Dear Cousins, Well, the LADY McDowell got our e-mail and with kindness and graciously she has answered our plea with some data that her family has worked on for some time. Her letter is down below and I have written in and around it..with questions. It just renews our old problem of sorting out those children, and wives, of Johnathan DODD. Also, we will have to sort out and find out what happened to William and Henry.?. . .and more Loucendia's (LUCYs) ...hey, we will probably wind up with something new in the world of family genealogy--a total Loucendia (LUCY) database!!. Its vital important to us that we go carefully and as accurately as possible-that means nothing that is a guess gets on the chart..the reason being..You cousins who are Cotton Kids--must know in your hearts what line to track? IF we can prove this martin/mcdowell data and conclude... that william and henry were mcdowells? What does that do for James Riley Dodd and Ashley and the Boy Isaac M?. Caroline E.? Dugal Dodd? We must consider that they had another mother or even other MOTHERS. What we need to do is really look at James Riley Dodd and Ashley--as James Riley DODD could well be the father in law of Elizabeth DODD COTTON ? and grandfather of Estella Cotton. Meaning, ARE your grandparents DODD or Are they grandparents Cotton?right now I believe you are tracking both lineages because she ultimately married a DODD. But, there has to be a genealogical decision to carry which lineage from william henry DODD and Betsy Elliott. (Cotton or DODD?) , Would McDowell or Martin, DNA solve that? Lets put what we know on paper in the form of years...make sorta a time chart- and see just how close and how far apart these DODD kids/McDowell Kids may be in ages? Also adding what this reply has of the McDowells and the Martins. ALSO, include the DODD family of William and Henryetta-place, time, etc.We will need a map of the period and some history of county changes. Step 2 :Check the BLM and see what is there on McDowell and Martin and the other DODD men(Benjamin, GEORGE- JESSE DODD -all we know).DON"T forget we need to include the REID and that other name from the census...we have to check ALL that census for relationships..ITs a big chore..and it is just like starting over--except this time we have some files already researched we can pull into. Step 3 : I believe is to try to find out if the McDowells and the DODD family were both paying taxes in the same place in the years of william and henry's birth? Lets try to find where they were born? Step 4: we need to pinpoint as truthfully as we can-exactly when Johnathan DODD came to alabama from NC.? we might be able to do that if we ever find any cemetery records, tax records or court documents showing the family. Even road improvements would help. IS BLADON SPRINGS ALWAYS IN CHOCTAW CO? Would it do us any good to check CLARK or Washington co''s. ALSO: We will have to try to find out the same thing for the MARTIN family and McDowell, hopefully, to discover that marriage record or bond, and see if we can link the families with same time, same place. ALSO: A death record or burial of loucendia(lucinda MARTIN) McDowell/Dodd and any kind of record of her life and just what did happen to her? I have already tried to get someone to read the available newspapers that are on microfilm and a few hours looking did not find anything. Here is her letter and the data: I cut and pasted so to remove all the other stuff that you have read for two days. Subj: Re: DODD family and McDowell, McLanahan, REID, too Date: 4/25/02 5:37:14 AM Pacific Daylight Time From: [email protected] to [email protected] Dear Lavonia, My records indicate that William McDowell married Lucindy Martin. No other info on her except her father's name was Andy Martin. In the middle of the 1820s William left home one morning riding his horse with a rifle to go two and one half miles to the river plantation. He was never heard from again. It is speculated that he was murdered by Indians or robbers, or went back to N.C. or Scotland. William and Lucindy Martin had two children: William M. McDowell b. 1818 d. 3/30/1898------where did these guys live? did they bury Lusinda DODD?