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Mary (McPherson) Braxton (1749 - 1814)

Mary Braxton formerly McPherson
Born in Orange, North Carolinamap
Ancestors ancestors
Daughter of and
Sister of [half], [half], [half], [half], [half], [half], [half], [half] and [half]
Wife of — married 6 Sep 1765 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Mother of , , , , , and
Died at age 64 in Chatham, North Carolina, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions
Profile last modified | Created 21 Mar 2021
This page has been accessed 86 times.
Mary was a Friend (Quaker)

Biography

Mary McPherson was born on 14 Oct 1749 in Orange, North Carolina. She was the daughter of William McPherson and Margaret (Trego) McPherson.

She married Thomas Braxton, Sr. on Sept. 6, 1765 in what was then Orange (now Alamance) County, North Carolina. Between 1766 and 1790 Mary gave birth to their thirteen children:

  • Margaret b, 1769
  • William b. 1770
  • Thomas b. 1774
  • Mary b. 1775
  • Rebecca b. 1778
  • Ann b. 1779
  • John b. 1782

A family story that has been passed down through the generations tells of Mary McPherson Braxton spotting British soldiers coming across the field. While her husband Thomas hid upstairs behind the chimney, Mary gathered up the family’s money, papers, and other valuables and hid them in the cellar, which was reached through a trap door in the floor in front of the fireplace. She then spread a quilt over the trap door and laid the baby on it. The soldiers came into the house and searched it, being careful not to walk on the quilt where the baby was lying. The soldiers took young William to show them the way to Col. John Pyle’s home, but he returned safely later that evening.

Mary Braxton passed away on 26 Sep 1814 in Chatham County, North Carolina. She is buried[1] at Spring Monthly Meeting Cemetery, Snow Camp, Alamance County, North Carolina next to Thomas.


Research Notes

Sources

  1. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/187884652/mary_rebecca-braxton: accessed March 24, 2024), memorial page for Mary Rebecca McPherson Braxton (14 Oct 1749–26 Sep 1814), Find a Grave Memorial ID 187884652, citing Spring Monthly Meeting Cemetery, Snow Camp, Alamance County, North Carolina, USA; Maintained by Judy Simmons Lynch (contributor 47283986).


See also: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LY8M-W53





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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Mary by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Mary:

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Categories: Spring Monthly Meeting Cemetery, Snow Camp, North Carolina