Edward E Stafford and Melissa Hosford are married in Wisconsin on July 8 1879. Melissa's Father is from Connecticut and her Mother is from Ireland. For some reason Edward and Melissa register their marriage in 2 counties of Wisconsin, Adams and Columbia counties. Probably just to make sure they are legal where both sets of parents live. The 1880 census has our young couple living together in Dell Prairie, Wisconsin on a farm.
Edward comes from a family of professional homesteaders who arrived in Wisconsin in 1849. They build farms and sell them to the next wave of immigrants using the profits to build the next farm. A great settlement "boom" in northern Dakota occurred between 1879 and 1886. During those years, over 100,000 people entered the Dakota Territory. The majorities were homesteaders, like Edward and Melissa Stafford.
In 1880 they head west to Northern Dakota. This is truly pioneer country compared to now settled Wisconsin. They start out in an area just north of Fargo and yes as in the movie Fargo they probably talked funny too. The 1885 Dakota Territory census has them living on a farm in Cass County with 7 month old Seymour and a servant girl named Ellen Bristol.
Four months after the 1885 census is taken Melissa dies. There are a multitude of ways to die in this unforgiving frontier land and thousands did. Unfortunately our young pioneer, sweet Melissa, is one of them.
Edward E Stafford and young Seymour Emerald Stafford continue on, Seymour being taken care of by Ellen Bristol. Four years later Edward marries Mary Jane Preston. She is another Wisconsin girl, who is of Canadian father and Swiss mother. Mary will step into Melissa's place and raise Melissa's child, Seymour, as her own. She will also give birth to 4 more Stafford children.
Edward comes from a family of professional homesteaders who arrived in Wisconsin in 1849. They build farms and sell them to the next wave of immigrants using the profits to build the next farm. A great settlement "boom" in northern Dakota occurred between 1879 and 1886. During those years, over 100,000 people entered the Dakota Territory. The majorities were homesteaders, like Edward and Melissa Stafford.
In 1880 they head west to Northern Dakota. This is truly pioneer country compared to now settled Wisconsin. They start out in an area just north of Fargo and yes as in the movie Fargo they probably talked funny too. The 1885 Dakota Territory census has them living on a farm in Cass County with 7 month old Seymour and a servant girl named Ellen Bristol.
Four months after the 1885 census is taken Melissa dies. There are a multitude of ways to die in this unforgiving frontier land and thousands did. Unfortunately our young pioneer, sweet Melissa, is one of them.
Edward E Stafford and young Seymour Emerald Stafford continue on, Seymour being taken care of by Ellen Bristol. Four years later Edward marries Mary Jane Preston. She is another Wisconsin girl, who is of Canadian father and Swiss mother. Mary will step into Melissa's place and raise Melissa's child, Seymour, as her own. She will also give birth to 4 more Stafford children.
Edward E Stafford and Melissa Hosford are married in Wisconsin on July 8 1879. Melissa's Father is from Connecticut and her Mother is from Ireland. For some reason Edward and Melissa register their marriage in 2 counties of Wisconsin, Adams and Columbia counties. Probably just to make sure they are legal where both sets of parents live. The 1880 census has our young couple living together in Dell Prairie, Wisconsin on a farm.
Edward comes from a family of professional homesteaders who arrived in Wisconsin in 1849. They build farms and sell them to the next wave of immigrants using the profits to build the next farm. A great settlement "boom" in northern Dakota occurred between 1879 and 1886. During those years, over 100,000 people entered the Dakota Territory. The majorities were homesteaders, like Edward and Melissa Stafford.
In 1880 they head west to Northern Dakota. This is truly pioneer country compared to now settled Wisconsin. They start out in an area just north of Fargo and yes as in the movie Fargo they probably talked funny too. The 1885 Dakota Territory census has them living on a farm in Cass County with 7 month old Seymour and a servant girl named Ellen Bristol.
Four months after the 1885 census is taken Melissa dies. There are a multitude of ways to die in this unforgiving frontier land and thousands did. Unfortunately our young pioneer, sweet Melissa, is one of them.
Edward E Stafford and young Seymour Emerald Stafford continue on, Seymour being taken care of by Ellen Bristol. Four years later Edward marries Mary Jane Preston. She is another Wisconsin girl, who is of Canadian father and Swiss mother. Mary will step into Melissa's place and raise Melissa's child, Seymour, as her own. She will also give birth to 4 more Stafford children.
Edward comes from a family of professional homesteaders who arrived in Wisconsin in 1849. They build farms and sell them to the next wave of immigrants using the profits to build the next farm. A great settlement "boom" in northern Dakota occurred between 1879 and 1886. During those years, over 100,000 people entered the Dakota Territory. The majorities were homesteaders, like Edward and Melissa Stafford.
In 1880 they head west to Northern Dakota. This is truly pioneer country compared to now settled Wisconsin. They start out in an area just north of Fargo and yes as in the movie Fargo they probably talked funny too. The 1885 Dakota Territory census has them living on a farm in Cass County with 7 month old Seymour and a servant girl named Ellen Bristol.
Four months after the 1885 census is taken Melissa dies. There are a multitude of ways to die in this unforgiving frontier land and thousands did. Unfortunately our young pioneer, sweet Melissa, is one of them.
Edward E Stafford and young Seymour Emerald Stafford continue on, Seymour being taken care of by Ellen Bristol. Four years later Edward marries Mary Jane Preston. She is another Wisconsin girl, who is of Canadian father and Swiss mother. Mary will step into Melissa's place and raise Melissa's child, Seymour, as her own. She will also give birth to 4 more Stafford children.
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