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EARLY SETTLERS OF SANGAMON COUNTY - 1876
By John Carroll Power

These biographies were submitted by a researcher and evidently abstracted from the 1876 History of Sangamon County, IL. Errors could occur, so one should always verify the correctness by obtaining copies of vitals and performing all necessary research to document what is contained herein.




STAFFORD, CALEB, was born June 22, 1789, in Coventry, Kent county, Rhode Island, went with his father, Joseph Stafford, in 1804, to Essex county, New York, where he was married in 1810 to Rebecca Eggleston. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and was in the battles of Plattsburg, Sept. 17, 1814, Bouquet river, and others in New York. Mr. and Mrs. Stafford had eleven living children in New York, and moved to Sangamon county, Illinois, in 1836, settling near Rochester. Of their children--

DIADEMA, born Dec. 25, 1812, in Essex county, N. Y., married there Dec. 25, 1833, to Gardner T. Bruce, born in 1806, in Keene, N. H., and came to Sangamon county, in 1842. They had three children, namely, GARDNER AUGUSTUS, of Watson, now Buffalo, Sangamon county, Ill., became second lieutenant of Co. L, 10th Ill. Cav., April 8, 1862; was promoted to 1st lieutenant Sept. 29, 1862, promoted to captain July 13, 1864, transferred to captain of Co. A, the same regiment in Jan. 1865, when it was consolidated with the 15th regiment. He was honorably mustered out Nov. 22, 1865, at San Antonia, Texas. G. Augustus Bruce was married to Susan Constant, daughter of Jacob D. Constant. See his name. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce have two children, ADELAIDE and WILLIAM, and live at Corinne, Box Elder county, Utah. CHAS. T., has been a soldier in the U. S. army since 1859, and is now--1876--with the army in San Antonio, Texas. HELEN, died at Mechanicsburg, Ill., aged eighteen years. Mrs. Diadema Bruce died at Mechanicsburg, Ill., and Gardner T. Bruce married Mrs. Eliza Lyon, whose maiden name was Correll. See Correll and Lyon families. Gardner T. Bruce and wife reside in Atchison, Kansas.

THOMAS D., born Nov. 14, 1814, in Essex county, New York, and married there to Polly Fisher. They came to Sangamon county in 1836, and had three children. ELIZA married George Flagg, at Rochester, and now lives at Galesburg, Ill. CECELIA married Neely Wood, and lives in Galesburg. NELLIE lives with her father. Mrs. Polly Stafford, died in 1872, and T. D. Stafford married Mrs. Dutcher. They live in Galesburg, Ill. He has been totally blind for several years.

ORSON N., born Sept. 11, 1816, in Willsboro, Essex county, N. Y. In 1829, he went to sea and led the life of a sailor until 1835, when he was disabled by a shipwreck, making him a cripple for life. In 1837 he was attached to a government surveying party, on the northern lakes, charged with the duty of selecting sites for light-houses. At Chicago--in his own words--not finding that terrible monopoly, the railroad, to bring him here in eight hours, for six or seven dollars, he had the privilege of paying twenty-five dollars in gold for a stage ticket, enjoyed the luxury of eight days' jolting, and arrived at Springfield, Nov. 29. 1837. He was married in Rochester, Ill., Aug. 29, 1841, to Eliza A. Sherman, a native of Addison, Vermont. She is a direct descendant of Roger Sherman, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. They had one child, EMMA E., born May 23, 1854, and died March 30, 1855. O. N. Stafford has been in different kinds of business. He has sold dry goods, built and remodeled eighteen houses in Springfield, has been connected with the Illinois State Journal at various times for several years, was elected a member of the city council of Springfield for 1854 and 1855. He considers Springfield his home, but spends the greater part of his time at St. Augustine, Florida, engaged in the cultivation of oranges, lemons and other tropical fruits.

