James Hamilton Alford, his wife Amelia Brittain Brim Alford, their two infant daughters, & Amelia's parents, George & Dolly Brim, left Chapel Hill, TN Dec 1877 to come to Graham, TX. On the way their oldest baby died in Ft Worth, TX. Amelia's brother, John Ferguson Brim, had come to Graham a few years before them & was county attorney for Young Co. about 1880. James & Amelia raised 8 children in Graham. Many of their families still live in the area. James served in Company C 10th & 11th Regiment of Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry CSA. He joined the Cavalry Sept 30, 1862 & was taken prisoner of war Jan 1864 & was paroled May 10th, 1865 in Ganesville, AL. as a Sergt. On the certificate of parole is a notation that says: I certify that Sergt J.H. Alford is in good faith the true owner of one mule. H. H. Miller, Capt. ===== James Hamilton Alford James Hamilton Alford (born 1837, Marshall County, Tennessee) was an American farmer and early resident of Tennessee during the mid-19th century. Though not widely recorded in major national histories, he represents the generation that experienced the turbulence of antebellum expansion and the Civil War period in the rural South. Key facts Full name: James Hamilton Alford Born: 1837, Marshall County, Tennessee, U.S. Occupation: Farmer, local resident Known residence: Middle Tennessee region during the 19th century Early life and family James Hamilton Alford was born in Marshall County, Tennessee, a county formed in 1836 from parts of Bedford, Giles, Lincoln, and Maury counties. He likely grew up in an agrarian setting typical of the region, where small-scale farming was the primary occupation. His birth coincided with Tennessee’s early statehood growth, a period of migration and new settlement following westward expansion. Life and historical context Alford’s adulthood would have aligned with major upheavals, including the sectional tensions that culminated in the U.S. Civil War. Marshall County contributed soldiers to both Confederate and Union forces, and local communities were directly affected by military campaigns and economic disruption. As a man of working age in the 1860s, he may have been involved in agricultural recovery or military service, as was common among his contemporaries, though detailed records of his individual service or holdings have not been preserved in national archives. Legacy and records Surviving references to James Hamilton Alford primarily appear in genealogical compilations and local Tennessee family records. Individuals like Alford form a vital thread in the state’s demographic and social history-ordinary citizens whose lives bridged the transition from frontier settlement to Reconstruction-era Tennessee.