Leaves & Branches: Genealogy, Research & Family History
Vintage photographs are like little windows looking back in time.
A Window into the Past
Do you have the Alford family in your family tree?
If you do, visit the AAFA website and look through the databases.
I am a member of AAFA & have been for many years. Join us.
Read the AAFA newsletters, edited by Gail Alford.
In January's newsletter my book, 'Our Brown Roots,' is mentioned.
ALFORD AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION
Anna Rebecca Norman Alford
c 1842 Pike Co., MS – April 1928 MS
Widow of Barnabas Seaborn Alford
Mrs. Anna Alford Died on Tuesday
Widow of Late B. S. Alford Passes Away at Age of Eighty-three Years
Mrs. Anna R. Alford, widow of the late B. S. Alford, died at the family residence in South Broadway Tuesday evening at 8:45 o’clock. Funeral services were held from LaBranch Street Methodist Church Wednesday at 3:30 o’clock P. M.
A large number of friends and acquaintances of the family were present at the funeral services, which were in charge of the Rev. Mr. E. H. Cooley, pastor of the LaBranch Street Church. He was aiisite by several of the ministers of this city and Rev. Mr. W. H. Lewis of Brookhaven.
Mrs. Alford, who was 83 years old, is survived by one sister, Mrs. T. S. Curtis of this city; one daughter, Mrs. Carrie Hayes of New Orleans; five sons, J. B. Alford, Norman Alford and L. W. Alford, all well known business men of this city, and A. C. Alford of Greenville and the Rev. L. E. Alford of Crystal Springs.
Mrs. Alford was a native of Pike County, having been born and reared here. For many years she was a faithful member of the LaBranch Street Methodist Church and her death has left a vacancy in the community that cannot be filled. The sympathy of the entire city goes out to the bereaved ones.
Mrs. Alford’s husband, th elate B. S. Alford, died February 5 of this year. At the time of his death they had been married almost sixty-two years.
Semi – Weekly Journal, McComb MS
14 April, 1928 page 1
Newspapers.com
29 Dec 1890 MS - 25 Jul 1972 LA
Daughter of Jasper Pascal Brown & Rose Ella Brumfield
Wife of Dewitt William Alford
My Great Aunt
Sister of my paternal grandfather, Roy Jessie Brown
Funeral services will be held today (Thursday) for Mrs. Ina L. Alford, 81, who died Tuesday at 3:00 p. m. in the Bogalusa Medical Center after a long illness. Mrs. Alford, a native of Angie, La., had made her home in Folsom with a daughter, Mrs. George Bennett, for the past several years.
Religious services will be held in Silver Springs Baptist Church at ten o’clock with interment in the church cemetery in Silver Springs, Miss.
In addition to Mrs. Bennett she is survived by three other daughters, Mrs. Roy L. Fortenberry, Osyka, Miss., Mrs. Louise Courtright, Bogalusa, and Mrs. Robert Breland, Sandy Hook, Miss.; one son, Bruce L. Alford, Angie; and 21 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.
St. Tammany Farmer, Covington, LA
27 July 1972, page 2
Newspapers.com
Mr. Alford was a descendant of “a pioneer family.”
Reading that lets me know that he was a member of my Alford family.
Norman Alford
4 October 1880 – 20 June 1955 MS
Son of Barnabas Seaborn Alford & Anna Rebecca Norman
Norman Alford is Buried in McComb
Norman Alford, 74, prominent furniture merchant of McComb for over a third of a century, died at his residence Monday afternoon.
Descendant of a pioneer family which settled near the Bogue Chitto river in 1807, Mr. Alford was associated with the McColgan interests in his youth. He served as cashier of the first National Bank for several years and entered the furniture business in 1919. Toward the end of 1952 he retired as active head of the Main Street furniture firm which bore his name. He had been confined to his home during recent months.
Mr. Alford was a member of the board of stewards of the Centenary Methodist church, of McComb Masonic Lodge No. 382 and other organizations.
