Mary Ann "Polly" Adkins

Mary Ann "Polly" Willis (1823 to 1887) was the (perhaps) a daughter of James Willis and Sally Sally Plumley. She was the 2nd wife of Parker Adkins (d 1857). His pension file writes she was a widow Willis 1st.

Children have been wrongly attributed to them. More likely they were

• Elizabeth Smith b 1853 Married Harvey Smith in 1876
• Sarah Ann Plumley b 1855 Married Sylvester Plumley
• Comer "Cumberland" Adkins b 1856 Married Rachel Lucas

biography

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Willis-4299

Mary Ann Willis Adkins was born in September, 1823. She was a daughter of James Willis and Sarah Plumley. She married as Parker Adkins' second wife on March 5, 1851 in Raleigh County, West Virginia. She was sixty years younger than her husband. I have been able to identify two children from this marriage; Elizabeth and Sarah Anne. Mary Ann became a widow about six years later.

Mary Anne was eligible for a widow's pension due to her husband's service in the War of 1812. Her pension application file is very large due to one of her lawyers was investigated and charged with fraud.

Mary Ann was living with her daughter and son-in-law Sarah Anne and Sylvester Plumley when she died on January 14, 1887. Sarah said that her mother had been ill when members of the family contracted measles and she showed symptoms of measles and died, so she thought, of the combined effects of both.

1870 census

• Mary Adkins
• Female
• Birth: Circa 1830 Virginia, United States
• Residence: June 1 1870 Union Township, Lincoln County, West Virginia, USA
• Age: 40
• Race: White

Relation to head Name Age

• Head (implied) Mary Adkins 40
• Daughter Sarah A Adkins 15
• Son Cumberland Adkins 14
• Daughter Elizabeth Adkins 10
• Son James Adkins 3

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Children attributed to Parker and Mary (Willis) Adkins:

• 1- Lauden m. Liz Holton.
• 2- James "Jim" m. Sarah Willis, m.(2) Ellen Rose.
• 3- Elizabeth b. Raleigh Co. Dec. 20, 1853. m Harvey Smith
• 4- Sarah m. Sylvester Plumley.
• 5- Cumberland b. July 9, 1859. (SIC: 1856)

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sources

• married 5 Mar 1851 in Raleigh, West Virginia, USA link
• widow's pension link
• http://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/adkins/1523/