Pioneers of Ellis County The Loyd Family   Alfred Loyd, successful farmer of Ellis County, was born in Bedford county, Tennessee, July 13, 1820, son of Thomas Loyd, a native of that state. His paternal grandfather immigrated from England and served in the Revolutionary War.  Alfred's father, Thomas Loyd,  served in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson and married Sallie Dowser, daughter of Thomas Dowser. The latter was a native of Germany who died in Tennessee in 1837. The Thomas Loyd family  had four children, three of whom grew to maturity - Wilson, ( killed in battle in the CW); Alfred and Andrew J. Alfred was a farmer and stock raiser.  In 1839, he married Nancy Taylor, a daughter of Martin Taylor and Mary Burlinson, Alabama natives. In 1849 he sold his possessions in Tennessee, and moved to Texas a year later, first to Cherokee County.  He moved to Ellis County in 1854. where he purchased several hundred acres of land. A short time before the Civil War, he traded the first land purchased for some Negroes, who left him at war's end, but he added more acreage and currently [1892] owned 700 acres - 300 under cultivation. The Loyds had four sons: Andrew J., ( farmer in the Nash area); John M. and Edward (lived Italy); and Thomas, (Ellis County farmer). Andrew J. Loyd Andrew J. Loyd, prosperous farmer of Ellis County, was born Oct. 20, 1839 in Shelby County, Tennessee, a son of Alfred Loyd and Nancy Taylor and came with his parents to Texas. When twenty-one, Andrew attended school in East Texas, intending to study law. When the Civil War began, he enlisted in Captain Stokes' Company, Parsons' Cavalry Regiment, and served in Arkansas and Louisiana until the end of the war. He was at the first battle at Cotton Plant, L'Anguille, the Red River Campaign and was discharged in south Texas. When he returned home, he began farming, buying land adjoining that of his father. In 1866 Loyd married  Miss Lucy Blanton, (b. April 9, 1844, a daughter of John Blanton and Mary J. Burgess, Kentucky native).  The Loyds had eight children.: B. F., (b. Mar.. 8, 1867, in lumber business at Italy, Texas); ======== (b. July 13, 1870, m. M. G. Young, merchant and cashier of bank at Blooming Grove; [Navarro County];  Rodger, ( b. Feb. 1, 1874), Rufus C., (b. Nov. 11, 1876); Oliver and Earl, (b. Sept. 18, 1879) and Everett, (b. Oct. 20, 1881). Mr. Loyd has served as school director, county Commissioner, school trustee, and manager of elections. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and both he and his wife are identified with the Baptist Church. Reference: Memorial and Biographical History of Ellis County, Texas, The Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, 1892 A. J. Loyd Bible Copied from photostats in possession of Mrs. Curtis W. Meadows, Dallas, Texas. Photostatic copy of one Bible owned by A. J. Loyd at his death. The first family Bible was burned and these are all recorded in a newer Bible. Additions were made. FAMILY RECORD Births A. J. Loyd  Oct. 20, 1839 Lucy Blanton Loyd  Apr. 9, 1844 Elias Richard Cranford Aug. 20, 1843 Emma May Reinhardt Feb. 1, 1849 Benjamin Franklin Loyd Italy, Texas Mar. 8, 1867 Anna May Cranford Fayetiville, Ark. Sept. 21, 1867 Leslie Cranford Loyd Waxahachie, Tex. Aug. 27, 1893 Cecil Andrew Loyd Dallas, Tex. Apr. 4, 1895 Francis Bryan Loyd Dallas, Tex. May 21, 1901 Infant Daughter Dallas, Tex. Mar. 27, 1899 Edith May Loyd Shreveport, La. May 21, 1901 Lucille Eloise Loyd Frierson, La. Apr. 28, 1903 Mildred Texanna Loyd Shreveport, La.. Sept. 27, 1905 Rufus Blanton Loyd Shreveport, La. Dec. 18, 1907 Doris Elizabeth Loyd Shreveport, La. Nov. 1, 1909 Hazel Kirk Guice Winnshaw, La.. Dec. 19, __ Catherine Elvira Loyd Shreveport, La. Feb. 26, 1919 Marriages A. J. Loyd & Lucy Blanton Loyd May 3, 1866 Elias Richard Cranford & Emma May Reinhardt Jan. 10, 1867 Benjamin Franklin Loyd & Anna May Cranford Oct. 25, 1892 Leslie Cranford Loyd & Hazel Kink Guice May 26, 1916 Cecil Andrew Loyd April 1928 (Gladys ____) Francis Bryan Loyd Oct. 3, 1919 Edith Mae Loyd Mar. 1, 1941 (Holger Neilson, New York City) Lucille Eloise Loyd Mar. 9, 1930 (Curtis Meadows, Shreveport, La.) Mildred Texanna Loyd Oct. 18, 1925 (Maurice Campbell, Shreveport, La.) Rufus Blanton Loyd _______________ (Evelyn Roberts, Rochesster, N. Y.) Doris Elizabeth Loyd Dec. 1, 1934 (A. Schubert, New York City) Deaths A. J. Loyd Jan. 3, 1926 8:30 A. M. Burial Italy, Tex. Lucy Blanton Loyd Feb. 27, 1905 Burial Italy, Tex. Elias Richard Cranford Oct. ____ 1923 Waxahachie, Tex. Benjamin Franklin Mar. 2, 1941 Houston, Tex. Anna May Cranford Mar. 12, 1924 Houston, Tex. Infant Daughter Mar. 27, 1899 End of Bible Record   Alfred Loyd - Pioneer The Dallas Morning News, Feb. 2, 1905, pg. 5 Alfred Loyd, pioneer farmer and stockraiser of Ellis County was born July 13, 1920 in Bedford County, Tenn.  His father Thomas Loyd, was a distinguished solider in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson and his grandfather, originaly from England, fought in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Loyd spent his boyhood days in the Tennessee mountains with Davy Crockett - well known in Texas history. Loyd came to Texas in 1850 and has lived since lived in Ellis County.  He married in 1839 Nancy Taylor of Alabama.  They had four sons, all of whom fought in the Civil War. Mr. Loyd is the grandfather of 8 children and great grandfather of twenty.  He is unusually active for his 85 years and lives with his oldest son.  Hon. A. J. Loyd near Italy. [This article was very poorly typed as if done on a particularly bad day and Barbara Knox had the idea that she could rewrite editorials to make them sound better. She would do this even when transcribing historical documents. These two articles could be one in the same as one or both could have been rewritten by her. It would be wise to locate the original newspaper clipping(s) to verify the facts for yourself. -- Rob Yoder]   Alfred Loyd The Dallas Morning News, Feb. 19, 1905 page 5. "Pioneers of Texas" Alfred Loyd, pioneer farmer and stockraiser, was born July 13, 1920 in Bedford Co. Tenn.  His father, Thomas Loyd, served in the War of 1812 under Andrew Jackson and his grandfather, who came from England, participated in the Revolutionary War, In 1859 Mr, Loyd cane to Texas and has lived in Ellis County ever since.  He married Nancy Taylor of Alabama in 1839 and the couple had four sons, all of whom fought in the Confederate Army. Although 85, years of age, Mr. Loyd is still active and lives with his oldest son, Hon. A. J. Loyd of Italy.   Copyright © 2004-2017, Ellis County TXGenWeb. All Rights Reserved. This page was last modified: Thursday, 01-Jul-2021 13:30:03 MDT