Efird, Ireneus Polycarp [1]
Efird, Ireneus Polycarp
6 Jan. 1834–11 Dec. 1902
Ireneus Polycarp Efird, farmer, schoolmaster, and textile manufacturer, was born in Montgomery County [2]. A descendant of pioneer Jacob Efird who came to North Carolina from Pennsylvania abut 1783, he was the son of Solomon and Eliza Furr Efird. A firm believer in education, he erected a log school building near his home in Stanly County [3] and for many years taught the children of the community. He also operated a gristmill [4]and a cotton gin and served fourteen years as a county commissioner of Stanly County. In 1896 he, his son, John Solomon, and J. W. Cannon [5] erected at Albemarle the Efird Manufacturing Company, the first textile plant in Stanly County. This firm was merged with the American Yarn Company [6] in 1952.
Efird, who married Mary Catherine Treece on 13 Apr. 1856, was the father of twelve children: John Solomon Melanchthon [7], James William Franklin, Paul Joshua Cornelius, Eliza Lavinia Emarelda, Joseph Ireneus Luther, Judah Ida Rosanah, Daniel Ephraim, Adam Alfred, Flora Belzora, Margaret Melinda, Arthur Lee, and Killian Polycarp.
He was a leading member of St. Martin's Lutheran Church in Stanly County and was buried in St. Martin's Cemetery.
References:
Efird, Oscar Ogburn. The History and Genealogy of the Efird Family. 1964.
Additional Resources:
Bishir, Catherine W. and Southern, Michael T. A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont, North Carolina. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2003.
1 January 1986 | Cauble, Frank P.