It's an unsolved mystery! Martha Ann REAVES (b. 1835) married a man whose surname was HOWELL, probably about 1857. Martha lived near Dothan, AL. Their first child was named Roxanne (b. 1858) after Martha's grandmother. Their second child was a boy, Cicero (b. 1860). Martha's husband was probably killed in the civil war, but that has not been proven and I don't have any record of a Howell casualty that fits the situation. This doesn't mean it doesn't exist -- it just means I haven't found any. We do know that by the time Martha and her children moved to Texas in 1874, she was widowed. The name of Martha's husband has been a mystery for many years. Lately, I have been focusing my attention on civil war soldiers who were given medical or disability discharges because of battle wounds -- and who enlisted in the area around Dothan, AL. The theory is that perhaps the soldier was discharged but then died some time later from his wounds. One such soldier I am curious about is William H. Howell. According to archive records, he reports his birthplace to be the Sumpter district of SC. He enlisted in the Alabama 33rd on March 11, 1862 in Clopton, AL. On December 26, 1862, he was sent from Tryune, TN, to a hospital in Dalton, GA. He received a disability discharge on March 23, 1863, from Dalton, GA. From there I know nothing further about him. I need more information about this man. With enough information about him, I can determine whether he is the long lost husband of Martha Ann Reaves. Does anyone out there recognize this man? Any and all information, hints, suggestions, and advice are gladly accepted! _______________ Walter Fuller wfuller@gower.net genealogy database: http://www.gower.net/wfuller/genealogy.html