On Cumberland Island, GA there is a cemetery at the community called Stafford, off the main road, before Stafford House. There is a coquina wall around 4 marked old graves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the early 1800's he owned most of Cumberland Island. He had been born there and had worked for the Shaw family who owned the plantation. The land had originally been owned by General Nathaniel Greene. Stafford worked for Greene's granddaughter, Louisa Shaw. Eventually, he owned the land that was called "Stafford Plantation."
He never legally married, but had a common law slave wife named Zabette, with whom he had six children. Zabette and the children eventually either just prior or in the very early stage of the Civil War went to the North. She would later return, but not the children, only to find him then in his old age with another ex-slave woman with whom he had two children.
At his death he left nothing for Zabette or the children.
Source of Bio: charlott jones (#47003358)
I order to please all this information is being posted.
Suggested edit: Other sources say he left trust funds for all of his children
Contributor: Rosebud (46874442) • [email protected]
Middle name edit from Anonymous (#47291336)
March 18 ,2020 suggested edit: The biography indicates that his common law wife was named "Zabette". The name "Zabette" is French for "Elizabeth". She was originally owned by Pierre & Marguerite Bernardey who came to Cumberland Island from France. On 28 Dec 1841, Robert received Elizabeth and her child Mary as a deed of gift from Mrs. Bernardey. In 1836, however, Mrs. Bernardey had already loaned out Elizabeth to Robert Stafford in order to care for his mother and sister who had been ill and would eventually die in that year. By 1839, Elizabeth would give birth to Mary, the first of his six children. Before the Civil War, he would take Elizabeth and his six children out of the State of Georgia and resettle them in Groton, Connecticut to live and be cared for. In addition, it is not true that Robert left nothing for his children after his death. His will executed on 07/13/1867 provided for the caring of his living daughters; his sons having already died. See the newspapers - The Daily Morning Journal and Courier from New Haven, Connecticut dated 5 Feb 1898 page 11 titled "A Groton Romance" and the newspaper - The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York dated 19 May 1887 page 1 titled "Five Babies in Luck". Robert's father was Thomas Stafford. Thomas' brother was Robert Stafford, the uncle of Robert and my 5th great grandfather. Much of the source for this information came from the book titled Robert Stafford of Cumberland Island : Growth of a Planter by Mary R. Bullard page 80
Contributor: Joel Hobbs (48904828) • [email protected]
In Wayfarer: a memoir, James Stillman Rockefeller writes that the family lived in Mystic, Connecticut. Rockefeller's gg grandfather Carnegie bought Cumberland Island "from his [Stafford's] heirs."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the early 1800's he owned most of Cumberland Island. He had been born there and had worked for the Shaw family who owned the plantation. The land had originally been owned by General Nathaniel Greene. Stafford worked for Greene's granddaughter, Louisa Shaw. Eventually, he owned the land that was called "Stafford Plantation."
He never legally married, but had a common law slave wife named Zabette, with whom he had six children. Zabette and the children eventually either just prior or in the very early stage of the Civil War went to the North. She would later return, but not the children, only to find him then in his old age with another ex-slave woman with whom he had two children.
At his death he left nothing for Zabette or the children.
Source of Bio: charlott jones (#47003358)
I order to please all this information is being posted.
Suggested edit: Other sources say he left trust funds for all of his children
Contributor: Rosebud (46874442) • [email protected]
Middle name edit from Anonymous (#47291336)
March 18 ,2020 suggested edit: The biography indicates that his common law wife was named "Zabette". The name "Zabette" is French for "Elizabeth". She was originally owned by Pierre & Marguerite Bernardey who came to Cumberland Island from France. On 28 Dec 1841, Robert received Elizabeth and her child Mary as a deed of gift from Mrs. Bernardey. In 1836, however, Mrs. Bernardey had already loaned out Elizabeth to Robert Stafford in order to care for his mother and sister who had been ill and would eventually die in that year. By 1839, Elizabeth would give birth to Mary, the first of his six children. Before the Civil War, he would take Elizabeth and his six children out of the State of Georgia and resettle them in Groton, Connecticut to live and be cared for. In addition, it is not true that Robert left nothing for his children after his death. His will executed on 07/13/1867 provided for the caring of his living daughters; his sons having already died. See the newspapers - The Daily Morning Journal and Courier from New Haven, Connecticut dated 5 Feb 1898 page 11 titled "A Groton Romance" and the newspaper - The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York dated 19 May 1887 page 1 titled "Five Babies in Luck". Robert's father was Thomas Stafford. Thomas' brother was Robert Stafford, the uncle of Robert and my 5th great grandfather. Much of the source for this information came from the book titled Robert Stafford of Cumberland Island : Growth of a Planter by Mary R. Bullard page 80
Contributor: Joel Hobbs (48904828) • [email protected]
In Wayfarer: a memoir, James Stillman Rockefeller writes that the family lived in Mystic, Connecticut. Rockefeller's gg grandfather Carnegie bought Cumberland Island "from his [Stafford's] heirs."
