Tag Archives: Mary Augusta Stone

Heirlooms Introduce Stone Sisters and Create Mysteries

When I found my Grandma Vera and my Great Aunt Maude Stout’s autograph books, I did not realize that I would also discover a family of relatives that I was unaware of–the Stone sisters.

Will and Maud Stout

Will M. Stout and Mary (Maude) Stout, May, 1881 (Probably taken the day that Vera Stout was born.)

Maude Stout Autograph Book

Maude Stout autograph book cover. 1886. Signatures of the Stone sisters in this book.

I talked last week about Grandma Vera’s autograph book, and showed a picture of her book along with two that belonged to her older sister Maude.  Since the types of inscriptions, drawings, stickers, verses, are similar in both, I won’t share as many of the pages from Aunt Maude’s. The thing that seemed most obvious to me came in comparing the empty pages–one or two in Vera’s book and many in Maude’s book.  Maude seems to have a higher percentage of older people signing her book–along with the “signature” of her little sister Vera. You can see the effort of the 4-year-old Vera in the previous post. By the way, Maude spelled her name without the final “e” when she was younger, but came to use the “e” in adulthood.

Maud’s signature on inside cover of autograph book.

Maude’s smaller book (cover pictured above) measures 3 1/4 ” by 5 1/4″ and has 38 pages (76 writing surfaces). On those page, Maude collected just 18 signatures in 1886 and 1888. (none in 1887).

The larger book measures 4 1/2″ x 7″ and contains 45 pages plus a printed cover page.  In that book, Maude collected signatures in the years 1885, 1886, 1888, 1889, 1890 and 1892, and one in 1895, so from the time she was thirteen years old until she was twenty-three, she would get out her autograph book from time to time.

Autograph book cover

Cover of the larger of Maude Stout’s two autograph books.

The pages are intact with very little wear showing, which indicates to me that she used the book less, and perhaps went back to it less frequently than Vera’s book. In that book the pages are fragile and edges are torn.

Maude and Vera are the two Stout sisters of the title.  In Aunt Maude Stout’s book, I spotted signatures of two Stone sisters from Guernsey County–Mary A. Stone and Hattie (Harriette Stone). That sent me on an interesting search, because although there are many Stone relatives in my line, I was not aware that the Stout sisters were in touch with the Stone sisters of Guernsey County.  Huge thanks to a cousin, descendant of the family of Mary and Hattie for his shared research and many, many photographs.

These children were orphaned when Mary was 14, Hattie was 13, and their brother  just eleven when their father died. Their mother had died three years earlier. This picture of the Stone sisters and their brother could very well be from the day of their father’s funeral.

The Stone Cousins

Mary, Frank and Harriet /Hattie Stone, from collection of pearson1295 on Ancestors.com

The Stone sisters were older than their cousins the Stout sisters. I find it interesting that Mary Augusta Stone, the older sister would have been 23 years old when she signed 14-year-old Maude’s book.

Cousin Mary Stone 1886,

Cousin Mary Stone 1886, Cambridge, OH, Autograph in Maud Stout’s autograph book

Dear Maud Remember that “Practice makes perfect.”  “Cousin Mary”. Perservere.  Cambridge, O. Oct 9th 1886,

This is interesting because I remember Aunt Maude playing the piano  in the 1940s and 1950s after she had moved back to Killbuck Ohio from Buffalo.  According to the census, she taught piano in Buffalo after her husband died in the early 20th century.

Mary signed the book twice on the same day..

Cousin Mary Stone, 1886

Cousin Mary Stone , Cambridge, OH 1886 in Maud Stout’s autograph book

 Elmwood.  Dear Maud

Great deeds are before you and great songs; If crowned or crownless when you fall , It matters not so God’s work is done.  Your loving cousin Mary A. Stone, Cambridge, Oct. 9th 1886.

Hattie Stone, just a year younger than Mary Stone, signed the book at age 22.

Autograph of Cousin Hattie Stone

Cousin Hattie Stone, Cambridge, OH 1886 in Maud Stout’s autograph book.

Maud “Be a good sweet maid and let who will be clever. Do noble things, not drum them all day long, And so make life, death, and that vast forever, One grand sweet song.”  Lovingly, Hattie Stone, Oct. 13th 1886, Cambridge, Ohio.

In Maude’s second book, Hattie signed again the following day:

“Let us press with free and willing fee along the King’s Highway of Holiness.” Lovingly, Hattie L. Stone.  Oct. 14th 1886.  In the margin it says Cambridge, Ohio.

The Stone sisters were not the only relatives to sign Maude’s books. Another cousin from Guernsey County, May Hays, also signed Maude’s book. The Stout girls were related to Lillie May Hays through her mother, the sister of their father Dr. William Stout. I was not surprised to see May Hays signature in Maude’s autograph book, since  I have written about the Stout family’s road trips to Guernsey County to visit their Stout relatives. I also wrote about May (Lillie May) and her mother here.  You may want to go back to read what I have found of the somewhat unusual story of May’s life.  May was 17 when she signed Maude’s book, and Maude was 14.

