MARY JANE AND UNKNOWN FRALEY, WILLIAM BAILEY AND STANFORD BALEY
Mary Jane “Jane” was born in 1851. Mary Jane is also a mystery and my newest adventure. I am now in contact with several of her descendants so hopefully we can unravel her story.
I have been told by descendants that the family story was that she was an “attic” child. What that meant was that she had health problems, probably some form of epilepsy.
In 1877 she married William Taylor from a local Floyd County family and she had two children Mahala E. in 1879 and John M. in 1880. I have recently found out that they had a third child Rebecca Jane in 1883. However, in the 1900 census he is listed as being married to Martha Hannah and they have three children of which the oldest – Garland Taylor was born in 1882. Did William have an illegitimate child by Martha Hannah, go back to Mary Jane and have another child by her, or is Rebecca’s father someone other then William Taylor. The descendants of Rebecca have always been told that William Taylor was her father. We may never know. Anyway, William must have left Mary Jane between 1880 and 1885. Mary Jane must also have taken back the name Priest after William left her because both Rebecca and John M. show up later using the name Priest, not Taylor.
We know from Mahala widow’s pension application that in 1898 Mary Jane was listed as Mary Jane Bailey living in Ivyton, Maggoffin County, Kentucky. Maggoffin County originally was part of Floyd County. The Bailey family records show Sandford P. Baley marrying Mary Jane (sic) Preist in 1986. In talking with Mary Jane’s descendants they were told that she died in Frankfort in a institution. We will have to see what we find.