This
article was published in AAFA ACTION, Issue #68, Spring 2005
For more
information on this family, see AAFA’s published genealogy, Known Descendants of Cullen
Alford and Pherebe Wooten.
Daniel’s
lineage: Daniel Webster 1874 FL1, Wiley Walton 1811 GA2,
Cullen 1775 NC3, James 1740 VA/NC4, Lodwick 1710 VA5,
James 1687 VA6, John 1645 VA7.
MY FATHER,
DANIEL WEBSTER ALFORD
By
Chleo Marie Alford Sanders
Chleo
was born 5 Jan 1902 and died 25 Jan 1999 in Chattahoochee, Gadsden Co., FL.
Submitted
by Faye Mitchell Lawes, AAFA #0062, great-great-granddaughter of Wiley Walton
Alford through his daughter Emily Jane Alford Jenkins, half-sister of Daniel
Webster Alford
Written
in the early 1970s, this biography was given to me by Chleo in the early 1980s.
Unfortunately, Chleo did not date this particular article; she just told me she
had written it “about ten or twelve years ago”. —Faye Lawes
My
father, son of Wiley Walton Alford, was born May 30, 1874, and died July 27,
1931. He was one of the six children born to the union of Wiley Walton Alford
and Susan Elizabeth Morrison Alford. My grandmother was married to M. Morrison,
who died in the service. He belonged to Regiment #4 when he was killed in the
Civil War.
My
father got his education in the Public Schools of Calhoun County, near Ocheesee
(Florida). After my grandfather died, my father was very close to an older
half-brother, Walton, that he went to live with who we called Uncle Buddie, as
did my father. Uncle Buddie taught him quite a bit about farming and management.
He worked on the farm and went to school to further his education.
Later he
met and married Jurusha Loucretia Dickson, my mother. She was the daughter of
James Abner Dickson and Misouriann Elizabeth Culverson. My mother was educated
and taught in the Public Schools of Jackson County. She attended Florida
Normals in Marianna, and in the old Chautaqua Building now in the process of
being restored in Walton County, DeFuniak Springs, Florida. This was in 1893.
In 1896, while teaching at the Old Comfort School, she and my father were
married and as a bride he carried her over the threshold of a new house he had
built at Ocheesee, Florida. He worked hard, cleared the land he acquired by
Homestead Rites for farming. He had a cow, calf, a few chickens, a horse named
Doag, and a buggy. This horse was a dark beige color, sprinkled with maroon
colored spots, a very unusual color and animal. This horse must have had some
Lippizzan strain from the way my father was able to train him.
Here
they raised seven children, Leon Webster, Chleo Marie, Ruel Jurusha, Elon
Daniel, Sibley Lee, Libby Jean, and Duncan U. Fletcher, and we all had our
first buggy ride behind this horse, Doag, from 1898 to 1916.
We
children went to Public School at Ocheesee, Florida, through the eighth grade,
then to other schools nine through twelve. My brother, Leon was attending high
school in Altha, Florida, when stricken with acute appendicitis. He died May
20, 1916.
My
father sent me, Chleo, to Chapman High School in Apalachicola, Florida and I
boarded with close friends of the family, the Griffins. They requested cured
pork hams, cane syrup and corn meal as pay for my board as these items were
hard to get in the town of Apalachicola. My means of transportation was the
River Steam Boat, named the John W. Callahan. Mr. McGruder was the boat captain
from Columbus, Georgia to Apalachicola. I was placed in his care and when I
came home on weekends, Captain McGruder would blow a signal at Rock Bluff and
by the time the boat landed my father would be there to pick me up. While
attending school there, I took the teacher’s examination under the flying
squadron, and decided to teach. I taught school for two years; first school at
Frink, Florida, second at Graceville, Florida. After two years I decided to
enter Nurses Training at the Florida State Hospital. I retired after
thirty-three years of service.
My
father worked hard and was a very successful farmer. He was considered quite
prosperous in those days. He belonged to the Florida Cane Growers Association
and some years there were over a hundred barrels of syrup that went to the
market from our farm.
My
father’s hobbies consisted of many things such as making his own syrup barrels,
logging, carpentry, and even music. He blew what was called a harp in those
days, and one of my favorites was “Boil Them Cabbage Down”. I shall never
forget the day I came home from school and he said to me, “I bought you
something, come and let me show it to you.” A beautiful new Adler Organ! I was
never so happy in all my life as I was that evening. I could not do my evening
chores from running back and forth to look at what I thought was the most
beautiful organ I had ever seen. Believe it or not, I used to play the organ
for church.
