Born: 05 Feb 1876, Catawba County, NC Died: 04 Feb 1937, Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, NC
Alonzo Lester
Loftin was the first child born to
William Alexander Loftin and Laura Rossie Cranford. He was
born February 5, 1876 in Catawba County, NC. Laura was
20-years-old and Alec was 24 at the time of his birth.
(Left to Right) Garland,
Alec & Pearl, Lee, Laura & Cordie, Frances, Alonzo, Zettie and
Cornelia.
Alonzo with his sisters Frances and Zettie Loftin about 1895
Alonzo met and
married Cornelia “Nelia” Estelle Lowrance on 23 Dec 1894 in
Catawba County, NC. Cornelia was the daughter of Henry Durant
Lowrance and Sarah Josephine Bost.
Alonzo & Nelia's marriage
license is dated 19 Dec 1894.
They were married on 23 Dec 1894.
Alonzo and
Cornelia had five children, Nannie May Loftin, Roy Henry Loftin,
Lillie Stamey Loftin, Floye Hovis Loftin and Verdie Lee Loftin.
Alonzo & Cornelia around
1902 with four of their children:
(left to right) Nannie, Roy, Floye and Lillie
This copy of the
1900 Catawba County Census shows Alonzo age 24 and
Cornelia/Nelia age 24 had 3 children, Nannie May, Lillie Stamey
and Roy Henry. Alonzo’s occupation was listed as a Dry
Goods Merchant, quite possibly one of the stores he operated in
the town of Catawba, NC on Main Street.
1900 Catawba County Census
Name
Relation
Race
Sex
Birth Month
Year
Age
Yrs
MD
Kids
Occupation
Last
First
Born
Alive
Loftin
Alonzo L.
Head
W
M
Feb
1876
24
5
Dry Goods Merchant
------
Nelia E.
Wife
W
F
July
1875
24
5
3
3
------
Nannie M.
Daughter
W
F
Nov
1895
4
------
Lillie S.
Daughter
W
F
Sept
1897
2
------
Roy
Son
W
M
July
1899
10/12
According to Lena
Yount Ramsey, in a phone conversation on 02 Sep 2011, Alonzo
also sold moonshine from his dry-goods store before Prohibition
(1920). Lena remembers her mother taking 1/2 gallon jars
to Alonzo's dry-goods store to get moonshine. According to
Lena, Alonzo got the moonshine from Pump Alley who had a still
near his home.
According to Peggy Loftin Brotherton
(daughter of Theodore Roosevelt Loftin), Alonzo lived on the
Pump Alley Road and on Mathis Chapel Church Rd (down the road
about 1.5 miles on the right) before building the final family
home on Sherrills Ford Road in Catawba County.
Alonzo &
Cornelia attended the Catawba Methodist Church. Cornelia
joined the church on 23 Oct 1892 and was received by vows.
Church records indicate that Alonzo's daughters, Nannie &
Lillie, were infant baptized there on 19 Oct 1897.
(1) Fitzhugh Boggs
(2) Ralph Copeny
(3) Harold Yount
Tragedy struck
the young family in February 1904 when Cornelia died of
pneumonia at the age of 28. Cornelia’s mother, Sarah
Lowrance, also died in February 1904. Cornelia is buried
at First Methodist Church in Catawba, NC, next to her parents,
Henry and Sarah Lowrance. Alonzo was 27 at the time.
After Cornelia’s
death from pneumonia on 11 Feb 1904, Alonzo was left alone to
work and raise five small children. Since he could not
watch over them and work at the same time, it was suggested that
he send them away to an orphanage in the township of Marion in
McDowall County.
With regret,
Alonzo made the decision to send his children to the orphanage
temporarily.
Alonzo's
parents, Alec & Laura Loftin, were not able to take in all 5 of
their grandchildren, but made the decision to retrieve Alonzo's
baby girl, Verdie Lee, and bring her home with them.
Alonzo quickly
started looking for a new mother for his children.
According to Peggy Loftin Brotherton, Alonzo first met his
second wife,
Ida Lillian Setzer, at the Balls Creek Campground.
"She was wearing a blue-tiered chiffon dress and when he saw her
he said, 'There goes the woman I’m gonna marry.'” Alonzo
got up, pursued her, and eventually wed her. Alonzo and
Ida were married just a few months later on 05 Nov 1904. He was
28 years old and she was 20.
