Joseph Franklin STAFFORD

1876 - 1974  (98 years)

• Name	Joseph Franklin STAFFORD
  Born	11 Jul 1876	Walkertown, Forsyth Co., North Carolina   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Residence	Between 1878 and 1903	North Carolina
  Occupation	Between 1898 and 1951	Locomotive Engineer - Southern Railway (NC), Great Northern Railroad (WA/OR)
  Residence	Between 1903 and 1928	Washington State
  Residence	Between 1928 and 1974	Oregon
  _UID	A3EB14A2C49D954DB3593FFDFEAE73D7C5EE
  Died	24 Sep 1974	Klamath Falls, Klamath Co., Oregon
  Buried	26 Sep 1974	Eternal Hills, Memorial Garden, Klamath Falls, Oregon
  Person ID	I39498	Branch 004 William Stafford 1660 MD
  Last Modified	25 Dec 2007

  
  

  Father	Bartlett Yancey L. STAFFORD,   b. 28 Jul 1852, Winston-Salem, Forsyth Co., North Carolina ,   d. 22 Nov 1936, Winston-Salem, Forsyth Co., North Carolina  (Age 84 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Jane "Mattie" GLASSCOE,   b. 20 Jul 1850, Winston-Salem, Forsyth Co., North Carolina ,   d. 16 Jul 1880, Kernersville, Forsyth Co., North Carolina  (Age 29 years)
  Married	4 Feb 1873	Forsyth Co., North Carolina
  Family ID	F17980	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Mattie Jane BREWER,   b. 23 May 1880, Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., North Carolina ,   d. 23 Mar 1966, Klamath Falls, Klamath Co., Oregon  (Age 85 years)
  Married	8 Feb 1899	North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., North Carolina   [1]
  Children	1. Violet Arbutis STAFFORD,   b. 9 Jun 1900, North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., North Carolina ,   d. 1 May 1990, Klamath Falls, Klamath Co., Oregon  (Age 89 years)   2. Gladys Olivine STAFFORD,   b. 23 Apr 1902, North Wilkesboro, Wilkes Co., North Carolina ,   d. 28 Jun 1989, Klamath Falls, Klamath Co., Oregon  (Age 87 years)   3. Annie Ismus STAFFORD,   b. 18 Sep 1904, Leavenworth, Chelan Co., Washington ,   d. 23 Sep 1989, Klamath Falls, Klamath Co., Oregon  (Age 85 years)   4. Joseph Terrell Eroscoe STAFFORD,   b. 24 Jul 1906, Leavenworth, Chelan Co., Washington ,   d. 15 May 1999, Klamath Falls, Klamath Co., Oregon  (Age 92 years)   5. Clyde James STAFFORD,   b. 11 Mar 1908, Leavenworth, Chelan Co., Washington ,   d. 16 Dec 1992, Wenatchee, Washington  (Age 84 years)   6. Paul Pinkney STAFFORD,   b. Abt 1911, Levenworth, Chelan, Washington   7. Earl STAFFORD,   b. 18 Jul 1913, Leavenworth, Chelan Co., Washington ,   d. Jan 1915, Leavenworth, Chelan Co., Washington  (Age 1 years)   8. (son) STAFFORD,   b. 1914,   d. 1914  (Age 0 years)   9. (son) STAFFORD,   b. 1915,   d. 1915  (Age 0 years)   10. Wanda Lucille STAFFORD
  Last Modified	30 May 2023
  Family ID	F14774	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  He was an engineer who helped build rail lines to the Northwes. Lived in Klamath Falls, Oregon. One child was born in NC and the rest were borth in Levenworth, WA. 1920 WA Census, Chelan Co., Tumwater Precinct, Ward 7701, Jan. 3-5, 19 20 E. D. 17, p. 1-B: 20/20 (County Road) Joseph F. STAFFORD, head (owns home-mortgaged) m w 43y married b NC paren ts b NC Engineer-Locomotive Mattie J., wife f w 39y married b NC parents b NC Gladys O., dau f w 17y single b NC parents b NC Annie I., dau f w 13y single attending school b WA parents b NC Joseph T., son m w 12y single attending school b WA parents b NC Clyde J., son m w 11y single attending school b WA parents b NC Paul P., son m w 9y single attending school b WA parents b NC Wanda L., dau f w 4 1/12 single b WA parents b NC 1930 OR Census, Klamath Co., Klamath Falls City, Prec. 17, April 24, 193 0, E.D. 34, sheets5-B & 6-A: 133/136 (1985 Manganaha) Joseph F. STAFFORD, head (owns home-$5500) m w 51y married @ 21y b NC pare nts b NC Engineer-locomotive; not a veteran Mattie, wife f w 49y married @ 19y b NC parents b NC Joseph, son m w 23y single b WA parents b NC Fireman-locomotive; not a vet eran Paul, son m w 19y single attended school b WA parents b NC Wanda, dau f w 14y single attended school b WA parents b NC ------ In the spring of 1898 Joseph Franklin Stafford went into train servi ce on the Norfolk division of the Southern Railway between Greensboro a nd North Wilkesboro North Carolina. He recalled that he used to get paid $ 1.55 for a 103 mile trip. (Sometimes it would take 24 hours.) In 1903 he moved out west and March 22, 1904 went to work for the Great No rthern Railway on the Spokane division as a hostler . The next year he w as made a fireman, and in 1909 he qualified as a locomotive engineer. Some events that stand out in his career are the fact that he survived t he Wellington Avalanche in 1910. Just a few hours before a series of sn ow slides toppled a train and killed 98 people, he had taken a snow plou gh over the route. He was quoted in a newspaper article saying "Just luck y, I guess". He worked over the Cascade division from Seattle to Wenatchee for 25 year s. Then he came to Oregon. On May 4, 1928 he was the engineer of the fir st Great Northern train from Bend to Klamath Falls. The historic event whi ch opened the route from Bend to Klamath Falls also heralded the comi ng of the Weyerhaeuser Mill. Booming cannon, banquets, a parade with 100 f loats and fireworks were all a part of the festivities. The next day, May 5, 1928, he brought the first train into Bend from the s outh. In fifty-three years of railroad service "without a scratch" he hauled "ev erything from coal shovelers to railroad presidents" One newspaper report er referred to him as "Oregon's answer to Casey Jones" When he retired in 1951 he was running a Q-type helper engine between Be nd and Lava, Oregon. SOURCE: [email protected] <http://awt.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=G ET&db=:a16124&id=I0122>

  
  

• Sources

  [S4545] Stafford Genforum Message, #534 dated 30 Jan 1999Dessa C. [email protected].