ELNORA ASHFORD
Grocer | Hair Artist & Authority | Commercial Land Owner
Elnora Bonner Ashford was born in 1883 in Arkansas to a father who was originally from Mississippi and a mother who had been born in Tennessee.1Year: 1930; Census Place: Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0054; FHL microfilm: 2341668, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Little can be found regarding Elnora’s life before she moved to Tulsa around 1910.
From the 1930 census, we know that Ashford did not attend school, though this was not uncommon at the time. She was able to read and write. On June 24, 1911 she married John Wesley Ashford, a native of South Carolina, who was popularly known as JW. 2Ancestry.com. Oklahoma, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1890-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
Early on, Elnora and JW lived at 119 N Greenwood and made their living as a cook and a mover, respectively.3Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011 The couple obviously worked hard to save money since by 1915, they owned land⎯Lot 3 of Bock 18, which included the addresses 319 and 321 N Greenwood.
There, the Ashfords opened a store where they sold such items as eggs, flour, butter, meal, and fresh, cured, and barbecued meats. For the first year, the couple heavily advertised their new venture in the Tulsa Star.
By year two, they no longer did so, which may suggest that the business, which continued to go unnamed, was doing well.4“Chattel Mortgages” Tulsa Daily Legal News (Tulsa, OK) September 30, 1916
Soon, the Ashfords expanded and began to sell hair products in line with Elnora’s notoriety as “an Artist and an authority in the Science of Hair Culture and Hair Grower.” 5“Mrs. Ashford’s Method of Hair Growing,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 27, 1916
The Ashfords’ success seemed to continue.
In 1920, they moved to 1045 N. Lansing Ave and turned their old home into a boarding house. They also closed their store and began leasing the space to the proprietors of the Newman and Howard restaurant.6“What’s Doing in Town?” Tulsa Star (Tulsa,OK) May 18, 1918.
When Ashford’s husband organized a new Baptist congregation in 1918, Ashford became a busy minister’s wife and a popular wedding planner.7“New Baptist Church Organized” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), March 16, 1918; “Social News” Tulsa Star February 28 1920 It appears that her husband was a popular preacher since local records reveal that he simultaneously ministered at a church in Cowetta, a city 25 miles southeast of Tulsa.
The Ashfords’s whereabouts during the Tulsa Race Massacre are unknown. Because their home in the Skidmore Addition fell outside the area of violence and destruction, this property was not razed in the explosive events. Even so, their commercial and residential leasing properties did not escape destruction.
Hoping to recoup their losses in the aftermath, the Ashfords made a claim for $7,690.00 (equivalent to nearly $113,000 today). Their claim was by no means the largest made as other Greenwood business owners claimed losses of $160,000 ($2.3 million today), yet their petition, like most, was denied.8“Black Wall Street Memorial” Greenwood Cultural Center, Oklahoma Historical Society.
The total damage claims made by citizens of Greenwood amounted to nearly 3 million dollars (in today’s money closer to 40 million dollars), all of which remain unpaid.9“Black Wall Street Memorial” the Greenwood Cultural Center, Oklahoma Historical Society In 1922, the Ashfords sold their lot on North Greenwood to a JD Mann for $1,500 ($23,000 today). It is quite possible that they chose to retire with this money.
The couple continued to live in Tulsa until their deaths.
JW passed away on March 9, 1948.10 Death Index at okexplore.health.ok.gov Several years following his death, Ashford’s name would continue to appear in the Tulsa Daily Legal News’ list of dormant cases in the case of “Ashford v Equitable Life Insurance,” meaning she likely experienced difficulty receiving the payout from her husband’s life insurance plan.11“Pre-Trial Docket: Dormant Cases” Tulsa Daily Legal News (Tulsa, OK) September 3, 1957.
On Tuesday, November 19, 1957, Ashford was appointed a guardian (who, exactly, this guardian was the record does not say).12“County Court Filings” Tulsa Daily Legal News (Tulsa,OK) November 14, 1957. Most likely, this development was tied to her declining health. Ashford passed away the following year on April 2, 1958 at the age of 75.13Death Index at ok2explore.health.ok.gov
Elizabeth Thomas
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Bibliography:
Ancestry.com. Oklahoma, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1890-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.
“Black Wall Street Memorial,” Greenwood Cultural Center, Oklahoma Historical Society.
“Chattel Mortgages” Tulsa Daily Legal News (Tulsa, OK) September 30, 1916.
“County Court Filings” Tulsa Daily Legal News (Tulsa,OK) November 14, 1957.
Death Index at okexplore.health.ok.gov
Mrs. Ashford’s Method of Hair Growing,” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), June 27, 1916.
“New Baptist Church Organized” Tulsa Star (Tulsa, OK), March 16, 1918; “Social News” Tulsa Star February 28 1920.
“Pre-Trial Docket: Dormant Cases” Tulsa Daily Legal News (Tulsa, OK) September 3, 1957.
“What’s Doing in Town?” Tulsa Star (Tulsa,OK) May 18, 1918
Year: 1930; Census Place: Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0054; FHL microfilm: 2341668, Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
Citation:
To cite the essay, use the following: Elizabeth Thomas, “Elnora Ashford” in Brandy Thomas Wells, Ed. Women of Black Wall Street, 2021, https://blackwallstreetwomen.com/elnora-ashford/ (Access date).
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