| Notes |
- Laodicia Giles, a decendant of Richard married a W. D. Stafford, a descendant of Samuel Stafford (SS Branch 79).
Last summer, I was given a copy of a biography for Washington Stafford (1820-1909), which was included in the 1888 history of Livingston County, Illinois, along with a portrait of him. Washington was my gggg grandfather. For the first time, I actually had first-hand (or close to first-hand) information about the extended Stafford family we are all tracing.
While we had surmised from the records that his parents were Joseph and Elizabeth Myer Stafford, born 1790 in Hampshire county, Virginia, Washington's biography confirmed it...as well as named his seven siblings. Finally, we had the identity and residence (in 1888) of all of his brothers and sisters, including William Stafford of Richland County, Ohio, whom we had not been able to place until then. Additionally, he gave some very interesting information concerning his grandfather.
According to Washington Stafford, his paternal grandfather was JOHN STAFFORD, a native of Belfast, Ireland, who was brought to this country as a British soldier in 1775. He was soon captured by the Continental Army, and after the war, he took up residence in Hampshire County, Virginia. I have a near cousin who has done some additional research on this subject, and she tells me that he was arrested and charged with some minor criminal infraction, and was given the choice of prison or the army. He chose the army, which may explain why he was captured early on...no incentive to really fight for your persecutors! It has been suggested that he was among those captured British soldiers who were marched to the governor of New York, who didn't have a prison for them, nor men to guard them, and later they were all released in the wilderness of Northern Virginia.
Oral traditions in our family have been similar but varied concerning this elusive immigrant ancestor. One thing is clear, our Stafford family is not one of the old colonial lines...but a "recent" arrival, within the last 230 years. One story claimed he was a Wesleyan minister who came as a missionary to the colonies and joined up with the Continental Army. It's interesting to note that most of the Wesleyan/Methodist Episcopal missionaries of the time were loyalists, with the exception of Bishop Francis Asbury, who was in favor of American Independence. It is no small coincidence that our Stafford family identified with the American Methodist Episcopal Church early on, that they lived in an area frequented by Bishop Asbury, and that several branches of the family used Francis Asbury as a given name for their children.
Another interesting point is that I once saw--in one of the infamous Sharon Taylor books--an entry for a John Stafford, age 16, in a list of emigrant ministers arriving in Baltimore in 1775.
The little catch to all of this is that in the records of Hampshire County, Virginia, and Allegany County, Maryland, where our Staffords clearly came from, there is no record that I have ever found of a John Stafford in this early generation. In fact, the only mentions of Staffords in the surviving records of Hampshire County are of Richard and Catherine Stafford and those we suppose to be their children. I'm working off a couple or three theories right now...either John and Richard Stafford are the same person, or John Stafford died without leaving a record and Richard Stafford is his brother, or my ancestor Washington was wrong about his grandfather's name. I have discovered that his mother's father was John Henry Myer...perhaps he got the details of his grandfather's life right, but mixed up the names. He was only 67 at the time he gave the details for his biography, still 20 years away from when he died, but he was also born at least 20 years after his grandfather Stafford died.
One additional note: Washington Stafford said in his biography that his father Joseph was one of eight children born and raised in Hampshire county, Virginia. Interestingly enough, my research has identified eight individuals of that generation and region whom I believe to be the siblings: Elizabeth Stafford Henshaw (c1777-c1799); John F. Stafford (c1780); Francis Asbury Stafford (the first one, 1782-1868, from whom Sally descends); Richard A. Stafford (c1785-1823); Joseph S. Stafford (1790-1850s); Westley Stafford (1792-1856, from whom Ken and Heather descend); Washington Stafford (c1798); and Sarah Stafford Cresap (c1802). If you run across any information that one of the siblings was Amelia Giles of Osage County, Missouri, please discount it...that information is in error, and I will explain it privately to anyone who wants to know more.
Hope this information is of use to someone.
Casey Stafford
Genforum Message 4507 by Casey Stafford on 5 Oct 2007
Richard Stafford was born in the 1750s, in Dublin according to family tradition. He was arrested in London on charges of stealing and given the choice of prison or the military. He chose the military and was promptly given a redcoat and a one-way ticket to the American Colonies. Shortly after his arrival, he was captured by the Continental Army, but with no POW camp available, he was marched into the wilderness of Northern Virginia and released, likely on the condition that he never bear arms against the colonies again. Apparently he did not.
He married a woman named Catharine, and I have just discovered that they lived in Stephensburg (now Stephens City), Frederick County, Virginia, south of Winchester. They first appear in the records there in 1783, and owned property there as late as 1793. In 1787, Richard was one of the founding trustees of Fort Ashby, Hampshire county, Virginia (what is now Mineral County, WV), and he appears frequently in the records of Hampshire County from that point until his death in 1808. Catharine died in 1810.
The appraisal and liquidation of their assets and the settlements of their respective estates are on file in the Hampshire County Court House, Romney, WV. Catharine's will is also on file there. The estate papers are also on microfilm in the Hampshire County Library.
An additional document is available on microfilm through the Library of Virginia, a copy of which I found in the Handley Library in Winchester, Frederick County, Virginia. It is a complaint filed by my ancestor Joseph S. Stafford against Daniel Collins, executor of Catharine Stafford's estate, and his own siblings following the death of their brother Washington. In three sworn statements, the "surviving" children of Richard and Catharine are finally listed in one place at one time!
Children of Richard and Catharine Stafford, as they appear in the court documents of Frederick County, Virginia, and Hampshire County, West Virginia:
William I. (or J.) Stafford, born c1780; listed first and named as the administrator of his father's estate.
Francis Asbury Stafford, 1782-1868; early settler of Coshocton County, Ohio; married Eliza Henshaw, 1805; she is presumed to be Elizabeth Mounts Henshaw widow of Jonathan Seman Henshaw of Berkeley County, Virginia (now WV).
Richard A. Stafford, c1784-1823; early settler of Cosocton County, Ohio; married Mary Ann Walker, 1809.
John F. Stafford, born c1786; married Hannah Cresap, 1809; she is possibly Hannah Longshore Cresap, widow of Daniel Cresap who died in 1798.
James B. Stafford, born c1788.
Joseph S. (or T.) Stafford, 1790-1850s; married secondly Elizabeth Myer, 1818; father of eight children; the only Stafford to remain in Hampshire county, Virginia.
Westley Stafford, 1792-1856; moved to Harrison County, Ohio, where he married secondly Sarah Corbin in 1829; also lived in Greene County, Ohio; Fayette County, Indiana; Kosciusko County, Indiana.
Washington Stafford, born c1798, died "shortly" after his mother, between 1810-1820, leaving no heirs.
Sarah (Sally) Stafford, born c1800; grew up under the guardianship of Col. Daniel Cresap Collins who settled in DeWitt County, Illinois; her guardianship was released, and her mother's estate was settled by Collins, in 1820.
In a History of Livingston County, Illinois, Washington Stafford, son of Joseph Stafford, states that his paternal grandfather reared a family of eight children in Hampshire County, Virginia. He might have been mistaken, or he might have been counting only those who survived to adulthood.
However, research indicates that Richard and Catharine Stafford may also have been the parents of Elizabeth Stafford, listed in the Henshaw genealogies as the wife of Jonathan Seman Henshaw and the mother of his son George Henshaw.
DOCUMENTATION
AS OUR ANCESTOR
The clearest indication that Richard Stafford of Hampshire county, Virginia, was our ancestor seems to be the will of his wife Catharine, dated 18
10 and witnessed by John F. and Joseph S. Stafford, presumably her son
s. Joseph S. Stafford is presumed to be the father of our Washington Staf
ford (see notes on Joseph and Washington).
