Parthenia Stanton was born in Bristol, Ontario County, New York, on July 27, 1798, the eldest child of Benjamin Stanton and Sarah Rood. Parthenia was the second wife of Bradford D. Shirley, who was born in 1781 in Massachusetts, son of Job Shirley.
Bradford moved from Massachusetts in 1814, settling in Sempronius, Cayuga County, New York. His first wife appears to have died sometime before 1820.
Their family was counted on the census in Sempronius in 1820 and 1830.
The adult female in the home in 1820, age 16-25, was most likely Parthenia, since she was too young to be the mother of Bradford's two eldest children, Nancy (born abt. 1806), and Bradford Jr (born 1808). Parthenia was only 10 years old in 1808.
In 1830, Bradford's household in Sempronius contained two boys and two girls, indicating he may have had four or more children with Parthenia. Three are known: Florinda (born abt. 1820), John (1822-1903), and Betsy (1823-1896).
In 1840, they were counted on the census in Moravia, which had been formed from a part of Sempronius in 1833. They probably hadn't actually moved.
Between 1840 and 1850, Bradford and Parthenia moved 27 miles south to Richford, Tioga County, New York. Their son, John Shirley, lived nearby.
Notice in 1860 there are Rockefellers listed after Bradford on the census. John D. Rockefeller, perhaps the wealthiest American of all time, was born in Richford in 1839. In 1850 and 1860 Bradford and Parthenia were counted on the census in Richford.
Bradford must have died between 1860 and 1865. In 1865 and 1870, Parthenia was living with her daughter, Florida, and her husband Jude Butts, in Summerhill, Cayuga, New York:
Parthenia died in November of 1879. Her final resting place is unknown. If you know where she was buried, please comment below or contact me!
The following resource contains information about the Stanton family in America:
A record, genealogical, biographical, statistical, of Thomas Stanton, of Connecticut, and his descendants. 1635-1891 by William Alonzo Stanton, b. 1854. Perhaps once our missing link is found, we can connect our line to this family.