Martha E. (Barnes) Abernathy (1801 - abt. 1861)

Born 1801 in Fayette, Fayette, Kentucky, United States

Ancestors

Wife of Hardaway Teague Abernathy — married 18 Apr 1825 (to 1844) in Fayette County, Kentucky

Descendants

Died about 1861 at about age 60 in Lawrenceville, Lawrence, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Martha was born in Fayette Kentucky and moved to Lawrence County illinois with her husband Hardaway about 1838. They had at least 8 children. In 1844 Martha filed for divorce alleging that her husband neglected to provide the necessities of life and that he repeatedly took family articles of clothing which she had provided with her labor and industry for herself and her children and sold them to procure 'ardent spirits,' and when she begged him in terms of tenderness and affection not to do those things he wholly abandoned his family and went to parts unknown.

It took a lot of inner strength in the mid 1850's for a women to file for divorce with young children to support. Martha must have been a strong woman to have raised responsible sons and daughters on her own.

Martha later married James Lanterman.

Her sons Sidney and Elijah enlisted in the Union Army as sharpshooters in the 11th Mo Inf Vol. Whether she was still alive when Sydney was sent home with a disability and died shortly thereafter or whether she had preceded him is not known. He is buried at Pleasant Hill/White House Cemetery close to the family home, and the church that the Abernathy family helped establish. Elijah was killed during the battle of Atlanta and his body lays at rest at the Marietta National Cemetery.

The oldest son of the Abernathy's was Lunenburg who married Eleanor Smith and together they had 7 children. A practicing attorney, he was appointed County Clerk and later elected Superintendent of Schools for Lawrence County in 1857.

John, the second son of Hartaway and Martha, married Mary Fyffe and they also had 7 children.

Birth

Birth:

Date: 1801

Place: Fayette, Fayette, Kentucky, United States^[1]

Identity

Her son James R. Abernathy, age 75, identified his mother to be Martha Barnet in his marriage record when he married his fourth wife, Widow Anna (Ketchum) Hudson, age 61, on March 27, 1904, in Marion County, Illinois.^[2] Barnet was corrupted surname for Barnes.

Marriage

Martha Barnes married Hardaway T. Abernathy.

Children

Children of Martha Barnes and Hardaway T. Abernathy:

1. Lunenberg Abernathy (1826 - 1861)
2. John W. Abernathy Sr. (1828 - 1861)
3. James Richard Abernathy (1829 - 1922)
4. George Anders Abernathy 1831-1901
5. David Blackstone Abernathy (1834 - 1871)
6. Sidney Abernathy (1836 - 1862)
7. Elijah Abernathy (1838 - 1864)
8. Sarah "Sally" Ann Abernathy (1840)
9. Elizabeth Peterson (Abernathy) Highfield (1843 - 1919)

Census

1850 • [unstated], Lawrence County, Illinois, United States

On September 3rd, Martha Abernathy, age 47, born in Kentucky, was enumerated as the head of household. The value of real estate was $400. Also in the home were George Abernathy, age 18, born in Kentucky, David Abernathy, age 16, born in Kentucky, Sydney Abernathy, age 14, born in Kentucky, Elijah Abernathy, age 12, born in Illinois, Sarah Ann Abernathy, age 10, born in Illinois, and Elizabeth Abernathy, age 7, born in Illinois.^[3]

Death

Death:

Date: ABT 1861

Place: Lawrenceville, Lawrence, Illinois, United States^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S6 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for George Anders Abernathy
2. ↑ "Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KF21-KLB : 4 November 2017), Martha Barnet in entry for James R. Abernathy and Anna Ketchum Hudson, 27 Mar 1904; citing Marion, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 1,010,518.
3. ↑ United States Census, 1850, database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8R3-K25 : 12 April 2016), Martha Abernathy, Lawrence County, Lawrence, Illinois, United States; citing family 175, National Archives and Records Administration microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll.
4. ↑ Source: #S6 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for George Anders Abernathy

• Source: S6 Author: Ancestry.com Title: Public Member Trees Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006; Repository: #R4
• Repository: R4 Name: www.ancestry.com Address: E-Mail Address: Phone Number:

• Research for profile prepared by Lawrence County Illinois Historical Society researchers 2024

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Joshua Storment for creating WikiTree profile Barnes-4628 through the import of blubaum.ged on Dec 18, 2013.