BIRTH
Richard Stafford's birth year is based upon the birth of Elizabeth Stafford, presumed to be his oldest child, who was born c1777. A birth year of 1750 would make him 27 years old at the time of Elizabeth's birth, not an unreasonable age for a man of this time period fathering his first child.
PARENTAGE & ANCESTRY
Ted Stafford, Fort Worth, Texas; correspondence dated 25 Aug 1990
"Years ago, I struck up a correspondence with my great aunt Maisie, the sister of my grandfather, James Stafford. Aunt Maisie seemed to know much of the background and she shared her knowledge with me. Our first Stafford ancestor came to the Colonies as one of John Wesley's lay preachers. I do not know his name, but I am sure it would be in the annals of early Methodism. He came from great Britain by way of the port of Dublin, and when the Revolution started, he joined the militia and served under Gen
eral George Washington. After that part of his life, there seems to be no other information."
Bernita Barney Chance; email dated 01 August 2003
I do not believe they are descendants of Richard, I have a copy of a page of the History of Marshall Co. Ks. !888, which has biography of my
g-grandparents which states that a John Stafford G-grandfather of Lydia w
as brought here by the British and fought against George Washington, I wrote the authorities in England and have a letter stating that he was sentenced to be hung for robbery,but was given the opportunity to serve in the army for 14 years instead, was taken prisoner by Washington's men. My genealogy instructor advised he was probably one of the group which was marched to the governor of New York who rejected the prisoners as he had no facilities to house or feed them , he advised them to march them to Virginia where they were also refused, then the guards just faded away. when war ended anyone could become a citizen by declaring allegiance
The records available to me have not indicated that Richard was either a minister or a soldier, but this family tradition passed down fits closely with the histories of several Virginia Stafford families. See below. However, Richard's descendants were very strong Methodist Episcopals for several generations.
No indication of Richard's parentage has been found by me (2002). Troy Stafford has supposed he could be descended from the Rhode Island Staffords, an old colonial family with ties to the noble Staffords of royal descent during the 15th and 16th centuries in England. This is based on Richard Stafford's occupation as a land agent and sub-divider, which was a common occupation among the Rhode Island Staffords of his era.
Other possibilities...
...that Richard Stafford descends from the old Virginia-North Carolina Staffords who came to Jamestown in 1622 and settled later in Guilford County, North Carolina. Descendants of those Staffords have been found near Richard's descendants in Indiana.
...that Richard Stafford was a brother to the James Stafford who came from Staffordshire England, in the 1770s or 80s and settled in Monongalia County, Virginia, shortly after the Revolution. James was born 28 Aug 1754, likely a son or nephew of Nehemiah Stafford, born 1724 in King Swinford, Staffordshire, England, to Jeremiah and Sarah Mole Stafford, who married 10 Aug 1721 in Wambourn, Staffordshire, England.
...that Richard Stafford is in some way related to Rev. Ralph Stafford, a Methodist Episcopalian minister and veteran of the Revolution.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
DOCUMENTATION
FROM the Family Bible of Richard & Catharine Stafford, now in the possession of Linda Stafford Brend, Orlando Florida; records transcribed and posted online by Rita Kay Stafford Fawcett.
BIRTHS
(children of Richard & Catharine)
William Josephus Stafford, 12 September 1781
Francis Asbury Stafford, 22 November 1782
Richard Adam Stafford, 31 July 1784
John Fletcher Stafford, 07 July 1786
James Bruce Stafford, 11 October 1788
Joseph Stone Stafford, 03 September 1790
Westley Stafford, 1792
Mary Stafford, 07 Mar 1797
Washington Stafford, 11 April 1799
Sarah Stafford, 31 December 1800
(chidren of William J. & Mary Whipple Stafford)
William Stafford, 18 November 1806
Francis Stafford, 01 November 1808
(children of Francis A. Elizabeth Stafford)
William Stafford, 26 November 1805
Mary Stafford, 27 July 1807
Elizabeth Stafford, 26 March 1810
(children of Richard A. & Ann Stafford)
James Stafford, 13 June 1810
MARRIAGES
Richard Stafford & Catharine Brobacker, 15 March 1780
William J. Stafford & Mary Whipple, 01 October 1805
Richard A. Stafford & Ann, 15 June 1809
William J. Stafford to Mary Laudiman, 05 June 1811
DEATHS
Richard Stafford, 07 April 1808
Catharine Brobecker Stafford, 05 September 1810
AS OUR ANCESTOR
10-2007
That Richard and Catharine Stafford were the parents of Joseph S. (or T.) Stafford and associated siblings can now be considered a fact due to the discovery of a Chancery Court document detailing the settling of Catharine Stafford's estate (see notes for Catharine Stafford) following the death of her youngest son Washington. A bill filed by Joseph S. Stafford against his siblings and Daniel Collins, executor of Catharine's will, identifies his siblings by name, identifies them as the children and heirs of Catharine Stafford, and identifies her husband as Richard Stafford.
FROM HISTORY OF LIVINGSTON COUNTY, ILLINOIS, biography of Washington Stafford, published 1888 with a portrait.
Washington Stafford stated that his paternal grandfather was John Stafford. However, I have long taken issue with the name John Stafford because there is no evidence of a John of this generation living in Hampshire County, Virginia, in the post-Revolution years 1785-1810. The records are replete with details concerning Richard and Catherine Stafford, and there is a lot of circumstantial evidence that suggests they were the parents of the eight siblings that included Joseph Stafford as reported by Washington Stafford in 1888.
Now the discovery of the estate papers and chancery court records naming the children of Richard and Catharine have settled the issue. Joseph was the son of Richard and Catharine Stafford.
BIRTH
Without any documentation of his age at any given stage of his life in the records of Hampshire county, Virginia, it is difficult to assign Richard Stafford a more accurate time of birth than the 1750s. If the story of his arrest in London and his subsequent enlistment in the army are correct, he could have been a teenager around 1776, born in the late 1750s, or he could have been a mature adult. Since the estate papers make no mention of Elizabeth Stafford Henshaw (if such a person existed, see notes on Elizabeth), the earliest child seems to be William J. Stafford, born about 1780. If Elizabeth is Richard's child, and she was born about 1777, I would assume Richard to have been born before or about 1755.
Washington Stafford said his grandfather was a native of Belfast, Ireland.
Ted Stafford, Fort Worth, Texas; correspondence dated 25 Aug 1990
"Years ago, I struck up a correspondence with my great aunt Maisie, the sister of my grandfather, James Stafford. Aunt Maisie seemed to know much of the background and she shared her knowledge with me. Our first Stafford ancestor came to the Colonies as one of John Wesley's lay preachers. I do not know his name, but I am sure it would be in the annals of early Methodism. He came from great Britain by way of the port of Dublin, and when the Revolution started, he joined the militia and served under General George Washington. After that part of his life, there seems to be no other information."
Bernita Barney Chance; email dated 01 August 2003
I do not believe they are decendant of Richard, I have a copy of a page of the History of Marshall Co. Ks. 1888, which has biography of my g-grandparents which states that a John stafford G-grandfather of Lydia was brought here by the British and fought against George Washington, I wrote the authorities in England and have a letter stating that he was sentenanced to be hung for robbery,but was giventhe oppertunity to serve in the army for 14 years instead, was taken prisoner by Washinton's men. My genealogy instructer advised he was probably one of the group which was marched to the governor of New York who rejected the prisoners as he had no facilities to house or feed them , he advised them to march them to Virginia where they were also refused, then the guards just faded away. when war ended anyone could become a citizen by declaring allegiance
Richard Emerson (Dick) Stafford, correspondence 24 Jan 2011:
Many years ago a relative of mine, now deceased, told me that my branch of the Stafford family came from Wexford County, ireland. At the time i was not interested and I didn't ask him how he knew that.