Alonzo & Ida's Marriage License from November 5, 1904
The following Marriage Register also shows
those involved in Alonzo and Ida's marriage which took place at
the home of A. H. McNeill, Justice of the Peace.
MARRIAGE REGISTER
Date of Issue
Name & Residence
of Man
Race
Age
Name & Residence
of Man
Race
Age
Date of Marriage
Nov 5, 1904
Loftin, A.L.,
Catawba Co.
W
28
Setzer, Ida,
Catawba Co.
W
21
Nov 5, 1904
Place of
Marriage
Name & Title of
Minister or Officer
Witness
Officer
A.H. McNeill
A.H. McNeill, J.P.
Bettie
Loftin, W.P. Beal, A.H. McNeill
Alonzo's Signature
(Below)
Alonzo with a group of men that worked around the Shuford Gold
Mine in Catawba County.
Alonzo is sitting in the chair. His brother, Garland, is
second from the end on the right side, and died in Aug 1912.
Gold Mine
Store prior to destruction by arson in February 2007
The Gold Mine Store was originally called the Shuford Mine Store
and was located nearer the Shufford Gold Mine. It was
moved to this location in 1925 to avert vandalism. During
gold mining days, locals claim the safe in the store was blown
open twice. A beef was slaughtered every two weeks at the
store and packaged for sale. The east wing housed a
millinery shop and the store owner went to Charlotte twice a
year for new hat patterns. The store also served as the
Edith Post Office until 1907.
Within a year Alonzo and Ida had started a
family of their own and soon started to bring the other children
home from the orphanage.
Children of Alonzo Lester Loftin and Ida Lillian Setzer
*
The Catawba County Birth Index for this child shows that
he was born 22 Oct 1922 (the same day and month as his
older brother Oscar). This child's Death
Certificate shows that he died 27 Oct 1922 and that he
lived for 1 day and 2 hours - so it's more likely that
the child was born on 26 Oct 1922 - instead of 22 Oct
1922 as the Birth Index shows. Cause of death was
"malformation of upper air passage".
**
It's possible that this last "Infant Son" of Alonzo and
Ida was born in 1927. It is also possible that the
grave marker for this "Infant Son" born in 1928 was
incorrectly dated and should have been for the 1922
"Infant Son".
Alonzo and Ida's first
child,
Charlie Roosevelt Loftin, was born 22 Oct 1905.
Charlie was baptized at the Catawba Methodist Church on 25 Oct
1906.
Alonzo & Ida attended Catawba Methodist
Church at the beginning of their marriage but eventually became
a part of Center Methodist Church.
Alonzo was a
staunch Republican and a fan of Theodore Roosevelt, so when his
second son was born, Alonzo and Ida named him
Theodore Roosevelt Loftin. Both Charlie and Theodore
had Roosevelt as their middle name. Theodore was born 25
Dec 1906 and was called “Speedo”.
(Left) Theodore Roosevelt
"Speedo" Loftin
In 1908, another
infant son was born to Alonzo and Ida but he didn’t live.
According to the
1910 Catawba County Census, Alonzo’s brother, Garland, was
living with the family and worked as a salesman at a grocery
store. On 02 Aug 1912, Garland died after having been
married only about 5 and 1/2 weeks. Conner Burch, a
boarder, was also living with the family. Conner was
a laborer and worked at a local lumber mill. Alonzo’s
children according to the 1910 Census were Lillie, Roy, Floy,
Charlie, Theodore and Sadie.
Nannie, age 15,
was still living at the Elhanan Training Institute and
Orphanage. According to Frances Loftin Cook, Nannie was
sent away to the mountains to live and was “brought up” there.
Frances said “Nannie was always more refined with manners and
other things that she had learned there. Daddy would take
vegetables and hams to pay for her stay.”
Verdie Lee, age
6, was still living with her paternal grandfather, William
Alexander Loftin, whose wife Laura had just died the year before
in 1909.
The 1910 Census additionally shows
that this is the second marriage for Alonzo and the first
marriage for Ida. They had been married for 5 years.
The Census shows that Ida had given birth to 3 children, but she
had actually given birth to 4 children. Infant Son Loftin
was born and died in 1908.
Ida, who was a twin herself, gave birth to a second set of twins
on 06 Jun 1914 when
Daisy Pearl Loftin
and "Infant Son" Loftin were born.
Unfortunately, the "Infant Son" didn’t live
- dying 7 days later on 13 Jun 1914.
He is
buried at Center Methodist Church in Catawba beside his other
unnamed brothers.
