STAFFORD,JesseSr
JESSE STAFFORD SR.

DEATH CLAIMS AGED CITIZEN

Jesse Stafford Dies at His Home Here May 9, 1935

Jesse Stafford, Sr., widely known and respected citizen of Johnson
County died at his home here Thursday afternoon, May 9, 1935, "
Uncle Jesse" as he was affectionately known by hundreds of friends
and relatives both old and young had been ill but a short time
previously, being remarkably healthy for a man of his years.

He is survived by his wife George Ann Turner Stafford they had
celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary here. Besides his widow
he is survived by several sons and daughters.

Funeral services were held in the Christian Church in Paintsville
and burial was in the family cemetery at Staffordsville.

The Obituary which tells of the life of this prominent citizen will
be found on page 7 of this issue of the Herald.

Paintsville Herald
Thursday
5-16-1935

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Jesse Stafford, Sr.

Considerably more than one hundred years ago, while the United States
was still a young nation, fate and circumstances brought together two
young people, a girl named Colista Knott who was born in New York
State, and John Stafford, a Virginian.

Both of good old pioneer stock, they were each fine young folk. The
story as to how they met is not now to be repeated, but it was quite a
romantic meeting and match as they became attached to each other and
were married. To this union were born twelve children, of whom Jesse
Stafford, later known to his many friends here in Paintsville and
Johnson County as " Uncle Jess," was the youngest. As he had a son
Jesse he was known also as Jesse Stafford, Sr.

Born in 1848, while the gold rush was on to California, when Zachary
Taylor was President, and while there were then only 27 states in our
nation Jesse Stafford was a child when the country around Paintsville
was much different than now. EH has been blessed with a long life and
he had the opportunity to live while and when things were here
practically as they were in the Revolutionary days, and he continued a
very active and industrious life through the changing times and lived
to witness astounding changes. His Father John Stafford lived in the
vicinity of Paintsville long before Johnson County was organized and
Jesse Stafford knew Paintsville as a tiny village in those days, yet
lived to see a fine and modern little city. And during those years the
work he did helped to make the country what it is today, and he sure
did his part, as he was from youth a very active and energetic man.
And the friends he made. Numbers and numbers of fine old pioneer
settlers he knew, dealt with and loved and none of them were ever heard
to say but what Jess's word was his bond and he was therefore highly
respected and loved as a good citizen and an honest industrious man.

His philosophy of life covered the facts that he believed in the people
of this country; he believed in the future growth and development of
the country from early in his life and he believed any young man who
would be industrious and honest had as good a chance here as elsewhere
and could make a living. He followed out this line of belief and
action and steadfastly continued in the same until the very day of his
death, which occurred at his home in Paintsville, Thursday, May 9,
1935.

Jesse Stafford was a man of profound faith and conviction in respect to
these and other fundamental principles of life and he fully believed in
his opinions and convictions, although always expressing the belief
that others ad equal right to their opinions. He expressed himself
fortunate in two special factors in his life which eh always said meant
his success and his salvation. One was that he met and married George
Ann Turner on the 1st day of November 1868, and with whom he live in
great felicity for more than 66 years. They never in that time spent
an anniversary of their wedding day apart. The other great thing for
which he was especially proud was the fact that about 60 years ago
while still in his youth he joined the Christian Church. He was proud
of the fact that he had what he thought to be the best people to live
among a large family of children who he always loved and said were good
to him, all inalterable Christian faith, and the best wife in the
world, and growing and expanding opportunities to make a living.
These things eh maintained were enough to make any man happy and to
prepare him for heaven.

So he grew up here, married here, worked here and lived here busy,
active and happy until the very last hour of his life, for he was
talking with friends and attending to business up to within two house
of his death.

He died peacefully on Thursday May 9, 1935, aged 85 years, four months
and ten days, leaving those to mourn him his aged and much loved, and
highly respected widow George Ann Stafford, who is of he same high
order and holds the same high ideals of life as her husband who has
gone before. In her hour of extremity and sorrow and irreparable loss,
she is sustained by her unalterable and staunch faith that they will
meet again. And she says may it be soon, God's will be done.

The host of good friends gathered with hearts full of love bringing
beautiful tokens of flowers and the funeral services were splendidly
conducted by the good man his pastor, John Stambaugh. All the children
were present excepting Mrs. Flora Swetnam, who is in New Mexico, and
was not physically able to make the long trip and Mrs. Clara Stapleton,
who lives in Idaho and the distance being too far to allow of her
timely arrival. All the children are W. H. Stafford, Huntington, W.
Va. , Harry G. Stafford, Jesse Stafford, Jr., and Ralph Stafford of
Paintsville; Rosa Spradlin, Volga, Ky; Flora Swetnam of New Mexico.;
Beatrice Grisby of Sardis, Ky.; Mollie Litman, Catlettsburg, Ky.; Clara
Stapleton, Nez Perece, Idaho, Tow of the children, Louisa and Calista
died when very young.

Funeral services were held in the Christian Church of Paintsville and
burial was in the family cemetery at Staffordsville.

Paintsville Herald
Thursday
5-16-1935

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