Husband of Millie May Denny Staggers

H. C. Staggers, 72, Succumbs to Heart Attack While Recuperating from
Appendectomy Stricken with a heart attack while convalescing from an
operation for appendicitis a week ago, Haman C. Staggers, 72, prominent
and widely known retired attorney-at-law died at 8:30 yesterday morning,
February 13, 1941, in the Greene County Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Staggers was apparently recovering satisfactorily from an emergency
appendectomy when he was seized with a heart attack early yesterday
morning and died a few hours later.

The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock from the residence,
East High street.

For a quarter of a century or more, Mr. Staggers was actively identified
with Waynesburg's professional business, civic and religious life, and
practiced law here for more than thirty years as a member of the Greene County
Bar Association. Failing health compelled his retirement from the practice
of law some years ago and he had since devoted much of his time to the
growing of fine dahlias. He was a vice president and long time member of
the American Dahlia Society and was widely known throughout the Tri-state
district as a dahlia grower.

A son of the late Lisbon and Sarah Hoge Staggers, he was born July 29,
1868, in Whiteley Township and was a lifelong resident of Greene County.

After completing his elementary education, he taught in the public
schools of the county from 1888 through 1892. He attended the Edinboro
State Normal School in 1889-1890 after which he entered Waynesburg
College and was graduated in the class of 1895. He then enrolled in the law
school of West Virginia University and was graduated in 1897. He was admitted
to the Greene County bar on November 1897.

Mr. Staggers' grandmother, Catherine Maple Stiger, was the daughter of
a Revolutionary War soldier, William Maple, who was of English descent.

After her marriage to John Stiger, she induced her husband to change the
family name to an English spelling - Staggers, as it has been spelled ever
since. John and Catherine Staggers, lived on Smith Creek and reared a
large family of children of which Mr. Staggers father, Lisbon Staggers,
was one.

For a number of years, Mr. Staggers was prominently identified with Greene
County politics and was recognized as one of the leaders of the Democratic
party in the county. He served as Democratic county chairman in 1900 and
served two terms as district attorney, 1903-1909. He was one of the original
Woodrow Wilson supporters in Greene County and was a delegate to the Baltimore
convention that nominated President Wilson for his first term in 1912.

He also served as manager of the Wilson campaign in Greene County that
year. He never ceased to be interested in political affairs and kept himself
well informed on national, state and county affairs.

He was married July 12, 1897 to Miss Millie Denny of Waynesburg, who survives
with two sons and a daughter: Benjamin D. Staggers, of Waynesburg;
Mrs. Sarah Hughes, of Philadelphia, and Robert Staggers, of Waynesburg.
There are four grandchildren. Also surviving are two brothers, Elva Staggers,
of Lisbon, Ohio and Charles Staggers, of Hill City, Kansas; one sister, Mrs.
Alice Guthrie, of Waynesburg, RD and a half sister, Mrs. Kate Bowlby,
Natoma, Kansas.

Mr. Staggers came of pioneer Greene County stock; his ancestors, having been
Hollanders who first came to America about 1640, landing in what is now New
Jersey and later emigrating to Lancaster or York County. Later a son of
one of these families, names Jacob Stiger, as the family name was then
spelled went down into Virginia before the Revolutionary War, and was
among a number of frontiersmen sent by the colony of Virginia into the
northwestern Augusta County, Va. of which Green County was then a part,
to ward off Indians and hold that territory for Virginia. He settled
outside the limits of the present village of Jefferson, marking out a "tomahawk"
possession on the hillside south of the town, now known as the Haver farm.

Records show that Jacobs Stiger, great-grandfather of Mr. Staggers,
was at Jefferson in 1774. He married a Hollander, Elizabeth Eisiminger,
and they lived in the Jefferson, district, until 1810, when they purchased a
farm on Smith Creek, about four miles south of Waynesburg, where the "white
barn" is now located. Jacob Stiger's family consisted of three children, a
son John and two daughters, He and his wife lived on Smith Creek, the
rest of their lives and are buried on the farm.