(Right) Infant
Son; June 6, 1914 - June 6, 1914
(Death Certificate lists death as 13 June 1914)
Alonzo's
WWI Draft Registration Card dated September 12, 1918.
(Below) Alonzo Lester Loftin's signature from his
WWI Draft Registration Card dated September 12, 1918.
According to the 1920 Catawba County Census, Alonzo owned and
operated a store in the town of Catawba. Willie Goble
Loftin said the store sold fertilizer and livestock feed, as
well as eggs and groceries. The store was the last store
on the street, located closest to current location of Redeemer
Lutheran Church. Alonzo's oldest son, Roy, operated
another store in Catawba.
1920 Catawba County Census
Last Name
First Name
Relation
Age
Occupation
Occupation
Loftin
Alonzo L
Head
44
Store
Feed Store
------
Ida
Wife
35
None
------
Charlie R.
Son
14
Labor
Home Farm
------
Theodore
Son
13
Labor
Home Farm
------
Sadie E.
Daughter
10
None
------
Thelma W.
Daughter
8
None
------
Callie E.
Daughter
8
None
------
Sallie A.
Daughter
7
None
------
Daisy P.
Daughter
5
None
------
Michael W.
Son
3 11/12
None
------
Sam
Son
1 3/12
None
Alonzo's stores were doing well and he
actually amassed a small fortune and a large amount of property
in the Catawba County. The following list of property
purchases indicate how vast his property holdings were.
Property purchased by
Alonzo Lester Loftin
Grantee (Purchaser)
Grantee (Seller)
Year
Kind of
Instrument
Book
Page
Alonzo Loftin
T. W. Long
1898
Deed
64
321
Alonzo & Nelia Loftin
Candace Witherspoon
1902
Mortgage
68
85-C
Alonzo Loftin
John F. Stafford
1902
Deed
64
510
Alonzo Loftin
R. G. Lee
1902
Deed
68
84
Alonzo & Neila Loftin
M. Rufty
1903
Mortgage
65
356-C
Alonzo Loftin
J. W. Drum
1903
Deed
70
126
Alonzo Loftin
Frick Comp.
1904
Mortgage
67
277
Alonzo Loftin
Henry F. Rockett
1904
Deed
68
429
Alonzo Loftin
M. Ed Loftin
1904
Deed
76
173
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
Charles Drum
1905
Deed
76
174
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
John F. Herman
1905
Deed
76
555
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
C. B. Rufty
1907
Mortgage
79
350-C
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
L. A. Keever
1907
Mortgage
79
495-C
Alonzo Loftin
L. A. Keever
1907
Deed
84
138
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
W. L. Alley
1909
Mortgage
92
14
Alonzo Loftin
W. L. Alley
1909
Deed
93
431
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
C. B. Rufty
1911
Mortgage
92
597
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
Ben Pool
1911
Deed
99
11
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
Harriet Reel
1911
Mortgage
101
15-C
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
Fannie Stamey
1911
Mortgage
101
76-C
Alonzo Loftin
Ham Reel
1911
Deed
99
334
Alonzo Loftin
W. A. Stamey
1911
Deed
99
514
Alonzo Loftin
George Painter
1912
Deed
102
470
Alonzo Loftin
J. M. Keever
1912
Deed
109
170
Alonzo Loftin
Henry A. Lowrance
1912
Deed
109
336
Alonzo Loftin
Jeff Shook
1912
Deed
116
306
Alonzo & Ida Loftin
Mrs. C. E. Witherspoon
1913
Mortgage
101
587-C
Alonzo Loftin
C. P. Lowrance
1913
Deed
109
437
Alonzo Loftin
J. M. Lowrance
1913
Deed
109
439
Alonzo Loftin
Allen J. Barwick
1913
Deed
112
307
Alonzo Loftin
Mozelle Trollinger
1913
Deed
113
301
Alonzo Loftin
W. R. Fry
1913
Deed
113
413
Alonzo Loftin
D. C. Wyatt
1918
Deed
142
512
Alonzo Loftin
George McCorkle
1919
Deed
146
161
Alonzo Loftin
J. H. L. Coulter
1921
Deed
160
191
Alonzo Loftin
William A. McKinnis
1923
Deed
166
389
Alonzo Loftin
Garland Setzer
1923
Deed
1966
390
Alonzo Loftin
Vanda Murphy
1923
Deed
168
569
Alonzo, Ida and their family lived on Sherrills Ford Rd. in
Catawba County, about a mile from Lowrance Rd. Many of
their children attended Waldron School which was located just
off of Lowrance Rd.
