The “Aunts & Uncles” series of biographical sketches are Artificial Intelligence (AI) compiled narratives of selected individuals from my Genealogical database. The selected AI will used the RootsMagic Individual Summary from my Genealogical Software, Roots Magic. All genealogical data is my research material acquired over the past 48 years of research. Today's Biography of Mark Rivers (1824-1884) was compiled with the assistance of Claude Sonnett 4 and is entitled:
"The Mark Rivers Family: Two Marriages, Seven Decades in South Carolina"
Early Life and Family Origins
Mark Rivers was born on November 22, 1824, in Chesterfield, South Carolina, into a family with deep roots in the region. His parents were William Rivers (1776-1855) and Elizabeth "Betsy" Rivers (died 1847). Growing up in the rural South Carolina countryside during the antebellum period, Mark would have witnessed the region's heavy reliance on agriculture and the social structures that defined life in the Deep South.
First Marriage and Growing Family
On January 23, 1845, at the age of 20, Mark married Annie Parker in Chesterfield County. Annie, born around 1825 in Chesterfield, was the daughter of George A. Parker Jr. (1794-1850) and Hawley Lee (1800-1880). The young couple settled in Chesterfield County and began building their family during a time of relative peace and prosperity.
Mark and Annie welcomed seven children over the course of their marriage:
Mary Ann Rivers (May 25, 1847 - March 25, 1914) - Born in Chesterfield, Mary Ann would later marry Rev. John Franklin Raybon around 1873 in Marlboro County. She lived to see the new century and passed away in Lumberton, North Carolina, at the age of 66.
William James Rivers (October 6, 1849 - September 5, 1928) - Born in Chesterfield when Mark was working as a farmer, William later married Sarah Ella Spears on December 20, 1883, in Marlboro County. He eventually moved to Alabama, living in Sumter County before returning to South Carolina, where he died at the impressive age of 78.
Peter Wesley Rivers (June 11, 1852 - October 4, 1915) - Another Chesterfield native, Peter married Sarah Ella Milliken in 1899 in Marlboro County. Like his brother William, he lived a long life, passing away in Bennettsville at age 63.
Eliza Jane Rivers (May 1, 1855 - February 3, 1910) - Eliza married Robert Crockett Terrell in 1876 in Chesterfield. She was laid to rest in the historic Old Saint David's Episcopal Church Cemetery in Cheraw, one of the area's most venerable burial grounds.
Elizabeth Ann Rivers (July 2, 1857 - January 8, 1924) - Elizabeth, known as "Lizzie," had perhaps the most adventurous life of all the children. She married Stephen Griffin Baxley on August 12, 1880, in Bennettsville. By 1920, she was living in Salt Lake City, Utah—a remarkable journey from rural South Carolina to the Mountain West. She died there in 1924 and was buried in Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park.
Note: In Octobet 1976, after being promoted I was reassigned to Hill AFB, Utah. Roots was released and I became interested in my family genealogy. At this time I knew nothing of my family beyond my grandmother, my Dad's mother. I found Betty Lee Hefty name and address on a Family Group Sheet in the LDS Library which at that time was in the Joseph Smith Building. I copied the addreess and looked her up at her home in Ogden, Utah.
Betty Lee Hefty turned out to be the grandaughter of Elizabeth Ann Rivers and Stephen Griffin Baxley. From day one we became friends and remained close until the death of her husband, Don in July 2014 and her death in August 2015.
George Washington Rivers (April 13, 1860 - May 1928) - The youngest son born during Mark's first marriage, George married Nancy Ellen McLeod around 1882 in Bennettsville. He eventually settled in Aberdeen, North Carolina, where he died in 1928.
Sarah Harriett Rivers (September 9, 1861 - October 13, 1868) - Tragically, little Sarah died at just seven years old, a heartbreaking reminder of the high child mortality rates of the era.
Work Life: From Farmer to Cooper
Mark made his living through hard, honest labor. In the 1850 census, he was listed as a farmer, working the South Carolina soil that had sustained his family for generations. By 1860, Mark had learned a new trade—he was working as a cooper, crafting and repairing the wooden barrels that were essential for storing everything from flour to pickles in those days before modern packaging. This skilled craft would serve him well throughout his later years, providing a steady income for his growing family.
