Richard Stafford

Richard Stafford (c.1755 – 1808) was a land speculator and pioneer of Hampshire County, West Virginia. He was one of the founding trustees of Fort Ashby, West Virginia, in 1787. Biography Richard Stafford was born about 1755 in Wexford County, Ireland. The Staffords of Wexford County are said to be descendants of a John Stafford, third son of the noble Buckinghamshire family who emigrated to Wexford County before 1335. The family acquired Ballymachrane during the reign of King Henry VII. A John Stafford was High Sheriff in 1640. In 1775, Richard Stafford was arrested in London and convicted on charges of robbery. Given the choice between hanging and 14 years of military service, he chose the military. It is thought that he arrived with the British Fleet in New York Harbor in the summer of 1776. Under the command of General William Howe and Admiral Lord Richard Howe, 1200 cannon, 30,000 soldiers, and 10,000 sailors landed to put down the American Revolution. Stafford was soon taken prisoner by Continental forces, but later released in the wilderness of Northern Virginia under the condition he would fight no more against the colonies. On March 15, 1780, Richard Stafford married Catharine Brobeker.