William Staniforth, Sheffield Surgeon

Although the Staniforth surname largely exists in Yorkshire, it is always interesting to see how far afield it has spread. One line in particular can still be found today in Texas, USA.

We have already published an article on William Staniforth, one of the first surgeons at the Sheffield Infirmary which can be read here, but it is his descendants that emigrated to both Australia and the United States.

William and his wife Ann Cam had a son named William, born in 1788 he took after his father and was a surgeon. William married Amy Susan Lowley at Sheffield St. Peter & St. Pauls on May 25th 1814. The two of them had a number of children including:

  • Harriet Staniforth, born 1821, she died in 1842 while studying in Bavaria, Germany.
  • William Lowley Staniforth, born 1826
  • Ann Maria Staniforth born 1830
  • Georgina Staniforth born 1833, she emigrated to Australia with her mother and passed away on August 14th 1882 in Deniliquin, New South Wales.
  • Isabel Amy Staniforth born 1829
  • Emma Mowley Staniforth born 1825, she married Wilhelm Alexander Von Brockdorff Schney in Swansea on July 19th 1855, and through this marriage became a Baroness, the two emigrated to Canada and their descendants are found in Michigan amongst other places
  • Charles Staniforth born 1830, he died in 1918
  • Miles Lowley Staniforth born 1829, he died February 19th 1857 in Sheffield
  • Elizabeth Staniforth, born 1817

William Staniforth died on June 28th 1835 and his wife Susannah emigrated to Australia, passing away on July 11th 1868

It is William Lowley Staniforth that we will now focus on, his wife was Isabel Alice Gaze, they emigrated in 1877 and had a son named Montague William Staniforth, his birth is registered as being at Sea in Australia in September 1860. They also had a second son Sydney Mansfield Texas in Sydney, he was born July 9, 1862, he only had a short life, as after emigrating to Texas he was shot dead in San Antonio in 1885 whilst working as a lawyer.

By the time of the 1910 US Census, the family are living in Gainesville, Cooke County, Texas, by this stage William is 84 and his wife Isabelle is 79, they are living with their son Montague, who’s birthplace again simply states ‘At Sea’ and his wife ‘Belle Staniforth’. With them are the following children:

  • Sneed Graham Staniforth, he was born November 1st 1890, based on news reports at the time, Sneed worked as a Theatre actor, he is recorded as travelling and even residing in London, most likely working in the theatre. He was also a Captain during World War II. He married twice and had a daughter named Mary Susan Staniforth, she married James F. Sellers. Sneed’s second wife was Cora Allen. He passed away on January 7th, 1953 in Gainesville, Texas.
  • Agnes Staniforth, she married Benjamin Ricard Thomason and the two had two sons named Benjamin Ricard Thomason and Sneed Staniforth Thomason. Sneed Staniforth Thomason worked with the Community Circus troupe “Oklahome” in 1948-49 and was a Tight rope walker. He also drove a staff car for a genereal during World War II and was stationed in England during his time in the military. After the war had ended he did not return to the United States and decided to stay and ran an antique business. He passed away in Brighton in 1986

William Murphy Staniforth, 1918-1999

Other children included William Murphy Staniforth, born 1887, he married Getrude King and had a son named William Murphy Staniforth in 1918, he married Frances Eulla Field and had a son also named William Murphy Staniforth, this son married Susan Lynn Hasslocher and had two children, Sarah Katharine Staniforth born July 10th 1974 and Stephen Graham Staniforth born July 19th 1980, Stephen also had a son named Ethan Staniforth in November 2016 in Austin, Texas.

William Lowley Staniforth passed away on November 12th, 1910 in Austin, Texas, his son Montague William Staniforth passed away on November 4th 1939.

Montague also had a son named Montague Staniforth II, he was born 7th August 1884 in Austin. He married Margaret Alice Lysagaht from Weatherford, Texas and they had three children:

  • Montague Staniforth born November 1st 1913, he married Nellie Ruth Smith and had a son Montague William Staniforth born October 29th 1938, he died a few days later on November 4th 1938. They also had a daughter Margaret Ruth Staniforth born June 3rd 1940.
  • Margaret Frances Staniforth, born February 24th 1918, she married Charles Callaway Mcdugald.
  • Betty Jane Staniforth, born October 18th 1924, died August 21st 1995 in Midland, Texas.

When researching this line of Staniforth’s it was interesting to note that the current living descendants were not aware of William Staniforth, the famous Sheffield surgeon, and although they were aware the surname had English origins, they were bit aware of their ancestors lives in the city of Sheffield.