Descendants of John Stafford

1. JOHN1 STAFFORD I 1,2 was born abt. 1669 in York County, Virginia, and died 1736 in Bath [Beaufort] County, North Carolina. He married ANN WYATT3 abt. 1692, daughter of JOHN WYATT and UNKNOWN.

Notes for JOHN STAFFORD I:

There are a number of printed secondary sources which assert that John Stafford I, was the son of a William Stafford II and the grandson of William Stafford I. See Frances Sample Franklin, The Ancestry of Frances Sample Franklin (Wolfe City, TX, 1972); G. M. G. Stafford, General Leroy Augustus Stafford, His Forebears and Descendants (Baton Rouge, LA, 1969, reprint); Annie Elizabeth Miller, Our Family Circle (Macon, GA, 1931); and Stafford Chart, compiled by Margaret Davis Cate, Sea Island, GA, 1952. However, none of these documents provide any convincing proof that John Stafford was indeed a grandson of the above William Stafford and his putative wife, Ann Mason. Indeed, there is no consensus as to the identity of William I's wife. Acording to Frances S. Franklin, John Stafford was born in York County, Virginia, ca. 1669 and married ca. 1692, Ann Wyatt. The first three of their children were born in York Co., VA, and the last three in Bath Co. North Carolina. By 1700 the family had moved to Bath County, North Carolina in the area that later became Beaufort County. On June 7, 1727, James Welch sold to John Stafford 381 acres in Bath County on the north side of Pantigo Creek, according to Beaufort County, NC, Record Book I (Real Estate Record I 1696-1729), p 534. John Stafford's will is dated May 15, 1733, Bath Co., NC., and was probated March 13, 1736 before Jno. Collison. The son William received a plantation on the south side of Broad Creek; John received "my plantation I now dwell on" 100 acres; Joshua received 100 acres of land; Edward was willed 180 acres on Creek Swamp; and Thomas got land on the north side of Broad Creek. The daughter Dinah Stafford received a box of irons and heaters. The remainder of the estate was to be sold and proceeds equally divided among the children, except for William. John Stafford, Jr., was Executor of the will. Thomas Batters was appointed to oversee the estates of the four youngest children which raises an interesting question. The Franklin book's birthdates for the children shows that the youngest was 28 when her father's will was written. According to Pioneers of Wiregrass Georgia, Vol. 8, p. 324, the son Joshua was b. ca. 1725.

Notes for ANN WYATT:

Ann Wyatt was born about 1677 in York County Virginia, the daughter of John and Unknown Wyatt. She married about 1692, John Stafford. In 1715 Ann and John were living in Beaufort Precinct of Bath County, North Carolina, as shown by the following: Record Book 1 (Real Estate Record I 1695-1729) page 267-268, Beaufort County, NC: "At a court held the 17th day of xber [December] anno dom 1714 Present His Majesties Justices....Granted John Stafford and Ann his wife, Daughter of John Wyat, William Cording as intermarrying the widow of the said Wyat deceased 14.8.3 appearing due for the said Ann's part, and ordered to be paid the same out of the Estate of Deceased," and "Received of William Cording, Executor of the estate of John Wyat, the sum of fourteen pounds, eight shillings, and three pence, being the full sum due to the daughter Ann of the said John Wyat in Virginia as her part of the appraisement, and by order of Court, (which said Ann Wyat is now my wife) we say received by us this 5th day of August 1715." It is signed by the marks of John Stafford and Ann Wyatt Stafford. Ann was not mentioned in her husband's will of 1733, so evidently she had died before then.

Children of JOHN STAFFORD and ANN WYATT are:

2. JOHN2 STAFFORD II (JOHN1) 5,6,7,8 was born 1695 in Virginia, and died Aft. 1768 in Bulloch Co., Georgia. He married MARY Abt. 1717.

Notes for JOHN STAFFORD II:

In 1741 John Stafford and his wife Mary sold 100 acres which his father John Stafford had willed to him. This is shown in Beaufort Co., Deed Book 1, page 133. By 1745, John and his family had moved to Bladen County, in the portion that became Anson County in 1748/9. Anson County, NC, Deed Book A, page 99 reveals that on Sept. 19, 1749, John Stafford of Anson County, sold 213 acres on the south side of the Pee Dee River to William Kemp for 50 pounds proclamation money. He had earlier obtained this land in a deed of conveyance from John Read in 1745. On March 1, 1754, John Stafford bought 50 acres on the south side of the Pee Dee from William Little for 20 pounds Va money. See Anson Co. Deed Book A, p. 516. In 1760 he received from King George III a grant of 600 acres in the newly opened land of the Creek Cession along the northern border of Georgia. The grant was in St. Philip Parish in the part which later became Bulloch County. John Stafford received a grant dated June 6, 1769 for 150 acres in St. Philip Parish which had been surveyed on Sept. 5, 1767. The land was bounded on the southeast by Lambeth Lane and on the northeast by the Ogeechee River. See Plat Book C, p. 303 and Grant Book G, p. 347, as published in English Crown Grants in St. Philip Parish in Georgia, 1755-1775.

Child of JOHN STAFFORD and MARY is:

3. THOMAS PETER3 STAFFORD (JOHN2, JOHN1)9,10 was born abt.1718 in Bath County, North Carolina, and died Aft. 1808 in Bulloch Co., Georgia. He married MARIAH11 1741.

