Doug, Well! Your message sent chills up my back! Yes, my ggrandmother's maiden name was supposedly PRUITT/PREWETT. She has been my "brick wall" so far (but I only started a few months ago). When I saw the Matilda SHOULTS obituary, there were too many connections to ignore, plus, as I described in my e-mail to the Franklin Co. list, there was even doubt as to my ggrandmother's "real" maiden name. It looks like my mother was correct about PREWETT! Orientation 1: Once there were three sisters (Prewett? Shoults?Other?): Tilda, the oldest; and Adeline and Eva (my ggrandmother), twins, born 18 Oct 1874, supposedly in St. Clair. They are supposed to also have had a younger brother John, who perhaps was "taken back to England with his father" when their mother died around 1896 and the family split up. Orientation 2: Lavicia EMMONS had a daughter Amanda Francis whose second marriage was to a SHOULTS, and whose grandson Simon WALL married Adeline PREWITT in 1890 in Franklin Co, in a ceremony performed by Lavicia's son Julius Ely (J.E.) SHORT. (Doug, please correct me if I got this wrong.) OK, let me ask you a couple of questions. (1) About the Adeline PREWET/Simon WALL marriage 29 Mar 1890 in Franklin Co--I can order the microfilm through the local Family History Library. However, if you should happen to already have a copy........?? Might you be able to get it to me? I will be glad to send a SASE or maybe you are high tech???? (2) Re the list of Simon & Adeline's children (Sidney, Ida, William Oscar, Vida), when you say it is "hearsay," what exactly do you mean? i.e., is it someone's "family history" or speculation among this mailing list, or what? (I am inclined to believe at least Sidney, since there was a Sidney WALL at the home of my grandmother's family in the 1920 census.) Has anyone seen Adeline and Simon WALL's family on a census, like in about 1910, with children listed? Finally, two pieces of speculation of my own: (A) Matilda SHOULTS' obituary had her maiden name as SHOULTS, as well as her married name. This was, of course, suspect. Her obituary references her sister Adelyn WALLS of De Soto, Mo. My guess is that this is the same Adeline marrying Simon WALL in Franklin Co. in 1890. It also makes it likely that Matilda SHOULTS' maiden name "really" was PREWETT, not SHOULTS. I have already ordered the Franklin Co. records for the time period, to look for a marriage Feb. 1891 between George MOTHERSHEAD (born 21 Sep 1866 in DeSoto) and Eva(ngeline) PRUITT. Eva was my ggrandmother. While I'm "in" those records, I'll also see whether I can find the marriage of Charley SHOULTS and Matilda Shoults/Prewett in 1892, which should give Matilda's maiden name. (B) Matilda SHOULTS's obituary says that she was married to Charley SHOULTS in the year of 1892. Maybe Charley SHOULTS was a descendant of your William A. SHOULTS and Amanda Frances SHORT, i.e., maybe the sisters Matilda and Adeline both married decendants of Lavicia EMMONS, one from the Short/Shoults side and one from the WALL side. I am copying the Jefferson county mailing list, since George Mothershead was born in DeSoto of John Mothershead (son of Clifton) and Ann Murrell, and Adelyn Walls is referenced in Matilda Shoults 1948 obituary as living in De Soto. Susan Thomas Susan, I have a Simon Wall marrying a Adeline Prewet on March 29, 1890 in Franklin Co., MO per marriage record F:470. The ceremony was preformed by my great grandfather, J. E. (Julius Eli) Short. Simon Wall was Julius' 1/2 brother. Their common mother was Lavicia Emmons. She first married a Short then a Wall. It is only hearsay but I have Simon & Adeline's children as Sidney, Ida, William Oscar and Vida Wall. Was your great grandmother a Prewet? Julius Short's full sister was Amanda Francis Short. She first married an Arnold then about 1894 next married William A. Shoults. Does this tie to any of your Shoults information? Doug Short