I have seen Joel's first wife's name stated as Margaret Adams. I had no proof of this until I went to the Historical Library in Abingdon Virginia, where there are several volumes on the descendants of John Church "Yankee John" from Wilkes County North carolina. In the section on Joel, is a copy of a letter from a grandson of Celia "Church" Adams' written in 1944. It states that his grandmother Celia had said, her mother's name was Margaret Adams and she was the sister to William G. Adams. This letter convinces me that Joel's first wife was indeed, Margaret Adams. Also in the letter are the names of the children of Joel and Margaret "Adams" Church. I will list them below.
Joel and Margaret moved often according to the census records. They lived in Clay County Kentucky and Floyd County Kentucky in 1820, according to the census. They are in Lee County Virginia by 1830. So they moved often, the reason I believe was because Joel was a trapper and he was finding places where the trapping was good. According to the book "Looking Back One Hundred Years" by Hanibal Compton.Milton Ward comes to the Dismal Valley in 1833,then a part of Tazewell County Virginia. Joel and Margaret were living in a temperary cabin at the mouth of a place called Sang Camp. It is there that Margaret dies. It states this happens soon after Milton Ward establishes his home there. Joel sews her up in a bed tick and puts her over the saddle horn and takes her to Milton Wards home, which was about 7 miles down the Dismal River. He gets permission from Milton to bury her on a slope behind Milton's home. With the help of Miltons slaves, joel buries her there. This started the Ward Cemetery which is still there today. I have searched the Ward Cemetery, but there is no marker for Margaret's grave. The oldest graves there are the ones at the bottom part of the cemetery. Many old unmarked stones are there, so Margaret's grave is probably lost forever. The old Milton Ward home still stands today, It was a log house, but today it has siding on it. But the original chimney is still on the house. You can see it clearly from the cemetery.
Listed below are the names of the children of Joel and Margaret Church.
2. Emanuel ? Church, born: bef. 1810, md. Sarah ??
3. Joel Jr. Church, born: Apr. 1816, md. Nancy Layne
4. Thomas Church, born, Abt. 1832, md. Margaret Mullins
5. Elizabeth Church
6. Celia Church, born: Abt. 1828, md. Spencer Adams
7. Anne Church
