Stafford-Tucker Cemetery
Bradford, Anderson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The family of Uriah Monroe and Elizabeth Hanks Stafford came to Texas in the 1840s. In 1851 their son, George Washington, married Susan Woolverton and raised his family in Anderson County. After George W. Stafford's death in 1876 his land passed to his three children, William Uriah, Mary Louisa, and James Monroe Stafford. William later sold his interest to his brother and sister and left the area. The Stafford family became important in the life of the community of Price's Chapel, which was later renamed Springfield. Mary Louisa married John Lewis Tucker in 1871, and in 1897 this cemetery was begun on the family farm with the burial of their infant son, James D. Tucker. James Monroe Stafford was the next person buried here, after he was killed in the line of duty as Anderson County deputy sheriff in 1899. Mary Louisa Stafford Tucker died of pneumonia in 1900 and was buried in the family plot. Those interred in this cemetery include members of the Stafford and Tucker families, as well as a few neighbors. The graveyard has been cared for by members of the family since its beginning. It serves as a physical reminder of the area's early history. (1988) Incise on base: Sponsored by James H. and Mamie R. Stafford
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Stafford family reached Texas in the 1840s, and by 1851 son George Washington Stafford had married and put down roots in Anderson County. This family graveyard began in 1897 with the burial of an infant Tucker grandchild, followed soon after by James Monroe Stafford, killed in the line of duty as a county deputy sheriff in 1899. The Staffords helped shape the community of Price's Chapel — later Springfield — and their descendants have tended these graves ever since.
Why it matters
A family burial ground like this preserves the intimate, generational story of the pioneer families who settled and knit together rural East Texas.
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Related people
- · Uriah Monroe Stafford
- · George Washington Stafford
- · Mary Louisa Stafford Tucker
- · James Monroe Stafford
- · John Lewis Tucker
Themes & tags
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