Such was the case of Mary Ann Tucker Springer Potts.
Many stories are at the moment awaiting to be told. I've chosen the story of Mary, to approach next, as I have just finished a triology with her brother, Duncan Tolley Tucker, as the subject.
| Name | Mary A Tucker |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Race | White |
| Residence Age | 12 |
| Birth Date | abt 1838 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Residence Date | 1850 |
| Home in 1850 | Albemarle, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Attended School | Yes |
| Line Number | 37 |
| Dwelling Number | 908 |
| Family Number | 913 |
| Inferred Father | Lewis Tucker |
| Inferred Mother | Martha Tucker |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Lewis Tucker | 45 |
| Martha Tucker | 31 |
| Mary A Tucker | 12 |
| James F Tucker | 11 |
| Lewis M Tucker | 9 |
| Sarah Tucker | 7 |
| Leonard Tucker | 6 |
| Glovina G Tucker | 5 |
| George E Tucker | 4 |
| Martha Tucker | 2 |
Mary Ann Tucker was born March 15, 1839. From the above census record, I believe she, and not her brother, James Thomas Tucker, was the firstborn child of Lewis R. Tucker and Martha Whitley Tucker. This is the only census in which she is shown with her family, however, she does appear as a married woman in probate records of her father, Lewis.
| Name | Mary Ann Tucker |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Marriage Date | 8 Sep 1859 |
| Marriage Place | Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Spouse | Aaron Spinger |
| Spouse Gender | Male |
| Event Type | Marriage |
Life was progressing normally for Mary Ann, normal for a mid-nineteenth century farmgirl in the rural South. The family grew up in Big Lick. They were yeoman farmers, unprivileged, hardscrabble. Mary Ann would marry, at the age of 20, to Aaron Titus Springer, 30.
| Name | Aaron Springer |
|---|---|
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Residence Age | 21 |
| Birth Date | abt 1829 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Residence Date | 1850 |
| Home in 1850 | Almonds, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Occupation | Laborer |
| Industry | Industry Not Reported |
| Line Number | 37 |
| Dwelling Number | 464 |
| Family Number | 465 |
| Inferred Father | Reuben Springer |
| Inferred Mother | Frances Springer |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Reuben Springer | 50 |
| Frances Springer | 39 |
| Aaron Springer | 21 |
| Leah Springer | 17 |
| Catharine Springer | 16 |
| Rhoda Springer | 14 |
| Munroe Springer | 12 |
| Elmire Springer | 10 |
| Emaline Springer | 8 |
| Willie Springer | 6 |
| Thomas H T Springer | 2 |
Aaron Springer was the 1st Lover of Mary Tucker. Aaron was the oldest son and second born of the 11 children of Reuben and Tempa Frances "Frankie" Wiggins Springer. He grew up in Almond Township, roughly the Endy area.
He was preceeded in the family birthorder, by Sylvia, who was the mother of Minty Hatley, who had a son with Mary Ann Tucker's brother, Duncan. She had married William Hardy Hatley and John Dick..
He was followed by Sarah Leah Springer, who married Edmond Hatley; Catherine who married William Riley Eudy, Rhoda who married William Burleson, Emmaline who married Thomas N. Green and Hiram Harmon Eudy; Elmira Ellen Springer who married John B.Burris; Monroe H. Springer who married Christina Catherine Lefler and Margaret Frances Thurston; William Wiley Springer who married Martha Huneycutt, James Daniel Thomas Springer "Tom" or "J D", who married Rebecca Elizabeth Hatley and Frances Jr. who married Enoch Willis Morton.
Some add a 12th child, Martha, because a Martha appears in the children's list in the 1870 census. This was Martha Honeycutt Springer, wife of Wiley. They were married in 1869. The 1880 census also adds some confusion, as it would include grandchildren living in the home. There were 11 known children, however. Aaron had many sisters and a ton of responsibilities, as his brothers came much later. A few of the siblings would migrate away, others stayed and some had enormous families of their own. A handfull of large families in a rural area would create a spider's web of connections.
| Name | Ann Springer |
|---|---|
| Age | 31 |
| Birth Year | abt 1829 |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | White |
| Birth Place | North Carolina |
| Home in 1860 | Stanly, North Carolina |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Dwelling Number | 242 |
| Family Number | 242 |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Real Estate Value | 250 |
| Personal Estate Value | 125 |
| Inferred Spouse | Mary Springer |
| Inferred Child | Joseph D Springer |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Ann Springer | 31 |
| Mary Springer | 23 |
| Joseph D Springer | 7/12 |
1860, life was progressing typically. Aaron had moved closer to Albemarle. "Ann" is a transcription error for Aaron. The young couple has been joined by their firstborn son, Joseph Daniel, who was born September 30, 1859. The wedding was on September 8th, 1859. Lewis Tucker may have had a shotgun.
