BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, BELMONT COUNTY, OHIO

"History of the Upper Ohio Valley" Vol. II, 1890.

Presented by Linda Fluharty from hard copies provided
by Mary Staley & Phyllis Slater.


Pages 628-629.

ALEXANDER C. DANFORD

Alexander C. Danford, of Richland township, was born in Belmont county,
November 21, 1831, the son of Michael and Mercy (Danford) Danford. His
father was born and reared in Belmont county, of which he was a prominent
citizen, serving as commissioner in 1854 and 1857. Michael was the son of
William and Elizabeth (Moore) Danford, the former of whom was a soldier
in the war of 1812, and died at Sandusky, Ohio, in 1812. He was of Scotch-
Irish descent. Mercy Danford, mother of the subject of this mention, was a
daughter of Ambrose Danford, who was born in Maryland; when fifteen years
old he crossed the mountains with two half-brothers, Samue1 and William,
and settled on the Bend fork of Captina creek, when the country was a
wilderness. The boys reared a cabin, and Ambrose was 1eft to guard it while
the brothers returned to the old home for their father In 1812 and 1813 he
was elected, by the whigs, representative of Be1mont county. He was a
leading politician. Beginning poor he grew to be one of the richest
farmers in the county, owning at the time of his death 2,200 acres of land.
Alexander Danford was reared in pioneer times and was educated in the old
log-house of those days, studying his letters from a slip pasted on a paddle.
He is now one of the county's progressive and enterprising farmers, and has
taken the lead in introducing fine stock. He was the first to bring Leicester
sheep to this county, buying them in Canada during the Fenian trouble, first
brought on Shropshire sheep in 1876, and first introduced Jersey cattle in
1868. He is influential as a citizen, has served as infirmary director seven
years, is a member of the I.O.O.F. and of the Masonic order, Royal Arch Degree.
October 8, 1853, Mr. Danford was married to Nancy, daughter of Benjamin and
Martha (Ward) Frost, who was born July 26, 1838. They have four children:
Martha J., born September 3, 1854; Miriam L., born November 15, 1857; Mercy,
born January 21, 1863, and Michael D., born January 16, 1869.