Albert Maddison Townsend was born August 16, 1851 in Carroll County, Tennessee to Albert Townsend and Abigail Horn. According to the 1905 Historical Souvenir of Williamson County, “He was from staunch Union stock who dared and suffered much at the hand of guerillas (Confederates), during the dark days of the war (Civil). His mother died at the beginning of the war and his father was killed by guerillas during the war. One brother was cruelly murdered by them when he crept from his hiding place in the brush in order to get food to sustain life, while another, a mere boy, was hung by them, but on relenting they cut him down before life was extinct and thus he was spared.”
Since Albert M. was left an orphan at the age of ten and the only one left on the farm to support the family of smaller children and look after the crops and their few beasts, it’s no wonder that his schooling in Tennessee was very light. According to the historical souvenir book, after coming to Williamson County when past 21 years old, he secured three terms of schooling by working at nights and mornings and by the day in summer, in order to pay his room and board. After spending four years in Williamson County, he them moved to Senatobia, Mississippi where he followed the trade of a carpenter and builder.
By the 1880 federal census, Albert was back living in Williamson County in Grassy Township in the home of the Griffin Baker family, listed as a 28 year old carpenter. The next year, on October 25, 1881, Albert married a 23 year old Grassy township girl named Virginia Allman, daughter of John Allman and Angeline Kimbrough at her parent’s home in Grassy.
As a Republican, he was elected Justice of the Peace, but finding it was a hindrance to his business, he resigned. In 1890, he was elected County Treasurer and in 1892 moved to Marion to live. Albert first became a member of the Primitive Baptist Church in 1884 and as of 1905 was still serving as a clerk for the church.
An article appearing in the Leader newspaper in February 1892 indicated that the Townsend family living in Wolf Creek had lost their only daughter, a 7 year old named Maudie Townsend to pneumonia on February 12th, 1892.
Another article appearing in the Egyptian Press newspaper stated, “Albert Townsend, 15 year old son of Mr. & Mrs. A.M. Townsend, died June 30, 1898 at their home two miles from Marion. Death resulted from injuries received by being run over by a wagon on June 29th while hauling hay. Burial was in Pleasant Hill churchyard near Grassy.”
By the 1900 census, Albert and Virginia were living in Marion in their home at 1004 N. Van Buren Street in which they owned free of mortgage. In the census, Albert was 47 and listed himself as a farmer, Virginia was 40 and they noted that they had had four children with two of them living. In the home were children, Harry age 12 and Eva aged 7.
On April 15, 1903, Albert went into partnership with Thomas Cox to form the business of Cox and Townsend, who handled farm implements, wagons, buggies, tack, etc. By 1906, the partnership was expanded to include George C. Heyde. The business was then called Heyde-Cox-Townsend Hardware Company and was located at 212 N. Market in the Heyde building.
In 1906, Albert was elected to Alderman for the City of Marion under Mayor Charles H. Denison. It was this body that passed City Ordinance 60 related to the effort to develop and build a city library that would eventually become the Marion Carnegie Library. An Anti-Saloon convention was held in Marion in March 1907 and a city ticket was drawn up to enforce temperance in the city. The anti-saloon slate proposed was A.M. Townsend for Mayor, and B.H. Jeter, J.W. Wilder, J.L.D. Hartwell, O.W. Williams and Milton Norman for aldermen. Most elections through this time period were alcohol related wars against the wet’s and the dry’s. In the 1907 city election, the wet’s won.
At one point in time, yet unknown, Albert formed a partnership with Otis W. Williams which for many years engaged in the furniture business.
When the 1910 federal census was taken, the Townsend family was found in their home at 1004 N. Van Buren St. where 58 year old Albert listed himself as a merchant. Children listed in the home were their son, 21 year old Harry, who was working as a book keeper for a coal mine and two daughters, Eva 16 and Vera aged 8. Albert’s wife Virginia was then 50 and stated that the couple had birthed 5 children with 3 of them still living.
By 1916, when the new First National Bank of Marion building was built on the square, Albert had been serving as a bank director since at least 1914 and likely earlier. An article appearing in the Marion Daily Republican newspaper in August, 1916 indicated that Very May Townsend, 15 year old daughter of Albert and Virginia had died the morning of August 8. She was born October 29, 1901. Burial was in Maplewood Cemetery in Marion.
By the 1920 federal census, the family was still in their home on N. Van Buren and the couple had reached their 60’s. 68 year old Albert listed himself as a carpenter once more. Living with them was their married daughter, Eva Atwood, aged 23 and working as a book keeper at the First National Bank and her husband, Gus Atwood, working as a rural route carrier of the postal service.
During prohibition of the 1920’s, when the Ku Klux Klan started gaining popularity and growing in 1923, there was a certain amount of resistance to prohibition from the then sheriff George Galligan. As a result, Marion formed the Marion Law Enforcement League which was designed to make sure that law enforcement was upheld in Marion. This went hand in hand with the goals of the Klan. Members of the League in 1923 were, James H. Felts, Earl B. Jackson, L.O. Caplinger, T.J. Youngblood, William H. Warder, Leon Colp, Albert Townsend, Thomas Cox, E.M. Thurmond and Mark Woodley, all outstanding citizens of Marion. The wives of the League members formed the Marion Women’s Club which was an auxiliary organization in support of the League and represented citizen’s against commercialized vice.
When the 1930 federal census was taken, Albert had reached 79, Virginia was 70 and they were living alone in their old home which they valued at $1,000. A question on the census revealed that they did not own a radio.
Only a short time after the census was taken, Virginia Townsend died at the age of 71 in their home on June 4, 1930. Her children had been called home from Peoria and Chicago to be by her side at death. She had been born March 8, 1859, burial was in Maplewood Cemetery in Marion alongside their daughter Vera May Townsend. She was survived by her children, Harry Townsend of Peoria and Eva Atwood of Chicago. She was a member of the Primitive Baptist Church.
After Albert’s wife died, he moved to Peoria to live with his son Harry and that is where he passed away on March 11, 1934. After his death, his body was returned to Marion to lie in state at his daughter Eva Atwood’s home at 1007 N. Monroe St. after which he was interred at Maplewood Cemetery in Marion.
Albert was a longtime member of the Primitive Baptist Church and a member of Lodge No. 89 of the A.F. & A.M. Masonic order in Marion. Two of five children born to the couple survive. They are Harry Townsend of Peoria and Mrs. Eva Atwood of Marion.
(Sources: Federal Census Records, Williamson County Marriage Records, the Leader, Egyptian Press, Marion Weekly Leader and Marion Daily Republican newspapers, FindaGrave.com, Marion Street Directories, Marion Cemetery records, the 1905 Historical Souvenir of Williamson County. Compiled by Sam Lattuca on 10/20/2023)