The Civil War Years
When the tensions between North and South finally erupted into war in 1861, Mark Rivers, like so many Southern men of his generation, answered the call to serve. At 37 years old, he enlisted on January 16, 1862, in the Confederate Army. He served in Company B of the 26th South Carolina Infantry, rising to the rank of Corporal.
The war years were devastating for the Rivers family in ways beyond Mark's military service. On January 28, 1864, with the war still raging and her husband away serving, Annie Parker Rivers passed away in Chesterfield at approximately 39 years of age. She was buried the next day in an unmarked grave in or near the Zoar Cemetery. The chaos and hardship of wartime meant that no proper record of her burial was kept. Annie left behind six living children, the youngest just two years old.
Mark survived the war and was discharged or surrendered at Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, when the conflict finally ended in 1865. He returned home to face the challenge of rebuilding his life and caring for his children in a defeated and devastated South.
Second Marriage and New Beginnings
In 1864, even as the war continued, Mark married Martha Caroline Dean (1841-1906), a woman from North Carolina who was 17 years his junior. This second marriage brought new life and hope to the Rivers household. Martha became stepmother to Mark's surviving children and together they had seven more children:
John F. Rivers, (November 15, 1867 – February 26. 1878) - Tragically, their firstborn, little John died at just 10 years, 3 months and 11 days, another reminder of the high child mortality rates of the era.
Joseph Lee Rivers (January 28, 1870 – January 22, 1931) - Appeared in the 1880 census as a 10-year-old boy.
Robert Johnson Rivers Sr. (February 4, 1872- November 23, 1933) - Born after the war, Robert lived into the Great Depression era.
Columbus Lafayette Rivers (Apr 1, 1874 - February 18, 1911) - Named with patriotic flair, Columbus lived to age 37.
Malachi Franklin Rivers (born April 23, 1876) - Listed as four years old in the 1880 census.
Nancy Ella Rivers (February 24, 1947 - September 19, 1878) - The youngest daughter in the household in 1880.
Caroline Lugene Rivers (December 19, 1880 - May 10, 1851).
Laura Clyde Rivers Smith (1884-1970) - Born the year of Mark's death, Laura never knew her father but lived an extraordinary 86 years, dying in 1970—a life that spanned from the end of Reconstruction to the Space Age.
Post-War Life and Final Years
The 1870s found Mark working to rebuild in the post-war South. In a deed dated May 5, 1879, he sold a "Black loose mule about 12 years old" to J. Stacy Covington for twenty-five dollars—a glimpse into the modest transactions that made up daily economic life in rural South Carolina during Reconstruction.
By 1880, the family was living in Adamsville, Marlboro County. The census that year shows Mark, age 56, living with his wife Martha, age 36, and their growing blended family. His daughter Elizabeth from his first marriage, now 21, was still at home, along with Martha's younger children.
Death and Legacy
Mark Rivers died on May 9, 1884, in Bennettsville, Marlboro County, at the age of 59 years, 8 months, and 16 days. He was buried in Spears Cemetery in Marlboro County, where a Confederate service marker was later placed on his grave, honoring his service as Corporal in Company B, 9th Battalion, South Carolina Infantry (Pee Dee Legion), C.S.A.
Martha Caroline would outlive him by 22 years, dying in 1906.
Mark's life story is preserved in remarkable detail through the Mark Rivers Family Bible, with eight pages documenting births, deaths, and marriages. These precious pages, carefully maintained and copied, remain in the possession of descendants, ensuring that the memory of this hardworking South Carolina farmer, craftsman, soldier, and father of thirteen children will not be forgotten. His descendants spread across the South and beyond—from Alabama to North Carolina to Utah—each carrying forward a piece of Mark Rivers' legacy into the twentieth century and beyond.
Mark Rivers is my 3rd Great GrandUncle.
