Dear Son,
I  gladly read your letter of late date.  Well as to our kinfolks I know but little.  I have a paper before me that says our Father's Grandfather name was Isreal Standifer. He had 12 sons.  Our Father's mother was a Houton and her mother was a Fowler & came from Wales & she married a Houton from England.  May grandfather Stadefer's name was Jessee and his father's name was Isreal & Isreal grandfather came from Ireland & his wife was a Skelton.  My Grandfather Capt. Jesse Standefers children names was

Susan Heard Standefer, born Sept.1, 1800
Polly Alexander ", born July 12, 1802
James Houton ", born Jan. 16, 1804
Elizabeth Fowler ", born Jan. 27, 1805 (married Alfred Marshall)
Carolin Randle ", born May 3, 1807
Jesse Thomas ", born June 19, 1809 (died 1834)
My Father, William Skelton ", born Nov. 29, 1810 (married Frances Humphries Johnson)
Julia Ann ", born Dec. 18, 1812 (married a McCulough)
Harriet Houton ", born Jan. 8. 1814
Abraham Heard, born July 9, 1815 (died 1842)

My Grand Mother Johnson was a Forister.  I have waited too long to gather statistics to do much at it now.  My Mothers Brother Wm. or (Buck) Johnson died in the valley below Memphis.  My crop is (finis?).  I will make 5 bales cotton some yet to pick. 200 bush corn, 2 b? sugar, 22 mollasses, for for me & (?) He is at Cecils now makeing ? his cane.  He has not come home this week yet. 12'oclock Sunday. I skip going to S. School to write you & Ada.  I received a letter lately from her & was to hear that you remembered her with good presents & I hope that a kindly family wont be allowed to die.  Jimmy and Sara are going to school at Moor Springs to (?) Anna (?).

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runaway Jim Clark & Ward boy exchanged shots about Clark about to marry (?) would she says she will marry Clark if she is killed in 3 hours after.  Ma is sick of cold & can hardly talk and has fever.  I will have to keep Sarah home till she gets better.  Henry Russell is able to ride out after his long spell of Tyfoid fever. he has just come to see me & looks as thin as a shad.  Adies Standefer is to marry Oma Jones in a week or two   In haste, I close.

Your father. (?) (?) Standefer

P. S. I gladly note the improvement in your writing & spelling & hope you are improving every way.

Written in May 1877, J. A. McCullough

My Father as given to me by his sister, Julia Ann McCullough*

Jessie Standifer was born Jan. 4, 1770
Elizabeth Houghton was born August 2, 1773
Was married Nov. 19, 1799 and she died August 6, 1819.

The names & births of their children:

Susan Heard Standifer, born Sept 1, 1800
Polly Alexander Standifer, born July 23, 1802
James Houton Standifer, born Jan. 16, 1804
Elizabeth Fowler Standifer, born June 17, 1805
Caroline Randle (not dead when writing) born Mar 3, 1807
Jessie Thomas Standifer, (not married, died Cot. 1834) born June 19, 1809
My Father, Wm. Skelton Standifer born Nov. 29, 1810
Julia Ann McCullough born Dec. 18, 1812
Harriet Houghton (died July 5, 1816) born Jan. 8, 1814
Abraham Heard Standifer (not married) born Jul 7, 1812

The above named persons are all dead now & my great grandmother Houghton was a Fowler before she was married.  She came from Wales and my Great grand father S---- said his grandfather came from Ireland.  His grand mother was a Skelton and I do not know where she was born.  My great Grand father S---s name was Isreal.  He had 12 sons and 2 daughters.  He was married twice, his first wife came from England her name was Susan Heard & before that he was married. So ? we have a mixture of English, Irish and Welch.

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