Dear Florence,

I know very little of my father's and mother's family both have been dead so long and I did not keep any of their books, and brother Rufus Standefer took their bible and my fathers's ledger or day book that my father had when a very young man at school. I remember looking through it when a child. He wrote a beautiful hand and was fairly educated. He was born in the Blue Ridge of Virginia. I don't remember the county or town. You can find out the Blue Ridge section from a map of Virginia. He left there and went to Tennessee in 1802. He was born in 1784. His name was James Standefer. I don't know my grandfather's given name and don't remember much about him as he died before I was born, and I was young when father died. He died in Texas in Panola County in 1843 and is buried there. He moved from Tenn. to Alabama and in 1839 came to Texas. Ma died a few years after. They are buried side of each other. My oldest brother is buried near them. His name was Monroe.

My mother was born near Knoxville, Tenn. and was married there. I don't know the town, but it seems to me it was Shasta in Sequacha Valley. I remember hearing my father and mother speak of Sequacha Valley, as if they lived there. My mother's maiden name was Nancy Rogers, I think her father was married twice and she had two or three brothers, William, Allen, and John, and two half-sisters that I remember. Caroline who married a man by the name of Fergason and they moved to Texas in 1858 and came to my house and settled above Jefferson and an older sister of Mother's, I remember moved to Texas in Marion County her name was Rebecca. She married a man by the name Witt. Her daughter came to see me and stayed sometime, her name was Adeline. We were both named after Ma's youngest sister who died when twenty years old, never married. Mother named three of her girls after three of her sisters and might be that Liza Belle's mother was named after Ma's mother Eliza. Our family were great in naming after their people. The Standefer's all had an Isaac and Jim, and the Sherrods all had a Leuelling. I don't remember grandpa Roger's given name. My father's boys was all except one 2 named of the presidents, Monroe, Madison, and Jefferson. Yes, two of my brothers had names perhaps after some ancestor, Preston and Rufus. Ma's brothers, Billy, John and Allen were all living in Marshall Co., Tenn. And their post office and town was Harrison, so Adeline Witt told me in 1858 when she visited me. She said Uncle Billy Rogers was well off, had no children and strict Presbyterian. He wouldn't do any work at all on Sunday, eat cold food on the Sabbath. Uncle John had a family of several children.

My mother died in 1846 buried by my father in Panola County near Sabine River, age 49. I have been told by them that knew her before she married that she was very beautiful. When I was a child I have heard my father say how pretty she was when he married her. My father's family all lived in Tenn. You remember young Ike Standefer who live in Denison, Texas. His grandfather was congressman from Tenn. for years and his name was Billy or James. I don't remember which. He was a first cousin to father and his wife was my father's sister. She married her first cousin. Ike's father came to our house in Texas, and was there when my mother died. His father had sent him to see if he would stop drinking. He was single then. He went back and married into the family of Standefers, all drunkards except the congressman and some of my father's brothers, I don't remember how many brothers and sisters my father had. I can call to mind four or five and two sisters, Aunt Betsy, Ike's grandmother, and Aunt Jemima don't remember who she married. I remember Uncle Isaac who moved to the Brazas in Texas in 1838. Some of his children live near Waco now, Uncle Alfred's Sam and Luke. Sam moved to Oregon in 1835 or 6. If there were any others I don't remember. I had five brothers and three sisters. Eliza, who married a Gee in Alabama in 1837 was the eldest. Caroline who married William Walton. She was left a widow in Austin in 1854 after staying a widow five years she married Doctor Richardson. She had three girls by Walton. All died but Alice. I haven't heard from her since I came to this state. Your Aunt Rebecca married Thurn Dickinson in 1851. She died in Ark. and left two girls, Annie and Lohanie Your Aunt Eliza left two girls Joanna and Eliza Bell, and only one of my brothers married, Rufus, he moved to San Barnadenia, Cal. in 1867 or 8 and died there. He left a widow and four children. The two oldest were girls. One married a man by the name of Nance, her name was Nancy, after my mother. The next girl Susan married a lawyer, they live in Los Angeles, Cal. His name is White. I don't know where the two boys are. One of the boys name was Willy, the younger ones name was Walter. They were near the age of my Willie and Larry. Your Uncle Monroe died in 1849. Preston and Madison went to Cal. in the spring of ‘49. Rufe and Jefferson went in ‘50. Rufe only stayed eight months and came back to his wife in Tex. The others I never saw any more except Matt came to see me and stayed some months. He was then paralyzed, but went back to Cal. when Rufe moved there in 1867 or 8. Caroline and Doctor Richardson moved the same time. All are dead now except myself and Caroline if she is living. You might write Ike Standefer in Denison, Texas, he could no doubt tell you more about the Standefers then I can as I am the youngest but Jeff and Rebecca, Annie Mathews mother she was the youngest and Jeff next, and myself next. It had been so long since I have thought anything about our genealogy that I have forgotten nearly everything, I think it is good to know these things. I see in some advertisement where a Dr. Sherrod is recommending a medicine. I send you his add you might try him. No doubt he is some of the Sherrods who lived in Alabama. Old Ben Sherrod one of the largest cotton planters in Alabama was a cousin to your grandpa Sherrod. Your grandpa Sherrod took great pride in claiming his ancestors as the nobility of England and Whales. He always said he was a direct descendant of Lord Leuelling and all his boys had Leuelling in their names. His one name was John Leuelling Sherrod and you father was Laurence Leuelling. Buddy has your grandpa's full name and Larry your Pa's full name. Willie I called after your Uncle Rufus and Preston. Rufe had William Rufus was his name. This is a very scattering history but it may be you will have time to sift it out. I think of things as I write. If there is anything more I can do let me know and I will help you all I can. I will now tell you all I know of the Sherrods and the Weathersbys. Your Grandpa Sherrod was born in Virginia, I think near North Carolina line. His father died when he was six or eight years old when he was young. They moved to North Carolina. I forget the county may think of it later, but I am sure the nearest town was Tasha as the people all made their living farming and it seems to me it was on the Roanoke River. When 21 years old, he married Lucinda Weathersby. She was an orphan 14 years old. Your grandpa's mother married again, a man by the name of Hinds and he had several half-brothers and sisters. One of his half sisters married a man named Corbey. I remember one of her sons visited Grandpa in Texas. Your father and Temperance Keller was born in North Carolina. I am not sure but I think Kennith Sherrod who died in Marshall, Texas aged 24 was born in North Carolina way your grandpa moved from there to Mississippi in about 1834 or 5 and came to Texas in 1840. Settled on the place Buck lives on now. They had 13 children. John and Ally were born in Miss. Charley and As-ok(????) Lou Erie who died at Mrs. Rainey's when she was 18, going to school. Buck and Paul and three that died infants any way there were born 13 or 14 children. Your grandpa died with paryal. Grandpa was a baptist. He was a good husband and father, when he died he had considerable property. It went something like your Papa's and did not do his children much good. He did not owe any debts, still all went. He died in 1860 age 55 and some months.

