| Notes |
- He disappeared while driving cattle and hoses in Colorado or New Mexico in the 1880's.
-- MERGED NOTE ------------
TAKEN FROM A POLK COUNTY, IOWA, QUERY, USGENWEB, POSTED BY MILTON STAFFORD, 1998
Trying to obtain information about my great grandfather Joseph Milton STAFFORD. He may have lived in Illinois in the years before he started a family. He lived in Polk County, Camp Township, Iowa with his wife, the former Sarah Elizabeth MCDANNEL, and may have been married in that vicinity. Their first child, Alice Mabel STAFFORD, was born in Adelphi, Iowa March 3, 1871. Second child, Harvey O. STAFFORD was born in Colorado on Nov 11, 1872. Third child, Clifton Bord STAFFORD, my grandfather, was born in Polk County, Iowa on May6, 1874. Fourth child, Lafee STAFFORD was born somwhere in Iowa on Feb 15, 1876 and fifth and last child, Clarence STAFFORD was born in Polk County, Iowaon Feb 6,1883. Joseph then decided to go "out west" and buy some land and move his family out there. He sold a cattle trading business and took all the money that he could accumulate and left. He wrote to his family regularly for some time, then the letters stopped. After a while "a relative" went out to where they thought he was but could not find a trace of him. Someone told the relative that life was cheap in that area. Since he was carrying a lot of money some assumed that he had been murdered for the money. Another story was that he and a partner were driving a herd of cattle to Kansas City but they never arrived there. Since he had been in the cattle trading business, this sounds logical. Rustlers, Indians, or his "partner" could have murdered him and took his money and the cattle. He was never seen or heard from again by his family. His wife Sarah was born in Canal Dover, Hyland Cty, Ohio on June 14, 1850. Presumably Joseph would ave been born sometime close to this date. The 1880 US census for Iowa does not include Joseph or his wife Sarah. It does include four of their children. Alice, Clifton, and Lafee were living with their maternal grandfather, John MCDANNEL, and Harvey was living with the Daniel Clark family - no relationship given. In this census the birthplace for the children's father and mother were both given as Ohio. Since the information must have been given to the census taker by John MCDANNEL or his wife they or the census taker may have made a mistake. The 1900 US census for Iowa listed birthplace for the father of Clifton as Illinois which sounds more logical. Also this information must have been given to the census taker by Clifton and should be more accurate. If anyone has any information regarding this family, especially Joseph, I would appreciate hearing from them. I would be happy to share other information that I have for the rest of the family.
CLS
These details fit our Joseph M. Stafford, brother of James and John, born 1849 in Coshocton County, Ohio.
1)Joseph M. Stafford was in the 1860 census, Livingston County, IL, age 1
0, not in 1870--apparently he moved and married (or married and moved), living in Polk County, Iowa. His oldest child was born in March 1871, giving an approximate marriage date in early 1870.
2) Settling in Polk County--a nephew George later lived in Polk County.
3) Descendant gives his middle name as Milton--Milton is a common given name in our family; Joseph comes from our ancestor
4) A story handed down in our family claims that a brother left his family and was never heard from again. I have heard several versions of the story, including one that he went to Roswell or Ruidoso to raise horses. However, since John and George are accounted for, it would seem to make sense that this story of Joseph fits with our family.
Milton Stafford
7446 Rosemont Ln,
Spring Hill, FL
34606
(352) 686 - 5363
PHONE CONVERSATION, 4/6/2001
I looked up Milton Stafford on the internet today and called the first one on the list--the one in Spring Hill Florida. This, on the off chance t
hat his former email domain of atlantic.net
Census:
- Listed as J. M. Stafford, a miner. Parents born in VA.
Died:
- Salt Lake Tribune 1891-04-17
A SOUTHERN UTAH TRAGEDY
F.T. Tilton Kills Joseph Stafford in Self-Defense.
Kanab, April 16 - [Special to Tribune]
-Joseph Stafford of the firm of Stafford & Butts, sheep owners, was shot and killed at a ranch on Buckskin mountain on Monday last by F.T. Tilton, also a sheep owner. Mr. Tilton and his partner, Mr. Weymouth, were the only ones present, and report that it was done strictly in self defense. Mr. Stafford was buried here today.
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1849 - 1891 (42 years)
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