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The Stadlers were of German descent and migrated into England and on to America. There were several Stadler families in North Central Virginia by or before the American Revolution, for Jacob Stadler, two John Stadlers and a Robert Stadler were land owners and one of the John Stadlers owned as many as six Negro slaves when the Spottsylvania County tax lists were compiled in 1790.
Polly Stadler Maughan was the daughter of Robert and Mary Stadler of Caswell County, North Carolina. Her father, Robert, was a saddlemaker by trade. He left home to get some leather for his trade and was drowned. This accident happened ca. 1793 when his youngest son, John, was an infant. His place of burial is not known.
Handed down information reveals that Robert Stadler crossed the ocean to Ameria.
Robert's wife, Mary is buried at Bush Arbor Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Caswell County. Her tombstone reads that she was born May 25, 1754, and died June 30, 1854, living to be 100 years, one month and five days.
The children of Robert and Mary Stadler were:
1. Polly Stadler b. May 25, 1754 and d. June 30, 1854. m. James Maughan on July 29, 1809.
2. Elizabeth Stadler m. William Brown. No trace has been found of this couple.
3. Lydia Stadler m. William Fritz.
4. Susannah Parker Stadler m. Luke Arnold.
5. Robert Graves Stadler Not married. Moved to Texas. Many nieces and nephews followed him to Texas.
6. John I. Stadler b. August 6, 1792. d. March 8, 1860. m. Nancy Arnold. John I. Stadler was a well respected minister in North Carolina. The following was taken from the Minutes of the Gilliam Association in Alamance County, North Carolina, August 18, 19, 20, 1860:
A Biographical Sketch of Elder John Stadler
"Who was born in Granville County, North Carolina, on the 6th day of August, 1792, of poor but highly respectable parents. His father having been drowned, he became an orphan while yet an infant, and upon his mother depended the onerous duty of rearing a large family of children, how nobly she performed that sacred duty, the deceased is a living example. But her physical ability was unequaled to the laborious task that had devolved upon her, and necessity compelled her to hire out his brother and himself to obtain the means of support for the younger members of the family, thereby preventing the deceased from enjoying those opportunities of acquiring an education, which are offered to the poorest of our people.
He attended school for one month only, but an all- wise God had provided a better instructor for him than the mere works of men.
The subject of this memoir was married on the 12th day of December, 1812, in his 21st year, to Miss Nancy Arnold, who, also was of poor but respectable parents, with whom he lived to the day of his death and by whom he had thirteen children, all of whom they raised to be men and women. Though poor and laboring hard to support his family, yet the Lord had a greater work for him to perform.
God was pleased to awaken him to a sense of his lost and ruined state, and he made a profession of a saving interest in Christ, on the 5th day of November, 1820, and joined the church together with his wife at Bush Arbor, in Caswell County, at their May meeting 1821, and continued to be an orderly member and leading one till death.
He commenced his glorious career as a minister of the Gospel at the fountain on the morning of his baptism, and was ordained on the 11th of November 1822.
He soon became known far and near, proclaiming the riches of divine grace as often as his situation would admit of.
The Lord seemed to look with a favoring eye and to bless all labors both in the ministry and in his worldly affairs.
He soon became a great and useful preacher, many becoming alarmed under his preaching, many were confirmed in his hopes, and the sheep were fed. Traveling far and near, he preached the unsearchable riches of Christ the Redeemer. During his ministry the Missionary God was introduced, creating divisions and dissensions among the Baptist. He remained firm and no one raised his banner against the false God sooner, or opposed it with more unyielding firmness than he, admonishing with true eloquence and convincing arguments, his brethren to beware of the new God, and to flee from it as from the evil one.
Though without the benefits derived from an education, yet his appeals in behalf of the Savior's undying love were so heart stirring, his eloquence so moving-his arguments so firm and unanswerable-his reasoning so convincing that none could gain-say or confound his doctrine. Having the scriptures at command he used the sword of Spirit with power and effect.
He was called to the pastoral care of four churches, Lick Fork, Bush Arbor, Gilliam's and Deep Creek, and in that capacity he served the churches faithfully and satisfactorily to his death.
The greater portion of the older brethren, who called him to this charge have long preceded him to that bourne whence no traveler returns, and the present members are the fruits of his ministry. He was chosen Moderator of the Country Line Primitive Baptist Association, in the year 1832, which honorable position he filled with so much credit to himself, and satisfaction to the Association that he was annually re-elected until death. If ill feelings and dissensions raised their heads in any of the churches within the Association, he it was, who poured the Holy Oil on the agitated waters and restored good will and brotherly love among the brethren.
He was like-wise ever ready to assist the sister Associations in reconciling their difference, and his efforts were ever crowned with success.