NOTE, CLS 2011: There was a prominent Stafford family who acquired the estate of Ballymachrane in the county of Wexford, about the reign of King Henry VII (early 1500s). The progenitor was John Stafford, third son of a Buckinghamshire family.
FROM "the Parliamentary gazatteer of Ireland":
Another flag among the ruins bears a sculptured shield of two compartments, with the date 16:23; the one compartment exhibiting a tree surmounted by a crescent, and the other a lion rampant over a lizard, and also surmounted by a crescent. " This," says a writer in an extinct Irish periodical, ** is a sepulchral flag, which, no doubt, covered the grave of Richard Stafford of Wexford, and Austace his wife, who was the daughter of Leonard Sutton of Ballykeeroge, in the county of Wexford ; they died in the year 1022, and were buried in the abbey of St. Peter and Paul. The Stafford* were descended from John Stafford, a third son of a Buckinghamshire family, who acquired the estate of Ballymachrane, in the county of Wexford, about the reign of King Henry VII., and from him descended the families of Ballyconnor ; George Stafford, who built the castle and hall of Wexford ; Richard Stafford above mentioned, who was descended from a second brother of Ballyconnor ; and two other branchée who possessed considerable property in Wexford in the reign of James I. and Charles I.
FROM http://www.celtcorner.com/history.html
Another line of the family was that of the County of Wexford, which is said to have been represented as early as the year 1335 by one Hamon de Stafford, who was the ancestor of George and John Stafford of the time of King Edward IV, of whom the last had a son named Nicholas, who also had a son named Nicholas, and who was the father of John Stafford High Sheriff in Wexford in 1640.
PARENTAGE & ANCESTRY
No indication of Richard's parentage has been found by me (2007).
Other possibilities...
...that Richard Stafford descends from the colonial Rhode Island Staffords, the family whose immigrant ancestor Thomas Stafford claimed to be of the blood of The Stafford; it is also said that he had a wooden crest. Descendants in the pre-Revolution era were land agents and subdividers, just like Richard. However, this well documented family doesn't show a Richard who could have been the same as ours.
...that Richard Stafford descends from the old Virginia-North Carolina Staffords who came to Jamestown in 1622 and settled later in Guilford County, North Carolina. Descendants of those Staffords have been found near Richard's descendants in Indiana.
...that Richard Stafford was a brother or cousin to the James Stafford who came from Staffordshire England, in the 1770s or 80s and settled in Monongalia County, Virginia, shortly after the Revolution. James was born 28 Aug 1754, likely a son or nephew of Nehemiah Stafford, born 1724 in King Swinford, Staffordshire, England, to Jeremiah and Sarah Mole Stafford, who married 10 Aug 1721 in Wambourn, Staffordshire, England.
...that Richard Stafford is in some way related to Rev. Ralph Stafford, a Methodist Episcopal minister and veteran of the Revolution, and the descendants of John and Margaret Brunt Stafford of Alstonfield, Staffordshire, England, who lived in County Fermanagh, Ireland, before coming to the colonies during the Revolution and settling afterward in Giles County, Virginia. Some of this family even made it to Hampshire County.
MARRIAGE
No marriage date for Richard and Catharine Stafford has been found, but if Elizabeth was their first child, born about 1777, a marriage date about 1776 would be probable. See notes on Elizabeth.
BEFORE HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
Descendants of Francis Asbury Stafford say he was born in Frederick county, Virginia, and some of his descendants connect him as an adult to Winchester, Frederick VA. Deed records for Frederick County show Richard Stafford there in 1783, purchasing a 2-acre plot of land from Lewis & Mary Stephens, which he still owned in 1793, but was owned by John McCowen in 1795.
DEED BOOK 19, FREDERICK COUNTY, VIRGINIA, page 453, 21 April 1783
(Lease) Between Lewis Stephens and Mary his wife of County of Frederick [to] John Hite, Jr. of the same Place...consideration of Five shillings...all that Tract of Land lying in Frederick County containing one half Acre, being part of a greater Tract of Land containing 42 (424) Acres and conveyed by Deed of L&R the 2nd & 3rd May 1755 from Petrer Stephens to Lewis Stephens...which said 424 Acres of Land is part of a greater Tract of 674 Acres granted by Patent to sd Peter Stephens the 3rd Oct 1734...Line between Lewis Stephens and John Hite, Jr...corner to Richard Stafford's two acres...Yielding and paying therefore one Ear of Indian Corn in and upon the feast of Christmas...
Wit: None
Recorded: 05 Aug 1783
Lewis Stephens
Mary (M) Stephens
DEED BOOK 20, FREDERICK COUNTY, VIRGINIA, page 3, 21 April 1783
Between Lewis Stephens & Mary his wife of County of Frederick [to] Richard Stafford of the same Place...consideration of ten pounds...all Lott of two Acres of Land lying near the Town of Stephensburg...by teh side of the Road leading (frmo) Winchester to Stephensburg...Corner to a half Acre Lott purchased by John Hite...between John Groves & James Hennigns Lotts...line between Maj. Lewis Stephens & John Hite...which two Acre of Land are part of a larger Tract of Land containing 424 Acres & conveyed by Deed of L&R the 2nd & 3rd May 1755 from Peter Stephens to Lewis Stephens...which sd 424 Acres of Land is part of a greater Tract of 674 Acres Granted by Patent to sd Peter Stephens the 3rd Oct. 1734...
Wit: none
Recorded: 05 Aug 1783
Lewis Stephens
Mary (M) Stephens
DEED BOOK 24, FREDERICK COUNTY, VIRGINIA, page 96, 16 February 1793
Between John hite and Delia his wife of Frederick County [to] Nash Legrand fo the County aforesaid...cinsideration of Six Hundred Pounds...a certain tract of Land situate lying and being in County of Frederick...on line between lewis Stephens and John hite...opposite Jacob Leonards House...Containing one hundred and eleven and a half Acres...also another tract of Land situate contiguous to the above mentioned tract as by Deed of L&R the 21st April 1783 from Lewis Stephens and Mary hsi wife to said John Hite...corner to Richard Staffords two Acre Lott...containing half an Acre...
Wit: David Holmes, John Mead, J. McGinnis, A. Bainbridge, Vance Bush, David Wilson
Recorded 7 May 1793
Jno Hite
Cordelia Hite
DEED BOOK 24B, FREDERICK COUNTY, VIRGINIA, page 205, 23 May 1795
Between nash Legrand and Margaret his wfie of Frederick County [to] John McCowen of the County aforesaid...consideration of three pounds...a certain tract of Land situate in the Vicinity of Newtown in the County of Frederick...in teh original partition line between Lewis Stephens and John hite...corner to Richard Stafford now the said John McCowens two acre Lott...alolng the wall of the hen house...containing nineteen square poles adn one fifith of a pole which said tract of Land is part of a larger Tract of half an acre conveyed by lewis Stephens and mary his wife by deed teh 21st April 1783 to John Hite and by the said John Hite and Cordelia his wife conveyed to said Nash Legrand by deed the 16th Feb 1793...
