Crawford Co., AR - Biographies - P. E. Stafford

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SOURCE: History of Benton, Washington, Carroll, Madison, Crawford,
Franklin, and Sebastian Counties, Arkansas. Chicago: The Goodspeed 
Publishing Co., 1889.
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P. E. Stafford, farmer, was born in De Kalb County, Ala., in 1847, his 
parents being Pleasant and Margaret (Reed) Stafford, natives of South 
Carolina and Tennessee, who died in 1865 and 1874, respectively. The 
father was a farmer, and was married in Alabama. To them eight 
children were born, of whom three yet live: Isaac, of this county; 
George W., of Washington County, and our subject. The grandfather, 
William Stafford, was of Irish descent, and served in the War of 1812, 
under Gen. Jackson. The maternal grandmother, Nancy Reed, was of 
English descent. P. E. Stafford received a limited education during 
his youth in Washington County, Ark., and when young began life for 
himself. In 1872 he came to Crawford County from Washington County, 
and in 1875 went to Texas. He remained there eighteen months, and then 
returned to Arkansas. In 1878 he purchased his present valley farm, 
which contains 280 acres, fifty of which are nicely cultivated, and 
improved with good buildings and an orchard. Mr. Stafford is a Mason, 
and in politics a Democrat, having cast his first presidential vote 
for Seymour. In 1872 he was united in marriage to Miss Rachel Gibson, 
a native of Madison County, Ark., born in 1853, and daughter of Joel 
and Rachel (Gilber) Gibson, natives of Kentucky. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson 
came to Madison County, Ark., from Kentucky about 1850, and there died 
when Mrs. Stafford was quite young. They reared a family of twelve 
children, eight of whom are living, and all residents of Crawford 
County but two. They are Mrs. Susanna Pope; Mrs. Martha Williams, of 
Texas; Lizzie Gibson, Mrs. Sarah Bushong, Mrs. Stafford, Mrs. Rhoda 
Stokee, and Mrs. Roxana Bolinger, of Madison County. Mr. and Mrs. 
Stafford are the parents of the following ten children, all of whom 
reside at home: Mary Jane, Rhoda C., Louie Emma, Luella, Nancy, Lena, 
William, Alice, Thomas and Jessie. 

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