

My 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins was born in Ireland about 1835-1837. She married William Dow Gatlin in Davidson County, Tennessee on 3 January 1855. Mary died on 9 September 1888. I have not yet been able to find out more about her ancestry.

St. Patrick's Day

Since today is St. Patrick's Day, I am posting newspaper items from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that were published on St. Patrick's Day between 1851 and 1870. My 4th-great-grandparents Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet and their children arrived in New York in 1849 and settled in Brooklyn. Their son John, my 3rd-great-grandfather, left Brooklyn (he was in Tonawanda, New York by 1859), but Hugh and other members of the family remained in Brooklyn. They had come from Leith, Scotland, but Hugh was born in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland, and Mary was also born in Ireland.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1851, page 3

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1860, page 2

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1865, page 2

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 17 March 1870, page 13

Other Irish ancestors of mine are Anna "Ann" Walker and her mother Ann, Mary Nevins, and Michael Dyer (from County Roscommon) and his wife Mary.

52 Ancestors: #41 Mary Nevins

Since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, it is a good time to write about my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins. Mary was born in Ireland, about 1835-1837. She was in the United States by January 1855; she and William Dow Gatlin obtained a marriage license in Davidson County, Tennessee on 2 January 1855, and were married by Rev. C. C. Mayhew on 3 January 1855.

Davidson County, Tennessee Original Marriage Bonds. William D. Gatlin to Mary Nevins. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

Davidson County, Tennessee Marriage License. William D. Gatlin to Mary Nevins. Nashville, Tennessee: Metropolitan Government Archives.

William and Mary's first child, their daughter Mary Florence Gatlin, was born about 1857. Their next child, my great-great-grandfather John William Morton Gatlin, was born on 23 October 1859 in Nashville, Tennessee. (He is listed as John W M Gatlin in the 1860 United States census; subsequent records list him as William M. Gatlin, William Morton Gatlin, or William Gatlin.) Another son, Clarence Bateman Gatlin, was born in Nashville on 23 December 1862. Their daughter Ida Lee Gatlin was born about 1864. Their son Lee Gatlin was born in December 1867, but died on 7 October 1868. Two more daughters were born: Lillie May Gatlin on 10 November 1868, and Mattie Gertrude Gatlin in February 1870.

In 1874, Mary's husband William was tried for murder. Samuel Haslam had been a boarder in the family's home. It is likely that he and Mary were having an affair. At the very least, he was a good friend to her at a time when she needed one. An article from the Nashville Union and American, 15 September 1874, indicates that Mary was abused by her husband and that Samuel Haslam was going to go with Mary to file for divorce.

 Nashville Union and American, 15 September 1874. Available from Chronicling America.

Nashville Union and American, 15 September 1874. Available from Chronicling America.

Nashville Union and American, 15 September 1874. Available from Chronicling America.

Mary had been hit and kicked by her husband. The next morning, William and Mary's son Clarence found Samuel Haslam lying in a pool of blood. He had been struck with an ax. Clarence ran to get his mother. Mary found her friend and probable lover bleeding to death. She tried to get him to tell her what had happened, but he could not speak, and he died shortly afterward.

William was acquitted due to insufficient evidence, but I believe that he was guilty. He had means, motive, and opportunity.

Mary remained married to her husband for the rest of her life. She was listed as head of household in the 1877 and 1878 Nashville city directories; in 1878, she was listed as widowed. I do not know where William was for those two years. Knowing what he was capable of, I would not be surprised if he was in prison for another crime.

 

Directory of Nashville, Edgefield, and Adjacent Towns in Tennessee, for 1877. Compiled by T. M. Haddock. Nashville, Tennessee: Tavel, Eastman & Howell. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Note: William Gatlin, bookbinder, is Mary's son (my great-great-grandfather). Mary's husband William was a brick mason.

Nashville and Edgefield City Directory for 1878. Nashville, Tennessee: Tavel, Eastman & Howell. Available from Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.

By 1879, William was once again listed in the Nashville city directory, and the entire family was enumerated together in the 1880 United States census. Mary was probably too afraid to try to leave her husband again, knowing that he had committed murder and had gotten away with it. She may have feared that she would end up like Samuel.

Mary suffered another loss in May 1881, when her daughter Florence died in the 24th year of her age. On 9 September 1888, Mary died of dysentery. Only in death could she escape her husband. She was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. When her husband died, he was buried beside her. Their graves are unmarked.

Mary Gatlin death record, 1888. Tennessee State Library and Archives; Nashville, Tennessee; Tennessee Death Records, 1908-1959; Roll #: M-2. Available from Ancestry.com. Tennessee, City Death Records, 1872-1923 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

 

Daily American, 10 September 1888

52 Ancestors: #5 William Dow Gatlin, Ax Murderer

In 2007, I took a research trip to Nashville, Tennessee. While I was there, I visited the nearby Williamson County Archives in Franklin, Tennessee. I came across the book Obituaries from Tennessee Newspapers, compiled by Jill L. Garrett (Greenville, South Carolina: Southern Historical Press, 1995). I checked the index and found that William Gatlin was mentioned on page 159. I found the following entry:

HASLAM. The body of Samuel Haslam, 25, stonecutter, has been found horribly mutilated. William Gatlin, 45, bricklayer, has been arrested for the crime. (Nashville Union and American, 15 Sept. 1874.)

