L. L. Shackford of Lyndon has bought Whitney Stowell's harness business at West Concord.
LUTHER L SHACKFORD (1850-1910)
Luther L Shackford was the son of Luther C Shackford and Harriet Currier[i] We don't know his actual birthdate which is listed as 1848 in Child's Gazetter of Caledonia and Essex Counties,[ii] January 1849 in the 1900 census,[iii] and calculates to Feb 8, 1850 using his death record. Luther used multiple middle names, such as LeForest, LaForest, or LeFont, sometimes substituting them for his first name and sometimes going by L. L. Shackford.
Around the time of Luther's birth, his father, Luther Calvin Shackford headed to California on the Steamer Corsair where he remained. At this time we are unsure what happened to Luther's mother Harriet but do know from the Gazeteer of Caledonia that by the age of 16 Luther had moved to Lyndon, Vermont where he learned the harness maker's trade[iv]. Seven years later he married Miranda W Houghton, a resident of Lyndon. [v] A few years later he purchased a harness business in Concord[vi] and in 1882 purchased a property in Concord[vii]. Unfortunately it appears that his business did not succeed and in 1885 the newspaper reported that he settled with his creditors at thirty cents on the dollar[viii]. Luther continued working as a harness maker until his death of heart disease in 1910 at age 59[ix].
CHILDREN
William Leroy Shackford (1873-1886)
Blanche Abbie Shackford (1875-1946) - married Jethro Lillicrap
[i] Vermont, Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954, P 272, L Leforest Shackford and Meranda W Houghton, ; database, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 June 2013).
[ii] Child Hamilton, Compiler and Publisher, Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Countries, Vt. 1764-1887 (Syracuse, N. Y.: Syracuse Journal Company, Printers and Binders, May 1887), p. 438; digital images, Google eBooks (http://books.google.com : accessed 8 July 2013
[iii] 1900 United States Federal Census, Essex County, Vermont, population schedule, Concord, enumeration district (ED) Enumeration District No 95, Sheet No 2 B, dwelling 48, family 55, Luther L Shackford; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 December 2013
[iv] Child Hamilton, Compiler and Publisher, Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Countries, Vt. 1764-1887 (Syracuse, N. Y.: Syracuse Journal Company, Printers and Binders, May 1887), p. 438; digital images, Google eBooks (http://books.google.com : accessed 8 July 2013
[v] Vermont, Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954, P 272, L Leforest Shackford and Meranda W Houghton, ; database, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 5 June 2013).
[vi] "ESSEX COUNTY.," Vermont Farmer (Newport, Orleans, Vermont), 24 March 1876, L. L. Shackford of Lyndon has bought Whitney Stowell's harness business at West Concord.; digital images, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 4 December 2013).
[vii] "West Concord," St. Johnsbury Caledonian (St. Johnsbury, Vermont), 12 May 1882, Mr. L. L. Shackford has bought the Henry Smith place.; digital images, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 4 December 2013
[viii] Burlington weekly free press (Burlington, Vermont), 6 November 1885, L. L. Shackford, dealer in harnesses, who recently failed in West Concord, has compromised with his creditors at 30 cents on the dollar.; digital images, Library of Congress Chronicling America (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/ : accessed 4 December 2013
[ix] Vermont, Vermont Death Records, , Luther L Shackford, 10 January 1910; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 4 December 2013