Speaking
of carpentry, you should see the home of my brother, Ruel. A beautiful example
of what his hands can do with brick, saw and tools.
Ruel
Jurusha Alford’s Military Record
C.M.T.C.
Camp Camp McClellan, Anniston, Alabama
1923 Camp
- Basic Course Army Military Training
1924 Fort
Baroncas, Pensacola, Florida
1925 Camp
- The Red Corps in Navy
Camp
- The White Corps in Navy
July
6, 1942 Norfolk, Virginia - Eng. H.E.P. Dept.
Naval
Operating Base
1948 Transferred
to Cheatam Annex, Williamsburg, Virginia
1952 Transferred
to York Town, Virginia
Naval
Weapon Station
1953 Transferred
to Fort Eustis, Virginia, for Post Engineers as Heavy
Equipment
Operator and retired from this service, February 28, 1969
After he
retired he worked for the State Mental Hospital, Eastern State from June 1970
to November, 1970. He later worked for Colonial in Williamsburg, Virginia from
December, 1970 to April of 1971.
My
brother, Elon, is quite good with pipes, just tell him which way you want the
water to go, and he can put them in straight, up, down or all around.
Just
give my sister, Libby, a sewing machine and she is a whiz. She has many
talents. She won a trip once, making and modeling a suit for the best dressed
woman in her club.
My
brother, Fletcher, still has the logging business in the family. He can fell a
big pine tree in a four foot path, and miss every little Dogwood tree within
six inches, and does not have to have a helicopter to take them straight up
either.
Duncan
U. Fletcher Alford’s Military Service Record
January
9, 1944
Entered
Armed Service - Camp Blanding Florida - was sent to Camp Croft, South Carolina
for Boot Training (Captain Jones in Command). He was sent to Hattiesburg,
Mississippi for special training and to Boston, Massachusetts to prepare for
over-seas duty (Overseas Captain was Captain Manuel)
July
25, 1944
Left
Boston via route of New York and arrived in Liverpool, England, August 2, 1944.
He served in the European Theatre in France, Belgium and Germany.
November
20, 1944
Injured
in the Hutchinson Forest and was sent to France and hospitalized at the
American Hospital in Paris, November 22, 1944
December
6, 1944
Transferred
to 81st General Hospital in England. He was sent back to the states on the
Queen Mary and landed in Staten Island, New York. He was sent to Brooks General
Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.
May
20, 1945
Discharged
with Honorable and Disability Discharge (Commanding Officer at time of
discharge, Col. William A. McCally)
He
received the European African Middle Eastern Theater Medal with three bronze
stars, Good Conduct Medal, Presidential Citation presented for service above
and beyond the call of duty, the Distinguished Unit Badge and Purple Heart.
My
father’s workshop was a most complete one in those days. In fact, it was so
well equipped that one of its kind was called a rarity and most popular. He had
tools to build houses, barns, make syrup barrels, log carts and ox yokes. The
worn out buggy axles were used to make unique fire-dogs to hold wood in the
fireplace. In fact, I have a pair my brother Sibley made patterned from the
ones my father made. Sibley was quite talented making and repairing things as
was my father.
In the
fall of the year after the farming and logging were finished, my father would
start making his syrup barrels. In the late evening his last chore for the day
was setting up and shaping a barrel to be finished the next morning. For this
process he built a basket from scrap hoop iron, which was used around the
barrels to hold and mold their shape. In this basket he would place just the
right amount of shavings from planing the staves, set up the barrel, place it
over the lighted basket; then from a bucket of water, using a short handled
mop, he would wet the inside of the barrel. When the wood was heated to the
right temperature to bend and shape, he would remove it from the fire basket
and shape it into a perfect barrel. Very few did I ever see leak when filled
with syrup.
My
father liked people, and our home was visited quite often, especially during
election time. They could always time a stop at the Alfords about 11:00 o’clock
just in time for the noon meal. My mother was an excellent cook as they had
learned the years before. Papa, as we always called him, would call one of my
brothers to take care and feed the horses while the men talked politics. Mamma
and I peeled a few more potatoes, made an extra pan of biscuits, and sliced
more tomatoes to add to the dinner.