Wit: Joseph Longacre, Joseph Fawcett, H. Holmes
Recorded: 7 July 1795
Nash Legrand
Margaret Legrand
FROM http://www.geocities.com/watsgw1155/brandenb/aqwg01.htm, Descendants of Mathias Brandenburg of Clark Co, KY
Concerning Mathias Brandenburg
1783, Purchased 100 acres on the North Branch of the Potomack River out of Virginia Land Office Treasury Warrent 21475 dated 23 Dec 1783 assigned by Richard Stafford to Timothy Peyton.
IN HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Excepting the above reference to Richard Stafford in the purchase of land by Mathians Brandenburg in 1783, I have not found him the records for Hampshire County before 1786. I have been told that he was there in 1785. His life is periodically documented there from 1785 to 1813. His lands were on Patterson's Creek, Knobley Mountain, and in the town of Frankfort/Fort Ashby, which are now in Mineral County, West Virginia.
All the land in Hampshire County, as well as Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, Westmoreland, Stafford, King George, Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun, Fauquier, Culpeper, Clarke, Madison, Page, Shenendoah, Frederick, Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Mineral, Hardy and Grant counties, a little less than 6 million acres, was once owned by Lord Fairfax. It was granted by King Charles II to a group of English Lords and nobles, but eventually purchased and consolidated into one tract owned by Lord Culpeper, who passed it down as inheritance to Thomas Fairfax. Fairfax's land was bordered by the Rappahannock on the south and the Potomac (or Quiriough) on the north, with line drawn from the headwaters of one to the headwaters of the other.
In 1776, the Virginia legislature led by Thomas Jefferson voted to abolish estates and divide the land among the people. Though Fairfax and his lands were untouched during the Revolution, due largely to his friendship with George Washington, Fairfax died shortly after Cornwallis' surrender in 1781, and the land was taken into possession by the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Hampshire County was formed in 1754 from Augusta and Frederick Counties, Virginia, and its sister county of Berkeley was formed from the latter in 1772. In 1786, the southern half of Hampshire County became Hardy, which was again divided in 1866 to make Grant County. In 1801, Berkeley gave birth to Jefferson County on the south and in 1820 it joined with the northern part of Hampshire County to form Morgan County. Also in 1866, Hampshire County divided again to form Mineral County. It is in Mineral County that our ancestral lands lie today, probably somewhere near the junction of Patterson's Creek with the Potomac. The family also had strong connections to Allegany County, Maryland.
ON THE FOUNDING OF FRANKFORT (FORT ASBHY)
Source title unknown, but taken from a book on the history of Northern Virginia
page 29. "The town of Fort Ashby...is situated on Patterson's Creek, now Mineral County. It was laid off as a town in 1787, 139 acres of land, by John Sellers, with John Mitchell, Adnrew Cooper, Ralph Humphreys, John Williams Sr., Jas. Clark, Richard Stafford, Hezekiah Whiteman and Jacob Brookhart, 'gentlemen', Trustees."
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A TOWN IN THE COUNTY OF HAMPSHIRE, FROM http://www.wvculture.org/history/agrext/frankfrt.html
An Act to Establish a Town in the County of Hampshire (Passed December 5,1787)
1. Be it enacted by the general assembly, that one hundred and thirty-nine acres of land, in the county of Hampshire, the property of John Kellar, and laid off by him into in and out lots, with convenient streets, shall be, and the same is hereby established, a town by the name of Frankfort, and that John Mitchell, Andrew Cooper, Ralph Humphries, John Williams, Sen. James Clark, Richard Stafford, Hezekiah Whiteman, and Jacob Brookhart, gentlemen, be trustees thereof, who, or the major part of them, shall have power, from time to tim,e, to settle and determine all disputes concerning the bounds of said lots, and to establish such rules and regulations for the regular building of houses thereon, as to them shall seem best. In case of the death, resignation, removal out of the county, or other legal disability of one or more of the said trustees, it shall be lawful for the remaining trustees, to supply such vacancy, and the person so chosen shall have the same power as if he had been particularly named in this act.
2. And be it further enacted, that so many of the lots in the said town as are not sold by the said John Kellar are hereby vested in the said trustees, and they, or a majority of them, shall within six months after the passing of this act, sell the lots at public auction, having previously advertised the time and place of such sale at the court house of said county, on three successive court days, and convey the same to the purchaser in fee, subject to the conditions of building a house on each, sixteen feet square, with a brick or stone chimney, to be finished fit for habitation within three years from the date of sale, and pay the money arising from such sale to the said John Kellar, or his legal representatives. So soon as the purchaser of said lots shall have built thereon according to their respective deeds of conveyance, they shall then be entitled to, and have and enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities, which the freeholder and inhabitants of other towns in this state, not incorporated, hold and enjoy. If the purchaser of any lot sold by the said trustees shall fail to build thereon within the time limited, it shall be lawful for the said trustees, or a majority of them, to enter into such lot, sell the same again, and apply the money for the benefit of the inhabitants of the said town.
Troy Stafford, Oklahoma; telephone conversation
Richard Stafford was a trustee at Fort Ashby in 1785 & 1786 (This may have been a misunderstanding on my part, since legislative action was not filed until 1787 to form Frankfort, which later became Fort Ashby).
FROM "EARLY RECORDS HAMPSHIRE COUNTY VIRGINIA, NOW WEST VIRGINIA), compiled by Clara McCormack Sage and Laura Sage Jones, 1976
pg. 30: 2-16-1786, Richard Stafford of Hampshire Co., purchased from John Keller*** of Hampshire Count, a lot of ground in New Frankford, towni n Hampshire Co., on Patterson Creek, containing 99 square feet. Recorded 3-14-1786; witnesses--none.
***an interesting note--John Keller, which is the actual name, is also the same man who is sometimes called John Cellars or John Sellers in the records. This is supposedly due to the fact that George Washington misspelled his name in some papers while visiting Hampshire County, writing it Cellars (presumably with a hard "c"), which was later misinterpreted in a soft-c way.***
pg 85: 1788, Richard Stafford purchased from the State of Virginia 400 acres near crossroads on S. Branch; land was formerly Fairfax land, sold 1788-1819 for taxes.
PG 138: 3-3-1788, Richard Stafford witnessed the will of Richard Williams.
pg 31: 12-30-1788, Richard Stafford witnessed a land transaction from John Keller of Hampshire Co., to Ezekiel Whiteman of Hampshire Co., 1 1/2 acres in Frankfort.
pg 31: 12-31-1788, Richard Stafford of Hampshire Co., purchased from John Keller fo Hampshrie county, 2 acres in Frankfort; recorded 6-11-1789; witnessed by James Clark, Ezekiel Whiteman, john Mitchell, Andrew Wodro
pg. 20: 6-19-1790, Richard Stafford of Hampshire Co. purchased from the Trustees of Frankfort 1/4 acre in Frankfort; recorded 10-14-1790; witnessed by And. Wodrow, Solomon Jones, Abraham Jones, M.A. Wodrow.
pg 55: 8-16-1791, Richard Stafford and wife Catherine of Frankfort sold to John Littlejohn of Leesburg, VA, Quarter acre in town of Frankfort; recorded 12-15-1791; Witnessed by John Mitchell, Solomon Jones, Alex King.
pg. 16: 9-17-1791, Richard Stafford witnessed a land transaction from Rev. Denny Fairfax of Kent Co. to Joseph Madden of Hampshire Co., 186 acres on North River.
pg. 16: 12-12-1791, Richard Stafford of Hampshire Co purchased from Denny Fairfax of Kent Co., 124 acres on North Branch River, recorded 4-24-1793; witnessed by Arthur O'Hara, Patrick Rilley, John Woodcock, Andrew Wodrow.
pg 114: 3-4-1796, Richard Stafford witnessed the will of Leonard Eckstine.
pg 139: 1809, Richard Stafford estate referred to in Index of Book 5.
