Margaret Douglas

(b. 1842)

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At a Glance

The United States Census of 1850 [1] lists eight-year-old Margaret Douglas of Orange County as the daughter of John Douglas and Rachel Douglas. Little is known about Margaret's time at the Burwell School [2].

Story

On the eve of the Civil War, Margaret married Willie N. Strayhorn, also of Orange County. Willie N. Strayhorn was a successful farmer. Little else is known about the couple after 1860. According to Civil War records, a Willie N. Strayhorn, enlisted in the C.S.A. in 1861, and worked his way through the ranks, eventually becoming a sergeant. He was fatally wounded in 1865. If this William Strayhorn was Margaret's husband, it is possible that she remarried, thus vanishing from records as  "Margaret Strayhorn." [2]

Biographical Data

Important Dates

Margaret Douglas was born c. 1842.

Places of Residence

• Orange County, NC [2].

Schools Attended

• Burwell School [2].

Relatives

• Parents: John Douglas [2] and Rachel Douglas [2].
• Spouse: Willie N. Strayhorn, married on January 3, 1859 [2]. They had one daughter, Rachel Strayhorn [2].

References

1. United States Census of 1850.
2. Mary Claire Engstrom. The Book of Burwell Students: Lives of Educated Women in the Antebellum South. (Hillsborough: Hillsborough Historic Commission, 2007).