Elaine, thanks for finding a Portess (possibly a Poythress) who is entirely new to me. Had to look to see where Limestone County is. In 1870 (& now) it is along the top edge of Alabama, on the stateline with Tennessee, midway across the top of Alabama. Certainly nowhere near any other Poythress people I'm aware of. This may stir up a hornets' nest again, but we've had many discussions in the past as to which numerous spellings various ones of us believe to actually be in the same family lines. Jury is perhaps still out on "Portess" but I think the last consensus was that it is less likely than some other spellings, since there is no "R" after the "T" in "Portess." At any rate, thanks for alerting us to your finds as you are surfing thru the valuable GenWeb listings! BPN