I had been expecting to find a death notice, not an arrest for murder! The description fit my 3rd-great-grandfather William Dow Gatlin, born 27 April 1927 in Davidson County, Tennessee, son of John McNairy Gatlin and Margaret "Peggy" Gower, and grandson of Methodist preacher William Gower. I needed to find that newspaper article. The next day I went to the Tennessee State Library and Archives in Nashville. I looked at the Nashville Union and American on microfilm and found the article and two shorter follow-up items. The accused was definitely my 3rd-great-grandfather!

Samuel Haslam had been a boarder in the home of the Gatlin family. He had allegedly been having an affair with my 3rd-great-grandmother Mary (Nevins) Gatlin, who William had married on 3 January 1855 in Davidson County, Tennessee. William came home and found Mary sleeping in Samuel's room, and they got into a physical fight. Mary intended to file for divorce, and she asked Samuel to accompany her. At 4:00 AM on Sunday, William and Mary's son Clarence found Samuel lying in a pool of blood, and he ran to get his mother. Mary reached Samuel just before he died, but he was unable to speak. Samuel had been struck by an ax. William was arrested that night at the home of his cousin William Gower. When he was asked if he knew why he was being arrested, he said "I suppose it is for murder." (Nashville Union and American, 15 September 1874, p. 4.)

William was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. However, based on what I read about the case, I believe that he got away with murder.

William and Mary remained married until her death on 9 September 1888. They were apart for a little while after the murder trial, though; Mary is listed as a widow in the 1877 and 1878 Nashville city directories, but by 1879, William was once again listed in the Nashville city directory, and the 1880 United States census shows that he and Mary were in the same household. I wonder if William may have spent time in prison for something else. His children, brother, and widowed mother were all in Nashville; I can't think of any other reason that he would have left the area, and he did return.

William died on 4 March 1911 in Nashville. He and Mary are buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, in Sec. 1C Lot South Port 328. I visited their gravesite when I was in Nashville; it is unmarked.

The articles from the Nashville Union and American that I viewed on microfilm are now available online through Chronicling America:

Nashville Union and American, 15 September 1874, image 4
Nashville Union and American, 19 September 1874, image 4
Nashville Union and American, 20 September 1874, image 4

An article from the Nashville Republican Banner is also available online:
Nashville Republican Banner, 13 September 1874

Irish Ancestors

Since it's St. Patrick's Day, it seemed an appropriate time to write about my Irish ancestors.

My 3rd-great-grandmother Mary Nevins was born about 1835 in Ireland. By 1855 she was in Davidson County, Tennessee, where she married William Dow Gatlin. Mary had a very difficult life. She probably left Ireland because of the famine, and her marriage was not a happy one. Her husband physically abused her. She became close to a boarder in the family home, Samuel Haslam, and they had an affair. He was going to help her divorce her husband, but then he was murdered in their home, killed with an ax. William Dow Gatlin was tried for murder but was acquitted due to insufficient evidence. However, based on the newspaper articles, he sounded very guilty, and he had motive and opportunity. Mary remained married to him. Her oldest daughter Florence passed away in 1881 at age 24, which must have been a difficult loss for her. Mary died on September 9, 1888 in Nashville, Tennessee.

My 3rd-great-grandparents Michael and Mary Dyer were also born in Ireland. Michael was born about 1830, and Mary was probably born about 1835 (she kept getting younger in records as the years passed!) By 1860 they were living in St. Louis, Missouri, and by 1863 they were in Nashville, Tennessee. Michael had passed away by 1870. The family ran a saloon in Nashville. Mary married John Cox in 1871, and by 1880 she was widowed again, and raising seven children on her own. Mary died on November 10, 1906 in Nashville, Tennessee.

My 4th-great-grandparents Hugh Winters and Mary Bennet were both born in Ireland. Hugh was born about 1810, and Mary was born about 1814. By January 1831 they were in Leith (now part of Edinburgh), Midlothian, Scotland, where they married. Mary’s father, Peter Bennet, was living in Airdrie, Scotland at that time. Hugh was a clothes broker and fireman. Their son John Bennet Winters (my 3rd-great-grandfather) was living in Tonawanda, Erie County, New York by 1859, where he married Anna “Ann” Walker, who was born on February 28, 1842 in Ireland. They moved to Chicago, Illinois in the mid-1860s. Only one of their children lived to adulthood. Two infants lived for 2-3 weeks, and another child died at age 3. Ann died in Illinois on September 19, 1872.