Martha Ann (Brown) Pless (1843 - 1927)

Born 18 Dec 1843 in Bedford, Tennessee, United States

Ancestors

Died 29 Jun 1927 at age 83 in Richmond, Bedford, Tennessee, United States

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Biograpy

DNA has proven that Mary Ann Martha Brown-115726 is the daughter of Thomas Brown Elizabeth Stokes, by her 2nd Great Granddaughter -Weaver-12554.

Martha Mattie Ann Brown was born in December 18,1843 in Richmond, Bedford County, Tennessee to Thomas Jefferson Brown and Elizabeth Stokes. Martha married Newton A. Nathanial "Jeff " Pless Jr.

While Married was married to Jeff Pless Jr, he had an extramarital affair with Euphamia Ann ( Effy) Ridgway/ Taft who was also married. Together , Effy and Jeff had one son who was a bastard child, and who got named James ( JN) Weaver. Why was the Weaver name tagged onto JN? Because Effy was made to give up her child JN born in 1865 to her mom Mary Ann Polly Cole/ Ridgway/ Weaver. Polly and her 2nd husband just tagged on the Weaver name to keep the child from being tormented. Polly and Johnny acted as if they were his biological parents and raised JN with all of their other children. There was no formal adoption before 1900 in Tennessee, so JN Pless was given the surname Weaver. JN was my great grandpa.

In Franklin County, Tennessee, James Taft sued Effy and Jeff Pless Jr. for adultry and he won. I am sure Martha was humiliated , but she stayed with her husband. She passed away 29th of June in 1927 in Richmond, Bedford County, Tennessee.

Sources

• "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MD8N-388 : 29 May 2021), Martha Pless in entry for Newton Pless, 1870.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGX2-F1T : accessed 4 September 2022), Martha A Pless in household of Newton Pless, Civil District 19, Bedford, Tennessee, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 18, sheet 1B, family 16, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1490; FHL microfilm 1,375,503.

• "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN53-9CG : 3 February 2021), Martha A Pless, 1920.

• "Tennessee Deaths, 1914-1966," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N9YD-9BG : 26 August 2019), Martha Ann Pless, 29 Jun 1927; Death, Richmond, Bedford, Tennessee, United States, Tennessee State Library and Archives, Nashville
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/158670379/martha-ann-pless: accessed 14 July 2023), memorial page for Martha Ann Brown Pless (18 Dec 1843–29 Jun 1927), Find a Grave Memorial ID 158670379, citing Brown Cemetery, Shelbyville, Bedford County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by Ron Carroll (contributor 48557469).