In 1993 a local Catawba County newspaper published a genealogy
article on James Harwell as well as a photo of students at
Waldron School where he taught. The school was located
beside the Harwell homeplace, 3 miles out of Catawba.
The photo included four of Alonzo and Ida's children, Thelma,
Daisy Pearl, Elma and Allie, and also three of Alonzo's brother
Lee's children, Marie, Glenn and Ray.
In 2011, I
discovered a death certificate that really surprised me.
It showed that Alonzo and Ida had an unnamed Infant Son born
"alive" on 26 Oct 1922 but died due to "malformation of
upper air
passages" on 27 Oct 1922. The boy was born "between" Oscar and Frances.
The death certificate says he was buried at Center Church.
Peggy Loftin Brotherton said that Ida had told her that she had
given birth to a child that didn't have both nasal passages.
There are several "Infant Son" headstones in the Center
Methodist Church Cemetery for Alonzo and Ida.
The last child born to Alonzo and
Ida was another Infant Son whose cemetery grave marker
shows that he was born and died in 1928. On 29 Nov 2014,
Glennie Francis said that she thought that her baby brother was
born in 1927. There is a Whitcomb Family Tree on
Ancestry.com that has this child's birth and death listed as
17 Nov 1927. I'm not sure where the
dates came from. I'll update as more information becomes
available.
Alonzo and Ida had fifteen children. Counting the five
children from his marriage to Cornelia, Alonzo fathered
twenty children.
Alonzo's Children from his marriages to Cornelia Estelle
Lowrance and Ida Lillian Setzer
Elma Loftin Huffman recounted to her daughter Loretta how the
family would load the horse-drawn wagon with corn & grain and
would go to Murray's Mill to have it ground into meal. She
said it would usually take all day.
Murray's Mill, Catawba County, North Carolina
Many of Alonzo and Ida's children lived in the small two-room
house on the corner of East Bandys Rd, behind the Loftin homeplace on
Sherrills Ford Rd, when they were first married, including
Charlie, Speedo, Sam and Os.
According to the 1930 Catawba County Census, Alonzo is listed as
a farmer. Living with Alonzo and Ida were their children
Thelma, Elma, Allie, Daisy Pearl, Make, Sam, Os and Frances.
Daughters Thelma, Elma and Allie were working at Elliott
Knitting is Catawba.
1930 Catawba County Census
Name
Relation
Age
Age
1st
Md
Occupation
Industry
Last
First
Loftin
Alonzo L.
Head
54
18
Farmer
------
Ida
Wife
45
20
None
------
Thelma
Daughter
18
Knitter
Elliott Knitting
------
Elma
Daughter
18
Knitter
Elliott Knitting
------
Allie
Daughter
17
Knitter
Elliott Knitting
------
Daisy Pearl
Daughter
15
None
------
Mike
Son
14
None
------
Samuel
Son
11
None
------
Oscar
Son
9
None
------
Frances
Daughter
3
None
Alonzo and Ida
loved campmeeting and went to the Balls Creek Campground each
year. It was a family tradition. Alonzo's father,
William Alexander Loftin, took his children to campmeeting. Willie Goble Loftin said, “When the family all
gathered, they needed two tents to house the crowd”. The
original Loftin family tents were located at 69 & 70, the same
tent used later by their daughter, Frances Cook and her husband
Alvin. Most of their children had tents of their own.
Sam’s tent was 298, Os’ was 297, Daisy Pearl 300, Sadie 106, Nannie 54, Charlie 183, and Allie 185.
(Right) Tents 70 &
69; Alonzo & Ida's original tent space
With the Great Depression of 1929, that lasted most of the
1930s, Alonzo and his family went through many hardships. When
the Depression came, many people in the community couldn't pay
Alonzo the money they owed him at the feed and fertilizer store.
He refused to declare bankruptcy as many others had done, saying
"he still owed his creditors, and he would pay them." He
lost most of his wealth as a result.
Alonzo owned
much property in the area of the family home on Sherrills Foard
Rd. and E. Bandys Rd. and down close to Center Methodist Church.
Alonzo owned and operated Loftin’s Fish Lakes and the family
would have big “get-togethers” there, but during the depression
Alonzo lost the property.
Alonzo at the store in Charlotte, 1935
Alonzo’s son,
Charlie, worked the fields near the ponds and eventually was
able to purchase the lakes and surrounding property on E.
