John Clayton Stiff

Obituary for our great great grandfather John Clayton Stiff.

RITES FOR JOHN STIFF
AT ROCHESTER SATURDAY

Funeral services for John Stiff were held Saturday afternoon at Rochester church with Rv. Otis Moore in charge. Interment was in the Rochester cemetery.
John Clayton Stiff, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Stiff, was the last survivor of the three children. He was born in Maryville, Larue county, Ky., March 17, 1846 and died at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. S. Finefield in Tipton on March 29, 1934 at the age of 88 years and 12 days.
He was united in marriage of Feb. 16, 1866 to Miss Margaret C. Rachford who preceeded him in death in 1923. They had twelve children, eight sons and four daughters. Three children, Johnie, Mary and Eddie passed away in infancy and William and Franklyn, in 1928. Mr. Stiff is survived by four sons and three daughters, Robert E. of Boise, Idaho; Henry M. of Peoria, Ill.; Peter C. of Cordova, Ill.; Otto C. of Davenport; Anna F. Sheldon of Wichita, Kansas; Ada C. Finefield of Tipton and Katie B. Christian of Davenport, twenty five grandchildren and a large number of great grandchildren. In addition there are a number of relatives and friends who will miss him.
Mr. and Mrs. Stiff came to Iowa in the year 1877, locating at Morse. They moved to Cedar county in 1892.
He united with the Baptist church early in life and while living at Morse joined the United Christian church to which he has remain loyal.
He was always interested in the uplift of the community. He was a kind and loving father who enjoyed the company of his children and friends. His grateful disposition manifested until the last days of his earthly life.

Cards of Thanks

We desire to thank our good neighbors and friends who in so many ways were so thoughtful and helpful during our bereavement.
The kind words of sympathy and the beautiful flowers, so expressive of friendship, were greatly appreciated.
The Children

Margaret Clara Rachford Stiff

Here is the obituary for our great great grandmother Margaret Clara Rachford Stiff.

Obituary

Mrs. Margaret C. Rachford Stiff was the last survivor of a family of five children. She passed away at her home in Rochester, Ia., May 27th, 1923 aged 79 years, 6 months and 9 days. She was born in Hodgensville, Larue Co., Kentucky, where she was united in marriage Feb. 16th, 1866, to J. C. Stiff. To them were born twelve children, eight sons and four daughters. Three children, John, Mary and Eddie passed away in infancy. She leaves to mourn her loss a loving husband and nine children, namely, Jas. W., of Rochester, Iowa; Robert E. of Boise, Idaho; Henry M., Davenport, Iowa, Chas. F. of Kansas City, Mo.; Mrs. Anna Sheldon, Wichita, Kas.; Mrs. Ada Finefield, Moscow, Iowa; Mrs. Kate Christian, of Tipton, Iowa; Peter C., of Wilton, Iowa; Clare O., of Rochester, Ia; twenty-six grand-children and eight great grand-children and many relatives and a host of friends who sorrow with them.
Mr. and Mrs. Stiff came to Iowa in the 1877 locating at Morse, in Johnson county, Iowa, living there until 1892, when they moved to Buchanan and later to Rochester. In her young life Mrs. Stiff was united with the Methodist church, to which she had always been loyal, although her frail health deprived her of the joy of active service for several years.
She was always interested in the uplift of the community. She was a lover of home, delighting in ministering to her family and enjoying the company of her friends. Her grateful disposition was manifest till the last days of her earthly life.
Funeral Services were conducted from the Rochester church by Rev. A. W. Straub, and interment was made in the Rochester cemetery.

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This obituary was received today from a fellow genealogist in Tipton, Iowa. She is a volunteer for the organization Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness and after we emailed back and forth a few times she asked if Henry M. Stiff was a relative. I explained that he was a great grand uncle. She emailed back and told me a story of how Henry was her great great grandmother's first husband. I remembered a picture that I scanned from the trunk at The Ranch and sure enough it was Henry and Rosa's wedding picture. I emailed her a copy and she confirmed with her mother and aunt that it indeed was Rosa. Small world!

In 2003 Terra and Herman went out of their way to go through Rochester, Iowa. They took a few pictures of the church and the cemetery. Refer to your timeline from the reunion in 2007.

Sharing our family heritage

Hello all,

I have finally taken the plunge into the world of blogs!

This is my first step as a family historian to share our rich family heritage.

Our ancestor's life experiences, their struggles, heartbreak, successes and pioneering spirit is within each of us. Their spirit is what brought us to where we are today. My goal is to share my research so you can better know your ancestors, their lives, professions and where they lived.

This will be a place where you can ask questions, share stories and personal experiences.