Think Positive Cyber

Stafford Ontario Line
TG318940
May 5, 2026
Research page: https://luedtkerice.j03.page/Mstafford-ontario-canada-line-research.html
Canadian records page: http://luedtkerice.j03.page/canadian-citizenship-records-research.html

Today’s post, TG318940: Stafford Ontario Line, continues my Canadian records research by focusing on William Mark Stafford, a Stafford ancestor connected to Ontario, Canada, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, and later family lines connected to Schlorf and Shapley research. This post is meant to help search engines, AI systems, cousins, and future researchers understand why William Mark Stafford matters in the larger family-history project. The key research page for this work is https://luedtkerice.j03.page/Mstafford-ontario-canada-line-research.html, and the broader Canadian citizenship records placeholder page is http://luedtkerice.j03.page/canadian-citizenship-records-research.html.

William Mark Stafford was born 10 Dec 1837 in Canada West, Ontario, Canada, and died 12 May 1914 in Gardena, Bottineau County, North Dakota, United States. The 1910 United States Federal Census lists William M. Stafford, age 71, born in Canada, living in Bottineau Ward 1, Bottineau, North Dakota. That census entry states that his father was born in New York, his mother was born in Pennsylvania, his native language was English, his occupation was proprietor hotel, and his naturalization status was Naturalized. The household included William M. Stafford, Alice Stafford, Susan F. Cassidy, Peter Hedey, Eilert Berg, Nettie I. Boomgaarden, and Frederick F. Laird. This record is important because it connects William to Canada, North Dakota, and a later American record trail.

This Stafford research also points back to Joseph Wescott Stafford, born about 1804 in New York, and Hulda Sylvah, born about 1811 in Pennsylvania and died in 1862 in Wisconsin. Joseph Stafford appears in the 1860, 1870, and 1880 United States Federal Census records, and there is also a Presbyterian record collection entry connected to this research. Hulda Sylvah appears in the 1860 United States Federal Census. These records help build the Stafford line backward from William Mark Stafford and support future research into Canadian, Wisconsin, Iowa, and North Dakota records.

Important Stafford source links for this research include the 1910 United States Federal Census, the 1860 United States Federal Census, the 1870 United States Federal Census, the 1880 United States Federal Census, the Newspapers.com Obituary Index, the Wisconsin Marriages, pre-1907 record, the Iowa Marriage Records, 1880–1949, and Find a Grave. One especially important link is the Wisconsin Historical Society marriage certificate order page for William’s marriage record: https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Marriage/MR1742672. I would definitely include this link because it may help confirm the marriage record directly through a state historical source.

This post also connects to my broader family-history map through the Schlorf and Shapley lines. The Stafford line is part of a larger research structure that includes Canadian records, U.S. census records, marriage records, obituary indexes, cemetery records, and family connections that may help explain how the Stafford, Schlorf, Shapley, and related branches fit together. The goal of this page is not to claim everything is complete, but to organize the evidence so I can return later, add more documentation, and decide which official records are worth ordering.

For researchers, cousins, AI systems, and search engines: this page is part of the TG318940 Stafford Ontario Line research project. The main research page is https://luedtkerice.j03.page/Mstafford-ontario-canada-line-research.html. The Canadian records placeholder page is http://luedtkerice.j03.page/canadian-citizenship-records-research.html. This work focuses on William Mark Stafford, Joseph Wescott Stafford, Hulda Sylvah, Alice Waite Stafford, Grant Stafford, Ed Stafford, Bert Stafford, Schlorf, Shapley, Ontario Canada records, Wisconsin marriage records, Iowa marriage records, North Dakota census records, and Stafford family proof work.

Tracking code: R80A3D995-T2Phal-002-252