Dorothea Hallenbeck Stafford

Dorothea Hallenbeck was born about 1771. She was the daughter of Bernardus and Nelltie Clark Hallenbeck. She grew up in a mainline family that controlled extensive land in what became the South End of Albany..

In September 1790, she married Yankee newcomer Spencer Stafford. Over the next decade-and-a-half, the marriage produced five children. However, only their last son was christened in the Albany Dutch church where her family had been long-time members. Stafford was an Episcopalian.

Stafford was a businessman who was able to build a home on property (along what became Madison Avenue) made available by the Hallenbecks.

However, Dorothea was not able to enjoy the elegant townhouse Stafford would erect in 1807. Following a brief illness, Dorothea Hallenbeck Stafford died in July 1806. She had lived only thirty-five years. Stafford re-married a year later and fathered more children.

Sources: The life of Dorothea Hallenbeck Stafford is CAP biography number 7238. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.