In a few years the war came and your Uncle John went and was killed at Yuca, Miss. As-ok(????) husband was killed at the battle of Mansfield, the last battle that was fought in Louisiana. George was a baby. I don't know much of the Weathersbys. Some of them were very nice people. I knew three of your grandma's brothers. Old Uncle Louis, a good man. Jim Batts married one of his daughters and her brother Billy who owned our old farm. He was a bachelor. He gave your Grandma most of his property. She had one sister who married a man by the name Pervis in North Carolina. I think the Pervis family were nice people. One family of Weathersbys, Richard's uncle was a smart man and made quite a fortune. I think his given name was Nat, and lived in Norfork N.C. Your grandma died in the ‘76 or 8 don't remember. She was 66 years old. I hate to send you such a scattering account but I think of things as I write and put it down. I may think of some else. If I do I will send to you. Perhaps you will find the time to straighten this out. I hope you can piece it out and learn some thing. I have been seeing names of these people hunting ancestry it seems it costs something. You might find a _____ estate you have 4 familys to start from. Standefers, Sherrods, and on the maternal side, Rogers and Weathersby.

Well Buddie has not got off to Alaska. He is about to give it up for the present. We can not sell anything. No one is buying land here and as for old Floyd after he said he could sell, I wrote him to make out the deed and send it to me to sign, and I would send it to you to sign. I have not heard a word from him. I have written him twice to tell me what he was doing. He has not written a word. The last letter he said he would pay the taxes as he owed me three months rent. The taxes in advance is 23 dollars. It will take two months he owes on three months rent. I think he was trying to sell the place to someone, as he has no money. And wanted to put off paying his rent. I have written to Bart Jennings to find out if he could sell the place, have not heard from him yet.

Mary and John are getting on very well. John is a good worker and Addie is staying in the Junction with a woman. She could marry again, but she will not marry as long as Steve lives. I don't hear from India often. Mctharh wrote to Jessie he wanted to come out here. I don't think Jessie has any use for him, as she could pay him anything. He wanted to know I could hire him. I told Jessie no and did not feel I could keep him. He don't know how to work on a farm and I could not pay what he would expect. India wrote once that he had quit his job and gone to Texarkana, said he drank up all he made and could not live in town. It is strange as we know how the boy was raised and guarded all the time. The longer I live the more unexpected happens. I have kept pretty well all this cold winter, did not have a cold until the snow melted and that gives us all colds and gripp. Mine and Buddie's was not so bad as last year. Jessie and Mary had it pretty bad. The children keep well, they came nearly day. The baby is cute and smart child, she thinks lots of Uncle Buddie and he will do most anything for her.

May god bless you and yours. If I never see you again in the flesh, let us try to meet in a better world. Let me hear from you.

Mama

*Letter written by Adeline Standefer Sherrod, wife of Laurence Leuellen Sherrod. I believe she was living in Fruita, Colorado at the time.