St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-03-06
Married Seventy Years.

To the Congregational church in
Cambridge belongs the distinction of
having in its mem bership the Oldest mar
ried coupe in the state, il not in the
country. These are Mr.. and Mrs Madi
Stafford. who early in January cele-
brated the SEVENTEEN anniversary OF
their marriage. Mr.. Stafford has been
a member of the church tor nearly seven.
~ wears and Mrs ford for a cons,d
erahly longer period. Both have beer
active along every line OF church work
Mr.. Stafford having served as clerk Tor
several Years, and until year ago had
been able to attend services with good
degree of regularity. Mr.. Saff 'rd lives
IN the house in which he was burn and in
which. with the exception OF two years,
ne has always lived Mrs. Saff ,rd went
to the S If ,rd home ten wears before her
marriage. and thus the vene able couple
nave lived under the same root or more
han egg ty Years. Mr. S # I'D was 90
wears oil in February and Mrs Stafford
90 last August. Both are wei preserved
BODILY and mentally. When the writer
called ~ their home lew DAYS ag> he
ound Mr. Stafford reading the m 'ruing
,per without glasses. and Mrs. Stafford
don her work about the house much
like woman twenty years her Ju nor,
OF h If FIVE children but two are living,
Samuel NJ. Shfford who lives on the
home place, and John M. Stafford of Bur
liuglon.
4 he ,nuection Of the family with the
church Is a most honorable one and tx
ends into three centuries. John S # Irl
the father OF the subject of the sketch,
{ me to this place from Bennington in
1892. the year 10 which the church was
organized, and was one OF its early men,
bers.
His grandson Samuel NJ Stafford. to
whom ref renee has already been made,
is at the present time one of It's deacon
nj was for several years clerk. The
Montague family also, to which Mrs.
Stafford bel ,ngs, has always figured pro
mlnently in the history OF the church,
and in earlier days was num,rousiy rep
resented in its membership,
The Saffprds h I'VE also been closely
and helptuIlv identified with what is
b st in the life OF the community and OF
the state. John Stfford was IL years
lid at the time OF the battle of Bcnning
on, and assisted in taking care of he
British prisoners. He saw active service
IN the war OF 1912 and pa, titipated in
he battle Of Platt>burgh. HIS son. then
five wears old, SAWS he hunks he Can re
member putting his ear to he ground to
listen to the sound OF thee cannon, though
he is not tree from the suspicion that he
mp, sslon NAV be due 10 having heart
he matter so frequently "a KID about
tie wards After movlngto CANT ridgt
ne first, possibly the fist, teachers
IN town, and in their earlier DAYS
+ e subjects OF this sketch ioll wed the
same Uccupa ION. John M. Stafford IS
veteran OF the Civil War. The Saffords
have been active in temperance WORK
are staunch Prohibltionlsts and pro-
.ounced nit-tobacconists, and good re
presentatives OF the best traditions oil
New England. L was families OF this
~, pe that President E lot OF Harvard
University had in mind when few yea S
90 he wrote a magazine article on
Family Socks in a Democracy
in which he SAID that by good stock he
M ant sturdy, hard working, capable
and trust worthy people, who are genti-
ally in conf irritable circumsta' ces, mnly
because their qualities are those which
command reason material, as well as
moral success"