52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - #8 Margaret DeVane

My maternal second great grandmother Margaret DeVane was born September 26, 1826, in Bulloch County, Georgia, to Francis Devane and Frances Giddens (yes, her parents have the same name). Margaret was one of at least eight children. Her siblings were Priscilla Ann (1816-1904), Tabitha (1822-1897), Thomas (1824-1902), Rebecca Jane (1831-1859), Patrick (1834-1862), Benjamin Mitchell (1835-1912), and William (1838-1909).

Around 1831, Margaret's parents moved the family to the fertile lands and pine forests of north Lowndes County, Georgia, an area that later became part of Berrien County. This must be where Margaret met her future husband William Roberts. William's parents, William P. Roberts and Sarah Knight, were among the early setters in Lowndes County and were living here by 1825. William was born here three years later. This part of Georgia was being settled quickly during this time, with many new settlers moving in carving out their land and building new homes. Native Americans were seen on occasion, and they sometimes fought with the encroaching white settlers. (The maps below are from http://randymajors.com/p/maps.html with labels added.)

Lowndes County, Georgia, in 1830. It was formed from Irwin County in 1825.

Lowndes and Berrien counties in 1860. Berrien was formed from part of Lowndes County in 1856.

Margaret married William in Lowndes County on June 30, 1845, when she was nearly 19 years old. She gave birth to nine children: Priscilla Ann (1847-1920), Rebecca Jane (1849-1849), John Taylor (1850-1920, my maternal great grandfather), Elizabeth (1853-1936), William Patrick (1855-1922), Benjamin Hill (1858-1936), Francis (1860-1915), Martha Leona (1864-1900, for whom my grandmother was named), and Margaret Beulah (1867-1946).

Margaret and William eventually moved to the town of Valdosta, the county seat in Lowndes County, where several of their children were living. Margaret died August 18, 1893, and William died in 1903. Both are buried in Sunset Hill Cemetery in Valdosta near several of their children.

Catherine

This post is part of the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge by genealogist Amy Crow at No Story Too Small.

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Sources:

Folks Huxford. Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, Volume V.  Self published, 1967. Second Printing, 1970, 366-367.

General James Jackson Chapter, NSDAR, History of Lowndes County, Georgia 1825-1941 (1942; Reprint, General James Jackson Chapter, NSDAR, 1995), 1-6