Alford: A Family of Ministers

To Preach at Family Meet

Rev. J. M. Alford Oldest of Four Brothers, 

All Methodist Ministers

The Rev. J. M. Alford pastor of the Texas Avenue Methodist Church, has returned from Ida where he has been engaged in a revival meeting for the last 10 days. He reports a successful meeting, there being 18 new members added to the church as one of the results of the campaign. Large congregations attended and the house could not accommodate all who were present at the last service. Beside the pastor, the Rev. W. E. Akin, the Rev. R. T. Ware of Vivian, and the local Baptist pastor were present the last day of the service.

Mr. Alford will leave Tuesday to visit his old home in Pike county, Miss., where there will be a reunion of his father’s family. The father, the Rev. N. E. Alford [Needham Edwin Alford], will celebrate his eightieth birthday and his nine living children, seven sons and two daughters, with their families, will all be present. There are six Methodist ministers in this immediate family; the father, four sons and one son-in-law. Rev. J. M. Alford is the oldest and has been appointed to deliver a sermon at the reunion. The oldest daughter of the family is a licensed deaconess of the Methodist church and is a graduate of the Scarret Bible school of Kansas City.

The ministers of this family are serving pastoral charges as follows;

·     The Rev. J. M. Alford [Joseph Martin Alford]. Texas Avenue, Shreveport

·     The Rev. J. A. Alford [Jason Abraham Alford], St. Marks Hall, New Orleans

·     The Rev. L. F. Alford [Louis Flemon Alford], Meridian, Miss.

·     The Rev. C. W. Alford [Caldwell Wellman Alford], Safety Harbor, Fla.

·     The son-in-law, [married to Martha Elizabeth Alford], the Rev. R. T. Hollingsworth, Killmichael, Miss.

·     The daughter, Miss Annie Alford, has a station in St. Louis

Others of the children live at Del Rio and Dallas, Texas and Holmesville, Miss.

Source: To Preach at Family Meet. (Shreveport, LA: The Times, 14 July 1925) 14; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed January 2019.

[Notes in green are my notes.]