AAFA Tennessee Bible and Family Records

By Lynn D. Shelley, #484
(Published in AAFA ACTION, Fall 1998, pp. 66-71)

D. G. W. Alford Bible

The following Bible records were found in published sources at the TN State Library and Archives or sent to AAFA by the named source.

From Bible record sent by AAFA Member #305, Lillian Lois R. Alford, of Baton Rouge, LA. No information on Bible publication. Transcribed from written records--several different persons' handwriting involved in entries. The Bible is now owned by Bennie [Lloyd Benton] Alford, 4231 Lake Livingston Court, Baton Rouge, LA 70816.

page 1
MARRIAGES

D. G. W. Alford and S. E. Barns were married Aug. 17th, 1871
J. W. Phillips and Julia Ann Alford were married Aug. 23, 1891
Jed B. Henderson and Laura S. May Alford were married Feb. 2, 1890
Joe P. Alford and Cora E. Hamilton were married Aug. 31, 1907
Walter S. Alford & Effie Alford were married June 1, 1908
Charlie H. Alford & Kate Seaman were married Aug. 17, 1909

L.W. Alford & Margaret Lucille Holman were married July 16, 1931 [Loyd Wright Alford]
William Edgar Alford and Lillian Lois Reed were married May 9, 1942
Mary Jo Alford and Edward L. Tichenor married Dec. 14, 1942
Mary Jo and William Tsukahara married July 7, 1947
Virginia Jo, daughter of Loyd Alford, married John Bruce Decker, Feb. 29, 1952

page 2
BIRTHS

J.N. Rambeau was borned July the 8 1840
Lile A. Alford was borned the 15th April 1848
D. G. W. Alford was borned July the 14th 1851
S. E. Alford was born May 24th 1854 [Sarah E. Barnes, wife of D. G. W.]
W. N. Griffith was born April 10th 1857 [WHO??]
Michael Bruce, son of V. Jo & John Decker, born Oct. 29, 1952
John Samuel, son of V. Jo & John Decker, born Feb. 5, 1955

page 3 (births continued)--
[next seven are children of D. G. W.]

W. R. Alford was born July 31th [sic] 1872
Julia A. Alford was born March 18th 1874
Laura M. Alford was born May 5th 1876
J. P. Alford was born May 25th 1880
James A. Alford was born Aug. 5th 1882
Charley H. Alford was born Sep. 18th 1884
Walter S. Alford was born Dec. 18th 1886

Daisy Clara Alford was born Oct. 2, 1918 [daughter of Walter S.]
Virginia Jo Alford was born Sept. 6, 1933 [daughter of Loyd]
Vera Violette Alford was born May 28, 1939 [daughter of Loyd]
E. Reed Alford waas born Mar. 5, 1944 [Edgar Reed--son of Wm. Edgar and Lois]
Bennie Alford born Oct. 30, 1945 [son of Loyd--Lloyd Benton]
Billye Sue Tichenor Oct 14, 1946 [daughter of Mary Jo]

--second column--

Wallace W. Phillips was born Aug. 20, 1893
James L. Phillips was born Dec. 31, 1897
Mary E. Phillips was born March 9, 1905
-----
Nell Henderson was born Aug. 31, 1897
Joseph Edwin Henderson was born May 2, 1900
-----

[next four are children of Joseph P. and Cora]

Loyd Wright and Floyd Thomas Alford (twins) were born Aug. 10, 1908
William Edgar Alford was born July 14, 1919
Mary Jo Alford was born 19th April 1922

Dianna G. Alford, April 2, 1949 [daughter of Wm. Edgar and Lois]
Judy Tsukahara born March 6, 1949 [daughter of Mary Jo]
[at bottom of page, in margin]
William E. Tsukahara, April 22, 1948 [son of Mary Jo]

DEATHS

W. R. Alford departed this life May 18th 1875
J. A. Alford departed this life Feb. 27th 1907
Charlie H. Alford departed this ife Sept. 25, 1909
Julia Ann Phillips departed this life Sept. 24, 1910
Mrs. S. E. Alford departed this life June 12, 1911
D. W. Alford departed this life Dec. 8, 1931
James Willie Phillips departed this life July 12th 1929
Daisy Clara Alford departed this life Dec. 12, 1932
J. P. Alford departed this life August 15, 1940

--second column--

E.L. Tichenor, husband of Mary Jo, departed this life July 6, 1946
Mrs. Cora Alford, wife of J. P. Alford, departed July 13, 1951

AAFA NOTES: It appears that this Bible first belonged to D. G. W. Alford and his wife and that it has belonged to several generations of Alfords. These are descendants of an East Tennessee family that we have not clearly identified but which seems to be in Sevier Co. TN in 1840. The first really identifiable members in 1850 Blount Co. TN are William Alford and wife Susan Rambo Alford with a daughter Eliza, age 2, and stepson John Rambo, age 9 (J. N. Rambeau above?). Susan's maiden name was WRIGHT and she may have been the sister of another Alford wife (see Mary below). Also in 1850 Blount Co. TN, there are two other Alford households, probably both related to William. Immediately next to William in the census are a brother and sister, Robert and Nancy Alford, ages 24 and 21. Nancy married Meredith Lane in 1853 and Robert married Meredith's sister Sarah in 1866. These two families remained in Blount Co. TN. Also in 1850, there is a Mary Alford, age 39, whose husband is deceased. Living in her household is a Devins G. Wright who we think is her brother.

With a son named D. G. W. Alford, what do you bet that this was also Susan's brother? The two-year-old ELIZA in 1850 (William and Susan's household) must have really been Lile A. Alford as he was born in 1848 and there is no further evidence of an Elizabeth in this family. In 1860 this family is not found in TN and appears to have gone to GA where they are found in Murray County, Spring Place, in 1870. Mary Alford is living with her son Charles and son John Alford is nearby with his family living with a Rorex family, his in-laws. William and Susan are also found there (with sons Lile A. and Debru--DGW?) and may have died there or at least may be buried there as there is evidence that they are buried in the cemetery of a Presbyterian church there in Spring Place, GA.

We don't know where D. G. W. married in 1871 but Lile A. married in Bradley Co. TN in 1872. All children of both families were born in TN according to census records. In 1880 and 1900, Lile A. (in 1880, father William, born 1816, living with him) and D. W.(with wife Sarah E. and family) are found in Bradley Co. TN.

According to Lois Alford (widow of Wm. Edgar), D. G. W.'s family was in Texas by 1907 and according to 1920 TX census records, Deurix? W. (born 1852 TN), Joseph (born 1881 TN), and Walter S. (born 1887 TN) are all still living in Dallas Co. TX. These were D. W. G. and his only living sons [in 1920] as can be seen from the Bible death record. The only Alford household left in Bradley Co. TN in 1910 and 1920 is Locial Reno, son of Lile A. Alford. Lile is in Polk Co. TN in 1910 and died in McMinn Co. in 1916. What happened to his son John D., born 1889? He married and had his first (?) child in 1922. Where was he in 1920 (buried back in Bradley Co. TN)? Who was his wife?

In the Bible a marriage date is given for Walter S. Alford and Effie ALFORD? in 1908. In 1920, his wife is Maud C. Webb and his only child is Daisy Clara, born 1918. Were these the same or different wives? Much investigation is need in early East TN into the origins of this family and other Alfords. The missing 1820 East TN census further complicates the issue.