Fourth Generation

133. Mary HIGGINBOTHAM⁴⁴ was born about 1793.

I believe that this is the Mary that married William Hightower, Jr. on 3 Oct 1811 and moved to Alabama circa 1820. The Hightower family has placed her as a daughter of Francis, but were she a daughter of Francis, the odds are great that she might have gone to Lousiana with the rest of that family. William Hightower, Jr. by the time of his estate settlement, had a wife named Nancy [?Davis], but some Hightower researchers do show a second wife for him.
In Dallas, Perry & Autauga Counties in Alabama, the Hightowers, Davis & Higginbotham families seemed to be closely related. Moses Davis died leaving a legacy to the children of his deceased daughter Mary Higginbotham - which seems to be the first wife of William who was a son of Caleb & Maryann Cash. William Hightower Sr, Moses Davis, and Caleb Higginbotham had all served on a jury together in Elbert Co. Moses Davis and the Higginbothams had probably known each other previously in Amherst Co VA.
Some researchers have stated that Mary, daughter of Caleb married a Sandel. This is wrong. Mary, the daughter of Caleb & Ann Minerva Bryant, married William Sandel in East Feliciana Parish LA on 16 Dec 1830. Caleb that married Ann Minerva was a nephew of this Caleb, a son of his brother Francis whose family moved to Louisiana.

Mary HIGGINBOTHAM and William HIGHTOWER Jr were married on 3 October 1811 in Elbert County, Georgia. William HIGHTOWER Jr, son of William HIGHTOWER and Amelia [HIGHTOWER], was born about 1779 in North Carolina. He died before July 1837 at the age of 58 in Autauga County, Alabama.

William Hightower, Junr was stated to be deceased in a lawsuit in Autauga Co, AL, in July of 1837. His wife's name appeared to be Nancy, since a Nancy Hightower was the administratrix of his estate. If he was the same man who married Mary Higginbotham in Elbert Co GA, 1811, she must have died and he remarried. Most of the Hightower researches to place the marriage to Mary as being his. I've not found a database with any children named.

7 Jul 1837. Bond recorded, Autauga Co AL.
Between the legatees of Wm Hightower Junr Deceased and the legatees of Wm Hightower Senr, deceased. We, Nancy Hightower and Gains Goodwin, administrator & administratrix of the estate of William Hightower Junr dec'd are bound unto Rueben Hightower, Philemon Hightower, Margaret Clark, Rachael Hinton, William T. Hightower, Cuthbert H. Hightower, Joshua Hightower, James Sample & wife Lucy, Mathew Aldridge and wife Milly, Thos. Clark & wife Philoda, James Anderson, Guardian in law of George, Susanna, Resena, Thomas Anderson, and the representative of William Anderson, Elizabeth, Martha, Jane, Eliza, and Tempa Anderson; and to Milla Hightower in the sum of $100,000.
Philemon, admin of the Estate of William Hightower Senr is to pay all cost charges now unpaid in two suits pending for trial in the Circuit Court of Montgomery Co wherein William Hitower Junr lately deceased is Plaintiff and Philemon Hightower, admin of Wm Hightower Senr is defendant. Then the represenatives & legatees of Wm Hitower Junr shall dismiss and desist from prosecution every claim. The heirs or legatees of William Hightower Junr shall receive a distributive share equal to cash of the shares of the other heirs to said William Hightower Senr.

Grave Maker, Ivy Creek United Methodist Cemetery, Autaugaville, Autauga Co, AL
Sacred
in the memory of
WILLIAM HIGHTOWER
who was born
about the year 779
and died
Jan. 8th, 1837
aged about 58 years.

Also in the same cemetery:
Sacred
in the memory of
CHARLOTTE HIGHTOWER
who was born
December 31st, 1829
and died
June 10th, 1840
aged 11 years 5 months
and 10 days

Sacred
in the memory of
DUROMA HIGHTOWER
who was born
December 1st, 1826
and died
September 12th, 1837
aged 10 years 9 months
and 11 days

Buried Oak Hill Cemetery, Talladega, Talladega Co, AL
MARTHA LAVINIA
HIGHTOWER SMITH
BORN MAR 10 1832
DIED MAR 8, 1913