FROM HISTORY OF HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, VIRGINIA
Purchasers of lands formerly belonging to Lord Fairfax, page 401
"1788. Richard Stafford, 400 acres, near Cross roads on the waters of South branch [of the Potomac]."
CLS NOTE: I think this may have been somewhere close to Springfield, WV, north of Romney, or perhaps near Romney, which are the only two major crossroads I can find in Hampshire county on the South Branch.
FROM HAMPSHIRE COUNTY MINUTE BOOK, 1788-1791
1788, page 27: "Moses Starr, John Piersall, James Clarke and Richard Stafford or any three of them being first sworn are appointed to view the road from Frankfort to Cresaps Warehouse and report the situation thereof to the next court."
12 Nov 1789, page 215: "Ordered that Jacob Emert, William Carlyle, Benjamin Messhie, Joseph Johnson, John Persall, Richard Stafford, Peter Jones Senr., Robert Walker, Jacob Slagle, William Lockwood and John Dawson be summoned to appear at the next quarterly court to show cause why they should not be severally fined four hundred pounds of tobacco each, according to law, for their non attendance at this court as grand jurors."
14 Sept 1795, page 76: "Pursuant to the Act of Assembly entitled 'An Act for reducing into one the several Acts concerning the Land Office; as containing the Terms and manner of granting waste and unappropriated lands; for settling the tithes and bounds of lands; directing the mode of processioning and prescribing the duty of Surveyors.' The court do appoint the following persons processioners within this County, to wit...Jacob Slagle, James Clarke and Richard Stafford in the third district which is contained with the bounds of Captn. Slagles militia company."
WEST VIRGINIA LAND GRANTS
Stafford, Richard 33 acres, Pattersons Creek1792 VI, 126
Stafford, Richard 103 acres, adjacent to T. Lauton1792 VI, 137
Stafford, Richard 100 acres, Knobley Mountain1796 IX, 67
FROM "EARLY ALLEGANY COUNTY RECORDS 1787-1825, VOLUME ONE", compiled by Margaret Durst Cupler and helen Straw Hinkle, 1964, Cresap Chapter of the DAR.
pg 89: 10 Feb 1801, John Turvey estate: Accts. paid to Richard Stafford.
ON PROPERTY OWNED BY THE ANDERSON FAMILY, ANDERSON'S BOTTOM, WHICH ADJOINED RICHARD STAFFORD. Anderson's Bottom was across the North Branch of the Potomac River from Cresaptown, Maryland, on the west side of Knobley Mountain in Hampshire (now Mineral) County. The boundary of Anderson's property followed the meander of the River south and west to the land Henry Lee sold to Richard Stafford, then back toward Knobley Mountain. This description places Richard Stafford's property between the Potomac and Knobley Mountain south of Cresaptown.
http://home.comcast.net/~burrowses/Genealogy/Anderson/ThoAndersonVA1793/ThoAndersonVA-1791.html
Thomas Anderson
187 Acres
Hampshire
Recd 5th April 92
Grant Issued 27th
September 1793
Exd
*
October 24 1791 In obedience to an order from the worshipfull court of Hampshire dated Oct. court 1791 I have resurveyed the land of Thomas Anderson lying on the north branch of potomack adjoining the lands of Col Martin and bounded as followeth Viz Beginning at a sugar tree corner to said Martain thence s 87 w 8p to a locust on the bank of the river thence w/ the same with the meanders thereof s 14 w 12 p s 33 w 13 s 43 30"" w 32 p s 62 w 20 p thence s 57.30 w 26 s 51 w 28 s 60 w 29 s 10e 16 s 30 e 30 s 11 w 12 s 32 w 26 1/2 p to a white oak and hickory corner to the land leased to Richard Stafford thence with his line n 88 e 148 p to a black oak and white oak at the foot of knobley mountain thence along the side of the mountain n 32 e 220 p to a chestnut oak and sugartree thence S 88 E 144 p to the beginning containing 187 acres
Tms Anderson Wm Anderson C.C.S John Mitchel H.C.S
Anderson, Thomas 27 Sep 1793
Hampshire County
187a. On the North Branch of Potomack
adjoining the land of Col. Martin, Richard
Stafford &c.
N. N. Grants W, p. 502-503
* Original Card This property appears to be Anderson's Bottom, 5 miles up the North Branch from Cumberland.
FROM http://home.comcast.net/~burrowses/Genealogy/Anderson/ThoAndersonVA1793/ThoAndersonVA-1793.html
Henry Lee
Henry Lee Esqr Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia to all to whom these presents shall come Greeting Know Ye that by Virtue of a ReSurvey made the twenty fourth day of October one thousand seven hundred and ninety one In obedience to an order of the Worshipful court of Hampshire County there is Granted by the said commonwealth unto Thomas Anderson a certain Tract or parcel of Land containing one hundred and eighty seven acres lying and being in the said county of Hampshire on the north branch of Potowmack adjoining the land the land of Col Martin and bounded as followeth (to wit) Beginning at a Sugar Tree corner to said martin thence South eighty seven degrees west eight poles to a Locust on the bank of the River thence up the same with the meanders thereof South fourteen degrees west twelve poles South thirty three degrees West thirteen poles South forty three degrees and thirty minutes west thirty two poles South sixty two degrees West twenty poles South fifty seven degrees and thirty minutes west twenty six poles South fifty one degrees west twenty eighty poles South sixty degrees west twenty nine poles South ten degrees East sixteen poles South thirty degrees East thirty poles South eleven degrees west twelve poles South thirty two degrees west twenty six and half poles to a white oak and hickory corner to the land Lee sold Richard Stafford thence with his line north eighty eighty degrees East one hundred and forty eight poles to a black oak and white oak on the foot of Knobley Mountain thence along the side fo the mountain north thirty two degrees East ^two hundred & twenty two poles to a Chesnut Oak and sugar tree south eighty eighty degrees East one hundred and forty four poles to the Beginning with its Appurtenances to have and to hold the said Tract or parcel of Land with its Appurtenances to the said Thomas Anderson and his heirs forever In witness thereof the said Henry Lee Esquire Governor of the Commonwealth hath hereunto set his hand and caused the lesser seal of the Commonwealth to be affixed at Richmond on the ^ twenty seventh day of September in the Year of Our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety three and of the Commonwealth the eighteenth.
Also have William Anderson of "Anderson's Bottom" Hampshire Co--on the
Northern Branch of Potomac River the land lying on the River and extending
to Knobley Mountain and along the mountain Grant dated 12 July 1762 (he was
there by 1730--) And his son, Thomas Anderson,Hampshire Co--also on the
Northern Branch Potomac and extending to Knobley Mountain and along the
mountain side. His was adjacent to Col. Martin and Richard Stafford. These
properties were about 5 miles south of Ft. Cumberland, and just across the
river from Cresaptown.
***A daughter of William Anderson was Agnes Anderson who married William Henshaw, and they were the parents of Jonathan Seman Henshaw whose widow Elizabeth Mounts married Francis Asbury Stafford.***
FROM Virginia Northern neck Land Grants, 1775-1800, by Gertrude E. Gray
page 193: X-144: T.W. 18, 345=6 Aug 1783 John Foster, John T. Ricketts, Francis Deakins & William Deakins Jr. asne. of George Gilpin 72 A. (27 Oct 1794) in Hampshire Co. on Knobley Mt. adj robert Monroe's purchases of Nathaniel Smith & of Innis, Richard Stafford, Clinton. 30 May 1796 (Dl'd Mr. Gilpin 15 Oct 1796)
page 221: X-553: Same as X-546=15 Mar 1782 William Adams in his own right for one moiety & Joseph Baker as asne. of said William Adams for the other Moiety 400 A. (13 Apr 1789) in Hampshire Co. on Patterson's Cre. adj. Okey Johnson dec'd, Richard Stafford, John Keller, John Jones. 24 Jun 1797 (Dl'd Mr. Baker 26 June 1797).