War came and the Springer boys were caught up in it. Aaron enlisted in Co. I, 27th Regiment of the NC Infantry. Monroe, who would later remove to Texas, enlisted in Company H, 42nd Infantry on May 10, 1862 and Wiley enlisted in Company H, 27th Regiment on August 31st, 1864. Wiley made Second Lieutenant, and was held as a Prisoner of War in Wisconsin. He deserted to the enemy near the end of the War. He suffered injuries that led to a premature death in 1879. Tom was too young, but suffered, for some reason, in his own way.
Aaron was a little on the older side, for a recruit, at 34, so he enlisted a year after his younger brothers, and in Wake County, on April 20, 1863. All the Springer sons made it back, breathing, but not necessarily the same.
So,this is not the typical 'man dies during Civil War and widow takes desperate measures for survival' story. Aaron made it back, but something was not right.
The 1870 census should have been a sign of that.
| Name | Aaron Spinger |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 40 |
| Birth Date | abt 1830 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 78 |
| Home in 1870 | Almond, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Male Citizen Over 21 | Yes |
| Real Estate Value | 200 |
| Inferred Spouse | Mary Spinger |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Mary Spinger | 38 |
| Aaron Spinger | 40 |
Aaron and Mary are living back in Almond Township, with no children. There were actually three little boys.
The boys, Joseph Daniel, James Robert and William Riley Springer, known by Aaron in his younger days, were living with their grandparents, Reuben and Francis Springer, just a few houses up. James was born a few years after Daniel and Aaron Jr., who would later change his name, was born on February 23, 1863, three months before his father registers for the Confederate Army.
This is where the story really begins. Aaron and Mary Ann had separated before the 1870 census. That is why the boys were living with their grandparents. They had gotten back together by the census and was trying to make amends. It didn't work.
Aaron Spring filed for divorce. The allegations were a reticulaton of aravice and iniquity. He disquietingly portrayed his wife as reprobate and base.
Fall Term 1874
Superior Court
Stanly County, North Carolina
Aaron Springer (Plaintiff) VS Mary Springer (Defendant)
The Plaintiff alleges and complains;
1st, That on or about the 8th day of September 1859, at and in the County of Stanly and State of North Carolina, he was lawfully married to the defendant Mary Springer that Plaintiff and defendant lived together as man and wife, till Plaintiff was conscripted and carried to the army, in the year 1863 and that Plaintiff conducted himself to defendant in all respects as a dutiful and affectionate husband.
2nd: That the Plaintiff returned home on a furlough in the month of August, 1864 and found to his great surprise and grief that the defendant was pregnant with child, begotten by some person to the Plaintiff unknown, that Plaintiff had been absent, under the Compulsory laws, of the Confederate States, for about seventeen months, and had not seen or had any connexion (sic) whatever with defendant. That Plaintiff when he was carried to the Army left ample supplies and comforts for defendant.
- That Plaintiff was informed and believes, that during his absence in the army, that defendant was guilty of 'illicit' intercourse, with divers men, and established the character of being a common prostitute. That Plaintiff separated from Defendant and left her in possession of Plaintiffs house, and necessary household and kitchen furniture. That Plaintiff and defendant remained separate and apart, until sometime in the year 1868, when upon the solemn promise of Defendant that she would cease all unfaithful conduct to plaintiff and would be, in the future, an affectionate dutiful and faithful wife. That Plaintiff lived, received defendant back as his wife X went to Defendant home and lived with her as his wife for about ten days -
That Defendant again proved false to her promises and unfaithful to the Plaintiff, and Plaintiff becoming satisfied that Defendant was cohabitating as Plaintiff was informed believes with one Rufus Whitley, Cicero Robbins and others.That Plaintiff again separated, and had not had any connexion, or intercourse with defendant, since the last mentioned separation, and had not admitted her to his bed or conjugal embraces.