Notes for THOMAS PETER STAFFORD

Around 1767 Thomas Peter Stafford and family moved to Georgia into that portion of St Philip Parish which later was included in Bulloch County. On March 4, 1768, his son Joshua and daughters Anna and Dinah "all on Ogeechee River," married their spouses in a triple wedding ceremony at Ebenezer Lutheran Church. The original church building, constructed 1767-69, is still standing in Effingham County, GA., and is officially known as Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church. See C. A. Linn, ed., Ebenezer Record Book (Savannah, GA, 1929), p. 76. The Staffords later moved to Bryan County, GA, for at a "Court held at White Oak Plantation June 7, 1797," Thomas P. Stafford was one of the jurors drawn for the next court term. On Dec. 29, 1801, Thomas Peter Stafford and wife Mariah of Bryan County, sold to Felix Geiger of Bulloch County for $20; 150 acres in old St. Philip Parish, now Bulloch County, granted by King George III in June 1760 to John Stafford and left by John's will to Thomas Peter Stafford. See Bulloch County Deed Book A, p. 104. On Jan. 27, 1806, Thomas Stafford and wife Mariah sold to James Scott a tract of land in Bryan County, formerly Liberty County, according to page 6 of Caroline P. Wilson's Abstracts and Index to Court Records 1793-1828 Bryan County, Georgia, published in 1929. Thomas P. Stafford's name continues in court records through 1808. Most sources give his birthdate as around 1718/20 but considering that he would have been of very advanced age when involved in these proceedings in the early part of the 19th century, consideration should be given to the possibility that he was born a few years later. This would also apply to his children's birthdates.

Children of THOMAS STAFFORD and MARIAH are:

4. ANN4 STAFFORD (THOMAS PETER3, JOHN2, JOHN1)15 was born 1742 in Beaufort County, North Carolina. She married ISRAEL ROBESON BIRD March 4, 1768 in Ebenezer Church, present Effingham Co. Ga..

Children of ANN STAFFORD and ISRAEL BIRD are:

5. DINAH4 STAFFORD (THOMAS PETER3, JOHN2, JOHN1)16,17,18,19,20 was born 1747 in Beaufort County, North Carolina, and died May 1816 in Bulloch County, Georgia. She married (1) SYLVANUS BIRD21,22,23 March 4, 1768 in Old Ebenezer Church, present Effingham Co. Ga. She married (2) JAMES BULLOCH24,25,26,27 1788 in Bryan County Georgia.

Notes for DINAH STAFFORD:

Dinah Stafford was born about 1747 in Beaufort County, North Carolina. She married Sylvanus Bird, March 4, 1768, at Ebenezer Church in present Effingham County, Georgia. Sylvanus Bird was fatally wounded Jan. 27, 1780, when Indians attacked Sir James Wright's Plantation at Ogeechee and killed Bird's sister Mrs. Hearn. This item was in the July 11, 1780 issue of The Royal Gazette, published in Savannah during the British occupation during the Revolutionary War. See Bryan County, GA Deed Book D, pp. 87-88, for deed from Abraham Bird of Telfair County, Georgia, to Dinah Bulloch of Bryan County, dated Sept. 3, 1810. In that deed, Abraham Bird conveyed to his mother, Dinah, portions of two tracts, containing 100 acres on the Ogeechee River in Bryan County. The deed is significant because it lists the heirs of Sylvanus Bird: Dinah [Stafford] Bird, Abraham, Andrew and Alexander Bird.

Dinah Stafford Bird married James Bulloch of Bryan County in 1788. Dinah and James had two daughters, Abegail born about 1790 who married Silas Hilliard and Ann (or Nancy) born in 1792 who married Rev. Matthew Albritton. Evidently James Bulloch had died by 1797 as a deed from John Bandy to Diannah Bulloch was issued on March 20, 1797 in Bryan County. Since it was issued to Diannah [Dinah] alone it indicates that James Bulloch was dead by that time.

In 1809, Dinah made a deed for 100 acres in Bryan County along with her daughters Abegail Hilliard and Ann Albritton for land that had been granted James Bulloch.

Dinah Stafford Bird Bulloch died May 1816, Bulloch County, Georgia. See Georgia Reports, Volume 1 by Charlton, page 150. Reprinted in National Genealogical Society Quarterly, December 1964, Volume 52, Number 4. Also see Legal Notices, etc., from Old Georgia Newspaper files, in Georgia Genealogical Magazine, Number 30, October 1968, "Bryan County--Alexander Bird, executor of will of Mrs. Dinah Bulloch, gives notice to debtors and creditors of the estate, January 9, 1819."

Notes for JAMES BULLOCH:

James Bulloch born about 1745, married Dinah Stafford born 1747 the widow of Sylvanus Bird, who was killed in 1780. They married in 1788. James lived in Bryan County Georgia. James and Dinah had two daughters, Abigail born about 1790 who married Silas Hilliard, and Ann (or Nancy) born in 1792 in Bulloch County, who married Rev. Matthew Albritton. Evidently James Bulloch died by 1797 as a deed from John Bandy to Diannah Bulloch was issued on March 20, 1797 in Bryan County. Since it was issued to Diannah [Dinah] alone, it indicates her husband James Bulloch was dead by that time. Records in Bryan County show Mrs. Ann Albritton, her sister Mrs. Abegail Hilliard, and their mother Mrs. Dinah Bulloch made a deed to 100 acres of land that had been granted James Bulloch. The Grant dated January 13, 1796 to James Bulloch was cited in the above deed recorded in Deed Book C, 1807-1815, pages 105-107, Bryan County, Georgia. The deed was to Godhilf Smith of Bryan County for 100 acres and was dated Jan. 23, 1809 It also identifies Dinah as the "relict" or widow of James Bulloch.

Children of DINAH STAFFORD and SYLVANUS BIRD are:

Children of DINAH STAFFORD and JAMES BULLOCH are: