Brothers: John David & Charles Fagan Littrell
Charles Fagan Littrell: I was unable to secure a registration from the back of this card. Fagon’s Navy Discharge date is noted as 1-7-1946.
John David Littrell: I was unable to secure a registration from the back of this card. John’s Navy Discharge date is noted as 4-18-1946.
There are two oddities about the draft cards of these two brothers.
Over recent years, researchers and information junkies have tried to identify the parents of Jesse and Rodhom.
Most of the attempts in recent years have been links made based on coincidence or assumption involving circumstantial evidence. Coincidence and circumstantial evidence can aid or steer research in one direction or another but cannot be relied on by itself. This is the difference between research and information collection. Internet information junkies and bucket shop commercial operations are constantly obtaining researched and un-researched family trees, mixing them into a large database and representing the database as a resource. Not verifying what little research they are supported by or comparing them for accuracy they just present them for duplication.
In the case of Rodhom and Jessee:
More often than not they have been linked to parents:
Such is the case with both Rodham and Jessie. When additional evidence is asked for it turns out it is seldom produced or valid.
Geographical and name similarities can be useful, just as the absence from wills and probate records does not mean non-existence, these forms of evidence must be substantiated.
The latest connection of Jesse to a parent is that he is listed as the child of Michael Litral and Anna Shelton Litral. While the dates may line-up and their locations may often shadow each other that is also true with many others in the group that migrated and settled together over the Virginia-Kentucky-Tennessee-Alabama/Illinois/Arkansas 50 year migration. These circumstances and similarities must be supported by collaborating evidence.
In this case, there is a problem with this identification if you look past these circumstances.
Looking only at the Luttrell family lines and there being no probate records or will or birth records to verifier or dispute the connection to Michael & Anna, it would on the surface appear to be a reasonable conclusion, but in truth 'assumption' not 'conclusion' would be a more appropriate word. On the other hand, if you also look at the Shelton side of this arrangement you will find that Jesse Luttrell married Clary Shelton, his first wife that died in Kentucky. Clary was the sister of Anna Shelton which means that Jesse would have been marrying his own aunt.
Who and Why I believe the parents of Rodham and Jesse was….
Robert and Lydia Luttrell.
|
Robert Luttrell of Fauquier County Virginia does not have a will on record and because Robert Luttrell migrated from Fauquier County we have not located any death records on him either.
But:
It is for these reasons I identify Robert Jr, Jesse, and Rodham as brothers and the children of Robert & Lydia. At the very least they are cousins to each other and while maybe not their biological father Robert SR was their benefactor and guardian.
One of the most common problems in doing family research is the fact that there will always be a point where you reach an ancestor that you just cannot find their parents. This is inevitable because record keeping and preservation of family stories have never been as consistent, routine or as important as 'eat, sleep, and survive'. They have never been priorities of our natural order. In doing family research there will always be an ancestor that there is no written or oral record of., or hopefully the record of that ancestor just hasn't been discovered yet.
Such has been the case for three ancestors in this families ancestral line: James, the original immigrant, and the two brothers mentioned above, Jesse and Rodham.
28 years of my own research, a lifetime of research by genealogist William Q. Hill, as well as Elston Luttrell and Laura Luttrell in the 1800s have yielded no concrete record of birth or death that contains the name of their parents. Irrefutable evidence or statements do not exist, yet.
I try to rely on the rules of evidence. In comparison to others that brag of ' a hundred thousand name database I only have a database of 10,000+ names. But these names are researched, not just 'collected'. My database consist of researched Luttrells and connected families including unidentified persons and orphaned family trees in the hope of eventually connecting them.
Outline Descendant Report for Jesse Luttrell:
1 Jesse Luttrell b: Bef. 1774, d: Bef. 17 Mar 1840 in Lauderdale, Alabama, USA
+ Frances Shelton m: 07 Jun 1806 in Adair County, Kentucky,
d: Bef. 17 Mar 1840
...2 Jessee Literal b: 25 Dec 1820 in Lawrence, Tennessee, USA,
d: 30 Sep 1909 in Alabama ??
