William H. Bobbitt
of
Arkansas

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I found more today on Ancestry.com regarding the armless William H Bobbitt: unfortunately, I can't just cut and paste from ancestry.com, so I printed it out: - Karen Kell kkell38@gmail.com

Mary Jane's mother was Cherokee Indian (that would be Rachel Winchester, Moses L. Bobbitt's wife).

Mary had a brother who was born without arms. (so this IS the William H in the census and Mary J is his sister) 
He used his feet for hands.

He was buried at Caldwell's Chapel across the creek from New Hope.
Mary lived with Tom and Maggie and when Maggie died she helped take care of the children.
Ruby says she remembers her grandmother using a walking cane and when one of them would try to get away
from her, she would use the crook of the cane to catch them. Something else that stands out in Ruby's mind
about her grandmother, is that she smoked a pipe.


William remembers her most for holding him on her lap and telling him stories about the Civil War and how
their grandfather,  Jack, fought at the Battle of Lookout Mountain, Chattanooga, TN (24 Nov 1863). Jack lost a leg in the war.


Mary Jane told William that she and Jack got married about the time the war started.
In 1866, they came to Arkansas by covered wagon.
They settled nine miles
northwest of Jonesboro, AR in the New Hope Community.

According to Maynard, Mary Jane was married previously and had a daughter named Delphia.
The daughter had epilepsy and didn't live to be very old.

Facts about this person: (Mary Jane Bobbitt)
Place of Burial
New Hope Methodist Church

Father: Moses L Bobbitt b: 1823 in Tenn
Mother: Rachel Winchester b: 1829 in Tenn

Marriage 1 - Reuben Andrew Jackson Fortenberry b: 1847 in Alabama
Married about 1861 in Alabama


Unfortunately, the contact is unknown, so I don't know who submitted this to Ancestry, but I think it's pretty interesting.

Karen