Joshua Gore Jr and Mary J.

His parents: Joshua Gore and Frances
Her parents: Unknown to me

Joshua Gore Jr and his first wife Temperance were ancestors of Eddie Josey Wilson, one of the authors of the article in the Gore Family Newsletter, and, in that article, she has addressed her branch of Joshua Jr's family and has provided more detail than I have available. I refer the reader there. I will focus here on the family of Joshua Jr and his wife Mary J., particularly on their son Thomas G. B. Gore.

I happened upon the gravestone of Thomas G. B. Gore in Rydal, Bartow County, GA. His grave is in the Pine Log Cemetery, where my wife's ancestors all the way back to the early 1800s are buried, and there is even a commemorative stone for an ancestor who died in the Revolutionary War. Thomas had unmarked spaces around him, but there were no stones for other Gores. I was intrigued by there being only a single stone being the surname, and I wondered if Thomas could be part of my Gore family.

The 1870 census in Bartow County shows Joshua, 67, and Mary, 34, with two children, Margaret F., 10, and Thomas G. B., 8. The 1880 census found Joshua's and Mary's family to include Thomas, 17, and Margaret, 16, but a closer look revealed that this Margaret was Thomas's wife. Daughter Margaret F. was missing, but a look at Georgia marriage records showed that Frances "Fannie" Gore married Hiram Yarbrough January 1880 in Bartow County. Fannie and Hiram had two children, Oliver Hiram and Daniel.

Mary J.'s maiden name is said by many to be Gunn, and this may well be correct; however, note that she was only about half Joshua's age in 1870 and that they had been married at least ten years, meaning she was just barely an adult and had married a middle-aged man. Although such marriages were not rare, the bride was usually from a poor family and was seeking to better her life. A search of census records in 1850, which would have been the last before their marriage found the most likely family for her to be that of A. C. and Margaret Gunn in Iredell County, NC. Census data show that the family was far from poor with real estate worth $3000, a considerable value at the time. A. C. Gunn was listed as a carpenter, meaning he was a skilled worker. Supporting Mary's identity as Mary J. Dunn is the naming of a daughter as Margaret Frances in honor of her mother Margaret and a next-door neighbor in 1850, Fanny Johnson. Another supporting factor is the family of James Gunn (Mary Gunn's brother?) next door to Joshua and Mary in 1860.

1850IredellNCp455B: A. C. Gunn, 46, Margaret, 43, Milon A. (m), 21, John M., 18, James S., 16, Mary J., 14, Henry, 9, Margaret C., 7, William, W. 5

1860BartowGAp858: Joseph Gore, 58, Mary J., 23, Margaret F., 2 mo; next door: James T. Gunn, 24, b. NC, Catherine, 23, GA
Although the name is Joseph, this must be Joshua and Mary with baby daughter.

1870BartowGAp: Joshua Gore, 67, Mary J. Gore, 34, Margaret F. Gore, 10, Thomas G. B. Gore, 8

1880BartowGAp532A: Joshua Gore, 66, Mary Gore, 44, Thomas Gore, 17, Margaret Gore, 16; Thomas and Margaret are married. Note that Joshua became younger betwee 1870 and 1880.

1900BartowGAp3: Mary J Gore, b. Apr 1836, SC,, Widowed, Father b. Scotland (??), Mother b. NC, 2 living children, 3 born; Joshua S. Gore, b. July 1881, GA, Grandson, Single, Father b. GA, Mother b. GA
Next door: Thomas G. Gore, b. Oct 1862, Fannie (illegible initial), b. Dec 1892, Charley C., b. Jan 1894, Mary C., b. Feb 1895