3rd That Deft since the separation has had sexual intercourse with Dr. Solomon Furr, one Franklin Smith (col) and many other evil disposed men, and now has the character of a Common Prostitute.
4th That the Plaintiff and defendant have resided in Stanly County and State of North Carolina for more than three years preceding the commencement of this action. That the facts set forth above have existed to his knowledge for more than six months prior to the commencement of this action. That Plaintiff did not allow of his wife Defts prostitution or expose her to lewd company and had not himself been guilty of adultery with any female and has in all respects conducted himself in strict conformity with his marital vows and duty.
Wherefore Plaintiff demands judgement that he be divorced from the bonds of matrimony with the defendant Mary Springer and for such other relief as he may be entitiled to.
Attorney for Plaintiff
Aaron Springer being duly sworn states that the facts set forth in the foregoing complaint of his own knowledge are true and those not so set forth he believes to be true, and that the said complaint is not made out of levity or colllusion with Deft nor for the mere purpose of being freed and separated from the Deft. Mary Springer, but in sincerity for the causes mentioned in the complaint sworn to and subscribed before me the 26th July 1872.
Aaron Spring (signed)
J. M. Redwine cpc
Fall Term 1874
In the fall of 1874, the decision came.
"This cause coming on to be heard upon the issues submitted to the Jury who find the defendant Mary Springer guilty of adultery as charged in complaint.
It is therefore adjudged and decreed by the court that the Bonds of matrimony Hereforto solemnized between the Plaintiff Aaron Springer and Mary Springer be dissolved and that the Plaintiff be restored to his rights as a single man.
And it is further ordered and decreed by the Court that this decree be Enrolled, and the Plaintiff pay costs.
September 26th, 1874
R. P. Buxton
The Divorce was final, but was it over? According to Mary Ann, she and Aaron were still living together during the "findings", or during the course of the trial. She didn't deny the charges of adultery.
Reading the transcript of the trial, I had a few questions. Aaron stated that when he arrived home in August of 1864, that Mary was pregnant and he hadn't seen her in 17 months. Who was the child she was pregnant with? I have a theory.
In the 1870 census record of Mary's parents, Lewis and Martha Whitley Tucker, the youngest individuals in the home are two little girls, Marianna, born about 1865 and Bethany C., born about 1868, followed by their uncle, James Thomas Tucker, 29, who had returned to the home, and William R. Whitley, the husband and widower of their aunt, Sarah, who had recently passed away after the childbirth of their second child, who also died.
| Name | Lewis Tucker |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 66 |
| Birth Date | abt 1804 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 8 |
| Home in 1870 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Male Citizen Over 21 | Yes |
| Personal Estate Value | 300 |
| Real Estate Value | 1750 |
| Inferred Spouse | Martha Tucker |
| Inferred Children | George Tucker; Martha Tucker; Levi R Tucker; Jno R Tucker; Ellen Tucker; Duncan Tucker; Sophronia Tucker; Marianna Tucker; Bethany C Tucker |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Lewis Tucker | 66 |
| Martha Tucker | 52 |
| George Tucker | 21 |
| Martha Tucker | 18 |
| Levi R Tucker | 16 |
| Jno R Tucker | 14 |
| Ellen Tucker | 12 |
| Duncan Tucker | 10 |
| Sophronia Tucker | 8 |
| Marianna Tucker | 6 |
| Bethany C Tucker | 2 |
| James F Tucker | 29 |
| William R Whittey | 24 |
| Charlotte Whittey | 2 |
Lewis is 66, and Martha is 52. It's not impossible, but highly unlikely that Martha would have had children that young. Sophronia, 8, who was most definitely their child, was pushing it, making Martha about 44 upon her birth. Lewis Tucker died in 1873, and these two were not mentioned in the division and probate of the Estate. Sophronia, and the other older children were. Ellen, Duncan and Sophronia were mentioned as "infants", or under the age of 21, at the time of their father's death. No Marianna, no Bethany. There could be two reasons for that. Either they were daughters, and both died before 1873, before Lewis, or two, they were not daughters. If they were granddaughters, their parent was still alive, as Charlotte Whitley, who is mentioned, her mother Sarah being deceased, and she an heir in her mother's stead.
