William Lafayette and Mary's story begins in Lincoln County, Tennessee, where William and Mary were married on September 3, 1879, in Fayetteville.

Newlyweds William Lafayette "Bose" Kilpatric, 22, son of Israel Thomas Kilpatrick and MiEldah Vardaman, and Mary Hannah Wilson, 14, daughter of Riley Wilson and Jane C. Wilson of Fayetteville, Tennessee, pose for a wedding picture. Published later elsewhere, the caption, illegible here, reads, "This photograph is of Bose and Mary Kilpatrick.  Bose was the son of Mielda Vardaman Kilpatrick and of I. T. Kilpatrick.  Mielda is the sister of John F. Vardaman, a Confederate Army veteran."  For reasons unknown to this writer, Bose and his older brother Thomas dropped the final K from their last name.

William and Mary become owners of a 500-acre parcel of cleared, excellent farmland.  Following is an excerpt from an article published in the Godspeed Historical Accounting of persons' holdings in Lincoln County, Tennessee:

The William Kilpatric family was working the farm with hired help and living a prosperous life. The Kilpatric Mercantile engaged Fayetteville with a bounty of selected merchandise.

May 17, 1885, William and Mary's third child, a daughter, was stillborn.
 

The death in 1898 of Thomas' wife, Rena E. Pitts, was unexpected and devastating to Thomas.  He decided to leave Fayetteville with his young son William Seay Kilpatric and see what chances he would have in a place called West Plains, Missouri.

Meanwhile the household of the William Kilpatrics erupted into disillusionment. Mary had taken up with one of the farm hands, John Mosby Fulton. Fulton had pursued her even though she was a married woman.  Mary fell into his ways and betrayed William, who was unable to understand Mary's infidelity.  Heartbroken and spiritless, he left Fayetteville and went to West Plains, Missouri, to seek consolation from his brother Thomas, taking Alva Wilson, twelve, with him. Mary would not let him take seven-year-old Lillian.  William, right, immediately began procedures to divorce Mary and seek custody of Lillian Agnes.  But Mary took her away and hid her until William L. finally just got the divorce, which was an ugly, bitter fight.  In the end, Mary won the farm and Lillie.  William kept Alva Wilson in West Plains. The divorce was final in 1893.

Mary, right, married John Mosby Fulton.  They remained in Fayetteville and raised their family.  They had two daughters, Orlean Fulton and Frances Fulton (pictured left with Mary), and one son, James Mosby Fulton.

Orlean married a man named Sullivan, and Frances married a man named Workman. Whether or not James married is unknown.

[Before Mary's infidelity, I believe the marriage was set up by her mother, Jane Wilson.  Mary had had several guardians, and I believe that Jane, Mary's mother, had found William Lafayette to marry her daughter and help release her from under the wings of these guardians.  I know there had been a court battle.  Mary inherited the Wilson money and holdings with the assistance of Mary's mother Jane and her husband William Lafayette Kilpatric. Who knows what drove Mary into the arms of John Mosby Fulton?  She was a young, inexperienced woman, and while her husband Kilpatric worked away from the home, did Mr. Fulton just move in?  Remember Mary had only been 14 years old when she was married to William, who was a religious and strict man. --Wanda]

She was loved by her children and grandchildren.

Mary and John both died in the year (1940 or 1950) in Fayetteville, Tennessee, she in May and he in August. They are buried near there at the Lebanon Cemetery.

William worked for his brother Thomas and soon owned a share of Thomas' business.  While working in their store, he met a young woman named Maude Agusta Blakely.  Maude was a traveling saleslady selling pharmaceuticals.  She was 15 years William's junior, but the Kilpatric charm had its winning ways.  He and Maude were married at the St. Louis State Fair in 1895. (More details will be forthcoming from his granddaughter Beverly Westfall in Washington.)  The articles below are from the research of Phyllis Rosalie Kilpatric Noirfalise, daughter of Ralph Weatherford and Myrtle Florence Sass.

West Plains Gazette
July 4, 1895

T. B. Kilpatric has made some recent purchases that will go far towards keeping up the reputation of the House of Bargains.

West Plains Gazette
July 11, 1895

T. B. Kilpatric, one of our best and busiest merchants, and who is always on the alert for bargains for his customers, has bought the stock of Ferguson and Lucas, who recently failed at Willow Springs, and is offering it at prices that are bound to bring buyers.

Howell County News
August 30, 1895

Willie Kilpatric returned a few days ago from a visit withrelatives in Tennessee.

William Lafayette Kilpatric, apparently one of the most successful businessmen of Willow Springs, has been forced to suspend, and his brother,Thomas Butler of West Plains, Missouri, has taken charge of the mercantile stock under a chattel mortgage. This failure was a surprise to the business community and to the friends of the unfortunate merchant, and it is generally hoped that he may recover from his reverses and start anew.

James B. Milum, single, to J. E. Kilpatrick, warranty, 49-75 south half of se qr of se gr see 30, twp 27, r9.

Howell County Gazette
December 30, 1898

Miss Hollenbeck and Miss Weatherford of Willow Springs are visiting friends in this City.

Misses Lou Hollenbeck and Peach Weatherford, of Willow Springs, after spending Christmas in our City, returned to their homes last evening.

Miss Laura Edwin 'Peach' Weatherford was indeed a socialite and spoiled young lady.  She did give Alva Wilson seven beautiful children.

[We have two left--my dad's sister Lorene Richards, age 95, living in Mountain Grove, Missouri, and his baby brother Woodrow Wilson Kilpatric living in Anderson, California, near Redding, where three of my brothers live.  He is 85.  --Wanda]

Laura Edwin Weatherford in 1896 (left).  At right, the caption reads, "about the time of their marriage in 1899 after his return from the Spanish American War."  Her brother John Weatherford had died at the age of 25 with consumption.  John is buried in City Cemetery, Willow Springs, Missouri.  Laura also had an older sister Lelia Weatherford.  Lelia married A. Widick, and they had three children.

[I'll add their names later. --Wanda]

Howell County Gazette
December 30, 1898

Four trainloads of army equipment belonging to the regular army, on its way back from Cuba, passed through this City this morning en-route to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  One of the officers carried a Cuban machete as a souvenir of this Cuban experience.  The soldiers looked worn and tired and were glad to get back home.

Alva Wilson Kilpatric, seated first row far left, served in the Spanish American War in Cuba. He was with the 6th Cavalry Division.  Alva was the son of William Lafayette and Mary Hannah Wilson Kilpatric.