Margaret Blassingame


Margaret Ann Rankin (1854-after 1934)
and Addison Holcomb Blassingame (1853-1935)
South Carolina to Texas

Compiled and copyrighted July 2010 by Linda Sparks Starr


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Tintype of Margaret as a child

Margaret Ann, born 11 August 1854 in Anderson County, was the youngest child of Thomas and Sarah Ann (Orr).  She grew up during the difficult days of the conflict with the north and south. Only five or so when her oldest brother went off to Kentucky to attend college, she probably had few memories of him in connection with her youth. He returned from Kentucky just in time to head off to the battle front that spring of 1861.  He was lucky if he made it home the one or two times records suggest the possibility.  Once the conflict was over and he and their uncles made it home from Appomattox, he wasn’t around long before he left for his new life in Georgia.  Yet, it’s this youngest sister who appears to have kept in touch with the eldest once the four siblings moved to Texas.   At least she’s the one who sent pictures of family members to him.

Although the POAGE researcher was told W. R. was the one to contact for information on the family, it was Margaret who realized an important item had been left behind when the family moved to Texas: their heritage in the form of vital statistics.  She requested the brother (George A.) who had access to the Thomas F. Rankin family Bible send her a copy of the family record entries. A half-century later these family Bible entries were shared by one of Margaret’s daughters with Helen (Starr) Wade.

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Margaret Ann Rankin

On 4 November 1872 Margaret Ann married Addison “Add” Holcombe Blassingame.  Add’s brother, David W., had married Margaret’s sister Mary earlier that year. According to one internet website they were sons of Robert Easley Blassingame (1801-1882) and his second wife, Mildred Jackson (1814-1891).   Although she was married, Margaret was under legal age in 1873 and 1874 when the Probate Court of Anderson County appointed a guardian  to represent her interests.  In the 1874 suit W. S. Williams, Survivor, Plaintiff against the individual members of the family of Thomas F. Rankin deceased, the guardian was W. S. Brown.  He perhaps represented her as well in the friendly lawsuit brought by the administrator de bonis non of the remainder of the estate of Mary Jane Rankin.  The only mention of the need of a guardian for Margaret is mentioned in those probate papers. [#2912 Real Estate Miss Mary Jane Rankin]   However, the estate packet does identify Margaret A. Blassingame as a resident of Pickens County in 1873.

About 1882 Addison, Margaret and their three daughters posed for a photograph.  Curiously, this picture was identified by Ann Jones as “Will and Margaret” and the girls as: “May, Annie and Lena” in that order.

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But the Blassingame website gives the birth dates for the girls as:  Cora Istalena “Lena” 1874; Mary Westfield “May” 1876; and Mildred Anna “Annie” 1878 which agrees with the 1880 census.

In December 1891 this family moved west to Texas with other families from the area.  Many, or perhaps all, were related to each other.  Their move was announced in the 17 December 1891 issue of the Pickens Sentinel:    The following families left Liberty last Thursday for Texas. Most of them will stop at Sherman and others will go to other parts of the state: Wilson Rankin and family, Ad Blassengame and family, John Wilson and family, J. B. Carson and family, William Stone and family, E. F. Allgood, James Stone, James Hix, Mrs. Ann Kelley and Miss Mary Jenkins.  The party numbered 75 or 100.  The railroad authorities dropped off a baggage and passenger car the evening before to carry them.”  [Eades]

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The people in this photo were tentatively identified by Ann Jones as: Will and Margaret Blassingame, their daughters, and Mrs. Blassingame. (a.k.a. Add and David’s mother) Some researchers think the photo was taken in Texas based on the estimated ages of the girls standing in the back row. The nickname Will errs and Add’s mother died before they moved to Texas if the Blassingame web page is correct about her death date.  I suggest these instead are:  Mary (Rankin) Blassingame, wife of David, Add Blassingame, Jennifer (born 1883) youngest daughter of Mary & David Blassingame, and Margaret (Rankin) Blassingame. The three standing behind are Add and Margaret’s daughters:  Anna, Lena and May.  Either that, or this photo was taken in South Carolina before 1891 which is entirely possible. But then who the extra female is needs to be explored.  Confirmation or correction will be appreciated.