I believe the two girls could have been Mary's for several good reasons. One, only the older children were old enough to be their parents and Sarah was dead, and they were not children of the sons, as those that were married had their children with them. Two, the timing in the marital problems of Aaron and Mary Ann. He returned in August of 1864 and she was pregnant, visibly pregnant. That child was born the year Marianna was. He dated the second separation at 1868, the year Bethany was born. It would have made sense for the girls to have been placed with Mary Ann's parents, and for the first to be named Marianna.
But what happened to them? Were they Tuckers? Springers? Did they go by whatever surname their biological father was? I can't say, not yet. Perhaps neither one survived to 1880, or grew up, but maybe they did.
I also believe Mary Ann's story that they were not separated, and I'm not so certain Aaron was as dutiful a husband as he said he was, either. He left her in a house, with three very small boys, one an infant, which he could not help, as he was conscripted, but what about food and other basic needs during the 17 months he was gone. Mary's behavior could have very well been a survival tactic.
The Lovers
There were four men called out by name in the Divorce Petition by Aaron Springer, Rufus Whitley, Cicero Robbins, Dr. Solomon Furr, and Franklin Smith. Who were these men?
Rufus Whitley
Rufus Whitley referred to Mary Ann's brother-in-law, William Rufus Whitley, the husband of her sister, Sarah Tucker. Sarah passed away in 1859, shortly after the birth of her second child, who we assume also passed away. She left her husband with a two year old daughter, Charlotte.
This makes a lot of sense, as Rufus is found living in her parents home in 1860. This was a convenient affair.
W.R. Whitley was born in 1846, in Big Lick Township, in a rather disreputable and notorious family. His father was Joshua Christian Burris Jr. , a man who kept about four families, pretty much simultaneously, but with only one wife. His mother was Susannah Whitley, one of Christian Burris' mistresses, with whom he had four children, Rufe being the oldest. His brother Alec was a petty criminal, who progressed to murder, and was known as the only man hung in Stanly County, or was recorded to be.
Rufus was also a Civil War vet, enlisting in Albemarle on September 30, 1863, in Company H, 42nd North Carolina Infantry. He was wounded at Bermuda Hundred in Virginia and afterwards deserted, but survived the ordeal.
He remarried in 1872 to Minta Almond, with whom he had 8 children. Minty was another "grass child".
The daughter of Nathan Burleson and Mary "Polly" Almond, she and Rufus would move their family to Arkansas, where his brother, Alex, was hiding out.
Rufus obtained a Homestead grant in Hot Springs. He appears to not have been a model husband and father. One day after a trip away, he returned home to find Minta and the children, all 9 of them, missing. She had taken the buckboard to town, where she left it, then took another method of transportation to Texas, where she had family.
 |
| Arkadelphia, Arkansas 17 March 1899 |
Rufus would end up in the Confederates soldiers home, where he was found in the 1910 census, with a claim of being a widower.
 |
He would pass away there later the same year, just before Christmas, at the age of 64.
Minty was found, simultaneously, living in Dallas, Texas, alive, and claiming to be divorced. Rufus was lying, he was not a widower. Minty would outlive him by only a year, passing away in 1911. This census was wrong on her age. She was actually about 54, and still had young children at home. She died of chronic nephritis, which claimed a large number of lives at this time. One doesn't hear of this as an epidemic, like the Spanish flu, but if you read a lot of old death certificates, you know how common and devastating it was, deriving from a poor diet.
Cicero Robbins
One would think, with a name like Cicero Robbins, this accused lover of Mary Ann Tucker would be easy to identify. Wrong. I found mention of one Cicero Robbins, who graced the grounds of Stanly County and this young man married a Mrs. L. L. Lefer in Stanly County in 1899. He was born in 1863, and in 1870, the census closest to the Divorce proceedings, he was a 7 year old living in Randolph County, with his mother, Harriett Robbins, daughter of a Christopher Robbins. His father, according to the research of others, was an illusive Franklin Robbins, and on this Stanly County Marriage Certificate, he names his father as "John" Robbins. Not our Cicero. In fact, I don't believe there was a Cicero. There were a few on the coast of North Carolina, dock workers, of African decent. I don't think they were the man to whom Aaron Springer was referring to.
There was one possibiltiy, a man living in Big Lick, in the 1860's at least, and a known cad, or scoundrel, at times, and he was a Robbins.
