Dear Ancestor
Your tombstone stands by the side of a road.
Neglected, and alone.
The name and date are chiseled out
On polished marble stone.
It reaches out to all who care,
Is it too late to mourn?
You did not know I would exist,
You died, and I was born.
Yet, each of us is cells of you.
In flesh: blood, and bone,
Our blood contracts, and beats a pulse,
Entirely: not our own.
Dear ancestor, places you filled.
Two hundred years ago,
Spreads out amongst the ones you left.
Who would have loved you so.
Many years have passed you by.
I wonder if you knew.
Someday I would find this spot,
And come to visit you.
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Thanks to Randy Morris you were found, by the side of that road or trail, and sent us the stone that someone took time to make.
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This is data from Willodean Cranford Brumbachs
book on TM or MT Cranford.

Thomas Cranford, Thomas was the last of the South Carolina-born children. He was in reality a transition child born in Chester District, South Carolina. In 1820, he was brought to Morgan County, Alabama in early youth. There was no doubt a big change happened when the Alabama venture was made. There were more conveniences and luxuries in South Carolina. Still another change came for small Thomas. His grandmother, Martha Wilkes, married her neighbor and left the Wilkes-Cranford home and in 1838 came the uprooting of the family home in Morgan County and Thomas found himself in the hilly red-clay district of Walker County.

The four chattering girls: Malinda, Emily, Minerva, and Lydia were constantly busy and giggling. Little John Monroe was at an awkard age but baby, Chesley Cranford, five years old, haunted his big brother's pathway.
Thomas noted with concern that his parents, John and Elizabeth, were walking slower and resting after, and were not so lively after the hard day's work.

Thomas reacted in a typical manner. He went a-wooing and eventually married pretty Caroline Townley of a well-known Walker County family. No date for the marriage has been presentlly established. Land grants and deeds have
caused some confusion about Thomas. Some of his credentials are recorded as Matthew T. or T.M. His cousin, Carlin Armstrong Cranford, made the same procedures when he signed some deeds Armstrong Cranford, rather than Carlin Cranford.

Thomas and Caroline Cranford listed themselves as farmers in the 1850 Census of Walker County. Thomas was 30, his wife Elizabeth(Caroline) was listed erroneously as Elizabeth, 30. Their children were listed as Ellizabeth 7, Wesley 6, Marian 4, Martha Ann 3, Robert 2, and Lucinda 1.

The Townley family branch in Walker County started with Daniel Townley who entered land in 1822, and Richmond Townley who also entered land in 1822. John Townley also entered land in 1822 and Richmond Townley entered
additional land in 1823. The little town of Townley, Alabama was first called Holly Grove, then Pleasantfield.
Robert Townley was the first postmaster of Townley, and, when the town was incorporated in 1895, John W. Guttery was its first Mayor. Townley, Alabama has given the country two Congressmen; Carter Manasco and
Tom Bevill our present represenative.

Through oral history and family tradition it seems that Thomas Cranford came to Arkansas from Alabama when little Lucinda was between 6 and 9 years of age. In the 1860 census of Montgomery County, Arkansas, South Fork Township, the Thomas Cranford family is listed as: M.T. Cranford b. in South Carolina, age 40; Caroline, 37; Wesley 18; Polly Ann 13; Robert 12; Lucinda 11 and
Eliza C. 7. The six above were listed as born in Alabama and Lewis F. 3; was listed as born in Arkansas. By this time it is assumed that Elizabeth, the oldest daughter, had married and left home. Elizabeth married a Sanders or
Saunders and she and her daughter Tennessee, were killed in Webbers Fall, Oklahoma.

It is through the family of Lucinda Cranford that we have gained information regarding the Thomas Cranford family. Lucinda first married a Denny and second William B.McKnight. Lucindas children were: Jim Denny, Leoma Denny, Jack Denny, Washington (William) McKnight, Columbus Houston McKnight, and Eudora McKnight.

Eudora (Dora) married a John Holtz in 1898. After John's death Dora
married C.H. Griffis by whom she had: Alda, Charles Howell, Velma,
Winford Eldon, Orville Kenneth, Brice Townley, Dale Stuart, Cleda, and
Hattie.

