Staffords improved Fairbury

Fairbury still benefits from the generosity of Floyd and Marion Stafford.

The Stafford family's story began with Frederick Stafford's birth in Canada in 1830. In 1852, he married Catherine Miller. They lived in Canada until 1866, when they moved to the Chatsworth area. One year later, Catherine Stafford died. In 1868, Frederick Stafford married Mrs. Jennie Green. In Chatsworth, Frederick Stafford was a carpenter and a grain dealer.

Frederick Stafford and his family moved from Chatsworth to the Cropsey area in 1883. Frederick was in the grain business for a few years at Cropsey before returning to his trade as a carpenter. Frederick died in 1901 in Cropsey.

One son of Frederick and Jennie Stafford was Frederick Blair Stafford, born in 1871. Frederick B. Stafford grew up in the Chatsworth area. In 1897, Frederick B. Stafford married Elizabeth Barnes. She was the granddaughter of pioneer settler John H. Barnes.

Mr. Barnes moved from Pennsylvania to Belle Prairie Township in 1868. His son, David White Barnes, married Mary Jane Haines. One daughter of David and Mary Barnes was Elizabeth Barnes.

One son of Frederick B. and Elizabeth Stafford was Floyd Eugene Stafford. Floyd was born in 1898 in Belle Prairie Township. When Floyd was four years old in 1902, his parents had an artist paint his portrait. In that era, the custom was to dress young boys in young girls' clothing for pictures. This portrait of Floyd Stafford is on permanent display in the Fairbury Echoes Museum.

Floyd attended the local country school and enlisted in the U.S. Navy for World War I. Floyd made 20 trips across the Atlantic on ships carrying American troops to fight in France.

In 1928, Floyd married Myrtle J. Morris. Myrtle was born in Mount Olive, Illinois. In 1930, Floyd and Myrtle Stafford were living in Niles, Illinois, and he was the proprietor of a lunch stand. In 1942, Floyd and Myrtle were living in Waukegan. Floyd was employed at the American Steel & Wire Co. in Waukegan. Floyd and Myrtle had no children. Myrtle Stafford died in Waukegan in 1945 at the age of 46. She was buried in GracelandCemetery in Fairbury.

Marion McDowell was born in 1905 in Fairbury. She was the daughter of Grant Yates McDowell (1863-1955) and Jennie Curl Dominy (1866-1947). The family tree of G. Y. McDowell traces back to the pioneering McDowell family that settled north of Fairbury in 1832. They were the second family to settle in the Fairbury area.

The family tree of Jennie Curl Dominy includes two of Fairbury's wealthiest and most prominent families. These two families were the Beach and Dominy families. Thomas A. Beach was the brother of Marion McDowell's great-grandfather. Thomas A. Beach, a banker in Fairbury, built the "Lion House" on East Hickory Street. Thomas A. Beach was Fairbury's wealthiest citizen and was worth over $50 million in today's dollars when he died in 1911.

The grandfather of Marion McDowell was Lorenzo Beach Dominy (1844-1902). Lorenzo Dominy and his wife Phoebe built the Dominy Memorial Library to honor their deceased 17-year-old daughter Hazel Dominy.

Marion McDowell's father, G. Y. McDowell, was a wealthy Fairbury banker. In 1947, at the age of 42, Marion McDowell married widower Floyd Stafford. Floyd was 48 years old when he married Marion McDowell.

In 1969, Floyd Stafford was 71 years old, and his wife Marion was 64 years old. That year was the start of a long-term trend of donating their wealth to projects which improved the quality of life for Fairbury area citizens. In 1969, the Indian Creek Golf decided to build a new clubhouse. The original clubhouse at the end of South Fifth Street had outlived its useful life. Floyd and Marion Stafford donated $15,000 to construct the new clubhouse. Fairbury volunteers provided most of the labor to build the new clubhouse.

The Staffords continued their generosity in 1976 when they purchased the house just east of the Dominy Library. In 1977, this house became Fairbury's only museum, the FairburyEchoes Museum. Marion Stafford also donated many family heirlooms to help stock the museum. Marion also made a significant cash contribution to the museum's operating fund. When the Dominy Memorial Library decided to expand to the east, the FairburyEchoes Museum was moved to Locust Street, and the house was torn down.

In 1957-1958, the Fairbury community raised funds to build the town's first swimming pool. By 1980, the original pool had outlived its design life and needed to be replaced. Floyd Stafford passed away in California in 1980 at the age of 82. Marion Stafford decided to help fund a new swimming pool by donating 177 acres of farmland. The ground was sold and used to help build the new swimming pool. Marion Stafford flew back from California to Fairbury to attend the opening ceremonies of the new swimming pool.

The Staffords started to spend their winters in California. They kept their Fairbury home until 1976. After that, they lived in California.

In 1997, Prairie Lands Foundation began investigating how a new park could be built on North First Street. It was discovered the City of Fairbury could apply for a $212,500 grant from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources if they could match the amount with local funds. Prairie Lands Foundation and the city devised a solution that did not involve Fairbury taxpayer funds. To come up with the local matching funding, the Prairie Lands Foundation donated the swimming pool to the City of Fairbury. This plan satisfied the State of Illinois, and the new park project began.

Marion Stafford donated $170,000 to pay for the walking trail at North Park. The city got another matching state grant so the trail could be expanded to run from the swimming pool to PrairieCentral High School.

Marion Stafford passed away in 1998 at the age of 93 in California. She was interred near her husband, Floyd Stafford, in the mausoleum at Graceland Cemetery. Their generous contributions significantly improved the quality of life for all Fairbury citizens.

Dale Maley's weekly history article on Fairbury News is brought to you by Antiques & Uniques of Fairbury and Doug & Dr. Charlene Aaron.