PERSONAL PROPERTY TAX LISTS FOR HAMPSHIRE COUNTY, 1782-1799 & 1800-1814
*A note about Personal Property Tax Records: Information recorded in Virginia personal property tax records changed gradually from 1782 to 1865. Teh early laws requried the tax commissioner in each district to record in "a fair alphabetical list" the names of the person chargeable with the tax, the names of white male tithables over the age of 21, the number of white male tithable between 16 and 21, the number of slaves both above and below 16, various tyupes of animlas such as horses and cattle, carriage wheels, ordinary licenses, and even billiard tables. Free Negreos are listed by name and often are denoted int he list as "fre" or FN."
In "Hampshire County, WV, Personal Property Tax Lists 1782-1799", put out by TLC Genealogy, Miami, FL, designations are as follows:
Name of Head of Household (or white male over 21
Tithables1. In 1782, 1788-99, it was white males in household over 16; from 1783-1787, it was white males over 21
Tithables 2. From 1783-1787, it was white males age 16-21.
Slaves
Horses
Cattle
However, from Hampshire county [west] Virginia Personal Property Tax Lists , 1800-1814, compiled by Vicki Bidinger Horton, 2002: For each taxpayer, Mrs. Horton has coded teh number of white tithables in the household, the number of horses owned, and the number of slaves, if any.
It seems that the facts recorded may have been left up to the commissioner making the list; if they had to record the names, then the men were over 21, but the number of tithables for each household--at least in Horton's work--seem to be all males over age 16.
From 1782-1799, transcribed by CLS 9-28-2007 from bound transcribed volume found in the Hampshire County Library in Romney, WV.
page 56, 1786
Richard Stafford 1-0-0-2-3
page 68, 1787 08 May
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-1-NA
This entry is referenced by Martha Grenzeback, [email protected], on a RootsWeb message board for Frederick County, VA:
Felte Purget [sic] lived about 20 houses away from Jacob (they're both on a
different page from Henry, though in the same tax district). Felte paid
tax on himself, no white males above 16 and under 21, no blacks above 16
but 1 under 16, 5 horses, 5 cattle. His neighbors were John Pierceall,
Richard Stafford, John McBride, Christeen [sic] Stephens.
page 82, 1788
Richard Stafford 1, NA-0-1-NA
page 94, 1790
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-1-NA
page 111, 1791 15 Jul
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-2-NA
page 124, 1792 03 May
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-2-NA
page 145, 1793 26 Jul
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-2-NA
page 151, 1794 18 Jun
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-1-NA
page 166, 1795 10 June
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-5-NA
page 182, 1796 10 May
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-5-NA
page 199, 1797 13 Apr
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-4-NA
page 232, 1798 04 June
Richard Stafford 1-NA-0-5-NA
page 239, 1799 02 May
Richard Stafford 2-NA-1-4-NA
one son over 16 (William J., born about 1780, or Francis Asbury, born 1782)
West Virginia Tax Records 1800-1814 (source unknown, but found in the Albuquerque Special Collections Library); numbers following entry denote white tithables, horses, and slaves.
page 5, 1800
Richard Stafford 2-7-1
one son over 16 (Francis Asbury, born 1782), 7 horses, 1 slave;
page 24, 1801
Richard Stafford 2-10-1; 1 stud
one son over 16 (Francis Asbury, born 1782), 10 horses, 1 slave, 1 stud
page 44, 1803
Richard Stafford 2-14
one son over 16 (Francis Asbury, born 1782), 14 horses
page 62, 1804
Richard Stafford 2-10; 1 stud
one son over 16 (Francis Asbury, born 1782), 10 horses, 1 stud
page 68, 1805 Upper District
Richard Stafford 2-11
one son over 16 (Richard A. ?), 11 horses
Francis Stafford 1-2
2 horses
page 86, 1806
Richard Stafford 1-10; 1 stud
10 horses
*Francis may not be recorded in Hampshire County because family records indicate his children William J. & Mary were actually born in Frederick County, Virginia.
page 92, 1807
Richard Stafford 2-12
one son over 16 (Richard A. ?), 12 horses
page 110, 1809 Upper District
Widow (Richard probably died in1809) Stafford 2-3-1
2 sons over 16 (Joseph & Westley), 3 horses, 1 slave
James Stafford 1-1
1 horse
Richard Stafford 1-2
2 horses
page 116, 1810
Richard Stafford 1-5
5 horses
Widow Stafford 2-4-1
2 sons over 21 (Joseph & Westley), 4 horses, 1 slave
page134, 1811
Richard Stafford 1-5
5 horses
Joseph Stafford 1-1
1 horse
Westley Stafford 1-1
1 horse
page 140, 1812
James Stafford 1-1
1 horse
Joseph Stafford 1-1
1 horse
page 152, 1813
James Stafford 1-3
3 horses
Joseph Stafford 1-2-1
2 horses, 1 slave
page 165, 1814
James Stafford 1-2
2 horses
Joseph Stafford 1-0-1
no horses, 1 slave
FREDERICK COUNTY, VA, CHANCERY COURT PAPERS
05 August 1805: Richard Stafford was named as defendant in a complaint filed by Richard Galloway for nonpayment of a bill of L38.0.3, including L20.14.6 1/2 for 13 barrels of flour, dated 1803. Richard Stafford's answer to the complaint acknowledged the debt excepting the money owed for 13 barrels of flour. In the dispute, Richard Stafford claimed that he actually lost $37 on the flour-deal-gone-bad, which should have been applied against his debt to Galloway.
DEATH
Richard Stafford is on the tax/tithe roles for 1807, there is nothing for 1808, and Widow Stafford is listed in 1809.
The initial appraisal of Richard Stafford's estate is dated 29 May 1808, followed by an estate sale on 09 June 1808, and an accounting in 1813. Catharine Stafford's will is dated 1810, and their estate in regards to their daughter Sally (Sarah) was settled by Col. Daniel Collins (executor of Catharine's estate and guardian of Sally) 21 Jun 1820.
Richard's estate supposedly first referred to in Hampshire County Will Book E, 1809. (FROM SAGE & JONES)
Selected Virginia Records
Stafford, Richard appraisal02-20-1809
Stafford, Richard sale bill02-20-1809
Stafford, Richard sale bill12-20-1813
Stafford, Richard settlement12-20-1813
CHILDREN
(as named in will and estate papers of Richard and Catharine Stafford, and also in the Chancery court records filed by Joseph S. Stafford)
William J. Stafford
Francis Asbury Stafford
Richard A. Stafford
John F. Stafford
James B. Stafford
Joseph S. Stafford
Westley Stafford
Washington Stafford
Sarah (Sally) Stafford
Richard and Catherine Stafford are the only Stafford family of their generation found in the Blue Ridge region of West Virginia and Maryland during the post-Revolution years 1785-1810. It was long assumed by many researchers, myself included, that they are our ancestors and the parents of the supposed eight sibling group that included Joseph S. Stafford. That assumption can now be considered fact, due to the discovery of the settlement in Frederick County Chancery Court Records of the estate of Catharine Stafford following the death of her son Washington.