+ Sarah Jane Walker b: 08 Nov 1823, m: 24 May 1843, d: 15 Mar 1900
......3 Joseph A. Litterell b: 20 Aug 1847 in Alabama, USA, d: 20 Oct 1923
+ Frances E. Freeman b: 04 Oct 1864,
m: 20 Jan 1884 in Lawrence, Tennessee,
d: 04 Apr 1939
.........4 John Steve Littrell b: 25 Nov 1886 in Alabama, USA,
d: 20 Nov 1969 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
+ Inez Othello Bailey b: 12 Jun 1892 in Tennessee, USA,
d: 26 Aug 1982 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
On the 1930 census, John's name is spelled Littrell. If you notice the varied spellings above this appears to be the point that this branch finalizes their spelling as "LITTRELL". Georgia Eva is not with the family on this census or the 1940 census. She would have been 15 in 1930... married? The family lived in Florence Alabama at 618 E. Tuscaloosa St. a house they rented for $10 a month. John and Inez were married at ages 22 and 16, respectively. Both could read and write. John worked at a stone foundry (can't make out occupation/skill).
On the 1940 census the family is still living in Florence but now at 155 W. Royal Ave., they are paying $18 a month for rent. As in 1930 they and all their children are still living together, except Georgia Eva. They have been living there since at least 1935. John's occupation is more legible and appears to be "mounter" at a "Stove foundry" where he made $900 in 1939. Alvin Arnold appears to be a 'wrapper' at a bakery where his earnings for 1939 were $552.
Theckla D. is an 'operator' at a 'beauty shop'. John, Alvin, and Theckla al say they were employed for 52 weeks in 1939, but Theckla does not list her income. John says he works a 48 work week, Alvin says a 99 hour work week, and Theckla a 60 hour work week.
Could this stove foundry be Martin Stove & Range Company, Martin Stove & Range Company? In 1905 the Martin brothers purchased the company from King Hardware. Shortly after that, they bought the Florence foundry and began making cast-iron cookware under both the King and Martin names.
Outline Descendant Report for John Steve Littrell
1 John Steve Littrell b: 25 Nov 1886 in Alabama, USA,
d: 20 Nov 1969 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
+ Inez Othello Bailey b: 12 Jun 1892 in Tennessee, USA,
d: 26 Aug 1982 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
...2 Alvin Arnold Littrell b: 12 Jun 1812 in Alabama, USA, d: 11 Feb 1970
...2 Georgia Eva Littrell b: 1915 in Alabama, USA,
d: 23 Jan 1982 in Nashville, Davidson Co., Tennessee, USA
+ Ralph Bernard Christian
...2 Theckla D. Littrell b: 17 Oct 1916 in Alabama, USA,
d: 16 Nov 1983 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
+ Thomas Lee Watkins
...2 Milton E. Littrell b: 1919 in Alabama, USA, d: 17 May 1943 in Margarten, Limburg, Netherlands
...2 Charles Fagan Littrell b: 08 Jul 1923 in Colbert, Alabama, USA,
d: 14 Oct 1982 in Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, USA
+ [unknown spouse]
......3 Fagan Littrell
+ [unknown spouse]
.........4 Steven Littrell
...2 John David Littrell b: 22 Feb 1926 in Lauderdale Co., Alabama, USA,
d: 10 Feb 2017 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
+ Mary Ruth Carroll
......3 John David Littrell b: 31 Aug 1950, d: 09 Aug 1998
......3 Phillip Littrell
......3 Donald Littrell Littrell
...2 Fredrick Thomas Littrell b: 1929 in Alabama, USA,
d: 05 Jun 1998 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA
...2 Howard Littrell b: 22 May 1931 in Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama, USA,
d: 28 Dec 1984 in Sheffield, Colbert, Alabama, USA
OBITUARY
November 22, 1969 "Florence Times - Tri-Cities Daily"
Florence, Alabama
John Steve Littrell, 83, of Florence died Thursday at his residence. He was a native of Lauderdale County. Funeral services were held today at Morrison-Elkins Funeral Home with Rev. Albert Hill officiating. Burial was in Florence Cemetery. He is survived by his wife, Inez Othella (Bailey) Littrell; his daughters, Georgia Eva Belle Christian of Nashville, Tennessee and Thekla Watkins of Florence; his sons, Charles Fagon Littrell of Russellville, Kentucky, and Alvin Arnold Littrell, Fred Thomas Littrell, Howard O'Neal Littrell, and John David Littrell, all of Florence; his sisters, Etta Stover of Hartselle, Lona Ella Hale and Nora Myrtle Burney, both of Cullman, Mary Patterson of Decatur, and Minnie Pearl Marston of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee; his brother, Moses Hampton Littrell of New York, New York; and sixteen grandchildren.
