Genealogy of Bufords of
Reynolds County
Senator Carter M. Buford is
probably the best remembered of his generation of the Buford family.
He was born and raised in Ellington and made it his home all his
life. He was educated in the common school of Ellington, and at Cape
Girardeau from 1893 to 1896, the last year of which he attended the State
Normal. In 1887 he was elected school trustee of Reynolds County; in
1898, was elected circuit clerk, to which office he was again elected in
1902, serving in all in that capacity for eight years. In the
election of 1906, Mr. Buford was a candidate for the state senate in the
24th district and was elected. This was only the beginning of his
political career. He served many terms in the senate and earned the
respect of both the voters and his constituents to an unusual
degree. He was married to Miss Carrie Copeland, a member of another
prominent family in Ellington, whose story was published last week
in the Reynolds County Courier. To this marriage were born three
sons, Anthony Abe, Wilbur Carter and John Vernon. These three sons
will also be covered of the Buford history.
Senator Buford during the
time he was not engaged in the sessions of the legislature at Jefferson
City, spent his time at home and at Centerville where he practiced law,
specializing in what was termed title law. He was said to be one of
the best judges of abstract law in southern Missouri, and had a large
volume of business in this line. In a recent letter I received from
Senator Buford's granddaughter, Judith Blake, she told me that visitors
were always welcome at her grandparents' home, and many of these visitors
came to ask legal advice, for her grandpa was known for his free front
porch legal counsel. She said she felt she received an education
from just listening to him and watching him talk to people. The
poorest, most ragged, desperate person was treated with the same warmth
and kindness as the richest, best-dressed.
At the time of his marriage
or shortly after in either 1905 or 1906 the Bufords built what was written
of at that time as the most beautiful home in the county and it has been
kept up over the years and is still, at least in my opinion, the most
beautiful. Of course the fact that my sister and I recently purchased this
home and are in the process of restoring it as near as possible to its
original beauty may make me just a little prejudiced.
Part two of this genealogy:
"
Bufords of Reynolds County Have Helped Many People"
(See
the next page for this article)
From
newspaper story
by
Kathryn Vickery
Reynolds
County Courier 1977
Ellington,
Missouri
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