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Submitted to the Stamper-list June 6, 2006
Following
is the obituary of my gr-gr grandfather:
William B. STAMPER
Something of the Life of a Deceased Pioneer.
William B. Stamper was born on the 21st day of July, 1813, in
Ashe County, North Carolina. In the early days of his youth he
went from the scenes of childhood into the state of Tennessee,
and for a time dwelt in and about the town of Cleveland. Here
he engaged to assist those who had the contract of removing the
Cherokee tribe of Indians from their reservation lands in Tennessee
to their present reservation in the Indian territory. Having
accomplished this difficult and arduous work, a few of his succeeding
years were spent as a trader through the states of Kentucky and
Tennessee and journeying as far south a New Orleans. Returning
north, he resided in Illinois and Iowa, and from the latter state
he moved to San Joaquin County (California) in 1853, where he
resided until 1859, when he returned to Kentucky. In 1860 he
again came to this county, where he continued to live until the
pale messenger of death beckoned him quickly and silently away.
He was county assessor for two terms. He was united in marriage
to Amanda SMITH on the 26th day of October, 1848, in the state
of Iowa, who, with eight children, he leaves to mourn their loss.
For many years the deceased was afflicted with heart disease,
insomuch latterly in life that with almost every pulsation he
felt more or less discomfiture and knew, as he said to the writer
of this, that at any moment he was liable to pass from the scenes
of life and home. And so it was. At 11:30 a.m. on the 8th inst.,
after speaking a kindly word to his aged mother, the wheels of
life stood still, our friend and neighbor, Dr. Stamper, ceased
at once to work and live. Our brief acquaintance with him will
not soon be forgotten. He was one of nature's noblemen, and there
was in him a genial spirit and manly frankness which seemed to
characterize his every act. He was a man of strong decision of
character, and with him to will was to do. A kind father, a faithful
husband, and a good citizen has left us for different scenes
than those which engaged his attention while among us. A large
procession of friends and neighbors followed the remains to Harmony
Grove Cemetery. At the residence of Captain Montgomery, the Masons
of Linden met the procession and took charge of the (funeral
?).
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The city of Cleveland is in Bradley Co, TN. I don't know how
young he would have been "in the early days of his youth".
He must have been in the area for quite some time if he was old
enough to help move the Indians when he left from there.
When
he first came to California, he settled in Douglas Twp, San Joaquin
Co, where small town of Farmington stands, and took up 1/2 section
of land. He named the town Farmington because it was the center
of an extensive and rich farming counry.
In case
you can notice some naming patterns, the following are his children,
which were born from 1852 to 1871, 10 in all, with the first,
b. 1849, dying at 1 mo:
Emily
Elizabeth, Hiram H., Hosea B., Roseltha Lovisa, Josephine, Lewis
Oscar, William Riley, Frank Marion, and Alva Walker.
Will
you please let me know what you have about the Stampers in Bradley
Co, TN? I have been unable to penetrate back beyond William B.
Stamper. Do not know who is parents are. There were a zillion
Stampers in Ashe and Wilkes Co, NC, and also in Kentucky.
My gr-gr grandfather was in and around Cleveland, Bradley
Co, TN for a while and also was a trader in Kentucky and Tennessee
and south into New Orleans. He later resided in Illinois and
Iowa and was married there to Amanda Smith in 1848. In 1853 he
left Iowa for California (San Joaquin Co.), and lived here the
rest of his life except for a brief trip to Kentucky in 1859.
Sincerely,
Marilyn
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