Good work, John! Kathleen, by looking at that 1900 census, you will learn the name of Melissa's father, as he's living with her and James at the time: James H Rodgers, age 72, born Kentucky. With that information, I looked for James H. Rodgers in the ancestry.com database. I located his Civil War draft registration record (in July 1863 he was age 35 and living in Breckinridge, Kentucky).
I also located James H. Rodgers on the 1880 federal census, age 52, living in Prairie, Montgomery, Missouri. Wife Mary A. Rodgers, age 54; daughter Elizabeth, age 23.
I located him in the Missouri death index; he died 1 Mar 1904 in Montgomery, Missouri.
FindaGrave memorial: https://old.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=90598967
One tree on ancestry.com shows James H. Rodgers parents as John Adam Rodgers (1802-1850) and Sarah Gentry (1805-1837).
OK - now let's look for information on James Portwood - born 1870-80 in TN. . . In actuality, it looks like he was born in 1848. That's what the 1900 census is showing. And I think he is probably the James C. Portwood on the 1860 federal census in Anderson, Tennessee, age 12. Parents are Richard (age 41) and Katherine Portwood (age 37). "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M8TQ-LSF : 12 December 2017), Richard Portwood, 1860.
And then I locate the marriage record for Richard Portwood and Katherine Rucker on 30 July 1840 in Anderson, Tennessee: "Tennessee Marriages, 1796-1950," database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XD3F-6YN : 8 December 2014), Richard Portwood and Katherin Rucker, 30 Jul 1840; citing Anderson,Tennessee, reference ; FHL microfilm 979,315.
So . . . perhaps you can take that information and continue your research in piecing together the family tree. Good luck!
