Robert L. Lankfard was a prosperous man. Though he was born into slavery in Washington County in Kentucky on Feb 22, 1852, he became prosperous in his lifetime. He was a blessed man.
1892 Photo taken in front of the Lankfard home in St.Joseph, Missouri. Mr. Robert Louis Lankford / Lankfard on the far right and his wife, Mrs, Charlotta (Dade) Lankford / Lankford on the far left with 7 of their 11 children. (They were dressed in their finest.) The family dog is in the photo.
In Robert’s lifetime, he was listed as a boatman, a laborer, stone mason, a builder, and a contractor. In 1906, he was appointed City chimney sweep of St. Joseph, Missouri. He was a proprietor of the Lankfard Cafe . He placed some advertisements in Des Moines Iowa in 1911 for his Cafe in St. Joseph, Missouri.
In a 1918 article, Robert told a reporter that he could build a cement house, if he wanted him one. The reporter described Robert as having the appearance of a fine old gentleman. Robert had a business of making cement blocks. He was skilled in his profession as a builder.
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God bless you.
S.A. Blakley
The Chronicles of Susan 