1930 census Alabama Etowah County, Altoona-not city, district 55, page 4 of 5, family #39, line # 97

NIX, John D. Head, R, yes, M, W, 56, M, 25, no, yes, Mississippi, N.C., S.C., 83, yes, Farmer, Farm, VVVV, O, yes, no, 25, line #97
Charlsie, Wife-H, F, W, 37, M, 31, no, yes, Alabama, Al., Tenn., 82, yes, none.

This for sure sounds like a second marriage, he is 19 years her elder. Is it possible that his first wife could have been Fanny Inman?

Full Context of Alabama Marriages, 1800-1920
Spouse 1: John Nix
Spouse 2: Fanny Inman
Marriage Date: 04 Jul 1895
Marriage Place: Etowah
Surety/Bond Date:
Performed By: Minister of Gospel
Surety/Perf. Name: J. A. May
OSPage: 282

JOHN D. NIX; A SHORT HISTORY.
Blount and Etowah Counties of Alabama are rich with John NIX families. Many of them are born a generation apart, but some have near birth days which adds to the confusion of tracking their ancestors and also descendants.
This John D. NIX is an excellent example of that problem,I had considerable problem in attaching him to a family. There was also another family in my files that I could not attach to any of the NIX families in Blount or Etowah County.

I could have made this story easier for you the reader to follow, and maybe read to the end, by numbering the different generations of John D.'s, Mary Ann's, and clearly dividing the two completely different NIX families. But, that is not the way that I found them, and that is part of the fun in genealogy research.

I have found a home for most of the NIX families in North Alabama as descendanats of Jennings NIX who moved to Blount County Alabama with his wife Lucinda Alexander from Pickens District in 1851-51. One of the exceptions was the family of Verna Nannette NIX and Silas H. Bynum. For over a year I searched for her parents from all of the NIX families that I ccould find in Blount and Etowah Counties. But none matched to my satisfaction. Then through a combination of the 1920 and 1930 census reports I found an indication, first that her father was born in Mississippi. That was strange and not in line with any reseaarch I had conducted up to that point. All of my migration had been from East to West. I had not found any NIX families that moved back East. I have now found several, but that is another story. But this lady, the wife of Silas H. Bynum, Verna Nannette NIX indicated on the 1920 census that her father was born in Mississippi.

I then started reviewing the family of Jennings only daughter, Mary Ann. I had previously determined that she married while still in South Carolina, and moved with her new husband to Mississippi where her Mother-in-law was living. The Mother had moved to Mississippi, with her extended family, following the death of her husband in South Caarolina. and yes you guessed it , her husband was named John D. NIX. The story continues; this family, John D. NIX and Mary Dearest DONALD, also named one of their sons, John D. NIX. That is the son that married Mary Ann NIX in South Carolina, while he was on a bussinness trip from Mississippi back to South Carolina. I received some valuable assistance from the geneology Gurue of the NIX family Mrs Wanda Gregory and this is her story:

MARY ANN NIX: A SHORT HISTORY

I searched for Mary Ann for a long time until I received some much needed assistance from Mrs Wanda Gregory. Following is my sumary of the notes, phone calls and other correspondance with her.

Notes from Wanda Gregory: I am not sure that I can tell the complete story the way Wanda explained it to me, but I am going to try: I am also going to omit many of the minor details she used to prove to herself, and to me, that she had found my Mary Ann.

There are several ways to tell this story, but I am going to take a great leap and tell the ending and then prove it with the details.

Mary Ann did not appear on the 1850 Census in South Carolina with Jennings and the rest of the family. That is not unusual because she would have been 22 and old enough to be married and have started a family of her own. Mary Ann NIX married John D. Nix of Jasper County, Mississippi some time between 1846 and 1850. Apparently much closer to 1846, She moved with him to Mississippi and they had a total of 12 children. John D. died between 1880 and 1890, Mary Ann died after 1900, and they are both buried in the Griffin Cemetery in Jackson County, Mississippi.

Now lets prove it! We need to find a tie between the Jennings family and two very common NIX names; Mary Ann and John D. This tie comes by skipping forward 50 years to the 1900 Census for Blount County Alabama. Page 195. Family #205 is John K. Nix and his family, that we know to be John Kelley Nix the second son of Jennings and his second wife Temperance Poole Ellison. However, there is one additional person shown in that family; Mary A. NIX b June 1827 in South Carolina, age 72,Widow with 12 children 5 living. That is Mary Ann from Mississippi, visiting her half brother, but we still have to prove it. Also shown on the 1900 Census for Blount County, Alabama, same page, Family #217 is William Ellison with his family, and his mother, Temperence Pool ELLISON, by now a widow. Also there is another person that cannot be immediately identified, Maggie NIX b June 1863, born in Mississippi, age 36 single. A third female NIX is shown in Altoona, Etowah County, Alabama which is about a mile away from the Ellison home. This is Rebecca Nix also single and living in the home of Jasper N. Rickles as his cook. That makes three females with the name NIX, that cannot be tied to any of the Nix families in the area. Earlier this year I had found Rebecca in the 1910 census for Altoona, but rejected it as being of any value because, well because I did not have the experience that Wanda has.

