Referenced in the family
Mary Joanna French
b. 1859
Life
Records & Research
Mary Joanna French (born 1859) was a daughter of Joseph French (1823-1900) and Grace Catherine Beever French, a farming family of Clay/Wyoming Township, Jones County, Iowa (originally from Greene County, Pennsylvania). She is identified on her father's FindAGrave memorial as "Mary Joanna French DeMoss 1859-1920," indicating she married into the DeMoss family (her older half-sister Charlotte French also married a DeMoss). She married William Franklin DeMoss (1856-1933), reportedly in 1880, and the couple are said to have had at least six children. She died in 1920 and is associated with the French/DeMoss family of Wyoming Cemetery, Wyoming, Jones County, Iowa, though no standalone memorial or primary death record for her was located.
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Mary Joanna French is identified as a daughter of Joseph French (1823-1900) and Grace Catherine Beever French on Joseph French's FindAGrave memorial, where she is listed among his children as 'Mary Joanna French DeMoss 1859-1920'. The memorial independently confirms Joseph French (born 19 Mar 1823, Greene Co., Pennsylvania; died 3 Jul 1900, Wyoming Township, Jones Co., Iowa) and his wife Grace Catherine Beever French as her parents. This matches the known facts on full name, birth year (1859), father (Joseph French 1823-1900) and mother (Grace Catherine Beever).
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Mary Joanna French married William Franklin DeMoss (1856-1933), reportedly in 1880; she is listed as his spouse 'Mary Joanna French DeMoss 1859-1920 (m. 1880)' on his FindAGrave memorial. Her DeMoss married surname and identical life dates (1859-1920) also appear on her father's memorial, and a French-DeMoss intermarriage is documented in this family (her half-sister Charlotte French married Richard Demoss of Jackson Co., Iowa).
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The French family lived in Clay/Wyoming Township, Jones County, Iowa. Joseph French was a farmer in Clay Twp., Sec. 21 (P.O. Canton), born in Greene Co., Pennsylvania in 1823, removed with his parents to Licking Co., Ohio in 1830, and moved to Clay Township, Jones Co., Iowa; he married 'Gracie C. Beaver' (Beever) in 1856/1857. This biographical sketch (from the 1879 History of Jones County, Iowa, reproduced on the FindAGrave memorial) establishes the residence/family context for Mary Joanna, born 1859.
Differs from the report
surname spelling (mother): report says “Beever”, records indicate “Spelled 'Beaver' in the 1879 History of Jones County biographical sketch ('married his present wife, Gracie C. Beaver'); rendered 'Beever' in the FindAGrave family-member listing. Both verified first-hand on the same memorial.”. Surname drifts Beever/Beaver across the two parts of the same source; both refer to the same person (Grace Catherine), the known mother. findagrave ↗
Not yet confirmed — probable matches and family lore, shown for research. Treat with caution.
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Mary Joanna French DeMoss died in 1920; the death year 1859-1920 appears on both her father's FindAGrave memorial (verified first-hand) and her husband's FindAGrave memorial. likely
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Mary Joanna French (DeMoss) and William Franklin DeMoss are reported to have had at least six children: William Ernest DeMoss (1881-1963), Joseph Sandford DeMoss (1882-1954), Jessie Bell DeMoss Strong (1884-1945), Howard Albert DeMoss (1888-1959), Olive DeMoss Lasack (1892-1972), and Nina Florence DeMoss McCullough (1894-1963). One son was reportedly named Joseph Sandford after both grandfathers (Joseph French and Sanford DeMoss). likely
likely mother birth year: report “Grace Catherine Beever born 1836 (agrees with known facts: 1836-1911)” vs. found “Grace Catherine Beever French listed as 1837-1911 on Joseph French's FindAGrave memorial (verified first-hand)”. One-year discrepancy on the MOTHER's birth year: known facts and report say 1836; FindAGrave says 1837. Death year 1911 agrees across all. This concerns the mother, not Mary Joanna herself, and likely reflects census/age-rounding differences. Does not affect Mary Joanna's identity.
Open questions (6)
- No standalone FindAGrave memorial page for Mary Joanna French DeMoss was located; she appears only as a linked family member on her father's (verified) and husband's memorials. Her exact death date, burial plot, and a primary death/obituary record remain unconfirmed.
- The marriage YEAR of 1880 to William Franklin DeMoss rests on a single source (the husband's memorial) and was not independently corroborated; the identity match (name + 1859 + 1920 + DeMoss surname) is solid, but the date should be confirmed via a marriage record.
- The list of six DeMoss children comes solely from the husband's FindAGrave memorial and was not independently verified; downgraded to 'likely' pending corroboration (e.g., 1900 census household, birth records).
- The known facts give birth date as 15 Dec 1859; FindAGrave family listings give only the year 1859. The exact 15 December birth date is not independently corroborated by any online source consulted.
- Mary's birthplace is not stated; given the family was in Clay Township, Jones County, Iowa from the mid-1850s, she was most likely born in Jones County, Iowa, but this should be confirmed via the 1860/1870 census or an Iowa birth record.
- Confirm burial at Wyoming Cemetery (where her parents and reputed husband are buried) via a primary record or a dedicated memorial; currently only inferred from family association.
Sources consulted (3)
- Joseph French (1823-1900) - Find a Grave Memorial #70321941 (father; lists 'Mary Joanna French DeMoss 1859-1920' as child; spouse Grace Catherine Beever French 1837-1911; quotes 1879 History of Jones County, Iowa) - VERIFIED FIRST-HAND via browser fetch · findagrave
- William Franklin DeMoss (1856-1933) - Find a Grave Memorial #55238864 (reputed husband; lists Mary Joanna French DeMoss 1859-1920 as spouse, m. 1880, with six children) - NOT directly fetched in this audit · findagrave
- Wyoming Cemetery - Jones County, Iowa (iowagravestones.org) - cemetery of the French and DeMoss families · web
Ancestry
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