Individual Details

Maggie was my (Susan Briles Kniebes's) great grandmother. Her first husband, Enoch Elwood Briles, was my great grandfather.

Worthie Elwood Briles (my father) recalls that Maggie was born in Jacksborough, Texas. See Elwood's memory of the Porterfieds' movements to and from Texas and Tennessee in the Note for Maggie's father, George LaVan Porterfield. However, her official birth certificate from the Texas Department of State Health Services, Vital Statistics Unit, issued on June 8, 2006, says that she born in Weatherford, Parker County, Texas on February 22, 1877. The information from which the 2006 birth certificate was created was provided by Maggie's mother, Fannie L. Porterfield, on November 17, 1941 in Ellis County, Texas. The certificate shows Fannie's signature. Since Maggie was 65 in 1941, she would have needed an official birth certificate to start receiving Social Security benefits.

The 1880 U.S. Census (see Notes for Maggie's father for details) gives Maggie's age as 4 as of June 9, 1880. If she was really born on Feb. 22, 1877, she would only have been 3 as of June 9, 1880.

In a letter from Ruth Wilson Briles (my mother) dated Easter 1996, Ruth said that she had talked to her husband Worthie Elwood Briles (my father), Maggie's grandson and son of Maggie's son Worthie Harwood Briles (Pappy) and that Elwood said the following about Maggie: "Her parents sent her to stay with an aunt in Abilene [after her divorce from Enoch Elwood Briles]. She met Mr. Graves there and raised their children, including Pappy, there for a time. Maggie had a house there that Mr. Graves built for them. I remember Elwood talking a lot about their trips in the car to Abilene [which means that Maggie continued to live there after Pappy was married to Leona Connally and they had children]."

In letters received from Bettye Geraldine White, Maggie's granddaughter, on March 12, 2003, and August 16, 2006, Bettye said that Maggie "ran a boarding house in Abilene, Texas, after her husband died and raised her children alone." Bettye also recalls that Maggie "did quite alot of sewing making clothes for me as a little girl.

8/22/03: Jeanie Briles Cookston, another of Maggie's granddaughters, remembers that Mr. Graves died fairly young (middle aged) and died of some kind of stomach cancer.

In an email received from Bill Talbutt on June 16, 2003, Bill said that his mother's parents were buried in the Abilene City Cemetery and provided the following information about that grave site: "I found the sheet with information on the Graves' graves. The plot is located in the City Section of the Abilene City Cemetery. It just off Cottonwood and 8th, in Plot # 38. There are actually three infants buried in unmarked graves. #1: 07/23/1899; #2 & 3: 04/04/1906 & 04/08/1906. No names attributed in the records. During that time all of their records are manual, in a big book. The graves are located in the Northwest corner of plot #38, just beside a tree." (Bill's mother was Bonnie Bell Graves Talbutt, a daughter of Maggie Porterfield and her second husband Joseph Graves.)

Susan Briles Kniebes Note: Given the dates of birth of Joseph and Maggie's other children, these three children could certainly be theirs. The two children who died in 1906 were obviously twins. 8/22/03: Jeanie Briles Cookston REMEMBERS that they DID have twins who died shortly after birth, but doesn't remember the sex.

However, information obtained from Bettye Geraldine White in letter dated February 14, 2003, says that Maggie is buried in the cemetery in Italy, Texas. Since Bill Talbutt actually visited the Abilene City Cemtery in June 2003, these records show Maggie as being buried there.

Maggie's obituary: " MRS. MAGGIE ORA GRAVES. Services were being planned today at Moore's Funeral Home for Mrs. Graves, 78, longtime resident of Italy, Texas, who died today in a Fort Worth rest home. Born in Parker County, she spent most of her life in Abilene, was a charter member of the Royal Neighbors of America, and was a Baptist. Survivors are one son, W. H. Briles of Fort Worth; three daughters; two brothers; five sisters; 11 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren." Note: Her birth location given in this obituary agrees with the birth location of Weatherford, Parker County, Texas, provided in her official birth certificate as issued by the State of Texas.

Maggie painted both oil paintings of Texas scenes, especially bluebonnets, and china. Her great granddaughter Susan Briles Kniebes has a small pitcher on which that Maggie had painted. She must have have given it to her sister Carrie Porterfield Wolaver. Either before or after Carrie's death, the pitcher was given to Leona Hays Connally Briles, the wife of Maggie's oldest son, Worthie Harwood Briles. A note taped to the bottom of the pitcher says: "For Leona Briles From Carrie," most likely in Carrie's handwriting.

Following Leona's death, the pitcher passed to Leona's oldest son, Worthie Elwood Briles. When Elwood gave the pitcher to his oldest daughter Susan Marie Briles Kniebes in June 2006, it contained a note written in Elwood's handwriting that said: "From Aunt Carrie Wolaver in Italy [Texas]." Elwood told Susan that the pitcher had been painted by Maggie Porterfield Briles Graves, so Susan added that information to the note.

Birth	22 Feb 1877	Weatherford, Parker County, Texas
Marriage	17 Sep 1893	Ellis County, Texas - Enoch Elwood Briles
Death	Jul 1955	Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
Burial		Abilene City Cemetery (City Section), Abilene, Taylor County, Texas

Spouse	Enoch Elwood Briles (1861 - 1940)
Child	Worthie Harwood Briles (1894 - 1979)