James Wooten "Jim" Alford

Submitted by Edward Florey 

James "Jim" Wooten Alford was one of fifteen children born to John Rogers Alford, 1810-1881 and Amelia Sophronia Beall Alford, 1817-1896.

Jim married Janie Elizabeth Gammill ( the daughter of George Washington Gammill and Nancy Tabitha Wise) on December 22, 1881 in Chambers County, Alabama.

Jim, Janie and their three children ; John Thomas Alford (1882-1952), Angie Brownie Alford (1884-1969, who later married John Abe Norvell (1882-1941) of Henderson) and Alma Meique Alford (1886-1971, who later married Tully Roland Florey (1875-1943) of Overton) moved from LaFayette or Dudleyville, Chambers County, Alabama to Overton, Rusk County, Texas in about 1888. Jim’s mother, Amelia Sophronia Beall Alford, had moved from Chambers County, Alabama to Rusk County after her husband had died in 1881. Three of Jim’s brothers were already in the area; Augustus Orion Alford (1841-1920), Kinchen "Kinney" Beall Alford (1855-1931), Egbert Benson Alford (1858-1933) and also a sister, Martha Josephine Alford Terrell (1839-?). Jim's twin brother, John R. Alford (II), had moved to Texas earlier to join his brothers, but died the day he arrived in Henderson on the train, December 22, 1880. Egbert Benson was the first of the Alfords to have moved to Texas in 1874, so by the time Jim arrived, E.B. was already well established as a merchant in Henderson and was known throughout Rusk County. E. B. Alford later went on to become a very successful banker, lumberman, "scientific" farmer with enormous land holdings, Henderson’s first mayor, and oilman.

Jim and E.B. were partners for a while, but Jim did not possess the business attitudes to be a success with his brother. From all accounts, Jim enjoyed hard liquor but not hard work. Not so with Janie; she raised her seven kids, sent them to school, took care of anyone who needed her and worked like a dog.

Jim's brother, Kinchen "Kinney" Beall Alford had married Janie's sister, Angie Gammill. They had four children, all born in Timpson, Shelby County, Texas; Mary Louise, born April, 1891, Kenneth Wise, born September 1893, Aliss (Alice) Pearl, born April 1899, and Thomas A., born December 17, 1902. Angie Gammill Alford died in childbirth having Tom, so Jim and Janie took in Aliss Pearl and Tom, and reared them.

Jim tried his hand at farming and having a few cows; they scraped and somehow got by. In about 1915 they moved from Overton to Beaumont to be nearer all of their children, except Alma, who had moved to Mt. Pleasant, Texas, in 1910, along with her husband Tully Roland Florey. John Thomas had graduated from the Atlanta College of Pharmacy in 1907 and went to live in Beaumont, Texas during the "oil boom." Pearl Ella (1889-1933) and Leslie Irene (1893-1979) were schoolteachers and lived around Beaumont. Jim landed a job working for the city as a type of code enforcement officer. At that time, there was some sort of disease (plague?) raging through the city, and it was up to Jim to determine which structure was to be burned. That outstanding, he was well liked and respected in that city. He was a member of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry.

James Wooten Alford died while in a diabetic coma, February 14, 1925, and is buried in Beaumont, Jefferson County, Texas. Janie continued to live in Beaumont with her daughters, Pearl and Irene. She died April 9, 1928 and is buried in Beaumont also. Their youngest daughter Ruby Beall Alford (1895-1972)married Dr. Bluford Alonzo Swinney (1890-1967)and lived in Longview, Gregg County. Their youngest son, Egbert Augustus Alford (1898-1976) ended up in Medford, Oregon.

When Jim and his family left Rusk County, his two brothers, Egbert Benson Alford and Augustus Orion Alford and their families remained in Rusk County where they led full and productive lives. Kinney Alford moved from Shelby County to Harris County about the same time Jim left Rusk County.