Pleasant Lankford (a blacksmith, b. abt. 1815, m. Rebecca __), of Buncombe County, North Carolina

1870 CENSUS–”PLEASANT LANKFORD” IS AGE FIFTY-FIVE, A BLACKSMITH, BORN IN NORTH CAROLINA, LIVING WITH WIFE REBECCA AND SEVEN CHILDREN, IN FLAT CREEK TOWNSHIP, BUNCOMBE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA. THEY HAVE GENTRY NEIGHBORS. HeritageQuest on-line census image, accessed 17 Oct 2006, by shb, via Provo, Utah Public Library:

Flat Creek Township, Buncombe County, North Carolina
Series M593, Roll 1125, Page 178
Taken 30 July 1870
104/120 Eller, W. C. 35 MW Farmer 11,000 500 North Carolina
, Mary E. 24 FW and four children.

105/121 Lankford, Pleasant 55 MW Blacksmith 1700 150 North Carolina [b. abt. 1815--shb]
, Rebecca 51 FW Keeping House North Carolina
, Thos. N. 29 MW Farm Laborer North Carolina
, William R. 26 MW Farmer North Carolina
, Joseph H. 22 MW Farm Laborer North Carolina [After ancestor, Joseph Lankford?]
, Clara H. 25 FW No occupation North Carolina
, Velda A. 19 FW No occupation North Carolina
, Mary A. E. 16 FW No occupation North Carolina [After ancestor Joseph's wife, Mary?--shb]
, George W. 14 MW Farm Laborer North Carolina

106/122 Gentry, J. R. 44 MW Farmer North Carolina
, Sarah J. 29 FW Keeping House North Carolina
, Malinda J. 3 FW North Carolina
, Sarah V. 1 FW North Carolina
, Mary A. 42 FW No occupation North Carolina
, A. Jane 40 FW Seamstress North Carolina

107/123 Blackstock N. 76 MW Farmer 11,000 300 North Carolina
and wife (can’t read her name), same age, and family.

[Note: Stephen Lankford, b. abt. 1748, first settler of Mt. Vernon, Rockcastle, Kentucky, had a daughter, Elizabeth, who married a Gentry, so it is interesting that this Pleasant Lankford, of Buncombe County, North Carolina, has a Gentry neighbor. Also, I found Pulaski County, Kentucky Langfords, whose marriage records detailed that they came from Buncombe County, North Carolina.  They were probably related to my ancestor, Walker Lankford, who was the first Langford to settle on Line-Creek, in Pulaski County.  The fact that this Pleasant Lankford, of Buncombe County, had a son named Joseph is the best evidence I've seen recently that my ancestor Walker's father could have been Joseph Lankford, as my mother, Ida-Rose Langford Hall suspected, but could not absolutely prove. It also doesn't hurt that Pleasant and Rebecca also named a daughter Mary, since Walker's purported father Joseph's wife had that name. Also of interest is the fact that this Pleasant Lankford was a blacksmith, as this was the profession of another Line-Creek settler, "Flintlock Stephen" Langford, b. abt. 1788.] –shb 17 Oct 2006