Jessee Luttrell was the son of Robert & Lydia Luttrell of Fauquier County Virginia. He was part of a post-Revolutionary War migration of at least 2 brothers & 6 cousins into Kentucky.
Eventually 2 sets of brothers:
Along with another cousin, John (son of John & Winnefred Lawrence Luttrell) and a collection of Sheltons and Rutherfords all would venture thru the Cumberland Gap and continue on the Wilderness road that their North Carolina cousin, Col. John Luttrell, had blazed with Daniel Boone to central and southcentral Kentucky.
These Luttrells, Sheltons, Rutherfords and their descendants would intermarry, settle and raise families in Kentucky, Illinois, Tennessee, and Alabama.
This group, the "Allied Families", would first settle the south and central area of Kentucky. They would homestead, marry, and prosper.
From here a subgroup would migrate to Illinois (heretofore we will refer to this group as the 'Illinois Group'), and another group (including Jessee and his brother Rodham) would migrate to Tennessee along the southern border with Alabama (heretofore we will refer to this group as the 'TN/AL Group'). Other's (including Jesse's brother Robert) would remain in Kentucky (the KY Group). All three groups contained members or descendants of the original Allied Family.
Among the group that would move on from KY to TN were:
Years later, prior to the Civil War, there was another migration consisting of some descendants of the above into the Laurence and Randolph Counties of Arkansas. Others ended up in Missouri.
Jesse would have 129 descendants over the next five generation.
See previous article: Possible new family connection in the St. Louis area
Yes, you are related and that relationship goes back a long way. As yet I can't estimate the exact 'X cousin, X removed' situation.
I still don't have my software up and running so what I have so far is limited, which means that the exact tie-in has to be verified.
Your friends Fagan is probably the son of Charles Fagan Littrell. Some dates (birth, marriage, deaths, wife's name) for her Fagan would go a long way to solidify this possible connection.
To summarize:
Jesse Littrell m. Sarah Jane Walker, one of his sons was Joseph Andrew Littrell, and one of his sons was John Steven Littrell who had sons Charles Fagan L. and John David L. (and 6 other children). The connection with us goes back 200 years to two brothers, our Rodham and her Jessie. Who coming from Farquire County Virginia, migrated as young men, along with a group of siblings, uncles, and cousins, to the Southwestern end of the state near the Cumberland Gap. Around 1800 they would migrate to South Central Kentucky and remain there for several years leaving family is they eventually migrated to South Central Tennessee around Lincoln and Franklin counties. From there they would settle in the area along the Tennessee-Alabama border in the counties of Lauderdale County Alabama and Lawrence County Tennessee.
In doing this research at the library I have discovered several documents pertaining to this line that a previously didn't have. As a result, I'm going to create a page for the family line of Jesse Littrel in anticipation of connecting her to that family line on the Littrell Family News website, www.littrellfamily.net, not the Facebook group page (that page is strictly for descendants of John & Kizzie). I will start posting information there as soon. These new documents or draft registration cards for her ancestors, Census records, Social Security, service records, and marriage documents. Once I set up the family page for her family line I'll send you a link to share with her. I realize there's a possibility she might not be computer literate and if that turns out to be a problem I can send her hard copies of what I have by mail. My first choice though is to create a page that not just provides her with information but other family members so she can direct them there.
Out of curiosity is your friend's name Whitney?
Article updated: see link at bottom of this article.
ALB: Hey I met this woman on FB - we could be related, her name is Michele Rogers, maiden name Littrell. Her family is from AL. Her father is Steven Littrell, Grandfather, Fagan Littrell. She didn't know what her great grandfather's name was but she does know her grandfather's( Fagan) uncle was John David Littrell. She did tell me her grandfather Fagan had several brothers..... any of these names sound familiar or look familiar. I looked on her website, didn't see any of these names.
GDL: Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Since my upgrade to Windows 10 (compatibility problems) I don't have access to my computer files to check the information you gave be. I'm having this problem with older hardware and software and can't say how soon I can get it resolved. The information doesn't jump out at me and I will probably need more in the long run. My current guess would be that if there's a connection it previous to her grandfather. If I don't get my genealogy software running I may have to upgrade it. If I don't have a solution by next week I'll visit the state library and use their software. I'm posting this exchange to the website in case some visitor can chime in.
The above is shared from a Facebook conversation between Alesia Littrell Burrows.
If you have information please comment or send it to: indianaglenn@gmail.com
I will update this info as needed.
Article updated: Jesse Luttrell/Littrell connection tentatively established:
