When Mary R. Gladding was born on 11 June 1886, in Albany, Albany, New York, United States, her father, Charles D. Gladding, was 28 and her mother, Willie L Townsend, was 24. She married Sherod Percy Barksdale on 7 November 1906, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons. She lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States in 1900 and Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States in 1930. She died in April 1973, in Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States, at the age of 86.