Son John say's Margaret never married again and came to Arkansas with him in 1849 and lived with the family till she died in 1857.

Cannon Co. Minutes Book dated:  June 6, 1836, Woodbury, Cannon Co., TN states: 

On motion, Archalous Prater, about 70 years of age, personally appeared in open court and made oath that he was acquainted with Joel Mears and in his lifetime and that Margaret, (formerly Margaret ESTES) a deponet further states that on about the 30th Sept. 1827 he being an authorized minister of the Gospel married the said Margaret to the said Joel, and states that sometime in the latter part of the year 1835 the said Joel Mears deceased in Warren Co, TN.  Joel Mears died December 21, 1835.

Malinda probably came west to Arkansas with the rest of the Estes clan in 1849 as the 1850 census shows a son James born in Tennessee in 1847 and David born in Arkansas in 1850.  She was living with one of her nephews James in 1893 at the time she was 85 years old.  She was in her mid 90 when she died.