Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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    George B Sammons (1853-1929)

    BIRTH: 7 Aug 1853, Poughkeepsie, New York, USA
    DEATH: 22 Apr 1929, Towanda, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA
    FATHER: Edmund Sammons (1814–1885)
    MOTHER: Harriett C Connor (1824–1872)
    SPOUSE: Helen E Carl (1863–1948)

    When George B. Sammons was born on August 27, 1853, in Poughkeepsie, New York, his father, Edmund, was 39 and his mother, Harriett, was 29. He married Helen E Carl in 1880. They had three children during their marriage. He died on April 22, 1929, in Towanda, Pennsylvania, at the age of 75, and was buried there.

    His story

    George B. Sammons was born 27 August 1853 in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, the son of Edmund Sammons (1814–1885) and Harriett C. Connor (1824–1872). At the time of his birth, Edmund was 39 and Harriett was 29, placing George squarely in the middle of their known children.

    The Star-Gazette, Elmira, New York · April 8, 1908

    By 1870, the U.S. Census records George as a 17‑year‑old farm laborer, living with his parents in Bradford County, Pennsylvania. This indicates that the family migrated from New York to Pennsylvania sometime between 1853 and 1870—a move consistent with the broader Sammons family migration pattern from the Mohawk Valley into northern Pennsylvania.

    In 1880, George married Helen E. Carl. Together they had three children, including Harriet, William Edward, and George Jr. The family lived in Towanda, Bradford County, where George spent the remainder of his life.

    George’s working life is well documented in federal census records:

    • 1900 Census – Listed as a janitor for the public schools
    • 1910 Census – Still employed as a school janitor
    • 1920 Census – Continues in the same occupation

    This indicates a long, stable career in public service within the Towanda school system.

    In 1908, George received an additional appointment as a special police officer in Towanda. Such appointments were typically given to trusted, long‑standing community members and often involved part‑time or auxiliary duties such as crowd control, election security, or assisting the borough constable.

    George lived in Towanda until his death on 22 April 1929 at the age of 75. He was buried in Towanda, Pennsylvania.

    The following is an excerpt from Staggs Genealogy – Harold Wareham Staggs – His Book

    George E. Sammons and Helen Carl moved to Towanda, Pennsylvania and bought a farm. George was a carpenter, and his farm was only a sideline. They had three children, Harriet, George and Bill. Harriet became a schoolteacher when she was sixteen, never married and died in Towanda. Bill and George, as boys worked the farm and sold milk in tin at five cents a quart to the towns people. Bill told me of how, when the circus came to town, his father would build a table near the circus, and his mother would make sandwiches and lemonade to sell there. George [Jr.] started to work for the town druggist, so, one spring, his father took him out of high school and sent him to the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy. After he finished college, George [Jr.] worked as a Pharmacist in Athens, Pennsylvania. The family built a large house on Bridge Street in Towanda and “took in” boys from the country who were going to high school. These boys would go home for the weekend and bring their next weeks’ food with them when they came back. Mrs. Sammons would then cook it for them. After her husband died, she ran her home as a boarding house for teachers from the high school. Grandfather Bill’s mother couldn’t read or write but she saw to it that each of her children received an education.

    Legacy of George B Sammons

    Parents

    Father: Edmund Sammons (1814–1885)

    Mother: Harriett C Connor (1824–1872)

    Married

    Helen E Carl (1863–1948). Married in 1880

    Children

    • Harriet Charlotte Sammons (1883–1945)
    • William Edward Sammons (1884–1967)
    • George Israel Sammons (1889–1965)

    Documents

    • Birth Records
      • Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1973 > Name: George B Sammons; Race: White; Gender: Male; Death Age: 75; Birth Date: 27 Aug 1853; Birth Place: New York; Death Date: 22 Apr 1929; Death Place: Towanda, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA; Father: Edwin Sammons; Mother: Harritt O Connor; Certificate Number: 44838
      • Find A Grave Birth Date: 1853
    • Marriage records
      • None
    • Death records
      • Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1973 > Name: George B Sammons; Race: White; Gender: Male; Death Age: 75; Birth Date: 27 Aug 1853; Birth Place: New York; Death Date: 22 Apr 1929; Death Place: Towanda, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA; Father: Edwin Sammons; Mother: Harritt O Connor; Certificate Number: 44838
      • Find A Grave Death Date: 1929
      • Burial: Oak Hill Cemetery, Towanda, Bradford County, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Census Records
    • Other

    Relation of George B. Sammons to Steven Barry Staggs: maternal great-grandfather

    Page last updated April 17, 2026

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