On Cumberland Island, GA there is a cemetery at the community called Stafford, off the main road, before Stafford House. There is a coquina wall around 4 marked old graves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the early 1800's he owned most of Cumberland Island. He had been born there and had worked for the Shaw family who owned the plantation. The land had originally been owned by General Nathaniel Greene. Stafford worked for Greene's granddaughter, Louisa Shaw. Eventually, he owned the land that was called "Stafford Plantation."
He never legally married, but had a common law slave wife named Zabette, with whom he had six children. Zabette and the children eventually either just prior or in the very early stage of the Civil War went to the North. She would later return, but not the children, only to find him then in his old age with another ex-slave woman with whom he had two children.
At his death he left nothing for Zabette or the children.
Source of Bio: charlott jones (#47003358)
I order to please all this information is being posted.
Suggested edit: Other sources say he left trust funds for all of his children
Contributor: Rosebud (46874442) • [email protected]
Middle name edit from Anonymous (#47291336)
March 18 ,2020 suggested edit: The biography indicates that his common law wife was named "Zabette". The name "Zabette" is French for "Elizabeth". She was originally owned by Pierre & Marguerite Bernardey who came to Cumberland Island from France. On 28 Dec 1841, Robert received Elizabeth and her child Mary as a deed of gift from Mrs. Bernardey. In 1836, however, Mrs. Bernardey had already loaned out Elizabeth to Robert Stafford in order to care for his mother and sister who had been ill and would eventually die in that year. By 1839, Elizabeth would give birth to Mary, the first of his six children. Before the Civil War, he would take Elizabeth and his six children out of the State of Georgia and resettle them in Groton, Connecticut to live and be cared for. In addition, it is not true that Robert left nothing for his children after his death. His will executed on 07/13/1867 provided for the caring of his living daughters; his sons having already died. See the newspapers - The Daily Morning Journal and Courier from New Haven, Connecticut dated 5 Feb 1898 page 11 titled "A Groton Romance" and the newspaper - The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York dated 19 May 1887 page 1 titled "Five Babies in Luck". Robert's father was Thomas Stafford. Thomas' brother was Robert Stafford, the uncle of Robert and my 5th great grandfather. Much of the source for this information came from the book titled Robert Stafford of Cumberland Island : Growth of a Planter by Mary R. Bullard page 80
Contributor: Joel Hobbs (48904828) • [email protected]
In Wayfarer: a memoir, James Stillman Rockefeller writes that the family lived in Mystic, Connecticut. Rockefeller's gg grandfather Carnegie bought Cumberland Island "from his [Stafford's] heirs."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the early 1800's he owned most of Cumberland Island. He had been born there and had worked for the Shaw family who owned the plantation. The land had originally been owned by General Nathaniel Greene. Stafford worked for Greene's granddaughter, Louisa Shaw. Eventually, he owned the land that was called "Stafford Plantation."
He never legally married, but had a common law slave wife named Zabette, with whom he had six children. Zabette and the children eventually either just prior or in the very early stage of the Civil War went to the North. She would later return, but not the children, only to find him then in his old age with another ex-slave woman with whom he had two children.
At his death he left nothing for Zabette or the children.
Source of Bio: charlott jones (#47003358)
I order to please all this information is being posted.
Suggested edit: Other sources say he left trust funds for all of his children
Contributor: Rosebud (46874442) • [email protected]
Middle name edit from Anonymous (#47291336)
March 18 ,2020 suggested edit: The biography indicates that his common law wife was named "Zabette". The name "Zabette" is French for "Elizabeth". She was originally owned by Pierre & Marguerite Bernardey who came to Cumberland Island from France. On 28 Dec 1841, Robert received Elizabeth and her child Mary as a deed of gift from Mrs. Bernardey. In 1836, however, Mrs. Bernardey had already loaned out Elizabeth to Robert Stafford in order to care for his mother and sister who had been ill and would eventually die in that year. By 1839, Elizabeth would give birth to Mary, the first of his six children. Before the Civil War, he would take Elizabeth and his six children out of the State of Georgia and resettle them in Groton, Connecticut to live and be cared for. In addition, it is not true that Robert left nothing for his children after his death. His will executed on 07/13/1867 provided for the caring of his living daughters; his sons having already died. See the newspapers - The Daily Morning Journal and Courier from New Haven, Connecticut dated 5 Feb 1898 page 11 titled "A Groton Romance" and the newspaper - The Brooklyn Eagle, Brooklyn, New York dated 19 May 1887 page 1 titled "Five Babies in Luck". Robert's father was Thomas Stafford. Thomas' brother was Robert Stafford, the uncle of Robert and my 5th great grandfather. Much of the source for this information came from the book titled Robert Stafford of Cumberland Island : Growth of a Planter by Mary R. Bullard page 80
Contributor: Joel Hobbs (48904828) • [email protected]
In Wayfarer: a memoir, James Stillman Rockefeller writes that the family lived in Mystic, Connecticut. Rockefeller's gg grandfather Carnegie bought Cumberland Island "from his [Stafford's] heirs."
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