Memorials › Bluford Blanton Chitwood

Bluford Blanton Chitwood

13 Mar 1907 – 28 Feb 1986

Birth13 Mar 1907
Death28 Feb 1986
CemeteryAztec Cemetery
Aztec , San Juan County , New Mexico , USA
Added byJohn Church on 01 Jun 2013
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/28977202

Bio

Bluford Blanton Chitwood (13 Mar 1907 – 28 Feb 1986) Early life and family Bluford Blanton Chitwood was born 13 March 1907 in Bonham, Fannin County, Texas, the youngest child of Sparrell Hale Chitwood and Mary Cassandre "Cassie" Stephenson. His father died when Bluford was small, and the family dispersed across the Southwest as adult children sought work and land. Bluford's older sister Dona Gay (Gay) Chitwood Montgomery became a central family anchor and later served as his next-of-kin. Journey west and ranch work In the 1930s Bluford left Texas for New Mexico, working first around Varney, Torrance County, and then in Corona, Lincoln County, where his mother had also lived and died. He assisted his sister Gay and her husband Frank Montgomery with ranching and farming operations—gaining the practical ranch and farm skills that would shape his life. Marriage, family, and settling in the Four Corners On 4 June 1940 Bluford married Lillian Rose in Ancho, Lincoln County, New Mexico. The couple had a large family (eight recorded children between 1938 and 1957) and eventually moved north into the Four Corners / San Juan County area—living in Aztec, Farmington, and Flora Vista—where farming and early regional development provided a stable base. WWII draft registration and mid-life details Bluford registered for the WWII "young men" draft on 16 October 1940 in Corona, Lincoln County, New Mexico. The registration confirms key personal details: born 13 Mar 1907 in Bonham, resident of Corona, self-employed (listed as Employer: Self), height 6'1", weight 160 lbs, light complexion, brown hair, gray eyes. His next-of-kin is listed as Gay Montgomery, confirming the close family relationship and her role as a primary contact. This registration aligns with his move from temporary ranch labor to independent farming and family life in the Four Corners region. Later life and death By 1950 Bluford was established in Flora Vista, San Juan County as a farmer. He lived out his life in the region—raising children and contributing to the local agricultural community—through periods of growth tied to farming and energy development in northwest New Mexico. Bluford died 28 February 1986 in Bloomfield, San Juan County, New Mexico, and is remembered in local records as a longtime farmer and family patriarch. Legacy Bluford's life traces a familiar arc for many early 20th-century southern families: departure from a Texas farm after parental loss, reliance on sibling and extended-family networks for work and migration, seasonal and then permanent settlement in the West, and the transition from laboring for family ranches to establishing one's own farm and family legacy. Sources U.S. WWII Draft Cards, Young Men, 1940–1947 — Bluford Blanton Chitwood, registered 16 Oct 1940, Corona, Lincoln Co., NM; birth 13 Mar 1907; employer self; physical description; next-of-kin Gay Montgomery. 1940 U.S. Federal Census / residence records — Corona & Varney, New Mexico (residences listed 1939–1940). Marriage record — Bluford B. Chitwood & Lillian Rose, 4 Jun 1940 (Ancho, Lincoln Co., NM). 1930–1950 U.S. Census & local vital records — confirm children's births (Sioux City; Aztec; Farmington) and residence in Flora Vista by 1950. Death record — 28 Feb 1986, Bloomfield, San Juan Co., NM.

Photos

Family

Parents

Spouse

Siblings

Export GEDCOM

This person only · Entire connected family