The
first night I can remember my father staying away from home was when he was on
jury duty. (They never missed calling him.) This particular time the jurors did
not bring in the verdict and were locked up in the juror box overnight. I
thought when the word came that they said that my father was locked up in jail
and I pitched a “doozy”. Mamma had quite a time with Chleo and had quite a bit
of explaining to do.
My
father always invited the preachers, as they were called in those days, to be
our guests. Once there were two Presbyterian preachers who came to have a
revival, the Reverend Sam Sibley and the Reverend Arthur Lee. They were guests
in our home. This was just before the fourth son was born, and when he arrived
he was given the name of Sibley Lee Alford. (Sibley Lee Alford died March 7,
1965.)
My
father liked to read and three times weekly he received by mail The Atlanta
Constitution. Rain or shine, there was always a trip to the mail box on
those days. The social column was written by Miss Laura Jean Libby and always
fascinated him. So, when the stork arrived again that is where they got the
name for Libby. My father always admired U.S. Senator Duncan U. Fletcher so my
parents named their last son for him.
Papa
also liked to read Zane Grey’s books and when his health failed he enjoyed many
hours reading his favorite books. When I lived too far away to visit my family
I would mail my father books to keep him happy.
I was
very fond of my father, in fact, all of his family.
Uncle
Henry’s home is a pleasant memory, Aunt Dora sending Lessie, Thelma, Burrell
and I to the well to wash greens, five times in fresh water. Burrell was to
draw the water so he suggested after we did four waters that we put them back
through the fourth and that would be five times, but we did not.
Other
pleasant memories include visits to Uncle Buddie’s and Aunt Lula’s home, where
we spent many happy hours listening to probably the first phonograph in the
community and chewing sugar cane.
I loved
my visits to Aunt Emily’s home, her home cooked meals in the fireplace and her
alarm clock. Her clock was a hand full of corn on the back porch after the
chickens had gone to roost so that the “peck, peck” would wake her up early
when she had to go meet the mail man and the rolling store.
Aunt
Emmaline and Uncle John lived near us and they were a very devoted couple. They
did not visit like the rest of the family. Uncle John was of Catholic faith and
there was not a church nearby. They were very close friends of the Gregorys,
the founders of the Old Gregory mansion at Torreya State Park, but then it was
located on the other side of the Apalachicola River.
A
friend, George Atkins, who I grew up with, was a Principal of Public Schools.
He liked to do history research on prominent families and chose the Joseph P.
Kennedy family. He learned that Uncle John was a distant relative of Joseph P.
Kennedy. I did know that Uncle John was Irish and his family came from Ireland
and to Florida, from the State of Massachusetts. I can remember very well a few
of his peculiar traits, such as a by-word “By Cheminie” he used when aggravated
and would put just one spoonful of “Guiano” as it was called in those days, to
each hill of corn. He would say jokingly if everybody had been like him they
would have all wanted Emmaline. He was well educated and had a very peculiar
sense of humor.
I loved
to visit Aunt Jessie Wimberley’s home and the nearby pool where we went
swimming.
And, to
visit Aunt Lizzie Teat’s home and eat the good syrup tea cakes she could make.
I
remember my father attending the funeral of Uncle Bynum at Kissimmee, Florida,
and his son, Lester and daughter, Maude, coming to visit us.
Two
brothers, Daniel and Halcourt [sic: Wiley Holcott], married two sisters,
Rusha and Zillah.
I
remember Uncle Halcourt [sic: Wiley Holcott] and Aunt Zillah and the pot
that cooked at least a ton of lima beans. Uncle Halcourt [sic: Wiley Holcott]
hauled more logs than the Apalachicola River could hold.
Uncle [Jasper]
Allen died young, serving his country in the Civil War.
Aunt
Annie died in 1901, the year before I was born. Her children, especially
Bessie, and I have many pleasant memories of the past.
I was
very close to my father and at times we had quite lengthy conversations. The
principles of life my father taught his children to follow and to live by were
quite unique. I have found them to be very helpful to follow throughout the
years.
Thanks
to my father, mother and family for a life filled with wonderful memories. From
this family of seven children there are nineteen grandchildren and forty-one
great grandchildren.
It would
be wonderful to have a history from the other eleven sons and daughters of my
grandfather to add to this.
Photos
from Shady Grove Cemetery, Grand Ridge, Jackson Co., FL—www.findagrave.com
Permission
granted by the photographers, Alton & Loudonia