Solomon Franklin Robbins was born about 1825 in what would become Stanly County, to John Isham Robbins III and wife, Francis Caroline Whitley. His father passes away about 1845 and his mother was taken care of by my ancestor, John Huneycutt. They were a Big Lick Township family. In the 1870 census of Stanly County, one will only find two adult Robbins left in the County, both female. One is Elizabeth Robbins, 44 , who is S. F. Robbin's sister, and the other is Sarah Hinson Robbins, his wife, with a string of children.
| Name | Sarah P Robbins |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 41 |
| Birth Date | abt 1829 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 128 |
| Home in 1870 | Big Lick, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Female |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Occupation | At Home |
| Cannot Read | Yes |
| Cannot Write | Yes |
| Inferred Children | Martha Robbins; Salomon Robbins; George W Robbins; Elizabeth Robbins; Israel D Robbins |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Sarah P Robbins | 41 |
| Martha Robbins | 17 |
| Salomon Robbins | 14 |
| George W Robbins | 10 |
| Elizabeth Robbins | 7 |
| Israel D Robbins |
She was not a widow. He had taken up with a woman named Mary Laton, and was off happily having babies in Tennesee.
| Name | Sal F Robins |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 37 |
| Birth Date | abt 1833 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 88 |
| Home in 1870 | District 10, McNairy, Tennessee |
| Race | White |
| Gender | Male |
| Post Office | Stantonville |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Male Citizen Over 21 | Yes |
| Personal Estate Value | 400 |
| Real Estate Value | 500 |
| Inferred Spouse | Mary E Robins |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Sal F Robins | 37 |
| Mary E Robins | 22 |
| John F Robins | 7 |
| Mary A Robins | 4 |
| Sarah E Robins | |
| Amanda E Laton | 28 |
| Sarah C Laton | 10 |
| John W Laton | 8 |
Solomon Franklin Robbins was very much alive in Tennessee. From land and estate transactions, he was going back and forth quite a bit during the 1860's, the Civil War Era, and beyond, but in 1870, he was in Tennesee. It appears some of Sarah Hinson Robbin's children may have had a "Ghost father". Solomon Franklin Robbins may also have been the named Franklin, father of Cicero Robbins. We know he had at least one illegitimate child, a girl named Fanny, by Susan Honeycutt, sister of John Honeycutt.
Cicero could have been a nickname for Solomon Robbins. We saw how William Rufus Whitley became "Rufe".
This is all speculation, but if there was a Robbins who was having an affair with Mary Tucker Springer, it was most likely Solomon Franklin Robbins.
Doctor Solomon Furr
The name "Doctor" was a popular first name for a boy in the 1800's, as men would name their sons for the physician who would deliver them, and at times save the life of the children and their mothers. Not in this case.
| Name | Solomon Furr | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 40 | ||||
| Birth Date | Abt 1840 | ||||
| Birthplace | North Carolina | ||||
| Home in 1880 | Harris, Stanly, North Carolina, USA | ||||
| Dwelling Number | 182 | ||||
| Race | White | ||||
| Gender | Male | ||||
| Marital Status | Single | ||||
| Occupation | Physician | ||||
| Neighbors | |||||
| |||||
Dr. Solomon Furr was an actual Doctor. In his shared photograph, a handsome man looks out with an austere gaze and an expression that is half smirk, half sneer. It's a look of grounded arrogance, confidant, yet not cocky. A man who knows his worth.
Solomon Furr was born near the German settled area of Dutch Buffalo Creek, on May 29th, 1822, to Henry John Furr and Rhoda Stallings.
He married three times. First to Sophia Miller, in 1841, by whom one son was born. She died in 1844.
He married Avaline Brown in 1844, and had three children with her. In 1870, they was living separately, he with their youngest daughter with him, and she with relatives. It may have had something to do with Mary Ann Tucker.