Mr. Winford Eldon Griffis very graciously has sent a copy of the photograph
of his mother's 75th birthday dinner. Dora sits at the
attractively-appointed table surrounded by her handsome sons and daughters.

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Pictures of the grave markers as well as the maps as to where the graves are located were sent to my by Randy Morris, thank you so much Randy this means a lot to me.
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Thomas Matthew Cranford was the son of John Calvin Cranford and Elizabeth Wilkes Cranford....He was one of 14 children born to them, their children are as follows:

1. Abner Cranford
2. Winifred Cranford
3. Mary "Polly" Cranford
4. Celia Cranford
5. Martha Patricia Cranford
6. William Cranford
7. Thomas Matthew Cranford
8. Charlotte Cranford
9. John Monroe Cranford
10 Malinda E. Cranford
11 Nancy Emily Cranford
12 Minerva "Dannie" Cranford
13 Lydia Ann Dorcas Cranford
14 Chesley Hardy Cranford
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Thomas Matthew Cranford:.....The information listed below was found by Winifred Griffis.....Other information has come up as Matthew Thomas Cranford.....Until I find out different I am using Thomas Matthew to be correct..Some information came from Janet Vansant and seems to be accurate...Thomas Matthew and his wife Caroline came to Arkansas from Walker County, Alabama.....Thomas Matthew Cranford died during the Civil War and is buried in Montgomery County, Arkansas, but is not buried in a cemetery....Winford Griffis wrote the following...He said that a Lake Lawrence took his sister Dorothy Mills, his cousin Mildred Goodman and others to visit the grave...They report that it is about 5 miles from Mt. Ida, is back in the woods alone, that a road of sorts goes to it, that the grave is outlined with stones and has a black slate tombstone that reads "M. (F.,T., or I., they couldn't make out which) Cranford. Died March 11, 1866. Aged 48 years....

Newer information has now been received from Randy Morris and it is as follows:
Also, I noticed that you listed Thomas Mathew Cranford as having been born in Alabama. I found many other listings that state it was his father, John Cranford, as being born in Alabama. They all reference Chester, SC, as the birth place for Thomas Cranford.

Dear Ms. Lintner:


While out hunting this weekend I was told about a couple of graves that a gentleman had found in the woods about 20 years ago while hunting in the Mount Ida, Arkansas, (Lake Ouachita) area. As this was the area we were hunting we decided to see if we could locate the graves.


After looking for quite a while in this secluded area we were about to give up when we came across the grave of Thomas Matthew Cranford. The gentleman that guided me to it was relieved to see that someone had placed metal rods and wire around the grave, which was originally marked by a flat slate of rock with inscription and a rectangular placement of rocks. I have a picture of the slate rock marker which I can send if you like.


The gentleman that led me to the grave site said that there had been another smaller slate stone beside Mr. Cranford's stone that had marked the grave of a 9 year old that had died of a rattlesnake bite. He did not remember the name on that stone, the gender or the dates. The gentleman said that he noticed that this stone had been removed prior to the last time he saw this grave about 5 years ago.
I hope this helps.
Randy Morris
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Children of Thomas Matthew Cranford and Caroline Townley Cranford are:

1. Lucinda Catherine Cranford born March 27,1849, Walker County, Alabama..Died September 3, 1932, Little Rock, Arkansas.

2. Elizabeth (Betty) Cranford, born about 1843, Walker County, Alabama.. Died about 1883 in Weber Falls, Oklahoma.

3. Wesley Ivins Cranford, born November 1844 in Walker County, Alabama.

4. Mary Ann (Polly) Cranford born about 1846 in Walker County, Alabama.

5. Martha Ann Cranford born about 1847 amd ,arroed Adam C. Merdith on February 22, 1867. (Notes for Martha Ann Cranford: Martha Ann/Polly Ann/Mary Jane Cranford.)


6. Johnn Robert (Bob) Cranford born October 1849 in Alabama and died May 1, 1929 in Little Rocl, Arkansas.

7. Eliza C (Lousia) Cranford born June 15, 1851 in Arkansas and died February 14, 1946 in Pine Ridge, Arkansas.

8. Lewis F. Cranford born about 1857 (died young sometime between 1860-1870).