Although more than
forty years have elapsed since Alfred Smith Mayfield passed away he made too
deep an impress on the business and public life of Carlinville to be
entirely forgotten. His birth occurred in Montgomery, Alabama, on the 2d of
July, 1832, his parents being Manning and Martha (Smith) Mayfield. In their
family were seven children, three of whom died in infancy, and those who
attained maturity were: Alfred S., our subject; Manning, who died in
California; Pulaski G., of St. Joseph, Missouri; and Luke, who was killed in
the Civil war. The father, Manning Mayfield, was reared in the south, where,
after the completion of his education, he followed the vocation of teaching.
He was one of the pioneer merchants of Montgomery county, Illinois, having
for some years successfully conducted a store in Zanesville, but removed to
Metropolis, Illinois, about the time of the breaking out of the Civil war.
His demise occurred in the vicinity of Carbondale, when he was out riding,
having been killed, supposedly, for his money. He was about sixty at the
time of his death. He was a son of Luke and a grandson of Stephen Mayfield.
The family is of English descent and its members have always been well
educated. The mother of our subject died when quite young.
Alfred
Smith Mayfield was a very small lad when his parents removed from their
southern home to Illinois, in whose schools he acquired his education. At
the age of sixteen he began teaching, his first school being in Morgan
county, Illinois. When he had attained manhood he became associated with his
father in the mercantile business in Zanesville, whence he removed to Girard
in 1853. While a resident of the latter place he was elected to the office
of circuit clerk of Macoupin county and was serving his second term at the
time of his demise, which occurred in 1868 when he was in his thirty-seventh
year.
On the 3d of August, 1854,
Mr. Mayfield was united in marriage to Miss Louan Davis, a daughter of
Elijah and Catherine (Miller) Davis. She survived her husband for many
years, remaining faithful to his memory, and died in 1907, at the age of
seventy-three years. There were six children born to them, namely: Albert Le
Roy; Webster Davis; Nellie Pocahontas, the wife of William Reid; Mattie Lou,
the wife of W. R. Hulse; Luke, who died in infancy; and Alfredo Lilly, the
wife of Bertie M. Burke. All are residents of Carlinville.
Elijah
Davis, the father of Mrs. Mayfield, was one of the pioneer settlers of
Macoupin county and a native of Virginia, from which state he removed to
Kentucky and later came to Illinois. Here he engaged in farming, making his
home in Shaws Point township, and was regarded as one of the leading
citizens and prosperous farmers of his community.
In 1852 Mr.
Mayfield was initiated into the Masonic order, joining Mount Nebo Lodge, No.
76, from which he was subsequently demitted for the purpose of forming a
lodge at Girard, of which he became a charter member. He also took the
degrees of the Royal Arch chapter and was a member of the Odd Fellows for a
number of years. Although still a young man at the time of his death, he had
already become one of the prominent and influential citizens of the county.
He made an excellent record both as a business man and public official, his
reliability and integrity being above question, while personally he was held
in the highest regard by a host of warm friends.
Extracted 18 May 2018 by Norma Hass from History of Macoupin County, Illinois: Biographical and Pictorial, by Charles A. Walker, published in 1911, Volume 2, pages 16-19.
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