Margaret (Miller) Stafford
(1855-1909)
Margaret E. (Miller) Stafford was born in 1855 in or near Kingwood, Preston County, WV, the daughter of Hezekiah and Keziah Ellen (Fawcett) Shaffer.
Margaret married John Wesley Stafford (1856- ? ), the son of Catherine Stafford, on Feb. 23, 1875, in Preston County. She was age 20, and he 19, at the time of marriage. They had four children, of whom three are known -- Charles B. Stafford, Mary E. Stafford and Ollie C. Stafford.
The federal census for 1880 shows them in the Lyon District of Preston County, where John worked as an ore miner. In 1891, when they signed legal documents on behalf of Maggie's mother, they lived in Athens County, OH.
Maggie apparently divorced or separated from John sometime before 1900. She made her home with her son and daughter in law Charles and Maud (Shrout) Stafford in 1900 in Kingwood.
Maggie passed away at the age of 55 on Dec. 13, 1909, at Victoria, Preston County.
John died in Tunnelton on Sept. 2, 1931, at the age of 75, with burial at Campground Cemetery.
Son Charles Bailey Stafford (1876-1947) married Maud Anna Shrout (1877- ? ) in about 1899. The following year, the newlyweds lived in Kingwood, and in their home were Charles' widowed mother Maggie and Maud's divorced father Charles W. Shrout, a Civil War veteran. By 1910, they had produced no children, and were still living in Kingwood, where Charles labored as a bridge carpenter. They lived in the Tunnel Hill (Tunnelton) section of Kingwood as shown on the 1920 census, and Charles was a farmer at that time. He also was a blacksmith in later years. Charles died of a stroke on Nov. 26, 1947, at the age of 70. Burial was in Campground Cemetery near Tunnelton.
Daughter Mary E. Stafford (1877- ? )
Daughter Ollie C. Stafford (1880- ? )
Copyright © 2008 Mark A. Miner