Bandy’s Rd. for himself.
Ida sold
property she had inherited from her father Patrick Sylvanus
Setzer (just off of Hwy 10 before Witherspoons X-Rds
coming from Catawba) in order to keep the family home on
Sherrills Ford Rd. All the kids and their spouses had to
"sign" the deed in order for her to do this, since Patrick had
willed the Claremont property to Ida and her children.
Ashamed at
having lost his money, business and most of his property in
Catawba County, Alonzo opened a new store in the Charlotte area,
on 4th or 5th St., parallel to Trade
Street and just a block or two from Tryon St. Because of
the distance from Charlotte to Catawba County, he rarely came
home. Frances said either Charlie or Speedo would drive
Ida and her to Charlotte in an old T-Model on weekends to visit
him.
Wayne Morrow Loftin
(son of Roy Henry Loftin and grandson of Alonzo Lester Loftin)
said about his grandfather, "I remember my Dad (Roy), your Dad
(Sam) and I driving to Charlotte to visit with him. I was
about 7 years old. It was winter time and very cold.
There was a pot-belly stone in the center of the store. I
remember we ate Vienna sausages and crackers. I think he
died shortly after that."
Alonzo died the
day before his 61st birthday on 04 Feb 1937 from
locked bowels & hemorrhaging. At the time of his death,
Ida was 52, Charlie 31, Speedo 30, Sadie 27, Thelma & Elma 25,
Allie 23, Daisy Pearl 22, Mike 20, Sam 18, Os 16 and Frances
10.
According to the Death Certificate Alonzo was
living at 837 E. 10th Street, Charlotte, NC, at the time of his
death. His mother was listed as "Lottie Cranford"
instead of "Laura Cranford". Daughter Lillie Loftin was
the informant.
Alonzo's Death
Certificate
The release of the 1940 Census revealed some additional
information about Alonzo & Ida's family. The family
continued to live in their home in Catawba County and the home
was "Owned" and valued at $500. The census states that the
section that lists Ida and the children was from Sherrills Ford
Rd. to Catawba Rd. Ida and the three youngest children
were listed on the census - indication that the other children
were either married or living on their own. Ida's age was
55, Sam was 21, Oscar (Os) was 19, and Frances was 13.
The Census states that the highest level of
education completed by Ida was 7th grade. The highest
level of education completed by Sam and Os was H1 - the 1st year
of High School. Frances was currently in the 6th grade.
Employment
information for Sam & Os was shown for 1939 and 1940. In
1939, Sam had worked 26 weeks - earning $351 for the 26 weeks -
about $2.70 per day. The census also shows that for the
week of March 24 - 30 of 1940 that Sam had worked 40 hours as a
"Knitter" at a "Hosiery Mill". This was more than likely
Elliott Knitting where Thelma, Elma and Allie had been working
(according to the 1930 Census) as "Knitters".
For the week of March 24 - 30 of
1940, Os had worked 40 hours at a "Saw Mill". Os' wages
for $252 for 28 weeks worked - averaging $1.80 per day.
1940 Catawba County Census
Home
Value
Last Name
First Name
Relation
Sex
Age
Wd
Md
S
*
Sch
Birth
**
Hrs
Wkd
Occup.
Industry
Wks
Wkd
1939
Wages
for
1939
$500
Loftin
Ida S.
Head
F
55
Wd
7
NC
------
Sam
Son
M
21
S
H1
NC
40
Knitter
Hosiery
Mill
26
351
------
Oscar
Son
M
19
S
H1
NC
60
Laborer
Saw Mill
28
252
------
Frances
Daughter
F
13
S
6
NC
* Highest Grade of School Completed: H1
is 1st year of High School
** The Number of Hours Worked during the
week of March 24 - 30, 1940
29 Jul 2010 Frances Loftin Cook shares memories
of her parents, Alonzo & Ida Setzer Loftin YouTube
Video
Alonzo is buried at Center Methodist Church, the family home
church. His parent Alex & Laura Loftin are also buried
there.
Center Methodist
Church in Catawba and Alonzo's grave marker
A special thanks to Frances Loftin Cook, Peggy
Loftin Brotherton, John Smith, Boyd & Becky Goble, Martha Ann
Loftin Bumgarner, Louise Loftin Potter and Elaine Lee Martin for
the various photos of Alonzo and his family.
Thanks to Alisha Story for
the Hart's Square photo
If you have additional photos or information
on Alonzo Lester Loftin, please contact me.