In a bill filed by Joseph S. Stafford against his siblings and Daniel Collins, Catharine's executor, Joseph gives his siblings by name: William, Francis, Richard, John, James, Wesley, Washington, Sally and himself. Leaving himself out of the list, it would seem he named them in the order of their birth.
In 1825, Daniel Collins gave sworn testimony that Washington Stafford died intestate shortly after his mother's death in 1810, and that he was survived (presumably in 1825, Richard having died in 1823) by six brothers and a sister. This does not preclude the possibility that an older sister Elizabeth married Jonathan Seman Henshaw and was the mother of George Henshaw as long reported in the Henshaw genealogies (see notes on Elziabeth Stafford Henshaw).
Washington Stafford (1820-1906) said that his father Joseph was raised in a family of eight children. If the statement was correct, then either he meant his father had eight siblings, or was one of eight who lived to adulthood. Following either interpretation, it excludes Elizabeth Stafford Henshaw as a tenth child.
The Personal Property Tax Rolls for Hampshire County, 1782-1814, which take the place of the 1790 and 1800 census, give the following insights into the home:
From 1767-1789, there was only one tithable male in the over 21 (or over 16, as the case may be) age bracket, Richard Stafford himself.
In the summer of 1799, there was one son over the age of 16 in the household--Francis Asbury Stafford was born 22 Dec 1782, and was therefore 16 until his birthday.
From 1799-1804, it continues to show only one son over 16, which would be Francis Asbury.
In 1805, Francis appears as his own household, but Richard's household shows a son over 16, who is then not present in 1806. Theory--perhaps during the years 1799-1804, Francis was not necessarily the one reocrded.
In 1806, Richard is the only male over 16 in his household, perhaps indicating that the only sons remaining at home were under 16. So Francis and the 16 year-old son in 1805 household are gone.
In 1807, there is one son over 16, presumably Joseph S. Stafford who was born in 1790.
In 1809, Widow Stafford is reported with two sons over age 16--presumably Joseph S. (1790) and Westley (1792), with James and Richard listed in their own households.
In 1810, there are still two sons in Widow Stafford's household, still presumably Jospeh and Westley, with Richard listed in his own household. She died late that summer. The 1810 census shows only Richard and Joseph in the census for Hampshire county.
In 1811, Richard, Joseph and Westley are listed as heads of their own households.
In 1812-14, Joseph and James Stafford are listed.
Elizabeth Stafford Henshaw: That Elizabeth Stafford Henshaw was their daughter is completely supposition based totally upon circumstantial evidence. Jonathan Seman Henshaw did marry an Elizabeth Stafford, who was the mother of his son George. Elizabeth died before 1799, when he married secondly Elizabeth Mounts, who was the mother of Rhua Ann. It would seem that Jonathan died about 1805, and that his widow Elizabeth Mounts Henshaw was the woman who married Francis Asbury Stafford in 1805, as Rhua Ann was raised in the houshold of Francis Asbury Stafford in Ohio. Jonathan's mother's family--father William Anderson and brother Thomas--had land adjoining some of Richard Stafford's in the 1790s. The Henshaw genealogies state that Jonathan Seman Henshaw went to Coshocton County, Ohio, but I have been unable to find him in the records there. It is believed that he died when his children were still young, and that they went to live with relatives. Son George lived with his father's brother, Adam Stephens Henshaw, and together they went to Union County, Kentucky, around 1815. Francis' two oldest children, who would have been closest to her in age, each named a daughter Rhua, presumably after the cousin who lived with them; and her son Alfred Higbee went to Missouri with his cousin William J. Stafford. Since we have found no other Staffords in the region at that time, it is reasonable to conclude that Elizabeth Stafford Henshaw was a daughter of Richard and Catherine Stafford. She was probably born around 1777-1779, if she was the daughter of a former British soldier/POW who married in Northern Virginia shortly after his arrival here, as well as being the mother of a son born in 1795.
***NOTE, 10-2008: I am now of the opinion that the Henshaw genealogies were inaccurate in reporting that "Elizabeth Stafford" was the wife of Jonathan Seman Henshaw and the mother of his children. George Henshaw's (b. 1795) mother is unknown, but the mother of Rhua Ann Henshaw was Elizabeth Mounts, whom J.S. Henshaw married in 1799. It now seems probable that J.S. Henshaw died between 1799 and 1805, that his widow Elizabeth Mounts Henshaw is the same as Eliza Henshaw who married Francis A. Stafford in 1805. Rhua Ann Henshaw is recorded in the Bible of Francis Asbury Stafford, and all evidence she was raised in that household as a sister to Francis and Eliza's children.
William Josephus Stafford: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate, and also named as the administrator of his father Richard's estate. Named first in the list of siblings, it would seem that William was the oldest son. By 1823, he was no longer living in Virginia. (10-2007: This is the first time I have been aware of this sibling.)
Francis Asbury Stafford Sr.: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate. Francis A. Stafford moved to Ohio in 1807 or 1808, but his marriage record of 1805 to Eliza Henshaw places him in Allegany County, Maryland, and the tax and tithe rolls of that year place him in Hampshire county, Virginia, with Richard Stafford. Information on his children indicate they were born in Frederick county, Virginia in the 1806-1809 period. He apparently raised Rhua Ann Henshaw, and when nephew Washington Stafford left Virginia, he lived first in Coshocton County near Francis. Brother Richard A. Stafford bought land either adjoining or located very near his.
Richard Adam Stafford: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate. Richard A. Stafford married Mary Ann Walker in 1809 in Allegany County, Maryland, the same year he appears on the tax and tithe rolls of Hampshire County, Virginia with Widow (Catherine) Stafford and James Stafford. He is recorded in 1810 and 1811, as well as the 1810 census next to Joseph Stafford. In the 1820 census for Coshocton County, Ohio, an unidentified male born 1794-1802 is recorded in his household, possibly one of his brothers. The history of Coshocton County records that he was a wagon maker who came from the South Branch of the Potomac in Virginia before 1815. Land records show him buying land in Ohio in 1812, and he was in the Ohio Militia for the War of 1812. His first purchase of land in Ohio was adjacent to one of his brother Francis' sections. He died in 1823.
John Fletcher Stafford: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate. John F. Stafford witnessed the will of Catherine Stafford in Hampshire County, 1810. He appears in the marriage records of Allegany County, Maryland, in 1809, his bride one Hannah Cresap, possibly Hannah Longshore the third wife (married 1797) and widow of Daniel Cresap who died in 1798. There is no Hannah born a Cresap identified in any Cresap research who could possibly be the woman who married John Stafford. He is recorded in the 1810 census for Allegany County surrounded by Cresap households, which indicates he was born in the 1765-1784 period. Born after Richard, perhaps c1787, there is an unidentified male born 1784-1794 irecorded in his household. By 1823, he was no longer living in Virginia. There is a John Stafford in Jersey County, Illinois, 1850, who was born about 1791 in Virginia. There was a John Fletcher in Frederick County, Virginia, during the post-revolutinary era.
James Bruce Stafford: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate. James Stafford appears on the tax and tithe rolls, 1809 with Widow (Catherine) Stafford and Richard Stafford; in 1812-1814 with Joseph Stafford. By 1823, he was no longer living in Virginia. There was a James Bruce living in Frederick County, Virginia, during the post-revoloutionary era.
