Matthew Bishop Jeffrey - December 11, 1835

I thought at first when I saw this name on my list that it was Matthew Jeffrey, the son of Jeremiah Jeffrey, who took care of his parents in their old age. But when I checked, it actually was his nephew, Matthew BISHOP Jeffrey – the son of Matthew’s brother, Jesse Thomas Jeffrey and Anna Hellums. He’s my first cousin, four times removed.

I thought this was going to be another easy, short bio. I was so wrong. In fact, I might not get the answer I need today. I’ll post what I have and perhaps, when the answer comes, I’ll post the correct information.

This is a quote from the bio on Find a Grave .com.

“Matthew Bishop JEFFREY was born on December 11, 1835, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the child of Jesse Thomas and Anna 'Annie' Hellums”

By 1843 the family had moved on the Tippah County, Mississippi and then on to Caldwell County, Texas.

“He married Mary Elizabeth Gilliland on August 1, 1861, in Caldwell County, Texas. On Jan. 20, 1862 he enlisted in Co.F, Calvary, Waul's Legion, C.S.A. Matthew and Mary had one child, a daughter - Anna M. Jeffrey Kirksey (1862 – 1910)- during their marriage.”

So far, so good, but then-

“Matthew died on December 24, 1883, in Caldwell County, Texas, at the age of 48, and was buried in the Jeffrey Cemetery.”

Well, that sounds OK, until you read that Matthew’s wife Mary, remarried sixteen years BEFORE Matthew died.

“Mary Elizabeth Gilliland was born 8 July 1845 in Mississippi. She was first married to Matthew B. Jeffrey on 1 August 1861 in Caldwell County, Texas. Matthew B. Jeffrey died about 1866, probably as a result of wounds or illness from the Civil War. He was a son of Jesse Jeffrey (b 1806) and Anna Hellums. Matthew Jeffrey and Mary Elizabeth Gilliland had one child, Anna Jeffrey, who was born about 1862. 

 Mary Elizabeth Gilliland was married again on 31 January 1867 to Captain Edmund Foreman. Mary Elizabeth and Cap Foreman had three children before she died in 1880 or '81. They were William, Robert, Ida "Birdie" and Hattie Foreman.”
[actually, that's four children. Ed]

And another source -

    “Mary Elizabeth was married again on January 31, 1867, to Cap E. Foreman (1851 - 1926). The Foreman family had also come to Caldwell County from Talladega County, Alabama. Mary Elizabeth and Cap Foreman had four children.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tory/long/janec.html

So did Matthew die in 1866 after returning from the war? That would make sense, but the other records all say he died in 1883, well after Mary remarried. Did they divorce? I can’t find any record of a divorce but it could have been. But why did the other source say 1866? Were they just guessing because of the marriage date of Mary and Cap? The only actual records I've been able to find are the marriage records. I won't even mention the Jeffrey Cemetery website that lists Matthew B Jeffrey as born 1/6/1831 and died 7/1/189.

These are the things that keep me awake at night.