Hollywood Cemetery. Early life (1826–1865) Buford was a graduate of the University of Virginia, and came to Chatham, Virginia, to enter the practice of law. His choice was understandable, since several illustrious attorneys had established practices in the town, including Whitmell Pugh Tunstall, who had been the creator and first president of the Richmond and Danville Railroad. Buford was related to Tunstall. He was Tunstall's nephew-in-law and in manner of speaking, his brother-in-law as well. He married Emily Winifred Townes, daughter of George Townes and Eliza Barker Tunstall. Eliza was the older sister of Whitmell P. Tunstall, and had reared him after the death of their mother. Buford represented Pittsylvania County in the Virginia House of Delegates during 1853 and 1854. During the American Civil War, in 1863, Buford was in charge of the Virginia Depot, on 13th street, south of Cary Street, (Shockoe Slip), in Richmond. After the war, he became known as Col. Buford. President of the Richmond and Danville Railroad (1865–1887) Over the next two decades, Buford guided the railroad through its best years. In 1866, the R&D had 154 miles of track, $672,714 in earnings, $284,790 in profit, 25 locomotives, and 285 total cars. By 1886, it had grown to 2,670 miles of track, $3,981,355 in earnings, $1,767,662 in profit, 126 locomotives, and 2,551 total cars. Adjusting for deflation in the late 19th century (i.e., converting 1866 USD to 1886 USD), the 1866 earnings decrease to $397,705 and profit decreases to $168,366. When the 1886 numbers are taken as percentages of the 1866 numbers, the growth rates in earnings and profit are given: 1,001% growth in earnings and 1,050% growth in profit. With the support of Virginia Governor Francis H. Pierpont, on September 13, 1865, Colonel Buford became president of the Richmond and Danville Railroad (R&D). Damage from the war, including the bridge across the James River between Manchester and Richmond was repaired. Over the next 20 years, as R&D President, Col. Buford extended the trackage to three thousand miles. The R&D's early acquisitions included the Piedmont Railroad in 1866, and the North Carolina Railroad in 1871. In 1872, the R&D extended aid to the Atlanta and Richmond Air Line Railway to help it complete its road between Charlotte and Atlanta. The line was to become a key link in the "Piedmont Air Line,” a system of railroads across the southeast. In 1878, the R&D acquired