Champaign Co, ILGenWeb, The USGenWeb Project - Biography

Solomon Y. Stafford

SOURCE: "Portrait and Biographical Album of Champaign County, Illinois," Chapman Brothers, Chicago, 1887
SURNAMES: BROWN, HOPPIS, LEVERTON, STAFFORD, WILKINSON

SOLOMON Y. STAFFORD occupies a quarter of section 36, St. Joseph Township, which is an excellent body of land, well cultivated and supplied with convenient and substantial farm buildings. He took possession of this place in the fall of 1863, and since that time has been industriously engaged as a general farmer and stock-raiser, making a specialty of Poland-China hogs and draft horses. Our subject, who is a native of the Buckeye State, was born near Washington, the county seat of Fayette County on the 8^th of May, 1814. His grandfather, Z. B. STAFFORD, was a native of Tennessee, and became the father of four children. His son Charles, the father of our subject, was born in Tennessee, and went with his brother-in-law to Ohio. In that State he received his education and developed into manhood, and selected from among the daughters of Fayette County, Miss Nancy LEVERTON, who became his wife in the fall of 1809. This lady was a native of North Carolina, and the daughter of Foster LEVERTON, who removed to Ohio after the close of the Revolutionary War, in which he had participated as a Colonial soldier. Charles Stafford served in the War of 1812, and after his marriage continued to reside in Fayette County, where he became extensively engaged in farming and accumulated a fine property. The parental family included ten children, all of whim lived to mature years and with one exception were all married.

The parents of our subject were of Irish and English origin respectively, and Solomon Y. was their second son and fourth child. He was reared on the farm in Ohio, and received a limited education in the district schools of his native township. He was carefully trained, however, by his excellent parents, and imbibed those principles of honesty and honor which served him so well in later life. He remained with them until after reaching his maturity, and when in his twenty-fourth year was united in marriage with Mrs. Nancy (WILKINSON) HOPPIS, and they located on a small farm of which our subject became the owner, and where they lived until the fall of 1863. Mr. S. then resolved to seek his fortunes in the Prairie State, and coming to this county, located upon the land which constitutes his present homestead. The only child of the household was a daughter, Jane F., who became the wife of John BROWN, and died at her home in February, 1882. The mother had preceded her child to the silent land, passing away in the spring of 1874.

The present wife of our subject, to whom he was married in 1875, was Mrs. Mary J., widow of Jacob Rice, and by her first marriage had become the mother of one child, a daughter, who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. S. are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which our subject officiated as Trustee and Steward for several years. He is a stanch Democrat, politically, and is a citizen of due importance in his township, being acknowledged by all as having materially assisted in its development.