Received 6 Sept 1986               From: Mrs. Mattie Ruth Clark
To: Steven J. Coker                      610 So Miller Street
                                         Lees Summit, MO.  64063

Steve:

I am still having some problems with my right arm. Please excuse my writing.
I noticed something interesting in some census records

1800 Sumter County So. Carolina
Whitley Coker - one daughter under 10 yrs.

1810 Sumter County So. Carolina
Whitley Coker had three daughters under 10, one daughter [over] 10 under 16

1820 Sumter County So. Carolina
Whitley Coker had three daughters [over] 16 under 26

1840 Wilcox County, Alabama
John Bowman's wife Mason Elizabeth Coker age between 40 and 50 years. 
They were married February 17, 1820 and settled near Pensacola, Florida. Five
children were born in Florida. The family settled near Camden, Wilcox County,
Alabama in 1829. The last three children were born in Alabama.  Their second
daughter Margaret Elizabeth Bowman was my great grandmother. She was borned
November 19, 1822, died December 22, 1914, in Ruston, Lincoln Parish, Louisiana.
She was buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Ruston. I have the names of Mason
Elizabeth Coker Bowman, and Margaret Bowman Staples children

Please let me know the cost of the material you sent. I will gladly pay you. I
will send other material when I am able to write it up.
                                 Sincerely
                                 Ruth Clark

-=-=-=-=-

"Our Grandmother's Obituary"

Mrs. Margaret Elizabeth Staples, daughter of Mason Elizabeth Coker and John W.
Bowman was born near Pensacola, Florida, Nov. 19, 1822. When she was seven years
old, she moved with her parents to Wilcox County, Ala. At the age of eighteen
she was converted, but did not join the church until two years later as she said
she did not feel that she was good enough. On July 9, 1846, she was married to
James Wesley Staples. They were blessed with six children and were happy and
prosperous, but when their oldest child was fourteen years old and the youngest
only a few weeks of age, the husband and father had to leave for the cruel war.
Faithfully she toiled with her children through those four long years of war,
facing the direst poverty and distress. Her husband was spared to her, but
everything else was gone; so they decided to start anew in the new country
farther west. They moved to Louisiana and settled in Union Parish near
Downsville. Here they reared their children in the way of truth and right. They
gave all their children to the Lord, and two entirely to the furtherence of His
Kingdom in - the Southern Methodist Conference of Louisiana, - Rev. C. F.
Staples and their daughter Carrie, wife of Rev. W. J. Porter. Her husband died
Jan. 2, 1898, and after nearly seventeen years of separation she joined him when
her long and useful journey came to an end in Ruston, La. at the home of her
son, J. B. Staples.

Written by her grand daughter

Willie Mae Porter

-=-=-=-=-

       (?) 1852        |              |
by J W Staples         |              |
                       |              |
    Ages               |     Mar      |      deth
                       |     ages     |
                       |              |
John Bowman            | mared        |
was born December      | February     |
7the 1791              | 17the 1820   |
                       |              |
                       |              |
Lydia ann Bowman       | mared        | dide november 27the 1851
born December 4the     | February     |
1820                   | 15the 1846   |
                       |              |
                       |              |
Margaret E. Bowman     | mared        |
was born November      | July         |
the19 1822             | 9the 1846    |
                       |              |
Mary Telliha           | mared        |
Bowman was             | April 7the   |
Born march 4the        | 1843         |
1824                   |              |
                       |              |
Thincia O Bowman       | mared        | departed this life
was born February      | August  9    | february 5th 185(?)
15the 1826             | the22 184(?) | 
                       |              | [Ink smear in last two digits 
                       |              | of marriage year. Small 9
                       |              | written above year just outside
                       |              | of the smudge. Suspect this may
                       |              | have been to indicate the last 
                       |              | digit was a nine.]
William W. Bowman      |              | 
was born February      |              |
29the 1828             |              |
                       |              |

-=-=-=-=-

                       |              |
Allether R. Bowman     | marred       |
was born September     | April 19the  |
5the 1833              | 1842         |
                       |              |
Amanda C Bowman        |              |
was born July 26the    |              |
1835                   |              |
                       |              |
Marada Malrinid        |              |
Bowman                 |              |
was born July          |              |
the28 1838             |              |
                       |              |
                       |              | Thomas Bowman
                       |              | departed this life
                       |              | August 26the 1847
                       |              | aged(?) 70 yers and 
                       |              | and won month
                       |              |
                       |              | Elizabeth mason 
                       |              | Bowman departed 
                       |              | this life May
                       |              | the10 1850
                       |              |

-=-=-=-=-

[Note written on copy by Mattie Ruth Clark: James Wesley Staples and Margaret
Elizabeth Bowman Staples children. Third child my grandmother.]
            
J B Staples was born May the 1 1844


S J W Staples was born January 9 1849

                               the
M E Staples was born December 20 1850

                           the
C L Staples was born April 23 1853

                            the
M L Staples was born August 15 1856

                          the
J J Staples was born June 7 1855    dide


Thomas Staples was born July 27 1859

                         the
T. Corlwe was br. December 7   1860

                           th
J W Staples was born Jan 20 1822


----------------------------------------------
Transcribed by Steven James Coker.

Notes: 

-=-=- indicates separate sheet or new document.

1. These materials were given to the transcriber by Mattie Ruth Clark in 1986.

2. Spelling is sic, transcription errors being forgiven.

3. A question mark inside parentheses indicates the transcriber is not confident
of the correct reading or that the text was not legible. Square brackets []
indicate material that is explanatory or not found in the document. Curved
brackets {} are as shown in the document.

4. Little attempt has been made to layout the text identical to that shown in
the documents. In particular, words per line and line breaks vary. Some attempt
has been made to reproduce capitalization and punctuation as read. For the
Births, Marriages, and Deaths sheets, the text has been separated into columns
consistent with the documents. However, this is not an exact and true
reproduction.

5. The letter and note from Mattie Ruth Clark were transcribed from her
handwritten originals.

6. It appears that the obituary of Margaret Elizabeth Staples was a copy of a
handwritten document. The transcriber does not know if this was a copy of an
original or of a copy. 

7. The birth, marriage, and death records were made from copies of three sheets
which appear to be a very old hand written document. Two of these pages show two
vertical lines separating the page into three columns. What appears to be the
first page show the words "Ages", "Marages", and "deth" at the top of the three
columns.  The third sheet does not appear to be lined but lines are visible
which seem to have bled through from the reverse side of the sheet.

8. It is left to the reader to verify the accuracy of this transcription prior
to use.

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