STAFFORD, Edwin Bruce Sr.

STAFFORD, KEOWN, BROWN, WIGGINS, EASTHAM

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 2/7/2016 at 18:22:25

EDWIN BRUCE STAFFORD, SR.

History of Decatur County Iowa and Its People
Howell, Prof. J. M. & Smith, Heman C. Illustrated, Volume II.
The S.J. Clarke Pub. Company. Chicago. 1915.

Edwin Bruce Stafford, Sr. was born in Lancaster, England, on January 19, 1827. Edwin worked in a cotton mill in England at age 10. He was baptized into the Latter Day Saint Church at age of 12 in England in 1838. Ralph, Edwin's father, moved his family from Stockport, England to Manchester before the LDS conference April 16, 1840, which was likened unto Pentecost. A committee was appointed at conference to publish the Millennial Star, and the first edition of the Book of Mormon in 1841. Edwin was 14 when they sailed for America aboard the "Orpheus" in 1841.

He came with his family to Nauvoo, Illinois. Church was held in the Grove as the Temple was being built. He heard the last sermon of Joseph Smith, the martyr, preached to about 10,000 in the grove. he was in St. Louis, Missouri when Joseph Smith was killed. Both his parents and his baby brother had passed away by this time and an Uncle came from the east to "rescue" the remaining children from the Mormons. Edwin was bonded to a shoemaker. He later left for New York with only 55 cents in his pocket.

He got a job as a weaver and met Prudence Eastham. He went to sea for three years, disembarked in San Francisco and returned to New York to marry Prudence on October 21, 1850. After 7 years the couple moved to Abingdon, Illinois with their two children.

Disillusioned by Brigham Young, Rigdon and Baneering, they finally found the RLDS church. He was ordained an elder. He had many wonderful religious experiences and he moved to Lamoni, Iowa in the Spring of 1875. There was no town there, but others followed, there was plenty of work to do. Lamoni was headquarters for the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at the time.

Edwin and Prudence had 7 children together: William Henry Stafford (1851-1922), Caleb Nathaniel Stafford (1853-1917), Sarah Ann Stafford Keown (1857-1933, Viola May Stafford, Mary Lucinda Stafford Brown (1863-1916), Alvin Thomas Stafford, & Edwin Bruce Stafford, Jr. (1867-1936)

NOTE: Prudence was born on March 3, 1828, at Blackburn, England, came to America with her parents Thomas and Nancy (Wiggins) Eastham in 1842, died on March 5, 1890 of La grippe, Lamoni, Iowa. Edwin died in Lamoni on February 6, 1901. Prudence and Edwin were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery.

Transcription and note by Sharon R. Becker, February of 2016

Decatur Biographies maintained by Constance McDaniel Hall.
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