52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: #36 Rebecca Ann Maynard Alexander

Finding the parents of Rebecca Ann Maynard Alexander provided a gateway to the storied past of the Ragland family of the United States, England and Wales. Her mother, Judith Ragland, was the gateway ancestor.

Rebecca was born in Virginia to Judith and Evan Maynard of Halifax County. Her tombstone states her birth as February 13, 1840, while her death certificate says April 5, 1840. Her mother's birthday was April 5, so I believe the February 13 date is the accurate one.

Rebecca was the eighth of nine children born to the Maynard family. Sometime between 1848 and 1850, the family moved from Virginia to Weakley County, Tennessee. It was there that Rebecca married Thomas Jefferson Alexander on February 20, 1855, just a week after her 15th birthday.

The Alexander family had a legacy of twins. Rebecca bore two sets of twins, along with eight other children, for an even dozen.

Quick drop page from Memoirs by ClubScrap

Rebecca Ann Maynard Alexander was widowed in 1922. She died in Dresden, Tennessee, on August 9, 1931. She was buried with her husband in the Jolley Springs cemetery in Weakley County.

Rebecca and the entire Maynard family were mentioned in the Goodspeed's biography of her eldest brother, John Maynard, who founded the town of Maynard, Arkansas. That 1891 biography is an important piece of information for all descendants of Judith Ragland and Evan Maynard.