Husband of Millie May Denny Staggers

H. C. Staggers, 72, Succumbs to Heart Attack While Recuperating from
Appendectomy Stricken with a heart attack while convalescing from an
operation for appendicitis a week ago, Haman C. Staggers, 72, prominent
and widely known retired attorney-at-law died at 8:30 yesterday morning,
February 13, 1941, in the Greene County Memorial Hospital.

Mr. Staggers was apparently recovering satisfactorily from an emergency
appendectomy when he was seized with a heart attack early yesterday
morning and died a few hours later.

The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 3 o'clock from the residence,
East High street.

For a quarter of a century or more, Mr. Staggers was actively identified
with Waynesburg's professional business, civic and religious life, and
practiced law here for more than thirty years as a member of the Greene County
Bar Association. Failing health compelled his retirement from the practice
of law some years ago and he had since devoted much of his time to the
growing of fine dahlias. He was a vice president and long time member of
the American Dahlia Society and was widely known throughout the Tri-state
district as a dahlia grower.

A son of the late Lisbon and Sarah Hoge Staggers, he was born July 29,
1868, in Whiteley Township and was a lifelong resident of Greene County.

After completing his elementary education, he taught in the public
schools of the county from 1888 through 1892. He attended the Edinboro
State Normal School in 1889-1890 after which he entered Waynesburg
College and was graduated in the class of 1895. He then enrolled in the law
school of West Virginia University and was graduated in 1897. He was admitted
to the Greene County bar on November 1897.

Mr. Staggers' grandmother, Catherine Maple Stiger, was the daughter of
a Revolutionary War soldier, William Maple, who was of English descent.

After her marriage to John Stiger, she induced her husband to change the
family name to an English spelling - Staggers, as it has been spelled ever
since. John and Catherine Staggers, lived on Smith Creek and reared a
large family of children of which Mr. Staggers father, Lisbon Staggers,
was one.

For a number of years, Mr. Staggers was prominently identified with Greene
County politics and was recognized as one of the leaders of the Democratic
party in the county. He served as Democratic county chairman in 1900 and
served two terms as district attorney, 1903-1909. He was one of the original
Woodrow Wilson supporters in Greene County and was a delegate to the Baltimore
convention that nominated President Wilson for his first term in 1912.

He also served as manager of the Wilson campaign in Greene County that
year. He never ceased to be interested in political affairs and kept himself
well informed on national, state and county affairs.

He was married July 12, 1897 to Miss Millie Denny of Waynesburg, who survives
with two sons and a daughter: Benjamin D. Staggers, of Waynesburg;
Mrs. Sarah Hughes, of Philadelphia, and Robert Staggers, of Waynesburg.
There are four grandchildren. Also surviving are two brothers, Elva Staggers,
of Lisbon, Ohio and Charles Staggers, of Hill City, Kansas; one sister, Mrs.
Alice Guthrie, of Waynesburg, RD and a half sister, Mrs. Kate Bowlby,
Natoma, Kansas.

Mr. Staggers came of pioneer Greene County stock; his ancestors, having been
Hollanders who first came to America about 1640, landing in what is now New
Jersey and later emigrating to Lancaster or York County. Later a son of
one of these families, names Jacob Stiger, as the family name was then
spelled went down into Virginia before the Revolutionary War, and was
among a number of frontiersmen sent by the colony of Virginia into the
northwestern Augusta County, Va. of which Green County was then a part,
to ward off Indians and hold that territory for Virginia. He settled
outside the limits of the present village of Jefferson, marking out a "tomahawk"
possession on the hillside south of the town, now known as the Haver farm.

Records show that Jacobs Stiger, great-grandfather of Mr. Staggers,
was at Jefferson in 1774. He married a Hollander, Elizabeth Eisiminger,
and they lived in the Jefferson, district, until 1810, when they purchased a
farm on Smith Creek, about four miles south of Waynesburg, where the "white
barn" is now located. Jacob Stiger's family consisted of three children, a
son John and two daughters, He and his wife lived on Smith Creek, the
rest of their lives and are buried on the farm.