3. Octavia JOHNSON Ž1, Granddaughter, J525, 15, F. (1904-1992) Mother Dear was born shortly after Valentine's Day, on February 17. She died in Pine Bluff, AR on Nov 3, 1992, she was 88. Ž2 The news account says M'Dear died at Jefferson County Hospital but the family knows she died at home, we hope peacefully, in her own bed. We do know that M'Dear had a habit of taking a prayer phone call each morning around 6am. She would then get up and take the dead bolt off the door so my cousin Betty could get in to bring her daughter for M'Dear to babysit. When Betty arrived the moring of November 3rd, the dead bolt was off and M'Dear was lying in bed. Dead. That tells us that M'Dear was alive until after 6am and she did not choke to death on breakfast because she had not gotten up yet for the day.

We believe the reason it was said that she died at the hospital was to avoid the cost of an autopsy for the county. So, we'll never really know the cause of her death. M'Dear was Buried on Nov 7, 1992 in the family cemetary (Mt. Lebanon Cemetery, Hooker, AR) by Brown Funeral Home of Pine Bluff, AR. Occupation: Housekeeper. Religion: Baptist, a member of Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, where she was on the Mothers Board.

Click photo to read more about my grandmother.

On Oct 19, 1921 when M'Dear was 17, she married Johnny ASH, A200, 14, M, in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, AR. Johnny died in Place & date unknown in abt. 1960, at the approximate age of 63. Buried in Place & date unknown.

During the early years of this marriage they had one child:

In 1960 when M'Dear was 55, she married for the third time to Adolphus WHITE, W300, 106, M, in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, AR. She did not realize there was no divorce from her first husband when she married the second and third times. During this 3rd marriage Octavia discovered the error and was properly divorced from Johnny ASH on Jul 7, 1960 in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, AR. Adolphus died in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, AR on Oct 23, 1960, he was 72. Buried on Oct 29, 1960 in the family cemetary in Hooker, Jefferson County, AR.