Re: Mary A. Miller,Epps,MO.

Hi Margaret:
It looks like your Mary A. Miller was actually Mary Louise Miller, daughter of Ezekiel and Narcissis Epps Miller.She married Thomas Anderson Epps, son of Carroll and Martha Langley Epps. T. A., as he was called, was a Baptist Minister.He is recorded in Forester's Complete History of Butler County, Missouri, as performing the wedding of Thomas J. Mathis (later a prominent citizen) to Bertha Porter in 1904.T.A. would have been 43 at the time. He was age 21 when he married Mary Louise.
(My source on this is a publication from the Poplar Bluff, MO, public library, but I seem to have misplaced the name of that publication).
Thomas A. Epps and Mary Louise Epps were the parents of Fred A. Epps, a long-time employee of the Poplar Bluff Post Office. There were a bunch of other children as well.
Mary Louise's mother, Narcissis Epps Miller, was described as a fiery red-head, who made her presence felt on many occasions.One of which was a little set-to about Ezekiel's fondness for the square dance.He was known as quite a good fiddler, and much to Narcissis' consternation, taught the girls to dance. Then Ezekiel "got religion" and joined the Bay Springs Baptist Church, and gave up dancin'(which the Baptists regarded as seven degrees of evil) Ezekiel later served as an Deacon and member of the building committee at Bay Springs B.C.Narcissis was a charter member, wouldn't you know it.
By-the-way, Uncle Zeke was a "Yankee".Narcissis, whose family were staunch Southerners, had a whole passel of brothers, uncles, and cousins who served in the Confeder- ate Army. One cousin was Captain Carroll Epps, CSA, her daughter's future father-in-law.But, what the heck, they were all kin. T. A. and Mary Louise were cousins!
Mary Louise exemplifies the genealogist's nightmare. There are Marys all over the place in the Epps line, including another Mary Louise Epps who apparently died at age four.
If you've got some good stuff on the Epps Family of Butler County (narratives, letters, pictures, etc.) let me know. I can be reached on this website, or at:
Paul Epps
840 Kostka Lane
Florissant, MO, 63031