Hello all, I am Terry Littleton, the admin of the LITTLETON@rootsweb.com newsgroup and I know there are lots of Littletons, Truitts, Lewis's, Townsends, etc in this area of MD and I have family trees for many of them BUT this particular family eludes my research. I recently came across some letters that were exchanged between members of the Lewis and Littleton families. It mentions several Lewis family members and and Littleton neighbors and I am hoping by putting parts of those letters on here, maybe someone will recognize the family group and let me know where they lived and their lineage. I am researching a James Littleton b abt 1805 in MD and married to a Martha Lewis b 1804 in MD. It appears they moved to Ohio (can't find where) about 1831-1836 then on to Louisa Co, IA abt 1841. By the time these letters were written (spelling is as transcribed from original letters) , James Littleton and Martha were in Louisa Co, IA and it appears these letters were from Worchester Co, MD. I have a letter written march 22 1858 that starts out "dear son" and it says 'my son candul (might be Kendal as James Littleton named a son Kendal) lewis has been dead five yars and my son giley m. lewis dead about three years, joh lewis and peter lewis is living, thomas littleton family are all dead but minas littleton and robiert lewiss and his waife and sosme of his chilren are dead but old aunt lovey truitt is still living and the old man john littleton is living. "your loving mother until death all from your mother salley lewis and family to james littleton and family" (This leads me to assume Salley Lewis was writing to her step-son, James Littleton who married her daughter Martha Lewis??). Another letter dated 22 march 1858 starts "worschester county state of maryland, dear grandson etc......... I remain your loving grandmother until death all from salley lewis to george littleton" Signature is March 22 day 1858 Zadock L. Lewis (George Littleton was a son of James Littleton and Martha Lewis so I assume this letter was written to him by Martha Lewis's mother, Salley Lewis who I am guessing was married to Zadock L Lewis, her father??). A third letter reads "dear brother, I have bin married 6 years but hant had no children yet. I marrid littleton truitts oldis dughter. I lives now whare my father livid. etc. I remain yur loving brother until death all from Zadock L. Lewis and family to james littleton and family" (This also seems to show that Zadock L Lewis was writing to his son-in-law James Littleton. There is NO date on this letter so I don't know if this means that his assumed wife Salley who wrote the above 2 letters had died and he remarried, OR if Salley was this new wife who was a daughter of Littleton Truitt.) I'm guessing Salley had died and he remarried a Truitt daughter. Any help on figuring out this family would be greatly appreciated. I cannot figure out who the parents of this James Littleton are and I haven't found records of his childrens births in MD or OH. Below is what I have pieced together on his family. Many thanks - Terry Littleton - admin of LITTLETON@rootsweb.com Descendants of James Littleton 1 James Littleton b: Abt. 1805 MD d: 19 Nov 1860 Louisa Co, IA info: 1840 1856 1860 Louisa Co, IA .. +Martha Lewis b: Abt. 1804 MD m: Bef. 1825 MD? d: 17 Apr 1853 Louisa Co, IA ... 2 Sarah Littleton b: Abt. 1825 MD ....... +John Townsend ... 2 George Handy Littleton b: Abt. 1829 Worchester Co, MD ... 2 John W Littleton b: Abt. 1831 MD d Civil War ... 2 Thomas Selby Littleton b: Abt. 1836 OH d: Andersonville Confederate Prison, Georgia info: Died Andersonville Confederate Prison ....... +Mary Elizabeth Neville m: 09 Mar 1859 ... 2 William Merrill Littleton b: Abt. 1837 OH d: 1863 Civil War ... 2 Mary Littleton b: Abt. 1840 OH ....... +Minus Townsend b: Abt. 1833 ........ 3 Lily Townsend b: Bet. 1869 - 1870 Louisa Co, IA ........ 3 Anna Elizabeth Townsend b: Bet. 1869 - 1870 Louisa Co, IA ........ 3 Amos Townsend ........ 3 Millard Townsend ........ 3 Henry Townsend ........ 3 Sarah A Townsend ... 2 Rebecca Littleton b: Abt. 1841 Louisa Co, IA ....... +Owens ... 2 Kendall Littleton b: Abt. 1843 Louisa Co, IA ... 2 Permelia S Littleton b: 08 May 1843 Louisa Co, IA d: 08 Mar 1929 Coal Valley, Rock Island Co, IL ....... +John Oliver Vanlandingham b: 08 Feb 1836 IN d: 19 Jan 1909 Rock Island Co, IL ........ 3 Eliza A Vanlandingham b: 1861 ........ 3 Martha M Vanlandingham b: 1870 ... 2 Noah Littleton b: 1845 Louisa Co, IA d: 01 Mar 1863 White River, Forsyth, MO info: Drowned in White River when ferry boat sunk after battle of Prairie Grove *2nd Wife of James Littleton: .. +Jemima b: Abt. 1811 NY m: Abt. 1856 IA?