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1. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database and digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 23 May 2010); Memorial page for Mark Rivers; (22 November 1824–9 May 1884); Find a Grave memorial # 37942003, Citing Spears Cemetery; Marlboro County, South Carolina, USA.
2. 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, page 179B, Line 25, Dwelling 1243, Family 1243, Household of Mark Rivers; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 22 June 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M432 Roll 851.
3. 1860 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, population schedule, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Page 127B, Line 8, Dwelling 476, Family 475, Household of Mark RIVERS; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 22 July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm M653_1217.
4. "Known Confederate Casualties During the Battle of Monterey Pass July 4-5, 1863," , War Returns to South Mountain (http://montereypass.blogspot.com/2010/08/total-known-confederate-casualties.html : viewed 3 August 2011), transcription, "Mark RIVERS," ; Company B, 26 South Carolina Infantry.
5. Land Deed - George A. Parker to [remaining burnt]; Early 1860's; Deed Book #BURNT BOOK, FILM#1449103; Page(s) 21 & 22; Register of Deeds; Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, SC; May 2023.
6. Land Deed - Real Estate Mortgage Book 1; 1878-1879; 7 May 1879; Deed Book #1; Page(s) 432; Register of Deeds; Bennettsville, Marlboro, South Carolina; April 2024.
7. 1880 U S Census, Marlboro County, South Carolina, population schedule, Adamsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) #104, Page: 359A; Line 39, Dwelling 6, Family 6, Household of Mark Rivers; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : viewed 22 July 2011); citing National Archive Microfilm T9, Roll 1235.
8. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, Mark Rivers (22 November 1824–9 May 1884), Memorial # 37942003.
9. Elizabeth C. Drake, Marlboro County Cemetery Survey; Marlboro County Historical Society, 1984, page 132. Tombstone of Mark Rivers; 22 November 1824–9 May 1884, Spears & Edens Graveyard, Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina.
10. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, Mark Rivers (22 November 1824–9 May 1884), Memorial # 37942003.
11. Mark Rivers Family Bible Family Bible Holy Bible, (New York: n.p., 1849), 23 Jan 1845; Marriage: Mark Rivers & Anny Parker, Obtained from Betty Lee Hefty.
12. 1850 U. S. Census, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, Population Schedule, Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, South Carolina, page 179B, Line 25, Dwelling 1243, Family 1243, Household of Mark Rivers.
13. Mark Rivers Family Bible Family Bible, Death, Annie (Parker) Rivers.
14. Mark Rivers & Caroline Dean Rivers Family Bible Holy BIble, (New York, New York: n.p., n.d.); Obtained from Betty Lee Hefty, 8 Xeroxed page from Original Bible. Birth & Death: 9 Sept 1861 - 13 Oct 1868, Sarah Harriett Rivers.
15. Mark Rivers Family Bible Family Bible, MARRIAGE: 3 Jan 1867, Mark Rivers & Martha C. Dean.
16. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, Martha Caroline Dean Rivers (July 1841–25 May 1906), Memorial # 159009334.
17. 1900 U. S. Census, Marlboro County, South Carolina, population schedule, Smithville Township, Marlboro County, South Carolina, enumeration district (ED) #99, Page 277, Line 1, Dwelling 1, Family 1, Household of William SMITH; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : viewed 22 July 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm T623_1536.
18. Elizabeth C. Drake, Cemetery Records of Marlboro County, South Carolina; Marlboro County Historical Society, 1984, Page 132. Tombstone of Martha Caroline Dean Rivers; Ju;y 1841-25 May 1906, Spears & Edens Graveyard, Marlboro County, South Carolina.
19. Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave, database, "Record, Martha Caroline Dean Rivers (July 1841–25 May 1906), Memorial # 159009334.
20. Mark Rivers & Caroline Dean Rivers Family Bible, Birth: - 15 Nov 1867, John F. Rivers>.
21. Mark Rivers & Caroline Dean Rivers Family Bible, Death - 26 Feb 1868, John F. Rivers>.
22. Elizabeth C. Drake, Marlboro County Cemetery Survey, Marlboro County Historical Society, 1984. Tombstone of Mallie Franklin Rivers.
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