(judy) Henry McDowell b. 1820 d. 8/5/1871 After William disappeared, his wife Lucindy married a Mr. Dodd, and they had two children:IS there a marriage bond, Bible record or something of a paper trail on that marriage? Two girls: No birth dates nor death dates: Martha Dodd Clarauda Dodd William McDowell, son of William McDowell and Lucindy married Jane Koen. Jane was b. 12/22/1831 and d. 6/22/1922. They had nine children: Louise Grayson McDowell -died at birth1852 * was the william McDowell * this childs parent, the one who is on the 1850 census in the home of johnathan dodd listed as a PLANTER. IS there a KOEN family in Choctaw or Clark co.'s? Have you found a Koen Will or probate that might mention this son in law? DO you know ,Alice, IF there were any indenture or guardianship even adoption, papers filed anywhere but in choctaw co. in that courthouse that burned? Are there any in the state records? Joseph Milton McDowell b. 12/19/1853 Martha Ann McDowell b. 11/23/1855 d. 1/29/1918 Nancy Christine McDowell b.2/10/1858 d. 12/20/1925 Henry Joseph McDowell b. 11/21/1869 d. ? Fredrick Lawrence McDowell b. 12/7/1859 William Milton McDowell (My line)Alice, there is the child, Isaac M.(? no news on that "M") on the census for 1850, also in the DODD family of Ashley and Louisa (lucy ann) they had a son they named: JAMES M. (no one knows what the M. stands for? could be Martin, McDowell, Milton? big unknown on our guy. A generation down they named a son Madison. and we have a legend of a son named: MALCOM. And there was one last son born in 1852 to Ashley and his name was Henderson possibly "M" also. (we believe he died as a child) DO you have any family, sons named : MARTIN? Have you ever tracked that McLanahan family? 11/21/1869 d. 10/29/1936 Ellen McDowell Born late 1870 and died at child birth Lucy McDowell 10/15/1872 d. 6/25/1952-never married The McDowell Cemetery in Bladon Springs is having their memorial this Sunday. I always go. If there's any particular question I could ask the "folks" just let me know. 1. Alice, I do hope you have a good/ happy memorial and I have heard that those springs at Bladon were pretty aromatic? I am so full of questions I don't know where to start. However, if you have some kin who may know where Lusinda (Martin) McDowell/DODD is buried it might be nice to know she lies among her kin(she died after 1860 census?) Also, is old Jonathan DODD, ,just lying anywhere around ?(we think he died before 1860 census)? DO you know where the MARTIN family is buried--or where they lived? DO you have a family description of physical looks or coloring?. Our DODD were very dark of hair and eye. The oldest picture we have is one of ashleys oldest children and she clearly is black of hair and eye..so, have no pictures of our ashley or of the generation of your william and henry McDowell/DODD. In the generation next..the DODD people become fair of hair, fair of skin-even freckled, some dark hair and dark eyes, still-sorta equally divided--but we enter COLLINS lineage there-and the IRISH comes through. But the one physical thing I see in family photos are usually tall men, unusually long legs and arms, musical, Not thin but big boned and high cheekbones. 2. You mention that your William went out to go to the plantation at the river? IS that the Tombigbee? WE think the DODD land was there close to that river. DID William live in town? Was there a Town at Bladon Springs? Please realize that I have never been there but have plans come when possible. IS it still a town? Possibly old Jonathan DOD had a gunsmith shop? Maybe the boys helped him there as well as the plantation work? Have you checked the slave schedules for McDowell or Martin ownership? I found just this week that Johnathan had one little girl age 10, black, possibly taken in trade for work done in the shop? unknown-just a guess. The REID families had many. They are living with the Dodds in 1850 choctaw co. Here is that data on ashleys land: Patentee: ASHLEY DODD Land Office: ST STEPHENS Document Number: 11864A Miscellaneous Document Number: Title Authority: CASH ENTRY SALE Signature: Y Signature Date: 1859/03/01 Land Description Number: 1 Aliquot Parts: W«NE Section Number: 22 Township: 9N Range: 3W Block Number: Base Line: ST STEPHENS Total Acres: 80.0000 Fractional Section: N Subsurface Rights Reserved: N Metes and Bounds Description: N Canceled Document: N Multiple Patentee(s): N Multiple Warantee(s): N Accession Number: AL1510__.459 Image Name: 00007731 Volume ID: 061 Remarks: Do you know if it is close to William McDowells land? possibly neighbors? (judy) Thanks Alice for your help. I hope we can help you as we help ourselves? IS there anything that is mentioned above that we can help you with, also? THANKS again. I am sending your good news to the cousins--there is a passle of them. Please give our best to the cousins at Bladon Springs. Its gonna rain here..I hope you have a clear day. Alice Miller Lewis SENT this reply- the letter written "around and over it" with questions, was judy's >