Alfred was the son of Calvin Jotham and Mary Cole. His marriage record listed him as "mulatto," as he had a black father and white mother.
In 1921 he married Martha Kemp, the daughter of well-known former slave George Washington Kemp. As they were both in their 50s when they married, there were no children by this union. He resided with Martha in the house in Monmouth that belonged to the Kemp sisters. Martha's two unmarried sisters tended to stay with them during summer and spend the winter in Lewiston. The house, located near the railroad tracks on Main St., was a Cape-style house they called "the bungalow." Alfred was a carpenter. He died in a Winthrop nursing home. At the time of his death, he was Monmouth's oldest resident.
In 1932 the "Lewiston Evening Journal" wrote a story about the lovely gardens about the Kemp residence. This article included a passage specific to Alfred:
"Alfred Jotham is one of those natural geniuses who can turn his hands to many things.
"His early years were spent at his home in Canada when he was a busy lad helping his widowed mother earn a living for the family. He began working at a saw-mill when only a boy and when his pay was raised to 50 cents a week he thought his fortune was made, and was happy to think he could do more for his mother, whose pay for a long day of washing averaged only 25 cents. He later worked at a saw-mill in New Hampshire.
"Altho his school days were cut short, he has a thoughtful and intellectual mind, likes to read, and can match wits with many a college graduate when it comes to such things as general farming, carpenter work, electrical wiring, and gardening, which he does for himself and others. Like his wife and her sisters, he is deeply interested in making the home increasingly convenient, comfortable and attractive.
"A passerby was heard to say, "Whenever I see that little roadside garden, I feel cheered up.'"
In 1921 he married Martha Kemp, the daughter of well-known former slave George Washington Kemp. As they were both in their 50s when they married, there were no children by this union. He resided with Martha in the house in Monmouth that belonged to the Kemp sisters. Martha's two unmarried sisters tended to stay with them during summer and spend the winter in Lewiston. The house, located near the railroad tracks on Main St., was a Cape-style house they called "the bungalow." Alfred was a carpenter. He died in a Winthrop nursing home. At the time of his death, he was Monmouth's oldest resident.
In 1932 the "Lewiston Evening Journal" wrote a story about the lovely gardens about the Kemp residence. This article included a passage specific to Alfred:
"Alfred Jotham is one of those natural geniuses who can turn his hands to many things.
"His early years were spent at his home in Canada when he was a busy lad helping his widowed mother earn a living for the family. He began working at a saw-mill when only a boy and when his pay was raised to 50 cents a week he thought his fortune was made, and was happy to think he could do more for his mother, whose pay for a long day of washing averaged only 25 cents. He later worked at a saw-mill in New Hampshire.
"Altho his school days were cut short, he has a thoughtful and intellectual mind, likes to read, and can match wits with many a college graduate when it comes to such things as general farming, carpenter work, electrical wiring, and gardening, which he does for himself and others. Like his wife and her sisters, he is deeply interested in making the home increasingly convenient, comfortable and attractive.
"A passerby was heard to say, "Whenever I see that little roadside garden, I feel cheered up.'"
Alfred was the son of Calvin Jotham and Mary Cole. His marriage record listed him as "mulatto," as he had a black father and white mother.
In 1921 he married Martha Kemp, the daughter of well-known former slave George Washington Kemp. As they were both in their 50s when they married, there were no children by this union. He resided with Martha in the house in Monmouth that belonged to the Kemp sisters. Martha's two unmarried sisters tended to stay with them during summer and spend the winter in Lewiston. The house, located near the railroad tracks on Main St., was a Cape-style house they called "the bungalow." Alfred was a carpenter. He died in a Winthrop nursing home. At the time of his death, he was Monmouth's oldest resident.
In 1932 the "Lewiston Evening Journal" wrote a story about the lovely gardens about the Kemp residence. This article included a passage specific to Alfred:
"Alfred Jotham is one of those natural geniuses who can turn his hands to many things.
"His early years were spent at his home in Canada when he was a busy lad helping his widowed mother earn a living for the family. He began working at a saw-mill when only a boy and when his pay was raised to 50 cents a week he thought his fortune was made, and was happy to think he could do more for his mother, whose pay for a long day of washing averaged only 25 cents. He later worked at a saw-mill in New Hampshire.
"Altho his school days were cut short, he has a thoughtful and intellectual mind, likes to read, and can match wits with many a college graduate when it comes to such things as general farming, carpenter work, electrical wiring, and gardening, which he does for himself and others. Like his wife and her sisters, he is deeply interested in making the home increasingly convenient, comfortable and attractive.
"A passerby was heard to say, "Whenever I see that little roadside garden, I feel cheered up.'"
In 1921 he married Martha Kemp, the daughter of well-known former slave George Washington Kemp. As they were both in their 50s when they married, there were no children by this union. He resided with Martha in the house in Monmouth that belonged to the Kemp sisters. Martha's two unmarried sisters tended to stay with them during summer and spend the winter in Lewiston. The house, located near the railroad tracks on Main St., was a Cape-style house they called "the bungalow." Alfred was a carpenter. He died in a Winthrop nursing home. At the time of his death, he was Monmouth's oldest resident.
In 1932 the "Lewiston Evening Journal" wrote a story about the lovely gardens about the Kemp residence. This article included a passage specific to Alfred:
"Alfred Jotham is one of those natural geniuses who can turn his hands to many things.
"His early years were spent at his home in Canada when he was a busy lad helping his widowed mother earn a living for the family. He began working at a saw-mill when only a boy and when his pay was raised to 50 cents a week he thought his fortune was made, and was happy to think he could do more for his mother, whose pay for a long day of washing averaged only 25 cents. He later worked at a saw-mill in New Hampshire.
"Altho his school days were cut short, he has a thoughtful and intellectual mind, likes to read, and can match wits with many a college graduate when it comes to such things as general farming, carpenter work, electrical wiring, and gardening, which he does for himself and others. Like his wife and her sisters, he is deeply interested in making the home increasingly convenient, comfortable and attractive.
"A passerby was heard to say, "Whenever I see that little roadside garden, I feel cheered up.'"
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