Family Explorer

Mary Caroline Clark1,2,3

#78, b. circa 1841, d. 11 November 1931
FatherNelson H. Clark4,5,6 b. c 1815, d. 1 Mar 1896
MotherSarah W. Coolidge4,5,6 b. c 15 Apr 1813, d. 19 Nov 1868
Mary Clark Hart and Wm C. Cox in the late 1920's
Birthc 1841Louisiana4,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,6 
Marriage12 Nov 1866John Henry Hart; Jefferson County, Mississippi8,9,14,15 
Death11 Nov 1931Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana6,16 
BurialYazoo City, Yazoo County, Mississippi17 
Census1850Nelson County, Kentucky4
Census1860Rodney, Jefferson County, Mississippi5
Census1870Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky7
Census1880Claiborne County, Mississippi8
Census1900Claiborne County, Mississippi9
Census1910Belzoni, Washington County (now Humphries County), Mississippi11
Census1920Mansfield, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana12
Residence1922La Mesa, Dona Ana County, New Mexico18
Census1930Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana13

Family

 John Henry Hart b. c Nov 1837
Children 1.Charles Richard Nelson Hart+7,2 b. c Oct 1867, d. 11 Jul 1943
 2.Linda Sarah Hart+7,13 b. c Dec 1869, d. 4 Mar 1955
 3.Josephine Rachel Hart+12,3 b. Oct 1873, d. 9 Apr 1937
 4.Howard Joseph Hart1 b. c 31 Oct 1873, d. 20 Mar 1947
ChartsAncestors of William C. Cox
Descendants of Nelson and Sarah Clark
Descendants of Joseph and Rachel Hart
Notes
I’m not 100% certain that Nelson and Sarah were Mary Caroline's parents. There are several confusing facts.

First, in 1843 when he married Sarah, Nelson would have been 32, uncommonly old for that to have been his first marriage. While I don’t have any evidence that he was married previously, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had been. A second curious thing is that Mary Caroline was reported in 1850 to be nine years old but at that time, Nelson and Sarah had supposedly been married only seven years. I can think of three ways to explain things:

(1) That Mary Caroline was, as generally believed, the daughter of Nelson and Sarah, and that either the reported marriage date is wrong or she was born before they married. This would match family tradition and fit with what records we have.

(2) That Nelson was married previously and that Mary was the daughter of his first wife. This would still fit with what’s been passed down about Mary, since Sarah would have been her mother from earliest memory.

(3) That Mary was a daughter of Sarah’s marriage to Williamson Lyles. The reason I think this might be possible is that in the 1850 census, the family includes both Mary Caroline and a 12-year-old, “William”, both listed with the last name Clark. But I’m almost certain that this William is Williamson C. Lyles, Sarah’s son from her previous marriage. It’s possible that Mary Caroline was also a Lyles, but shown as Clark in the census.

So I can’t say for sure that Nelson and Sarah were Mary Caroline’s natural parents. But the fact that her death certificate lists them tells me that Mary told her family that that’s who her parents were. Also, Willie Fleming Cox, who knew her personnally, remembered Mary telling her that Nelson and Sarah were her parents. So, whether they were natural or step-parents, it seems that Mary Caroline considered them to be her father and mother, and I’ve chosen to go with that.
Lake Providence, Carroll Parish (now East Carroll Parish), LouisianaHer death certificate has her birthplace as Lake Providence, Louisiana6

Citations

  1. [S3438] "Louisiana death records/certificates, ca. 1850-1875, 1894-1954; indexes, 1900-1954", Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org, Accessed: 2013), database and images.
  2. [S3438] "Louisiana death records/certificates, ca. 1850-1875, 1894-1954; indexes, 1900-1954", Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org, Accessed: 2013), database and images, Entry: Charles Richard Nelson Hart, d 11 Jul 1943, Caddo Parish.
  3. [S3438] "Louisiana death records/certificates, ca. 1850-1875, 1894-1954; indexes, 1900-1954", Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org, Accessed: 2013), database and images, Entry: Josephine Rachel Hart Price, d 09 Apr 1937, Shreveport, , Caddo, Louisiana.
  4. [S1014] 1850 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for Nelson H. Clark, District 2, Nelson County, Kentucky, p 388 (stamped), Dwelling/Family number 701/701.
  5. [S1006] 1860 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for Nelson H. Clark, Rodney, Jefferson County, Mississippi, p 18, Dwelling/Family number 135/132.
  6. [S3285] "Louisiana Death Records", Louisiana Secretary of State, Site: Louisiana Secretary of State (http://www.sos.la.gov/tabid/640/default.aspx, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry: Mary C. Hart, Caddo Parish, 1931.
  7. [S4406] 1870 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for John Heart (John Henry Hart), Bardstown, Nelson County, Kentucky, p14, Dwelling/Family number 90/99.
  8. [S1013] 1880 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for John H. Hart, Beat 1, Claiborne County, Mississippi, SD1 ED65, p 79C (513), Dwelling/Family number 791/791.
  9. [S1202] 1900 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for John Hart, Beat 1, Claiborne County, Mississippi, SD7 ED154, sh 14B, Dwelling/Family number 265/276.
  10. [S1021] 1910 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for Calvin M. Cox, Beat 3, Yazoo City, Yazoo County, Mississippi, SD8 ED86, sh 16B, Dwelling/Family number 266/277.
  11. [S1146] 1910 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for W. C. Price, Belzon, Washington County, Mississippi, SD3 ED121, p 6A (242), Dwelling/Family number 114/114.
  12. [S1105] 1920 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for Linda S. Cox, Mansfield, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, SD123 ED111, p 5B, Dwelling/Family number 91/111.
  13. [S1155] 1930 U.S. Census population schedule, (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: various), database and images, Entry for W C Price, Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana, SD1 ED9-59, p 10B, Dwelling/Family number 230/233.
  14. [S1371] "Mississippi Marriages, 1776-1935", Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com, Accessed: 1 Feb 2013), database, Entry: John H. Hart      Mary C. Clark      12 Nov 1866      Jefferson.
  15. [S1271] "Jefferson County Mississippi Marriage Project", MSGenWeb Project - Jefferson County, Site: Jefferson County (http://jeffersoncountyms.org/Marriages/marrjeff_h.htm, Accessed: 2012), database.
  16. [S3438] "Louisiana death records/certificates, ca. 1850-1875, 1894-1954; indexes, 1900-1954", Family Search (https://www.familysearch.org, Accessed: 2013), database and images, Entry: Mary C. (Clark) Hart, d 11 Nov 1931, Caddo Parish.
  17. [S3285] "Louisiana Death Records", Louisiana Secretary of State, Site: Louisiana Secretary of State (http://www.sos.la.gov/tabid/640/default.aspx, Accessed: various), database and images.
  18. [S5697] Jeane Kneisley Cox personal knowledge.