Julia Ann Hughes (maiden name: Ray) was born on February 17, 1835, in Newton, North Carolina. She married Israel Putnam Hughes on April 9, 1853, and they had at least five children: Ellen, born around 1856; Maria, born around 1859; Caroline, born around 1861; Sarah, born around 1864; and Mary, born around 1866. They lived in Saint Helena, South Carolina, and her husband worked as a Methodist minister. By 1860, they owned $2,000 of personal property. They returned to North Carolina in the mid-1860s before moving to St. Augustine, Florida. Her husband died on August 26, 1886. By 1900, she was living with her daughters in Saint Johns County, Florida. She was earning a living as a “palmetto planter.” She died on April 26, 1902.