1936 Alford Family Reunion, Mississippi

This newspaper clipping was a great find. The report of this family reunion gives information on several family members.

Alfords Meet in Reunion at Camp Ground

Topisaw Scene of Festival as Descendants of Famous Family Reunite.

Aug. 17 (Special) – Needham E. Alford of Holmesville [Needham Edwin Alford, 1845-1937], a man who has four sons in the ministry and who lacks only two months of being 91 years of age, was guest of honor at the Alford family reunion here.

In 1881 B. S. [Barnabas Seaborn] Alford (father of L. E. [Lucius Edwin] Alford of Port Gibson, Miss.), his brother, Leander Alford, and their father, S. J. [Seaborn John] Alford, joined in building a frame tent that the families might be represented at the first meeting after the Civil War. This cabin has been kept on this spot for fifty-five years as a place of reunions, and Mr. and Mrs. Norman Alford brought the 1936 reunion about.

Mr. Needham Alford’s sons in the ministry are J. M. [Joseph Martin] and J. A. [Jason Abraham] Alford of the Louisiana Conference, L. F. [Louis Flemon] Alford of the Mississippi Conference, and C. W. [Caldwell Wellman] Alford of the Florida Conference.

At the reunion 

·     N. N. [Needham Nugent] Alford, a son of S. J. [Seaborn John] Alford and a half brother of the B. S. [Barnabas Seaborn] Alford, was present, with one son, Percy Alford;

·     Also Charley Edna Lewis, daughter of Emma Alford Lewis [daughter of Seaborn John Alford];

·     Robert S. Alford and wife of McComb,

·     J. M. [Joseph Martin] Alford, wife and two children of Tylertown;

Also the following descendants of B. S. Alford:

·     James B. Alford [James Barney Alford b c 1871 MS] and wife, 

·     L. W. [Lewis Wesley Alford, b c 1875] Alford and wife,

·     Norman Alford [b c 1880] and wife and sons, Mason and George, all of McComb;

·     Luke E. Alford [Lucius Edwin Alford b c 1873] of Port Gibson;

·     Dr. C. B. Alford, wife and son, L. E. Alford of Columbia;

·     Mr. and Mrs. D. M. Hayes of New Orleans (Mrs. Hayes being the youngest child and only daughter of B. S. Alford). [Carrie Mabel (Alford) Hayes b c 1886]

In commenting on this joyous reunion, L. E. [Lucius Edwin] Alford said, “The best of good things to eat spread on the dining room table added much to the joy of the occasion and showed that the depression was a thing of the past.”

My notes are in green. I changed the format of the article to list the names.

Source: Alfords Meet in Reunion at Camp Ground. (McComb, MS: Enterprise-Journal, 17 Aug. 1936) 1; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed September 2018.