AMANDA MALVINA, born in 1818, in Essex county, N. Y., married in Rochester, Ill., to Dr. Samuel D. Slater. They have five living children. ALBERT S., married Miss Lee, and is a physician and druggist at Wataga, Knox county, Ill. AMANDA M., married Frank M. VanPelt, and lives in Atlanta, Georgia. ANNA E., married Mr. H. H. Harsh, a banker of Creston, Union county, Iowa, and resides there. FRANK, married Carrie Dutcher, and lives in Galesburg, Ill. MINNIE married Dr. Herbert Judd, and lives in Galesburg. Dr. S. D. Slater resides in Galesburg, Ill.

AMOS, born in 1824, in Essex county, N. Y., came with his parents to Sangamon county, in 1836, and married Sarah Johnson. They had three children. ADA A. married and lives in Galesburg, Ill. EVA J. and Edward live at Maroa, Ill. Mrs. Stafford died Sept. 26, 1867, and Amos Stafford died Nov. 26, 1867, both in Decatur, Ill.

HIRAM P., born in Essex county, New York, married in Sangamon county to Mrs. Eunice Black, whose maiden name was Eggleston. They had five children. FRANCES, the third child, died young; LUCINDA, MOSES, WILLIAM and MINNIE live with their parents. H. P. Stafford lived in Decatur, Illinois, until the fall of 1876, when he moved to Carrollton, Missouri.

HENRY H., born July 16, 1829, in Essex county, New York, brought up in Sangamon county, was married Dec. 7, 1851, to Lauretta Ross. They had two children, and moved to Decatur Sept. 16, 1856, where they had one child. Of their children, ADELAIDE died Dec. 21, 1859, aged seven years and four months. ORLANDO C., born Jan. 11, 1856, in Sangamon county, is a steam engineer in an oil mill at Decatur, Illinois. LAURETTA A., born Nov. 8, 1859, lives with her grand-father, Ross. Mrs. Lauretta Stafford died Dec. 7, 1859, in Decatur and Henry H. Stafford was married Aug. 6, 1863, in Jamestown, now Riverton, Ill., to Lydia A. Wright. They had five children, CELESTIA M. and EFFIE G., the second and fourth, died young. MARY E., GRACIE H. and DAISY L. live with their parents. Henry H. Stafford is an engineer, and has been running stationary engines for twenty years. He resides in Decatur, Illinois.

LUCINDA M., born Sept. 10, 1826, in Essex county, New York, married in Sangamon county to John W. Priest. See his name. She died Sept. 10, 1851.

MARY E., born Sept. 11, 1832, in Essex county, New York, married in Sangamon county to James Ransdale, and died in Rochester, Illinois.

LOUISA, born in Essex county, New York, married in Sangamon county to James Matthew McCoy. See his name. He died and she married James Huston, and lives near Carrollton, Missouri.

RODNEY NELSON, born Oct. 2, 1834, in Essex county, New York, brought up in Sangamon county, and married in Rochester, Ill., April 2, 1857, to Sarah M. VanOrmann. They moved to Decatur, October, 1858, and had six children. HENRY O., was killed on a railroad Nov. 19, 1873, aged about fifteen years. AMOS A., died young. MARY L., WILLIAM N., REUBEN C. and ARTHUR C., the four latter live with their parents. When R. N. Stafford was about fifteen years of age he was run over by a wagon loaded with railroad ties, by which he came near losing his life. He enlisted Aug. 6, 1862, in Co. A, 116th Ill. Inf. He was wounded three times at the siege of Vicksburg, was with Sherman on his "march to the sea," and served until the close of the rebellion, when he was honorably discharged with the regiment, June 7, 1865, at Washington, D. C. Soon after his discharge he came near losing his life by the explosion of a boiler. He became a Christian in January, 1876. R. N. Stafford and family reside in Decatur, Ill.

Mrs. Rebecca Stafford died June 21, 1843, and Caleb Stafford died May 7, 1855, both at Rochester, Sangamon county, Illinois.




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