Services were held Tuesday afternoon from Centernary Methodist church, Rev. E. W. Ulmer conducting, assisted by Rev. W. Stokes. Honorary Pall Bearers were members of the board of stewards of Centernary Methodist church and members of the Masonic Lodge.
He leaves his wife; Mrs. Lola Alford; two sons; George and Mason Alford, McComb; two brothers, J. B. of McComb and Rev. L. E. Alford of Jackson; one sister, Mrs. D. M. Hayes of New Orleans, La. Burial was in Holly Wood cemetery.
Clarion – Ledger, Jackson MS
22 June 1955, page 14
Newspapers.com
Yarborough was a "lifelong resident of Pike County." I wonder what percentage of our population, today, stay in one area for their lifetimes. My husband and I have remained in New York State but we live in a different counties than where we grew up. However, two of my brothers live in the same town as we did as children.
Yarborough S. Alford
19 October 1891 MS – 29 March 1971 MS
Son of Jeptha Josephus Alford & Olevia Luminda Fortenberry
Pike Native’s Rites Set
Tylertown – Funeral services for Yarborough Alford, 80, will be held at 2 p. m. Wednesday in Progress Baptist Church.
Mr. Alford, a native and lifelong resident of Pike County, died Monday morning in Walthall County General Hospital.
Survivors include his widow, Mrs. Ina Simmons Alford; two sons, Melvin Alford, Maryland, J. D. Alford, Progress; one brother, Claude Alford, Progress; three sisters, Mrs. Ethel Bruns, California, Mrs. Errol Smith, Columbia, Mrs. Lillie Ellzey, Tylertown and one grandchild.
Rev. Jerry Wise will officiate. Burial will be in the church cemetery with Hartman Funeral Home in charge of arrangements.
Enterprise Journal
McComb, MS, 30 Mar 1971, page 4
Newspapers.com
Julius Ceaser Alford
15 January 1855 LA – 11 April 1937
Son of Warren Jackson Alford & Celia Ann Lewis
Husband of Sarah Elizabeth Fortenberry
My First Cousin, 3x Removed
J. C. Alford, 82, Dies at Progress
Julius C. Alford, eighty – two years old, died at his home in Progress community April the eleventh. Mr. Alford was a faithful member of the Baptist Church and lived in Pike county most of his life.
He leaves his wife and seven children,
E. C. [Elmer C. Alford],
H. Victor [Hollis Victor Alford],
Talmadge [Dewitt Talmadge Alford]
and Mrs. Losia Simmons [Losia Irene Alford] of Progress;
Mrs. Ada Ball of Osyka;
Mrs. John Burris of Smithdale;
and H. E. Alford [Hugh Edwin Alford] of Washington, D. C.;
fifteen grnadchildren and four great grandchildren. One brother, the Rev. N. E. Alford [Needham Edwin Alford] of Magnolia, and one sister of McComb, [Laura Ann Alford Fortenberry] besides a host of other relatives and friends to mourn his loss.
He was buried in Silver Springs cemetery, with Kennedy Funeral Home in charge.
My records also show another daughter, Floy Maudlina Alford, 11 Apr 1903 - 1919.
This is a wonderful little newspaper notice. Just imagine 1,000 family members gathered together for a reunion! I wish some of the names were listed.
Smith and Alford Families Reunion
Jackson, Miss., July 12 – The Smith and Alford families held a reunion in Pike county a few days since that was attended by 1,000 persons, all related, and all from two families of Smiths and Alfords who settled on Silver Creek, a beautiful little stream about 100 years ago when all south Mississippi was an unbroken wilderness. The children of the two families married and intermarried, and married into other families until they are several thousand strong. The orator of the day was a Smith – Alford from Houston, Texas.
