Martha Ellen Middleton

For years now I have been trying to sort out who was buried in this grave. Who was Mrs ME Middleton, born 1845, married 1861, and died in 1896. Initially I thought it was Martha Elizabeth Highsmith who married my Great Grandfather Henry Middleton. But there were problems with that supposition. Martha was Henry’s first wife, yet why was she buried under the name Mrs ME Middleton? Then I gathered several pieces of evidence that suggested Mrs ME Middleton was Henry’s second wife Amarintha “Meranda” Elizabeth Dyal Middleton. However I couldn’t reconcile the date of the marriage listed on the stone. Henry married Martha Highsmith in January 1861. How could he have possibly married Amarintha in March 1861?

I have stumbled upon further evidence that now forces me to believe that Amarintha Deal(Dyal) does not occupy this grave. As previously mentioned, I was uncomfortable with the marriage date on the stone. What I was also uncomfortable with was that I couldn’t explain why the stone was so much nicer than the markers for her husband or any of her children. Henry H. Middleton was dirt poor and unlikely to have been able to afford such a stone. Also I couldn’t understand why this grave would be so far away from Henry or her other children. Now I think I have found the reason.

William M Middleton had two sons (Richard B & James W.) that both married McGowan women. (Throughout this discussion the spellings will alternate back and forth between McGowen and McGowan. This is because that family uses both spellings so frequently.)

Richard married Mary Emily McGowan who was the daughter of Alonzo Gideon McGowen. Mary Emily McGowan Middleton is buried in MMC and her gravesite is properly marked and its existence long known.

James W. Middleton married Ellen McGowan according to Beth Engel’s book, The Middleton Family. No record of that marriage date has ever been found. However it would likely have been in 1862 or prior since her twin girls Lela and Lola were born on June 13, 1863. Until now, the only source material for Ellen McGowan was her appearance in James household in the 1870 and 1880 census counts. Both counts listed her name as Ellen Middleton. These two count sheets list her date of birth as either 1845 or 1846. Furthermore, Ellen’s grave has never been found. This has always seemed strange to me that the mother of 11 children (nearly all of whom are buried at Middleton Memorial) would have an unmarked or unlocated grave.

For quite awhile now I had noticed the fact that two Middleton brothers had married two women with the same last name. Since it is not uncommon for two brothers to marry two sisters in our family, my first thought was that Ellen might be the sister of Mary Emily. Yet the 1850 or 1860 household of Alonzo Gideon McGowan had no daughter named Ellen in it.

Yesterday I replaced the tombstone of James and Ellen’s daughter Laura Viola Middleton who died in 1895. Laura’s marker was broken in several pieces many years ago and several pieces were covered by dirt. But when dug up, cleaned off, and reassembled, the stone said:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF LAURA VIOLA
DAUGHTER OF JW & ME MIDDLETON

Instantly I picked up on the fact that here was the initial M in front of her mother’s name that appears nowhere else on the record! I went back to the 1850 census for Alonzo Gideon McGowan’s household and I found a daughter named Martha E. McGowan that was born in 1845. And suddenly I realized that the tombstone in MMC that is marked Mrs ME Middleton was NOT Meranda Eliza Middleton as I has previously surmised. This was Martha Ellen McGowan Middleton. The birthdate on the stone of 1845 matches Ellen’s birthdate as reported by three census counts. And the date of marriage date of March 22, 1861 aligns well with the expected date of Ellen’s and James wedding given the birth of their eldest children! Also, this stone is just a few paces from the grave of James W Middleton as well as many of his children.

Although I am sad to have “lost” my great-grandmother Amarintha again, I am pleased to have finally located the mother of James Middleton’s eleven children.

Rest in peace Martha Ellen McGowan Middleton.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 3 2023, 0:44:27 UTC