Mary Blassingame
Mary Matilda Rankin
(1846-1904)
and David Westfield Blassingame (1847-1918)
South Carolina to Texas
Compiled and copyrighted July 2010 by
Linda Sparks Starr
Although one of the middle children born to Thomas F. and Sarah Ann
(Orr), Mary Matilda became the eldest surviving daughter. Born 4
November 1846, she was only five when Josephine died and thus probably
had few memories of this sister whose death changed Mary’s
position in the family. The raise in her status within the family also
meant a rise in expectations. As more babies came, the more tasks fell
onto her young shoulders. She was probably“a little
mother” to those youngest Rankin children. There is little doubt
that Mary grew up early in this household in this time period.
Mary was 26 when she and David Westfield Blassingame were married 18
January 1872. David, born about 1847, is listed first when the
children of Robert Easley Blassingame and his second wife, Mildred
Jackson, are enumerated. His younger brother, Addison married
Mary’s younger sister, Margaret. David is thought to be the
D. W. Blassingame whose name is on the list with Thomas F. Rankin of
those Anderson District residents qualifying for State Aid in
1866. [Eades citing SC Archives site]
Mary M. and David were living in Pickens County the spring of 1873 when
she was named in a friendly suit filed by her Uncle George W. Rankin in
his role as administrator of her Aunt Mary Jane Rankin’s
estate. [#2912 Real Estate of Miss Mary Jane Rankin]
Names of their children and the married surnames of their daughters
comes from Ann Jones; additional information from other
researchers. This family was not found by me on the 1880 census.
Mildred Inez (Blassingame) Allgood died 1896
Rankin Easley Blassingame
Thomas George Blassingame born 1877 Calhoun,
Georgia
Robert Addison Blassingame killed at age 19 in a
horse & buggy accident.
Jennie Field (Blassingame) Basler. Jenifer
Fields a.k.a. Freda was born 1881.
James Westfield Blassingame born 1886
Mary and David and most of their family eventually moved to Texas, but
not with their siblings, Margaret and Add Blassingame and Wilson
and Esther Rankin. Perhaps they had gone ahead to check out the
opportunities in Texas. Or they as easily could have been among
the last groups to arrive. The purported birth of their son,
Thomas George, in Calhoun, Georgia may explain the Power of Attorney
signed by W. R. Rankin of Calhoun to his brother, George A. Rankin of
Anderson County.
Dated 19 January 1891, it authorized George to collect what was due W.
R. from D. W. Blassingame of Anderson County. The facts
aren’t known, but the document suggests a change of some kind was
afoot.
Although the woman seated to the left of this photo is identified as
Mrs. Blassingame, mother of David and Addison, I suggest it might be
Mary (Rankin) Blassingame instead. IF the picture was taken in
Texas, as the ages of Add’s daughters (standing in the back row)
suggest, then it can’t be Add’s mother who died in
1891. If this is Mary M. (Rankin) Blassingame instead, then
the girl between Add and Margaret is probably Mary’s youngest
daughter, Jenifer.
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 Blassingames, researcher.
FamilySearch.org for the 1880 census
Jones, Dr. Ann Norton, descendant of W. R. Rankin, researcher.
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/