Vicksburg Evening Post
Vicksburg, MS, 12 July 1904, page 1
Here are my Alford – Smith marriages:
Edwin Barksdale Alford (1792 – 1878) & Martha P. Smith (1802 – 1861) m. 1818 MS
My 3x great grandparents
Eugene Booth Alford (1882 – 1949) & Sarah Emma Smith (1885 – 1965)
Jacob Lauhon Alford (1834 – 1884) & Sarah Ann Smith
Martha Aner Alford (1867 – 1926) & William Jasper Smith (1862 – 1950) m. 1887
Noel Waddell Alford (1838 – 1915) & Mary Elizabeth Smith
Sarah Simmons Alford & Sidney L. Smith (1876 – 1942) m. 1901
Needham Nugent Alford
7 March 1872 MS – 4 September 1946 MS
Son of Seaborn John Alford & Mary S. Kirk
Husband of Rosa Felder
Needham Alford Dies in McComb
Sept. 5 – Funeral services will be held at ten Friday morning for Needham Nugent Alford from Catchings Chapel with Dr. Joseph A. Smith, pastor of Centenary Methodist church officiating. Burial will be in Hollywood cemetery. Mr. Alford, 74, died Wednesday night at his residence in McComb. He was a former city official and was in the mercentile business for many years as well as aacive in many lines of the city’s endeavors.
He leaves his wife, three sons, Tom P. Alford, McComb; Oscar E. Alford, Pascagoula and Samuel N. Alford, Summit; and two daughters, Mrs. Charles McGehee, Paducah, Ky., and Miss Smythis Alford, Alford.
Source: Needham Alford Dies in McComb (Jackson, MS, Clarion - Ledger, 6 Sept 1946) 5; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed Feb. 2023.
Zelda Marie Alford Fortenberry
2 March 1915 LA – 1 April 2005 MS
Daughter of Dewitt William Alford & Ina Lucille Brown
Widow of Ray Luther Fortenberry
My First Cousin, Once Removed
Zelda Alford Fortenberry, 90, of the SilverSprings community, died April 1, 2005, at Beechman Memorial Hospital in Magnolia.
Visitation is 5 to 8 tonight at Silver Springs Baptist Church. Services are 11 a. m. Tuesday at the church, with the Rev. Wayne Hall and the Rev. James Thornhill officiating. Burial will be in the Silver Springs Cemetery.
Mrs. Fortenberry was born March 2, 1915, in Angie, La., to William Dewitt Alford and Ina Brown Alford. She was a homemaker and a member of Silver Springs Baptist Church, where she taught children’s Sunday school for 45 years.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Ray Fortenberry, Sr.; a brother, Bruce Alford; and two grandchildren, Darrell Scott Fortenberry and Kelly Ray Fortenberry.
Survivors include two sons and a daughter – in – law, Billy Joe and Daisy Fortenberry of Progress and Ray Fortenberry, Jr.; a daughter and son – in -law, Alice Fortenberry Overall and Charles of Progress; three sisters, Mary Alice Bennett of Folsom, La.; Louise White of Bogalusa, La., and Linda Breeland of the Improve community; six grandchildren, Tina Myers and husband Charles of Tylertown, Stacy Fortenberry of Bay St. Louis, Michael Fortenberry, Stephen Fortenberry and David Fortenberry and his wife Deanna of McComb, and Dana Nelson and husband Ricky of McComb; six great – grandchildren, Adam Myers and wife Alicia of Camp LeJeune, N. C., Rachel Meyers and Masey Meyers, both of Tylertown, Kelsi Fortenberry, Alexis Fortenberry and Blake Nelson, all of McComb; and two great – great -grandchildren, Adrianna Michelle Meyers and Caden Adam Meyers of Camp LeJeune.
Pallbearers will be Mark Johnson, James Kemp, Lee Lambert, Roger Moret, David Johnson and Bart Ravencraft.
Source: Zelda Alford Fortenberry (McComb, MS, Enterprise – Journal, 4 Apr 2005) 3; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed Feb. 2023.
This obituary has a wonderful, personal description of Albert: Esteemed as a neighbor, beloved as a friend, regarded as a leading citizen, and known as a faithful husband and a patient, loving father...
