Margaret A. Wadkins

  General Notes:

There is some discrenpancy about Margaret and the names that I found with her. The following are examples of some of the confusing info I have on her:

Marriages from White County, IL Vol. 2, 1881-1900 by Vaught, p. 154 for her son George W. Terrell shows that his mother's name is M. Wadkins. When I obtained a photo of her, the name that was listed on the back of it with a brief ancestral tree drawing is Margaret Wadkins. Family stories tell that Margaret was a full blooded Cherokee Indian and that as far as anyone knew, her name was Margaret Wadkins.

Illinois Marriage Record Index, Saline County, Vol. A-1 page 47 also shows a marriage record on July 24, 1881 of Margaret A. Trim Murray to Houston Terrell. I have a problem matching this marriage date in Saline Co, as it is over 20 years after she first appears with Houston in the 1860 Census. I find it hard to believe that 8 children were born to the family before the marriage took place. Also, the 1880 Saline Co, IL Census no longer shows Margaret listed in the household and this would be a big disproving factor of this marriage date belonging to my Houston Terrell/Margaret ???.

Wayne County Illinois Marriage record of dau. Alice Terrell on Jan 17, 1891 to Ellsworth Redfern shows mothers name listed as Maggie Murphy. I've noticed the similarity in the names (e.g. Margaret A. Murray, and Maggie Murphy)

Margaret and the family lived in Wayne Co., IL , Saline Co., IL. , and White Co., IL. and thats where my confusion comes in at. When I researched the different names back to the earliest location on the the 1850 Wayne Co., IL census rolls to find a female approximately 8 years old named Margaret, I don't find any listings at all for Wadkins. There are no matching females listed under Murray, however there is both a M.A. Murphy (female, age 10) and M. Murphy (female, age 7) on p. 210 under David Murphy.

Recent email from Ron Adams (crystalraven7@yahoo.com) advised that Ezekiel Terrell's spouse was named Nancy Watkins and her mother's maiden name was Murphy. He also advised that her mothers parents were David Murphy and Lucinda Conn. Could this be a connection to Margaret Wadkins (possibly a sister to Nancy)?

1850 Wayne Co., IL Census
pg 210 Enumerated Sept. 2, 1850
380 380

David Murphy 40 M Farmer 2000 KY
L. Murphy 38 F KY
William Murphy 20 M Farmer KY
Elizabeth Murphy 18 F IL
John Murphy 16 M Farmer IL
C. Murphy 14 M IL
N M Murphy 12 F IL
M A Murphy 10 F IL
M Murphy 7 F IL
David Murphy 4 M IL
Rhoda Murphy 1 F IL

Margaret married Houston Terrell, son of Richard Terrell and Sarah Holloway, on 24 Jul 1881 in Saline Co., IL.¹ (Houston Terrell was born on 10 Feb 1829 in Wilson Co., TN ^{2 3 4 5}.)