Mary Love, born 1768 (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks #7)

This week’s challenge is “LOVE”.  I chose to write about Mary Love, my fourth great grandmother.  Her son, William Adamson, is the ancestor that started my whole genealogical journey twenty-some years ago into the Adamson family.

Very little is known about Mary, so there is much work to do to learn about her.  This is what I do know (with some noted speculation):

Mary Love was born on the 30^th of July in 1768 in North Carolina.  She was a daughter of John and Sarah Sharp Love.  Mary was the seventh of eleven known children. Her parents were reported to be Quakers.  Her father, John Love, was listed in the 1768 Rowan County, North Carolina Tax List, so it is a good guess that his daughter Mary was born in Rowan County.

Mary Love married Enos Adamson around 1781.  Mary’s father was listed in the Surry County North Carolina Tax List for 1780, so it may be that Mary married in Surry County.  Marriage records have not been located to prove this.  The marriage date for Mary Love and Enos Adamson is based on the fact that their first known child, John,  was born about 1782 in Orange County, North Carolina.

Enos Adamson was listed as living in Surry County, North Carolina in 1785.  He and Mary had either four or five children by then.  The family was listed in both the 1790 and 1800 Stokes County North Carolina Censuses.

As best as can be determined, Mary Love had eight children.  It is unknown where and when Mary Love Adamson died.  Her father died around 1791 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and Mary was listed in her father’s will.  She had children born between 1790 and 1800.

Her husband Enos was found in Jefferson County, Tennessee in 1812 as a witness to his brother Thomas’ will.  Was Mary there also?  Unfortunately, no further history of Enos Adamson is known either.  Enos and Mary Love Adamson’s children settled in Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky and Illinois.  What happened to Enos and Mary?  This is one of those mysteries that I feel the answers are out there somewhere, but I don’t know where to look!