Albert Arthur Alford
30 January 1872 MS – 22 June 1936 MS
Son of Ira Newton Alford & Samantha N. Ott
Husband of Lynnie Berryhill
My Second Cousin, Twice removed
Pike Mourns A. A. Alford
Apoplexy Fatal to Well Known Pike County Farmer
Magnolia – June 23, Albert A. Alford, 64, a well known farmer, died at his home near Magnolia on June 22, of apoplexy. His death came asa severe shock to relatives and friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 3:30 p. m. today (June 23) from the Baptist Church at Magnolia, with the Rev. F. K. Horton officiating. Interment will d, of Paducah,Ky.; A. D. Alford of New Orleans; L. W. Alford of McComb. be in the Magnolia cemetery.
Mr. Alford was a member of a large and prominently connected family. Among the sruvivors are his wife, Mrs. Lennie Dean Alford; four sons, Arthur Alford, D. E. Alford of Paducah, Ky., A. D.Alford of New Orleans; L. W. Alford of McComb. In addition there are 11 grandchildren.
Esteemed as a neighbor, beloved as a friend, regarded as a leading citizen, and known as a faithful husband and a patient, loving father, Mr. Alford will be sadly missed. Sincere sympathy is extended the bereaved.
Catchings Funeral Home was in charge of funeral arrangements.
Source: Pike Mourns A. A. Alford. (McComb, MS: Enterprise - Journal, 23 June 1936) 4; digital image, Newspapers.com: accessed February 2023.
This couple had their picture on the front page of the newspaper to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. That was back in 1944.
Here's another fun timeline from my book in progress, 'Our Brown Roots.' Timelines are useful tools when trying to understand the lives & movements of a family. They are also very useful for understanding a family in relation to local and world events. I am currently writing a book, 'Our Brown Roots.' At the beginning of each surname section I have included a timeline like the one below.
Click on the links to learn more about the people in this timeline.
TIMELINE OF THE ALFORD FAMILY
1607 First British settlement in Colonies established at Jamestown, VA
1640 The first book is printed in North America; Bay Psalm Book
1645 Birth of John Alford, in VA
1687 Birth of James Alford, son of John, in VA
1717 Birth of Julius Alford, son of James, in VA
1729 North Carolina became a royal British colony
c 1745 Brothers, Lodwick, Goodrich & Julius Alford, moved to Granville, NC
1761 Birth of Jacob Alford, son of Julius, in Granville, NC
1764 A portion of Granville Co., where the Alfords lived, became Bute Co.
1771 Nov. Death of Julius Alford, son of James, age 54, Bute County, NC
1775 - 1783 Revolutionary War: Jacob, James & Lodwick Alford served
1779 Bute County, NC became Warren and Franklin Counties
c 1785 Marriage of Jacob Alford & Elizabeth Bryant in NC
1789 30 April. George Washington was inaugurated the first president
1789 21 Nov. N. Carolina became 12th state; 1790 population 393,751
1792 2 April. U. S. Mint was established
1792 25 Nov. Birth of Edwin Barksdale Alford, son of Jacob, in NC
c 1793 Death of Elizabeth (Bryant) Alford; Marriage of Jacob & Frances Alford
1795 Jacob Alford and family lived in Montgomery County, GA
1798 Edward Jenner developed first successful vaccine, smallpox vaccine
1803 Louisiana Purchase made for 15 million dollars
1804 Richard Trevithick invented the steam locomotive
c 1807 Jacob Alford and family lived in Washington Parish, LA
1812 30 April. Louisiana became the 18th state
1812 - 1814 War of 1812; Edwin Barksdale Alford served in LA Militia
1818 10 March. Marriage Edwin B. Alford & Martha P. (Smith) Alford
1818 Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley
1824 16 July. Jacob Alford died in Washington Parish, LA
1846 Birth of Martha Elizabeth (Alford) Brumfield, daughter of Edwin, in MS
1861 – 1865 Civil War; many Alfords served in Confederate Army in MS & LA units
1878 10 March. Death of Edwin B. Alford, in Pike Co., MS
1917 – 1918 World War I; Dewitt T., Elmer C., & Hollis V. Alford served
This chart shows the connection between the Alford family & my paternal grandfather.
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