Tulare County Biographies

 B. M. Alford, M. D.

Transcribed by Beverly Green

This file is part of the California Genealogy & History Archives
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cagha/index.htm

 
 B. M. Alford, M. D., is a native of Wilson County, Tennessee. His father, 
Weilie Alford, was a farmer in Tennessee, and there young Alford was reared and 
received such an education as the State afforded, taking his medical course at 
the University of Nashville, where he graduated in 1856.

Dr. Alford began the practice of his profession at Boston, eastern Texas, where 
he purchased 400 acres of land and also carried on general farming. In 1862 he 
volunteered for the Confederate service, in the First Mounted Battalion from 
Texas, Major Crump, and as surgeon of his battalion was in active duty until the 
close of the war, with the exception of one leave of absence. He was in many 
sharp battles but was never wounded, and received his discharge at Meridian, 
Mississippi, May 8, 1865.

He then returned to Texas, found everything disorganized, became disgusted with 
the country and in 1868 went to New York and took steamer for California, coming 
via the Isthmus route. The Doctor was married at Boston, Texas, in 1860, to Miss 
Josephine M. Poer. Landing at San Francisco, they came to Tulare County and 
located at White River to look after the interests of a toll road across the 
Green Horn mountains to Kernville, which had been built by Dr. Alford's 
father-in-law, W. B. Poer. Besides attending to this business the Doctor also 
engaged in the practice of his profession. After remaining there five years he 
sold his two-thirds interests in the road to Kern County, and returned to Texas, 
located at Fort Worth and followed his profession two years. Again deciding to 
visit California, he came to Porterville, Tulare County, subsequently locating 
in Tulare. This was about 1878, soon after the town of Tulare was started. He 
bought property on the corner of Tulare and K streets, and there established his 
office. After passing through two fires, the Doctor erected a brick store and 
office building in 1890. He also owns other city property and a ranch of 920 
acres, devoted chiefly to grain farming.

In 1889 Dr. Alford retired from practice and bought property at Santa Cruz, 
where, with his family, he passed sixteen months in rest and idle recreation. 
Since then he has returned to Tulare and engaged in the practice of medicine.

Dr. and Mrs. Alford have four children, - William H., Josephine Pearl, Forrest 
L. and Daisy. He is a member of Olive Branch Lodge, F. & A. M., and of Tulare 
Lodge, No. 76, A. O. U. W. William H. Alford, the older son, is engaged in the 
practice of law in Tulare County. Pearl, the older daughter is a teacher in the 
public schools of Santa Cruz. Forrest is attending the University of the 
Pacific, and Daisy, the youngest of the family, is attending the high school in 
Tulare City.

SOURCE: History of Central California Memorial and Biographical History of the 
counties of Fresno, Tulare and Kern, California :Chicago, The Lewis Publishing 
Company, 1892 Page 655-656