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Below is a family biography included in The History of Weakley County, Tennessee published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1887.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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Alfred E. Gardner is a son of Alfred and Mary Ann (Stovall) Gardner, and was born near Dresden, January 12, 1849. The father was born in Tennessee in 1805, and was a farmer by occupation. He came to Weakley County in 1826, and was married in 1832. He was a man of determination and energy, and eventually became the owner of 10,000 acres of land, notwithstanding the fact that he suffered many of the privations and hardships incident to pioneer life. He was one of Weakley County’s most enterprising and influential citizens, and from 1829 to 1835 was sheriff of the county. He represented Weakley County in the State Legislature in 1835, and served several terms, giving universal satisfaction. He was a skillful rifleman, and was a great lover of hunting the various wild animals that infested the country in early times. He died in 1882, full of years and honors, having lived a long, useful and conscientious life. He was a man of excellent habits and was the noblest work of God—an honest man. He was the father of eight children, six of whom are living: Carrie, Eugenie (wife of Oscar Turner, who is a lawyer of Ballard County, Ky., and an ex-member of Congress), William H., Mary Russell (Mrs. T. N. Jones), Nora Lee (wife of W. F. Smith, of Evansville, Ind., a lawyer and prosecuting attorney), A. E. and Metta Ann (wife of John R. Thomason). Their mother was born in Virginia in 1819, and is residing on the old home place with two of her children. Alfred E. Gardner, our subject, was educated in the Dresden schools and made his home with his parents as long as he remained single. October 30, 1873, he married Miss Annie Edwards, daughter of Dr. Thomas and Mary Edwards. She was born in Tennessee, in 1854, and is the mother of three children: Lee, Mary Metta and Lillian Louise. After marriage our subject located one mile from Dresden, where he lived until 1885, following agricultural pursuits. At the latter date he erected a beautiful frame residence in Dresden and there now resides. He owns 700 acres of land and is a young man of fine business qualifications. His father, Alfred Gardner, immediately after the war was appointed agricultural correspondent of the United States Government from Weakley County, and after his death our subject was appointed in his place and now holds the office. He is a Democrat.

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This family biography is one of 108 biographies included in The History of Weakley County, Tennessee published in 1887 by Goodspeed.  The History of Weakley County was included within The History of Gibson, Obion, Dyer, Weakley & Lake Counties of Tennessee. For the complete description, click here: History of Gibson, Obion, Dyer, Weakley, and Lake Counties of Tennessee

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