Avaline died in 1892 and in 1894, he remarried, to the thrice married Martha Jane Cox Scott Wilhelm Furr.
| Name | Frank Smith |
|---|---|
| Age in 1870 | 35 |
| Birth Date | abt 1835 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Dwelling Number | 126 |
| Home in 1870 | Almond, Stanly, North Carolina |
| Race | Black |
| Gender | Male |
| Post Office | Albemarle |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Cannot Read | Yes |
| Cannot Write | Yes |
| Male Citizen Over 21 | Yes |
| Inferred Spouse | Emaline Smith |
| Inferred Children | Whitson Smith |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Frank Smith | 35 |
| Emaline Smith | 35 |
| Whitson Smith | 9 |
| Name | Franklin Smith |
|---|---|
| Age in 1910 | 72 |
| Birth Date | 1838 |
| Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Home in 1910 | Almond, Stanly, North Carolina, USA |
| Sheet Number | 6a |
| Race | Black |
| Gender | Male |
| Relation to Head of House | Head |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Father's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Mother's Birthplace | North Carolina |
| Native Tongue | English |
| Occupation | Farmer |
| Industry | General Farm |
| Employer, Employee or Other | Own Account |
| Home Owned or Rented | Rent |
| Farm or House | Farm |
| Able to read | N |
| Able to Write | N |
| Enumeration District Number | 0117 |
| Years Married | 43 |
| Enumerated Year | 1910 |
| Neighbors | View others on page |
| Name | Age |
|---|---|
| Franklin Smith | 72 |
| Emley Smith | 69 |
| John W Smith | 16 |
 |
Stanly News and PressAlbemarle, North Carolina • Page 4 |
Frank died on June 20, 1914, and was buried at Bear Creek Primitive Baptist Church, which was an unusual occurence in that day and time. An impressive stone was erected in his honor, showing how much he was a beloved member of the community. The other Smiths in the cemetery are from the Moses Smith family, a son of William (Wilhelm Shmitdt) "Billy" Smith family. There could be ties there.
After the Divorce
The next chapter of Mary's life was ever bit as confusing as the first. Her next step was to find her next conquest, and he would have had to have been an out-of-towner, someone taken by her feminine charms and wiles, yet unaware of her past and reputation. His name was Alexander Dunbar Potts, and he was the next lover of Mary Tucker.
A. D. Potts and Mary Ann Tucker Springer were married on July 22, 1875, in Stanly County. He was 41 and she was 31. A D Potts was the son of Henry Potts, deceased, and Matilda Potts, living, of New York. He had been born in Mississippi. The wedding took place in the town of Albemarle, and from the witness list, appears to have been a Courthouse wedding.
Alexander Dunbar Potts
A.D.Potts is a bit of mystery in the reasoning for his moves to North Carolina. Despite being born in the south, Church records reveal his father was a Presbyterian Minister, and Dunbar grew up in Schenectady, New York, being there in 1850 and 1860.
Born on June 6th, 1843, he attended Union University in New York.
After graduation, he served in the Union Army from New York. He was a businessman, or at least sought to be one. I get a total Carpetbagger vibe from this dude. In 1870, he was living in Dutchess County, New York, working as a Civil Engineer. Reconstruction may have brought him to North Carolina, where he probably met Mary Ann about 1874 -1875.
The marriage to Mary Tucker Springer may have been a bit of an opportunistic move, as he appears in a few lawsuits against her brother James Thomas Tucker, and other siblings, over the settlement of the estate of her father, Lewis.
The second lawsuit, some time later, was headed only by Mary Potts, sans husband, but she wasn't alone in bringing the lawsuit, it was in conjunction with R. A. Anderson, or to put it another way, the contemptuous, murderous, cad, Dr. Richard A. Anderson II, of Big Lick, nephew of the Good Dr. Richard A. Anderson of Albemarle, of whom I have posted on before, because he got by with a very callous, egegrious murder, because he was a tad sharper and more privileged, than the average citizen of that era.
I can't say what the relationship was between Mary Ann and Dr. Anderson, but she did like doctors, and in my post Laney, it was revealed that he had an affair with Mary Parks, daughter of Selana 'Laney' Hinson Parks, so he wasn't above it.
Things were abrew. Two years after wedding bells rang a second time for Mary Ann Tucker, they were cracking apart again.
In the Fall term of Court,1877, A.D. Potts filed for divorce against Mary Ann Tucker Potts.
I found the case continued from term to term, but not the finality of it. Perhaps he dropped the case. At any rate, they reconciled, for a time any way, because...
We find AD and Mary Potts, living together in the 1880 census, with her teenaged son, James Robert Springer. They lived right next door to 81 year old Dr. Francis Kron, in the current Morrow Mountain area, near the Ghost Town of Tindallsville.
Dr. Kron, a citizen of Prussia, who fancied himself a cut above, morally, the local citizens of the area, had written in his diary the above excerpt describing a sect of the population. Someone named Tiger, has attached it to Mary Ann's profile, quite fittingly.
