father: Jonathan Lankford; mother: Keziah Crowder; md. in Oct 1850 in Smyth Co., VA

Year of birth also given as 1830 [1880 census] and 1836 [1900 census].

Pioneer of Sturdivant Community, Mrs. Caroline Sturdivant, passed away at age 75

Mineral Wells, Tex., Sept. 10. - This community was cast in gloom on Monday, Aug. 29, by the sad news being flashed over the wires of the sudden death of Mrs. Caroline or Grandma Sturdivant, as she was more familiarly known. She was in her usual good health and able to attend to her household duties up till about 2 o'clock p.m., when she was suddenly stricken with heart failure and expired at 4 o'clock. There were but three of her children, who live in the immediate vicinity, present at the time of her death, Mrs. T. F. Harrison, Mrs. Nannie Osborne and Charlie Sturdivant, with whom she lived. A family of fourteen children survive her, as follows: Mrs. Maggie Snavely, Mrs. Julia Sloan and Mrs. Callie Clark of Azusa, Cal.; Mrs. Amanda Fleming of Fresno, Cal.; Stephen and Thomas Sturdivant of Olustee, Ok.; Will Sturdivant of Loco, Ok.; Joe Sturdivant of Empire, Neb.; Mrs. Nannie Osborn, Mrs. Fannie Harrison, Mrs. Elizabeth Deberry, Charlie and George Sturdivant of Mineral Wells, and John Sturdivant, whose whereabouts are unknown. All of the absent children were notified by wire. The three daughters from Azusa, Cal., and three sons from Oklahoma arrived in time for the funeral, which was held at the Sturdivant cemetery at 6 p.m. Sept. 1. Mrs. Fleming of Fresno, Cal., and Joe Sturdivant of Empire, Nev., arrived too late for the funeral. Mrs. Caroline Sturdivant was born in North Carolina May 2, 1835; moved to Virginia with her father's family, where she was united in marriage to T. Y. Sturdivant. They resided in Lee County, Virginia, until the close of the war, then removed to Illinois in October, 1865, where they resided until 1876, when they removed to Caddo Peak, Johnson County, Texas. There they remained a year and then removed to Palo Pinto County, locating four miles south of what is now the city of Mineral Wells, on 320 acres of land, which is known as the Sturdivant homestead and from which the Sturdivant community took its name, and where Mrs. Sturdivant resided since the death of her husband on Feb 6, 1888. Mrs. Sturdiavnt united with the Christian Church at Sullivan, Ill., about forty years ago and lived a faithful member until her death. At the time of her death she had sixty-seven grandchildren and twenty-seven great-grandchildren. In her death the family has lost a kind, loving mother; the church a devout member, the community a noble, upright citizen, whose kind deeds will be sadly missed. - obituary

1. 1880 census - Palo Pinto Co., TX: Pct. #5, E.D. 156, p. 143B, 27/27.
2. 1900 census - Palo Pinto Co., TX: Pct. #5, E.D. 123, p. 14A, 182/182.
3. 1910 census - Palo Pinto Co., TX: Pct. #5, E.D. 189, p. 3B, 63/64.
4. Funeral Register (White's).
5. Obituary, "Dallas Morning News," 11 Sep 1910.
6. Tombstone [2 May 1835].
7. Funeral record of daughter.
8. "History of Palo Pinto County, TX," 1986.
9. Lee, Dale R. "Sturdivant Cemetery," Private Publication, 2006 [Langford]