Samuel Alford was born within half a mile of the place where he now lives, in Green township, Hancock county, Indiana, January 6, 1837. He is a son of John L. and Eliza (Brawley) Alford, his father a native of West Virginia and his mother of Darke county, Ohio. The paternal grandfather was a farmer and lived and died in West Virginia. The maternal grandfather was John Brawley, he and his wife both lived and died in Darke county, Ohio.

John L. Alford was educated in West Virginia, where he spent the years of early manhood. About 1830, before his marriage, he came to Indiana and located in Green township, Hancock county, where he entered a tract of one hundred and sixty acres of government land, all of which was timber land with no cabin or house of any kind, and without any improvements. He built a small log cabin in which he and his young wife began housekeeping. He then began the arduous work of clearing his land and putting it in shape for cultivation, adding to his cultivated fields from year to year until he had a large acreage yielding bountiful crops. In the meantime he built a comfortable house for a residence and erected other necessary farm buildings. He also added other acres to his land possessions from time to time until he had accumulated a farm of more than three hundred acres. Here he remained until his death; the death of his wife occurred about twenty years prior to his own.

John L. Alford was the first justice of the peace in Green township. Politically, he was an ardent advocate of the principles of the old Whig party in the days when that party was a militant organization in national politics. When the Whig party was dissolved he became identified with the Republican party, and voted for all the candidates of that party for President, from John C. Fremont, until the time of his death. He was the father of eleven children. He and his family were members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Samuel Alford received his education in the schools of Green township, and spent his boyhood years working on his father's farm. On attaining his majority he engaged in farming for himself, starting life in a log cabin. He has at present ninety-four acres on which he built a home, farm buildings, and made all the other improvements. Mr. Alford was married in September, 1855, to Mary M. Fuqua, who was born in Kentucky and came to Indiana with her parents, Perry and America (Taylor) Fuqua. They first located in Putnam county, Indiana, and afterward came to Hancock county. Mrs. Alford died in July, 1891, leaving the following living children: Marion B., Sheldon A., Cora B. and Cordelia; her other children, Lafayette, John L., William P., Thomas M. and Eliza, are deceased.

Samuel Alford's second wife was Sarah A. Jackson, to whom he was married on March 30, 1893. She was born in Madison county, Indiana, the daughter of Andrew and Kechura (Bolden) Jackson, he a native of Indiana, she of North Carolina. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Sara A. (Jackson) Alford were Levi and Elizabeth (Harden) Jackson, of Kentucky, who were among the pioneer settlers of Madison county, Indiana. Her maternal grandparents came from North Carolina and located in Hancock county in the early times. Mrs. Alford's children by a former marriage were: Jennie, Leonard, Cora and Agnes. Mr. and Mrs. Alford are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.

Transcribed from History of Hancock County, Indiana, Its People, Industries and Institutions by George J. Richman, B. L., Federal Publishing Co., Indianapolis, Indiana, 1916. Page 1090-1091.

Submitted by Sylvia (Rose) Duda, Laingsburg, MI November 17, 2001.

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