Ex-husband Aaron Springer is found as a Divorced farmer, living with their youngest son, Aaron Springer Jr. AKA William Riley Springer.
The missing son, Joseph Daniel Springer, died earlier that year, in March, at the age of 20, cause unknown.
James Robert Springer would marry Jane Thomas Mabry on May 18, 1881. His mother was living.
William Riley "Aaron" Springer would marry on May 11, 1884, to Larcenia "Laura" Furr and his mother was living.
Alexander Dunbar Potts remarried on March 11, 1886, in Rowan County, NC to Sarah Elizabeth Bruner. Either the divorce was finalized or Mary Ann Tucker was deceased by then, but she was seen no more in records, that I can recover.
Two large errors hang over the demise of Mary Ann Tucker. First, several family trees at Family Search and on Ancestry give her date of death as January 14, 1918. I believe they have her mixed up with her younger sister, Martha Jane Tucker who married David Stanly Morgan. Martha Jane actually did die on January 14, 1918, and was buried at Liberty Hill Primitive Baptist Church, as was their brother Duncan. Mary is not to be located in the 1900 or 1910 census. I believe she passed away before 1900, and probably between 1884 and 1886. Her burial place is also unknown.
The other error is in that people have merged Mary with a completely different Mary who moved to Anson County. That Mary has a story of her own, but they are definitely two separate people.
 |
| The Potts Family in New York, Dunbar,sitting, right |
Alexander Dunbar Potts lived in Salisbury, Rowan County, NC, briefly following his second marriage. Two children, Clarissa and George, came in rapid succession, so rapid, there's a possibility that George may have been the son of Mary Ann Tucker. The newspapers will tell the story of his next consequential few years, and I do mean few. Unless otherwise stated, these were clipped from The Carolina Watchman.
April 21 1887 - Shot
He was shot while working as Constable at Davidson College.
May 26, 1887 - Living on Fulton Street
May 17, 1888 - Associated with the Copper Mine
Dec 6, 1888 - Tragedy
December 13, 1888- Obituary
Dunbars' job had taken him to the Mountains, at Deep Creek, in Ashe County, where he passed away.
Alexander Dunbar Potts had an Estate Settlement, with his wife Sarah named as Executrix. He had three heirs, Sarah and his two children, Clarissa and George.
George Potts died on May 4, 1890, according to the Presbyterian Church records. His date of birth was not recorded. He also had an estate settlement, due to his inheritance from his father, his heir being his sister, Clarissa.
Dunbar and Sarah were married on March 11, 1886, in Catawba County, NC.
Clarissa Dunbar Potts was born on May 1st, 1887. George could not have been born before her, if he was Sarah's child. He was not born posthumously, as Dunbar was noted as leaving a wife and two children in his obituaries. Alexander Dunbar Potts died on December 3rd 1888. George would have had to have been born in 1888, quickly after Clarrisa and before Dunbar's death.
Sarah remarried to a Wilson in 1890. In the 1900 census, she is living alone in Salisbury. Her marital status is married. She claims to be the mother of one child with one child living.
Clarissa is boarding with a relative. Mr. Wilsons whereabouts at this point unknown. Clarissa will marry a Kennedy and they will all move to Charleston, SC.
Aaron Springer also remarried after his divorce from Mary Ann, to a Sarah Hatley, fathering three more children, Emma, Seymour and Travis. He passed away on June 7th, 1893.
The known descendants of Mary Ann Tucker Springer Potts were:
A) Joseph Daniel Springer - died at 20, no children.
B) James Robert Springer- died in 1933, Married Jane Mabry, 13 children:
1882 Wincie Ann
1884 Wade Harris
1884 Omi W.
1885 William Henry
1888 Maggie Jane
1890 Clarence J.
1893 Fairly Shellie
1896 Oscar Richard
1901 Daniel Robert
1903 Charles D
1905 Mollie D.
1912 Wiley
1920 Infant Son
J.R. and Jane raised their family in Stanly County, North Carolina.
B) William Riley Springer aka "Aaron" (1863-1935). Married Larcenia Furr, three children:
1885 Hastings
1887 Ada Monroe
1891 Ella
Aaron raised his family in Swain and Jackson Counties, North Carolina. He is buried in Qualla.
