James Asher Wohlford
Abilene Reporter News
Abilene, Texas
September 12, 1937
Stepson of DAVID CROCKETT, Living Near Moran, Early Settler of That Section (with photograph)
Written by JOHN W. PRICE
Moran, Sept. 11: The romance of a Hood County farmer and a widow school teacher, culminating in their marriage in Hood County in 1866, brought JAMES ASHER WOHLFORD into a relationship with a great Texas hero—DAVID CROCKETT. For that farmer was DAVID CROCKETT’S youngest son and the school marm was Wohlford’s mother. Today, occupying a place of honor in the Wohlford home, 12 miles northwest of Moran, is the picture of his stepfather.
That son of David Crockett was born in Gibson County, Tennessee in January 1818. Like his illustrious father, he came to Texas to help fight her war for freedom. He was only 18 years of age when his father died in the Alamo. When he married Mrs. Wohlford in 1866, he was the father of five boys and four girls. Mrs. Wohlford’s family consisted of five boys.
“This was a passel of children,” commented Mr. Wohlford recently, “but we got along fine.” Of this group only four survive, three of Crockett’s children and one stepson, Mr. Wohlford. Crockett’s living children, grandchildren of the
Texas hero, are Mrs. OLLIE HEINER of Granbury, Mrs. DOLLY GOODDELL of Springfield, Missouri and a son who is owner of the Granbury newspaper in Granbury.
JAMES A. WOHLFORD, an early settler in this county, lives just over the line in Stephens County in a seven room house, of which one room is the original log house he first erected and in which he lived for ten years. It is now sealed, in side and out, and no logs are in view.
Mr. Wohlford was born in Marysville, Tennessee November 23, 1856. He will be 81 next November. With his parents he came to Texas in the spring of 1860, the family first settling in Hood County. His father died when he was quite young. In 1879 he came to Stephens County, since his home.
“I have lived here 58 years and could stay that much longer,” he declares. He is strong in his religious convictions and has often declared, “I’m Methodist born and Methodist bred;” and friends might add the old familiar line, “and I’ll be a Methodist ‘til I’m dead.”
In 1878 Mr. Wohlford was married to Miss MATTIE COOSE of Hood County. Five children were born to this couple. They are Mrs. LULA EDDLEMAN of the Eureka community, Stephens County; DICK WOHLFORD of Eureka; Mrs. LOTTIE KEITH of Breckenridge, Mrs. LEAN
MARRIT of Lake Arthur, New Mexico and Mrs. WILEY WILLIAMS of Moran.
Mrs. Wohford died in 1920 and in 1924 he was married to Miss DOLLY RICHEY, with whom he lived several years. He was married to his present wife, the former Mrs. NANNIE ASHCRAFT, in 1933.
He has been a farmer, a successful one, since coming to Stephens County. In 1920 at the death of his first wife, he divided the 570 acres of his place with his children and had remaining 400 acres of which he cultivates about 65 acres and grazes some 50 head of cattle on the rest.
His hobby is rock work. He has built a rock fence four feet high around an 80 acre tract, he has “rocked” a crib, a chicken house and cistern.
He also has found time for public life. For 25 years he was a justice of the peace, and he has served as a Stephens County commissioner. A notary public for 35 years, he did notarial work for the leasing of thousands of acres of Stephens County land.
Mrs. Wohlford, besides her duties in the house, interests herself in the raising of a drove of turkeys of which she plans to market 75 this fall. The home is hospitable, visitors find a cordial welcome there.
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