James Thomas Ratliff & 1st wife Amanda J Kirkland are my 3rd grt.grandparents.
I descend thru their son Edward B & Amie Halbrooks Ratliff.
Info passed down from a family member found within my Grandfathers personal papers indicated Ava Peirson Ratliff b.6 April 1890 was stillborn or not long on this earth as his mother passed on just 5 days after giving birth to a unnamed child with no gender specified.
Along with a note than Ava Ellen Peirson bore 3 children of her marraige to James
Annie Ratliff Lyles is named as the only daughter
Ava Pearson Ratliff is named w/date of birth only
A unnamed son said to have been raised by an older sibling or other family is said to have died in some sort of work related accident in early or mid adulthood,not sure where or when but its noted they seem to recall he worked on an oil rig.As well as recalling he left a widow and possibly a small child or two.
Im unable to say for sure who passed this info down for my grandpa to leave me to find.
It is written by him and said to be things shared with him and his brother via some conversations they hadhad in person and by a Aunt on their fathers side.To the best of my knowledge the only contact with their dads side was with 2 uncles George Jefferson Ratliff and Robert E.Lee Ratliff.
Robert was fairly young when Edward died and seems to have lived with George and his family before he married Minnie Price.
Based on the 28th Sep.1893 obit published in the Alabama Enquirer stating the death of 3yr old Ava Pearson Ratliff being the son of James Thomas Ratliff Jr and the notes on his birth my Grandpa had being info coming from his Aunt.I feel that Aunt was the wife of George or Robert but not ruling out Mary Lou Ratliff Landers as the Aunt he is referring too.Im sure Ava Pearson Ratliff is the son not daughter of James & Ava.
I have not been able to locate anything other than the obit published in 1893 to add more documentation.
I do intend to take a break from searching for more and see if I can locate any prove of another son being born to James & Ava exsists.
If anyone has any info to prove or disprove anything above I would like to hear it.
