General Notes

According to Margaret's Obituary, reprinted in L. W. Rigsby's Historic Georgia Families, she was born near Richmond Virginia. There, in the enclave of the Church of England, it became her practice to listen to the preaching of the imprisoned Baptist preachers. Eventually she converted and chose to be baptized. The site chosen was the frozen over James River in the middle of the night, in order to avoid detection. Despite their precautions, they were apprehended and sentenced to either pay a considerable fine or be publicly flogged. Margaret could not afford the fine but was saved from the flogging by a kind-hearted soul who paid the fine for her.

After the death of her husband, James, Margaret went to live with her daughter Sabrina and her husband Zacharia Lea. The young family and Margaret lived for short period in or near Knoxville. Around 1805, they, and Zachariah's brothers and their families, moved to Mississippi, traveling down the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers on a flat boat; the "women would ply the oars while the men would ward off the Indians with their rifles." They settled on the Amite River, about 10 miles east of Liberty and 63 miles southeast of Natchez. Before long, they relocated a few miles away to Huron, where all of their children were born and Margaret lived out her remaining years.

Margaret was the acknowledged spiritual leader of the family, giving thanks at the table and conducting the family worship.

Margaret is buried with her daughter's family in the Lea Family Burying Ground at Lea Hall, Amite County, Mississippi.