I can help with Gideon Shands' son Jesse and his family. I am not a descendant but have been trying to connect Jesse's wife's family to my Howell family. Jesse S. Shands married Mary Catherine Black in Tippah Co. MS 17 January 1861. They were in Stoddard Co. MO before 1870. Jesse died in Stoddard Co. 20 February 1905. He is buried in the Caroline Dowdy Cemetery near Dexter, MO. Some of Jesse's descendants are still living in the Dexter area. Sue eperk@texas.net wrote:This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Coker, Perkins, Shands, Brown Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/iJB.2ACE/990 Message Board Post: Looking for anyone researching the Coker, Perkins, Shands and Brown families of Northern Tippah county around Ripley, MS.in the 1850 - 1880s. Would especially like to know what became of the Gideon Shands family. ==== MSTIPPAH Mailing List ==== "Southerners can claim kin with anybody. It's one of our most dextrous talents." ----Guy Davenport