Conscious of his declining years and shortness of his days, and knowing that the "Harvest was great and the laborers few", he preached more, if possible, in his old age than in his youth, and his efforts were more successful. He increased his travels preaching the Holy Gospel and warning his bearers to flee the wrath to come, and strengthening the brethren and entreating them to remain firm in their faith. He seemed to be the favorite and was generally selected to preach their funerals, and always complied with this request by paying the last tribute to the dead.
His labors were incessant, and burden-some; but when entreated by his friends to spare his health by desisting from his labors, his invariable reply was, "I prefer wearing myself away to rusting away," and that he wanted to die preaching; it seemed that a kind Providence granted both of his wishes. He preached at Lick Fork on Sunday preceding his death from 14th Chapter of the Gospel by John, 6th verse, "Jesus saith until him, I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the father but by me," with as much power and zeal as I ever heard him, and all who heard him felt that the Lord was with him.
Immediately after church he felt the cold hands of disease seize upon him, the following night he spent with an old sister in the Gospel, when he grew worse notwithstanding all their efforts to relieve him, they wished to call in a physician but he objected, saying he would return home to die with his nearest and dearest friends on earth.
The next morning he hastened home to die with his dear wife and children whom he continued to exhort, with all the friends who visited him, to prepare for the life to come.
He departed this life on Thursday, the 6th day of March 1860, and I think that he might adopt the language of the Apostle: "For I am now ready to be offered, the time of my departure is at hand, I have fought a good fight - I have finished my course - I have kept the faith - henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness"."
The following tribute to John I. Stadler was copied from the Minutes of the Kehukee Baptist Association, which was held at Cross Roads Church, Edgecombe County, North Carolina, beginning Saturday, October 6, 1860, and continued through Monday, October 8, 1860:
Elder John Stadler
"The Messengers composing the Kehukee Association, convened with the Church at Cross Roads, Edgecombe County, October, 1860, feel called on to notice the death of our estimable friend and worthy brother in Christ, Elder John Stadler, of Caswell County, North Carolina, who departed this life at his own residence, on the 8th March, 1860, in the 68th year of his age. Elder Stadler had been chosen Messenger from the Country Line to the Kehukee Association for twenty-one consecutive years, commencing with the year 1838, and ending in 1859. He failed only once, viz. in 1844; so that he attended the Kehukee Sessions precisely 20 years.
He was so uniformly with us, that he appeared very much like one of our own members. His advise in matters of discipline, was always highly regarded and duly appreciated, and his preaching eminently useful and acceptable.
We miss him very much now - he is gone home to the great Association above. We deeply sympathize with his own Association in her loss. But what is their loss, is his gain. The number of the redeemed is no less by his being removed to another apartment.
His great interest in the welfare of the Churches, the wide field of his ministry, and the strict purity of his moral deportment, constituted him one of the remarkable men of his age; and his memory we think will long be cherished with affection by the household of faith and all his surviving acquaintances."
The children of John I. Stadler and Nancy Arnold are:
1. Polly W. Stadler b. October 22, 1813.
2. John T. Stadler b. April 9, 1815. m. Arrena Gooch.
3. Robert Dickey Stadler b. October 6, 1816. m. Frances L. Arnold.
4. William B. Stadler b. April 13, 1818. m. Artelia Aldridge.
5. Nancy A. Stadler b. October 25, 1819. d. December 22, 1843. m. William B. Allred.
6. Elizabeth D. Stadler b. April 7, 1821. d. March 19, 1849.
7. Stephen S. Stadler b. May 10, 1823.
8. Rhese E. Stadler b. March 6, 1825. m. Nancy C. Hester.
9. Barzillia Graves Stadler b. November 18, 1826. d. November 21, 1863.
10. James L. Stadler b. October 27, 1828.
11. Permela Jane Stadler b. April 30, 1830. d. November 9, 1848.
12. Martha Frances Stadler b. December 26, 1831. d. May 4, 1903. m. James A. McKinney.
13. Melissa S. Stadler b. December 13, 1833. d. November 11, 1879.
In October 1981, I visited Blalock "cousins", Stadler descendants, in Caswell County and received a very warm welcome. This county is much like Pickens County, Alabama, my home county, as everyone seems to know everyone else and most claim kinship.
On a very chilly October morning I visited the Bush Arbor Primitive Baptist church, a well kept country church located in the Anderson Township section of Caswell County. Located next to the church is a peaceful cemetery with some very old graves overlooking a beautiful lake. There are a number of old Stadler graves located in this cemetery.
This church was organized on February 8, 1808. It was legended that its first meetings were held under a "bush arbor" from whence it derived its name. John I. Stadler, brother of Polly, was the second pastor of this church, being ordained on November 11, 1822.
J. Burch Blaylock (he added the "Y" for easier pronunciation), deceased, retired as Register of Deeds in Caswell County, has done extensive work on this Stadler family and other families in that county as well. Also, W. Ernest Blalock of Prospect Hill, North Carolina, has collected material on this family for several years.
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