Wanda, with her experience, continued to search all of the NIX families in the country. In the 1850 Jasper County Mississippi Census she found this family:
John D. Nix age 28, b 1822 S.C. with his wife Mary, age 23 b 1827 S.C.
Also listed is two children Martha A. age 2 and Mary Jane age 9/12. Also Deares NIX, and Mary Nix which would be Mary Dearest Donald Nix the Mother of John D. and Mary Ann NIX the sister of John D. and daughter of Dearest. (There is a third Mary Ann that made this search more interesting. Most researchers attribute the marriage of John D. to Mary Ann CARTER. Because several of the CARTER children married John D.'s sibblings} The 1860 and 1880 census for Jasper County shows this family continuing to grow. Then John D. dies between 1880 and 1890. Prior to 1900 the mother, Mary Ann and two of her single daughters come to Alabama to visit her half brother and the rest of the family of her father Jennings Nix, and are captured on the 1900 census. They must have stayed for some time because both the daughters took jobs as cooks and housekeepers. Rebecca was still working for Jasper N. Rickles as a cook for his family in 1910.

We are still left with one additional detail to prove. How did John who was living in Mississippi, and Mary Ann living in South Carolina, meet and marry? Remember this was before the Civil War and travel between Mississippi and South Carolina was not a spur of the moment thing! That also has a logical answer if you are very experienced and have all of the details for all the NIX families at your finger tips. It seems that the family in Mississippi appointed John Daniel as their representative to return to South Carolina and settle some legal matters associated with his Fathers estate. This trip was planned for 1846 which was a convent time for 18 year old Mary Ann and 23 year old John Daniel. By the time that John returns and appears on the 1850 Mississippi census, he has his fathers estate settled as well as a wife and two young children.
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(This was written before the 1930 Census became available and shows the status of my search at that time. )

I have continued to search for descendants of Mary Ann and John D. with little success except for the youngest son of the family, also named John D. This is the extent of my discoveries.

The Parents, John D. and Mary Ann, as well as the two single daughters are buried in Griffin cemetery in Jackson County Mississippi.
I am assuming that at least four of the twelve children married and possibly have descendants. 1) Martha A., 3) Letty Jane, 9) Mary, and 12) John D. I have told you all that I know about the first three but let me give some more details about the son John D. After the Senior John D. died Mary Ann and daughters Margaret (Maggie), and Rebecca visited the family of Jennings Nix in Altoona, Etowah County, Alabama. Also John D. may have moved to Altoona And stayed. I think I have found him buried in the Altoona Walnut Grove Cemetery, d 22 Oct 1939. I also think that I have located one of his daughters, Verna Nannette, b 26 May 1895, d 12 June 1980 and married to Silas Herman BYNUM, b 9 July 1882, D 16 March 1954.

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In the 1930 Census I find
1930 census, Alabama, Etowah County,Altoona not city, district 55, page 4 of 5, family #38, next door to John D. NIX.

Bynum, Silas, Head, R, yes, M., W, 47, M. 29, no, yes, A;, Al, Al, 82, yes, miner, coa lmine, 7882 W, yes no, 24 line 87
Verna, sife of H, x, F, W., 35, M. 15, no, yes, AlMississippi, Alabama, 82 yes, none.
Alma, daughter,X, F, W, 16, S, yes, yes, yes, 82,
Cora M., Daughter, X, F, W, 14, S, yes, yes, Al, AL, Al, 82,
Grady F. , son, X, M, W, 11, S, yes, yes, Al, Al, Al, 82,
Claud E. son, X, M, W, 10, S, yes, yes, Al, Al, Al, 82,
Elmer E. son, x, m, w, 8, S, yes, Al, Al, Al, 82,
HermanS., Son, X, M, W, 6, S. Yes, Al, Al, Al, 82,
Minnia,R., daughter, X, F, W, 3 10/12, S, no, Al. Al, Al, 82.
Sarah J., daughter, X, F, W., 2 5/12, S., no, Al, Al, Al, 82,

1930 census Alabama Etowah County, Altoona-not city, district 55, page 4 of 5, family #39, line # 97, along the Bynum Road
1930 Federal Census, Alabama Etowah County, Altoona, District 55, Precinct 32, ED 28-55, Sheet No 2B, stamp#9501, Suoervisor"s district no 3, Enumerated by me on April 10, 1930 Verna Stanfield,
Along the Bynum Road, residence #38, family #39

NIX, John D. Head, R, yes, M, W, 56, M, 25, no, yes, Mississippi, N.C., S.C., 83, yes, Farmer, Farm, VVVV, O, yes, no, 25, line #97
Charlsie, Wife-H, F, W, 37, M, 31, no, yes, Alabama, Al., Tenn., 82, yes, none. Next door to Silas Herman Bynum

By this time John D. had maarried a second time, His first wife Fanny A. INMAN, had died on 13 March 1923. He died 22 Oct 1939 and is buried at the Walnut Grove- Altoona Cemetery, side by side with Fannie and two of their small children that died in childhood.

I think that I forgot to tell you that there was another Mary Ann NIX in the story! John D. had a younger sister, almost the same age as my Mary Ann. She lead me down several dead end's. But some day I think I will attempt to find her and determine her fate.

Date: 23 Jan 2003