THOS. M. ALVORD. – Mr. Alvord was born in Homer, Courtland county, New York, February 26, 1832, and is the son of Sylvester and Lucy Hull Alvord. His grandfather was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, serving under General Washington, and took up a Donation claim on the present site of Homer, New York. His father was born on the place, and died in 1864. He resided at his birthplace until 1853, when with his brother, Henry S., he left New York on board the Prometheus, via Nicaragua, and on the Pacific side took the Cortez, arriving in San Francisco December 1, 1853. He then went to Calaveras county and followed mining for three and a half years, with fair success, and during the summers followed farming. In December, 1854, his brother returned to the East and visited the coast again in the summer of 1889.
On the breaking out of the Frazer river excitement, he came north, but only remained a short time, returning to Olympia in December, 1858, and prospecting the county for a location. In February, 1859, he purchased the Donation claim of Moses Kirkland and wife. This consisted of 320 acres, to which he has since added, until now he owns 1,100 acres half a mile from the town of Kent. In 1884, he built his present beautiful home, and is now engaged in general farming and largely in the dairy business, shipping a large quantity of milk to Seattle, He has, unlike his neighbors, never entered into hop-raising. Mr. Alvord is Republican in politics, though not a politician, and never having held an office. His wife, to whom he was married in New York in 1859, was Miss Maria J. Smith, a native of New York. They have been blessed with three sons and one daughter.