Dennis McClendon (c.1824 – c.1867) and Mary Brady (1829-06-02 – 1914-02-23) were my great-great-great-grandparents, being the parents of Mary Caroline Fisher. Dennis was born in North Carolina and moved to Rhea County, Tennessee, where Mary was born and died. They married there 1845-06-05. Dennis’s parents are almost certainly John and Nancy McClendon. Mary was the daughter of Merril Brady and Nancy Monday.

Dennis’s birth and death

There is no record of Dennis’s birth nor proof of his parents, but there is a strong case that they are John and Nancy. They are the only McClendons in the area of the appropriate age, and indeed all are living in Rhea County in the 1850 census. John and Nancy in the 1840 census have a boy aged 15–20 in their home^ref, who thereafter would be unaccounted for if not Dennis.

There is also DNA evidence in support. I have an X segment in common with a descendant of John and Nancy, which, since it’s X, could only have come through Nancy, and not from a more remote McClendon. There is always the chance that this is a red herring and the relation is some other, unknown one, or I am related to Nancy but not descended from her, but this is less likely. This evidence reinforces the above argument.

Dennis is recorded in the 1850^ref and 1860^ref Rhea County censuses, aged 25 and 35 respectively. This puts his birth in 1824 or 1825, which is consistent with the boy in the 1840 census. By 1870 Mary is recorded without a husband, and is thus likely widowed.

I can also find no record of Dennis’s death. The 1870 census shows what appears to be a daughter aged 2, so presumably he was still alive in 1867, unless she was not a daughter, which could put his death as far back as 1862. His death may be related to the Civil War, but I cannot find records of this.

So, Mary outlived him by close to half a century.

Children

They had these eight children and two possible children:

• Nancy Jane (c.1846 – 1880x5), married Churchwell A. Brown.
• Rebecca Ann (1849-02 – 1910-05-19), married Samuel Houston Miller.
• Merril Brady (1851-01 – 1937-05-13), married Elizabeth Jane Campbell.
• Sarah Elizabeth (1852-04-02 – 1939-02-13), married first Monroe Miller, second Churchwell A. Brown, her sister’s widow.
• Thomas Jefferson (1853-12-03 – 1939-07-06), married first Sophia Ann Victoria “Queen” Miller, second Tabitha Mexico Davis.
• Addison Locke (1858-05-29 – 1926-06-06) twin, married Savannah Brady Jolly.
• Adeline “Addie” (1858-05-29 – 1925-12-06) twin, married William J. David Huskins.
• (?) July or Julia (* c.1860), possibly a child of this family, but possibly Dennis’s niece; she is found living with Mary’s parents in 1860.
• Mary Caroline (1863-06-14 – 1937-10-25), my great-great-grandmother.
• (?) Melvina (* c.1868), found in 1870 census in household, no further record, possibly Malinda?, possibly granddaughter?

The child count in the Federal census taken 1910-05-10 say that Mary had 11 children, of which 7 were still living.^ref This suggests one to three who died young not on the list above.

Ancestry of Mary

Little is known.