Texanna Ora Alice Branch was born in 1865 to Martin Van Buren and his wife Malinda Helen Jones-Branch. She grew up in the once rural area known as Buckhorn. Her father, Martin, was a farmer and died early in life at 29 years of age. He fought in the Civil War serving in Company H of the 47th Infantry.
As a young girl, Texanna was blessed to have her grandparents to aid in her formidable years. Her maternal grandfather was Wesley Thomas Jones who served as the state representative from 1833-1835 and ran a grist mill, today known as Thomas’ Mill. Her maternal grandmother was Elizabeth Daniel Clements whose father, Woodson, fought in the American Revolution. Her paternal grandparents were Arthur Branch and Sarah Keathley.
The history books have painted Arthur to be a bit of a free spirit. In 1971, his great-grandson Herbert Walter Collins wrote: “In the early days of this church peace and harmony were important; and the minutes refer frequently to instances where the deacons or a special committee were instructed to investigate and report on alleged misconduct of a member, or in some cases a conflict of interest and conduct unbecoming a Christian. My own great-grandfather, Arthur Branch, had fellowship withdrawn from him in the early days of this church as a disciplinary measure for ‘having imbibed too freely of ardent spirits.’”
By the age of sixteen, young Texanna had been wooed by a man named Joseph “Walter” Collins. On 18 September 1881, in a civil ceremony performed by Justice of the Peace George Benton Alford, they were wed. Walter was the son of Isham Henry and Mary Ann Olive-Collins. The newlyweds set up housekeeping on the site of the old Branch house along Avent Ferry Road. It was said that Walter had a small general store near the house along with a farm and a lumber business. The children were born quickly with Martin in 1882, Roger in 1884, Delcie in 1887, and Hubert in 1892.
These are memories of his mother by her youngest son, Hubert: “My earliest recollections of Mother go all the way back to the time that we were living in the old Branch home that was torn down to permit construction of a new home on the same site, about the year 1895. In those days, life on the farm, where lumber mill operations were also in progress, required a great deal of physical strength and endurance. When I visualize the responsibilities that devolved on my mother in those early days of the life, it is difficult to understand how she ever survived the ordeal. Particularly during the period when the old house in which we were living was being demolished and the new structure erected. That was truly a time when ‘woman’s work was never done.’”
“It was during this transition from the old to the new that I remember so vividly the cook stove being set up in the yard, and meals served under the well shelter. Soon after this experience, my father decided that he would start raising tobacco on a large scale, in addition to all the other farming and milling operations then in progress. My mother with all these activities in progress was an extremely busy housewife, concerned vitally with every phase of home life, as well as the economic aspects of farming and milling.”
“When not overburdened with cares, she had a vibrant and cheerful disposition and rarely allowed adverse circumstances to lower her morale. But occasionally the worries and trials of life were too heavy and she would give way to short periods of introspection and withdraw. These periods were of short duration, and she was generally of a very cheerful disposition.”
I
ncidentally, as of January 2020, that old Collins house still stands abandoned on Avent Ferry Road across from the entrance to Holly Glen subdivision. The two-story home is quite simple, with not very notable mantles or woodwork and a simple staircase. However, the quality craftsmanship of a house enduring over 125 years is worthy enough!
Texanna was widowed at age 32 with four small children that depended on her. Old records show that she continued on with her deceased husband’s business ventures. It was not long before she had caught the eye of recently widowed George Benton “Bent” Alford and the two were married in 1899, despite the almost twenty-year difference in their ages. Texanna and her children moved from the simple farmhouse that she and her last husband had built, to the “grand house.” Life was certainly much different for Texanna now. With the addition of being a stepmother to Mattie and Haywood Green Alford, Bent’s children from his marriage to Charlotte Ann Olive, Texanna was a true help mate for Bent as she had quite a head for business and understood the importance of running successful, profitable enterprises. She shared her husband’s visions for the developments of the natural springs as a health spa and records show that there were always “boarders” living at the grand old house.
Not one to be shy and bashful, she was always seeking ways to improve the quality of life in Holly Springs. In 1907, she and members of the Holly Springs Women’s Betterment Association began cultivating school grounds after a public high school was established in Holly Springs. Members planted two acres in cotton and worked it themselves, raising $118.00 for school improvements.
Texanna enjoyed being the unofficial “first lady” of Holly Springs and took the duties expected of her with grace. She fought front and foremost for education for all children. When the concept of a war memorial honoring the men from Holly Springs that fought in the Civil War, Spanish-American War and World War I was discussed, Texanna was privileged to have it placed in the front yard of her home. Having had a father that served in the Civil War and ancestors that fought in the American Revolution, honoring the veterans of the community was equally important to her as it was to those that suffered the losses.
After Bent’s death in 1924, Texanna was left to reminisce of her life in a town that had been all but dying until her late husband changed its course. She was witness first-hand to the drive and spirit of people who wanted to built a better life. Texanna would be pleased by the preservation of her grand old house and would be amused at the thought of brides ascending down her staircase and dancing in her living room. I can imagine her on hot, humid summer nights sitting on her porch under the coolness of those magnolia trees thinking back to her life and the fullness of it. She was witness to, and more important, brought a woman’s voice to the history of Holly Springs.