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The celebration of Addison and Margaret’s 62nd wedding anniversary in 1934 was published in The Democrat.  A more specific identification of the newspaper was not provided in the papers of the Rankin family in Georgia.  "VAN ALSTYNE – Mr. and Mrs. Addison H. Blassingame, aged 81 and 80 respectively, are celebrating 62 years of married life. Both were born in Anderson county, S.C. where they were married Nov. 14, 1872.  In 1891 they came to Texas and settled in the Elmont community where Mrs. Blassingame joined the Baptist church. About 1900 they moved to Van Alstyne.
    Three daughters were born to them, all of whom are now living. These are Mrs. Lena Thornton, Sulphur, Okla., Mrs. May Bowen, Dallas, and Mrs. Garvin Bray, Celina. There are eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
    Members of the families united by this marriage were active in the civil war. David W. Blassingame served four months at the close of the war. Mrs. Blassingame had two brothers under arms, George Rankin, who was advanced to rank of captain, and Will Rankin. All of these men enlisted at the age of 16.
    W. N. Rankin of Howe is a brother and Mrs. Addie Farmer* of Easley, S. C. is a sister of Mrs. Blassingame.  Despite age and infirmity, Mr. and Mrs. Blassingame talk interestingly about old days.  Bibles and other relics establish their connection with the past."

[LSS note: the Blassingame web page identifies one of Add’s sisters as Susan Adelaide “Addie” Blassingame, who married Benjamin Franklin Farmer.]

According to Ann Jones, Mary Westfield was born 1 April 1876 and she married John D. Bowen. They had:  John B. Bowen who married Ann Rose Scott, and Ruth Bowen who married C. D. Godwin. She added that she met Ruth (Bowen) Godwin at Helen (Starr) Wade’s Dallas home in 1979.  Thus Ruth may be the person who gave Helen the Rankin Bible records collected by Margaret.
 

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John and Mae Blassingame Bowen

The above photo was identified by Helen (Starr) Wade as  "John & Mae Blassingame Bowen."  She added:  “Mae is Mama’s first cousin. Made about 1898.”   Alice (Starr) Schisler added: “lived in Dallas”.  Mae was born in 1876.


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Annie Blassingame

The above photo, taken about 1895, was identified by Aunt Helen as Annie Blassingame, “Mama’s cousin on father’s side.” Annie was a daughter of Margaret Rankin Blassingame.

Ann Jones gave 13 February 1878 as the birth date for Mildred Annie Blassingame and added that she married Garvin B. Bray. They had:  Margaret F. who married Samuel Jennings; James G. who married Lucy Neil; Mildred A. who married Carl E. Broyles; Mary K. who married Paul O. Breen; and Myra who married J. W. Sprenkle.

A picture post card was addressed by Margaret to her brother, W. R. Rankin. It identifies the boy on the pony as Boone. Elsewhere Boone is more fully identified as Boone Thornton, son of Lena (Blassingame) and William Timothy Thornton.  Ann Jones gave 22 March 1874 as the specific birth date for Cora.  According to Ann , "Cora” and Wm T. Thornton had Lile who married Myrtle Ness; Boone; William T. Jr.; and Bess who married Ray Riley.



SOURCES

Anderson County records located at the South Carolina Department of Archives and History,  Columbus.

Blassingame family information:  http://www.rowberry.org/rickhsite/blass.htm

Eades, Barbara, descendant via Blassingame.

FamilySearch.org

Jones, Dr. Ann Norton, descendant of W. R. Rankin.  She had access to all the family records and photographs of William Robertson Rankin of Calhoun, GA.

Wade, Helen Starr, descendant of W. R. Rankin



Linda Sparks Starr    copyright (c) June 2010
lsstarr@pilgrimage.us

Home: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lksstarr/