J. V. Lankford operated sawmills at various sites in Angelina County for more than thirty years: just north and east of Redland in 1907 and 1908 at Davisville; four miles west of Lufkin from 1909 to 1912, at Iron Bridge three miles west of Lufkin from about 1914 to 1917, at Collwood (Hoshall) about 1917, at Manton/Platt from 1918 to 1919, on the Michelli Grant from 1920 to 1934, and at Redland from 1934 to 1941, when he retired. Very little has been recorded about his lumber business.
Ted Maberry wrote in The Redlanders that the Lankford and Davison families “moved from Gadsden, Alabama, to Texas in 1890. They first settled in Newton, Texas, and began farming. They lived at Moffett for a year or two until Papa Jim Lankford got a chance to buy land in Redland during 1896. He paid for the land by splitting rails and selling cordwood and cross ties.”
“The entire Lankford family did farm work until they got a chance to buy a sawmill in 1906. They later bought a cotton gin and grist mill from the Denman's and combined all three. The family would farm during the season and run the sawmill during the winter.”