Date Original
1820-1829
Description
Maria Toncray Watkins Stevenson wrote only a few entries in this diary, beginning with her move to Arkansas and ending after the death of her first husband, Major Isaac Watkins.
Biographical/Historical Note
Maria Toncray Watkins Stevenson was born May 13, 1793, in Williamsport, Maryland, to Daniel and Hulda Toncray. She moved to Kentucky with her family, where she met widower Isaac Watkins (1777-1827). They married January 31, 1815, and had four children, George Claibourne, Henry Conway, Mary Eliza, and Catherine. Only George and Mary Eliza lived to adulthood. The Watkins moved to Arkansas in 1821 to begin a new life, after Watkins lost his fortune. Isaac died in 1827, and Maria married W.W. Stevenson on March 29, 1831. They had two children, Maria Jane, who died while an infant, and Robert Watkins. Stevenson left for California in 1849 with gold fever, and never returned to Arkansas. Maria died March 21, 1874, at the home of her daughter Mary Eliza and son-in-law John J. Clendenin. She is buried in Mount Holly Cemetery in Little Rock by her first husband, Isaac Watkins.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas; California; Kentucky; Maryland
Language
English
Identifier
SMC.018.005
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Maria Toncray Watkins Stevenson diary, SMC.018.005
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Maria Toncray Watkins Stevenson diary, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
