Susannah Spencer Stafford

Susannah Spencer was born in September 1729. She was the daughter of John Spencer and Mary Fry of Kent County, Rhode Island. She grew up as a younger daughter in a large Quaker family. Her mother died in 1732 when Susannah was not yet three.

In October 1751, Susannah married Rhode Island Anabaptist Job Stafford. By 1772, the marriage had produced ten children, seven of whom were born while the couple still lived in Rhode Island.

By the late 1760s, these Staffords had joined a number of Rhode Island families in migrating to western Massachusetts. Job and Susannah settled in Cheshire where their last three children were born including their youngest, future Albany resident Spencer Stafford, who arrived in 1772.

By the end of the war, these Staffords were on the move to New York and finally settled in Albany where Job operated a tavern and served as a land sale commissioner. They appear to have lived with Susannah's brother.

Traditional sources tell us that Susannah Spencer Stafford died in 1795. She had lived for sixty-six years. Her husband then moved in with a married daughter in Bethlehem where he died in 1801.

Sources: The life of Susannah Spencer Stafford has not been assigned a CAP biography number. This sketch is derived chiefly from family and community-based resources.