William Dudley Marks

• Birth and Death Dates: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVVF-1F48

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From a more extensive communication in the record of William Dudley Marks' grandfather (Vincent Marks): 'William Dudley, ran the ferry and general store/post office at Bent Creek, VA until his death in 1926 or '24."

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Allie Turner Marks was William Dudley's first wife. She died at age 50 of pneumonia, as I was told by an uncle. William Dudley's second wife was Ida Dixon.Her family had a large farm in the area and their is a stop downstream a couple of miles called Dixon's Landing. The family farm is now a state park along the riverfront. John Randolph Marks was called Dock most of his life. He and Ida continued to run the store at W.D.'s death. All three of their graves are in the Maple Grove Baptist Church graveyard at Bent Creek.

Haskins had a sister named Earle who lived with her niece toward the end of her life, near Evergreen. Her niece's name was Florence.My dad stopped by and showed me an engraved portrait of Allie Turner Marks that Aunt Earle owned. The last I heard, the portrait had migrated to Farmville and was in possession of another family member. Earle had no children that I know of.

I do know that my dad referred to Uncle Tom Turner, who I think ran a store in downtown Lynchburg. I think that my grandfather Thomas Holmes, moved to Lynchburg around 1909 to work for Tom Turner. Florence marks told me that there is a Turner graveyard somewhere in Appomattox County near Evergreen. I was told that when a male in Virginia died, his father's name must be recorded with the death certificate. The problem with Appomattox is that the courthouse burned.

I have a first cousin in Ohio who did extensive research a few years back and traced my dad's grandmother back to Pocahontas. She was a Megginson. My cousin may have also researched the Turners. I will see if I can get in touch with her for you.

William D Marks appears in Appomattox County with no prior record in that area that I can find in the 1880s with a birth date around 1848. He is my great-great grandfather. He married Allie (Angeline Alice) Turner, my great-great grandmother. Her parents are Anderson Turner and Jane E. Turner.// I have updated this to reflect William D Marks born at about the right time (1845-6) in Botetourt County [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M885-G6Y] (according to the 1850 census) which originally covered a wide area in western Virginia. Assuming this is correct, his father was Austin Marks, a laborer. Austin moved to Rockbridge County [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHMW-VFJ] , which was formed mostly from Botetourt County (but in the 1700s, before the 1850 census). Rockbridge is just west of Amherst County and it is plausible that Austin or his son may have moved east to across Amherst and Nelson, to Appomattox. Highway US 60 crosses the Blue Ridge in eastern Rockbridge/Western Amherst counties, and likely follows a previous trail or road. Assuming that Austin is the correct ancestor, I have just pushed the mystery 1 generation back. As Austin is a laborer and would have been born around the time of the first US census, I think I have even more roadblocks ahead.

William D Marks lived in Appomattox County, Virginia in 1880. His son, Minor Haskins Marks, is said to have been the postmaster at Bent Creek or Gladstone according to Minor's descendants, but the Appomattox historical record suggests that two of his siblings were the actual postmasters. In part, being a postmaster in a quasi-rural area simply implied being the owner of a small store, but it may also of reflected some political connections. So, it is surprising that this family out of nowhere had these roles.

Because his child, my great grandfather, has the first name Haskins, I speculate that William's grandmother or grandmother-in-law has the last name Haskins, but I don't know who that person is. (Previously I also considered the mother, but if the link to Austin is correct, his mother is Paulina.)

Haskins is a family name in Virginia, so this relationship is possible. However, the Marks name is also, and fairly commonly, associated with the name Hastings, and it is possible that Haskins is, in this instance, a corruption of Hastings. Because of the frequency of the Marks name for over 100 years before 1848, I doubt that William D Marks was a first generation immigrant.

While I am marking William D Marks as the descendant of Austin, I am still pretty uncertain.

Also, a William D Marks or Marke married an Ida F Marke at about the time that Allie Turner Marks died. There is no oral history from my family to address whether this is the same William D Marks or whether Ida's son is the biological son of William D Marks.

• Residence: 1900 - Stonewall District (north & east parts), Appomattox, Virginia, USA
• Race: White
• Ethnicity: American
  • Reference: 1900 United States Federal Census - SmartCopy: Dec 9 2016, 1:04:48 UTC
• Residence: 1850 - Botetourt county, Botetourt, Virginia, USA
  • Reference: 1850 United States Federal Census - SmartCopy: Dec 9 2016, 3:23:59 UTC
• Residence: 1860 - The 2nd District, Rockbridge, Virginia, USA
  • Reference: 1860 United States Federal Census - SmartCopy: Dec 9 2016, 3:34:37 UTC
• Residence: Stonewall, Appomattox County, Virginia, United States
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Dec 9 2016, 3:39:35 UTC
• Residence: Stonewall, Appomattox County, Virginia, United States
  • Reference: Geni World Family Tree - SmartCopy: Jan 12 2017, 3:04:04 UTC
• Residence: 1900 - Stonewall District (north & east parts), Appomattox, Virginia, USA
• Race: White
• Ethnicity: American
  • Reference: 1900 United States Federal Census - SmartCopy: Jan 12 2017, 3:06:22 UTC
• Residence: 1880 - Clover Hill, Appomattox, Virginia, USA
• Race: White
• Ethnicity: American
  • Reference: 1880 United States Federal Census - SmartCopy: Jan 12 2017, 3:07:52 UTC