Joseph Stone Stafford: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate; he filed the lawsuit against his siblings and Daniel Collins, and gave testimony to the identity of his siblings. Joseph S. Stafford is in the 1810 Census for Hampshire County with Richard, 1820 with Westley; 1830 in Allegany County, Maryland, where he was also a constable; 1840 & 1850 in Hampshire County, no other Staffords present. In the latter, there was a 7 year old girl namd Francis Stafford recorded in his household; her relationship to him is unknown. There was also an 18 year old boy Joseph Stafford living in Allegany County, Maryland. These could be children or grandchildren of one of Joseph's brothers...William, John, James??? He witnessed the will of Catherine Stafford in 1810, and was later involved in several law suits concerning her estate. He also appears on the tax and tithe rolls beginning in 1811.
Westley Stafford: Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate; he submitted a sworn affadavit in which he assigned his rights to his brother Washington's estate to his brother Joseph. Westley Stafford is in the 1820 Census for Hampshrie County with Joseph, and in the court records. His family uses common Stafford names such as Francis Marion and Francis Asbury, among others. By 1823, he was no longer living in Virginia.
Washington Stafford: Listed in Catherine Stafford's will, 1810. Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate; According to the lawsuit filed by his brother Joseph Stafford, he died shortly after his mother.
Sarah Stafford Cresap: Listed in Catherine Stafford's will, 1810. Listed in the Chancery Court Records settling mother's estate; called Sally. According to testimony of Daniel Collins, he was her guardian; said guardianship released in 1822, indicating a birth in 1801-1803 (I'm not sure what the age of adulthood would have been at the time, 18 or 21), at which time her mother's estate was settled; Troy Stafford told me she married a Cresap. By 1823, she was no longer living in Virginia.
OTHER
History of Allegany County, page 474-75
"METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCHES: One hundred and thirty-nine years of continuous ministry is the record of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Cumberland and vicinity. Cumberland was an outlying appointment of the Baltimore Conference as early as 1782, and was probably frequented by Bishop Francis Asbury, "the prophet of the Long Road." In 1783, it was the center of the Allegany Circuit with John Cooper as the preacher in charge. In 1787, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in Cumberland, and was the first regular church organization in this city."
Richard and Cahterine Stafford were most likely Methodists, especially considering that they named one son Francis Asbury Stafford, after the great American Bishop, and another son they named Westley, after the founder of Methodism. Perhaps the Centre Street Methodist Episcopal Church organized in 1787 in Cumberland, Maryland, just across the Potomac River from where they lived in Hampshire County, was where they worshiped in those early days of American Methodism.
CONCERNING FRANCIS ASBURY.
I had thought that the Staffords might have been part of Francis Asbury's meetings in Hampshire County during the summer of 1782, thus their naming their son born in December after him. However, it now appears that they were living at Stephensburg, south of Winchester, in Frederick County, places to which I can find no early references in his journals. Undoubtedly they were acquainted with Asbury at the time, though.
FROM the Journal of Bishop Francis Asbury, 1782, found at http://wesley.nnu.edu/holiness_tradition/asbury_journal/vol_I/1asbury_ch11.htm
exact movements between June 26 and July 6 cannot be traced. After leaving Hite's, near Charles Town, in present West Virginia, he went briefly into Clark and Frederick counties, Virginia, returning to Hampshire County, West Virginia. He seems to have continued up the North River and then up Lost River, crossing back into Vffgmla (probably Rockingham County), then into present West Virginia near Sugar Grove. The spot is memoralized by the Francis Asbury Memorial Church at Sugar Grove, Pendleton County, West Virginia. The "great mountain" is now known as the Great North Mountain or the Shenandoah Mountains. Its crest divides the two states.
428 WEST VIRGINIA July 7,1782
Susannah George's," I preached on, "My spirit shall not always strive with man:" I had been sorely tried in body and mind-I now spoke with delight.
Sunday, 7. In recrossing the mountain, on my way to Mill Creek," I was obliged to walk up and down its sides, and was greatly tired. I delivered a short discourse, with pleasure, to about three hundred people; afterward brother John Hagerty spoke to them: it rained before and after preaching, but held up while we worshipped by the side of the stream, for want of a house. After preaching, we rode to the Branch,23 making a Sabbath-day's journey of nearly forty miles.
Monday, 8. I am sick and weary-ah! how few are there who would not choose strangling rather than life and the labours we undergo, and the hardships and privations we are compelled to submit to! Blessed be God, we have hope beyond the grave!
Thursday, 11. At Patterson Creek24 I struck at the root of Antinomianism, while speaking at John Jones's;25 certain sectarians were not well pleased at this: once in Christ and always safe-this is a favourite morsel to some.
Friday, 12. Rode to the north Branch, crossed the Nobbly Mountain,26 at its foot we stopped, ate a little bread, drank fine water, prayed, and then went forward to Joseph Cresaps.27
Maryland
I was pretty plain on Isaiah lv, 6, 7. Here Colonel Barrett28 met me, and conducted me two miles up the Alleghany: we were riding until near t
FOOTNOTES for above journal entries.
21 Susannah George was the widow of Matthew George, who lived on the South Fork of the South Branch. (See Will Book, II, 45, 181, Romney, West Virginia.)
22 The mountain was Fork Mountain. (See note under June 20, 1781.)
28 The former Berkeley Circuit was named South Branch Circuit this year, from the South Branch of the Potomac. This was around the present Petersburg, West Virginia. (Lawrence Sherwood, art. in Delta, Buckhannon, West Virginia, May 19, 1953; note under June 5, 1781.)
24 Patterson Creek was the present Fort Ashby (CLS--actually, this is incorrect; Patterson Creek and Fort Ashby were two distinct communities)
25 John Jones lived at present Fort Ashby in Mineral County, West Virginia. (Deed Book, 1, 59; 11, 152; XVI, 59, Romney Court House. See note under June 11, 1781.)
26 Nobbly Mountain begins west of Petersburg, West Virginia. Asbury went from present Fort Ashby to Short Gap, over Nobbly, and to the North Branch near Cresaptown, Maryland.
27 Joseph Cresap (1755-1827) was a member of a prominent family and lived at present Cresaptown, Maryland. He was married four times. He was a Revolutionary officer, a farmer, member of the Maryland senate, and a Methodist preacher. His grandfather, Thomas Cresap, laid out a part of the Braddock Road; and his uncle Michael's widow married the Rev. John Jeremiah Jacob. (See the History of the Cresaps; also notes under June 6, 1781; June 30, 1784; and July 21, 1785.)
28 Colonel Barrett lived on the Braddock Road near Frostburg, Maryland. Asbury visited him in Kentucky on September 22, 1805, and in Ohio on September 5, 1811, and referred to his death on September 20, 1811. (See Journal entries for those dates.)
FROM the Journal of Francis Asbury
1782
July 12
Rode to the north Branch, crossed the Nobbly Mountain; at its foot we stopped, ate a little bread, drank fine water, prayed, and then went forward to Cressaps. I was pretty plain on Isaiah lv. 6, 7. Here Colonel Barrett met me, and conducted me two miles up the Alleghany: we were riding until near ten o'clock, the road was dreary, and the night was dark: I wanted rest and found it. We had nearly two hundred people to hear in this newly settled country - they were attentive; and I hope God will do something for them. After preaching on John vii. 17. we set out on our return: I was much fatigued, and it rained hard; my poor horse too, was so weak from the want of proper food, that he fell down with me twice; this hurt my feelings exceedingly - more than any circumstance I met with in all my journey beside.
July 14
Was rainy - however, it cleared away time enough to get to Williams's, on the south Branch. Brother Hagerty preached an excellent discourse on "Hoe would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth" - after which, I spoke about forty minutes on Prov. i. 23-25. I am not so pious as I want to be, I pray much, but I do not watch and pray enough: in the course of the labours of the day I purpose to do it
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Abt 1755 - 1808 (~ 53 years)