Mattie Stout's daughter

Mattie Stout Hays’ daughter Lillie May Hays McFarland -Cousin May Hays

 

Cousin May Hays

Autograph of cousin May Hays, Guernsey County, Ohio, 1889

Aug 14 ’99

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall. Your Aff Coz May Hays

“Remember our horseback ride”

Since the women were all older than Maude, herself nine years older than Vera, it makes sense that Vera did not have these cousins’ signatures in her book several years later.

Although Vera’s signatures almost all come from Killbuck, Ohio, several of Maude’s come from other places.  I am at a loss to explain that, because I don’t have information about her school years. She may have spent some of those years in a private academy away from home, rather than the public school.  These missing years particularly annoyed me when I read in one of the signatures, “Remember the winter of 91-92. Remember May 19 and the sights we seen.” The entry is dated May 20, 1892. And the signer, Lizzie Henderson is from Fredericksburg. (a town in a county neighboring Killbuck). Who is Lizzie?  What were those marvelous ‘sights we seen’? What was special about that winter?  I will never know.

But the page that mystifies me the most is this one.

Signature of Sula Webb

Cousin Sula Webb, Iowa

Who is this mystery cousin? I presently have no Webbs in my family tree, and so far have not been able to locate this Sula Webb.  There is a Sula Webb who is a physician in Iowa. Since she is an eclectic medicine doctor, the same as Maude’s father and her uncle George Stout, that hints at a possible connection. A preliminary search has not turned up very much information.  That is how it goes in research. Every new discovery opens up many new questions.

I am excited to learn about the Stone sisters, but so many new questions now face me in my research.

Bless the Census. Curse the Census Taker.

When the Census Taker Gets It Wrong

We rely a great deal on Federal Census reports when piecing together family histories in the United States.  Sometimes the census taker lets us down.  This interesting example highlights the household of Benjamin B. Stone of Cambridge Ohio. Since I searched for Sarah Bassett, her name is highlighted in yellow.

1880 Census

66 1880 census of Cambridge, Guernsey County, Ohio, showing household of Benjamin Stone.

The information as given on the census (W.M. and W.F. means White Male or White Female) with errors highlighted:

  • Stone, B. B., W, M, 68                   Boot and Shoe Merchant
  • Laura B.,W,F, 17 , grand-daughter
  • Hatty L., W.F., 16, grand-daughter
  • Frank M, W.M.,   14, son
  • Bassett, Sarah, W.F., 68, Boarder, Unreadable occupation. Looks crossed out.

CORRECTED:

  • Stone, B.B., W.M. 68                     Boot and Shoe Merchant
  • Lura B., W.F. , 66, WIFE
  • Additional line: Mary A., W.F., 17, grand-daughter
  • Hatty L. W.F., 16, grand-daughter
  • Frank M., W.M., 14, grand-son
  • Bassett Sarah, W. F., 68, Sister-in-law.

Census Tells Story

Despite the errors, once I had it figured out, putting this 1880 census together with the 1870 census told a sad story.

Ten years earlier, in 1870, Sarah lived with her sister and brother-in-law, but Lura and Benjamin Stone’s only child, Maro Farwell Stone and his wife and children also lived with them. Maro and his father both taught music.

However, Maro’s wife died in 1874 and he died in 1877, so the children, then 11, 13 and 14 were left orphans. Hence, in the 1880 census, we see that their grandfather and grandmother are now their guardians.

A 14-Year-Old At Her Father’s Funeral

A family member has Mary Augusta’s journal. She shares it on line, and it includes poignant pages of the 14-year-old’s reactions to her father’s death and funeral.  Reading between the lines, I imagine that the body was in an open coffin in the living room of grandfather Benjamin Stone’s home in Cambridge, giving the family opportunity to visit and say goodbye as friends came to call.

Mary A. Stone Journal

Mary August Stone journal, May 1877. She was 14.

May  Tuesday 1, 1877. It is a sad, sad day.  It is cloudy and cool and it rained a little.  We looked at Papa again this morning and many times through the day.  A great many people called and were very kind.  Ella and six more of the girls came in the evening.  Mr. McMahon. Mr. Farrah. Mr. Patterson and others called.  Grandma Mix came from Wheeling. Papa looks very natural.  The funeral takes place tomorrow at two oclock.  We miss him so and always will. We expect Cousin Hattie from Columbus in the morning.  I want to see her so much.

May Wednesday 2, 1877. It is cold and cloudy Cousin Hattie could not come.  The funeral took place today.  Mr. Fisher officiated. The Oddfellows and Knights of Pythias had the Odd fellows ceremony. I need not enter into the particulars for I will always remember  A great many of our schoolmates came.  It was very very sad. A great many were there. Aunt Olive from Cleveland came too late for the funeral. I like her so much.  I will always remember the last look at Papa. He looked so pleasant and calm.  He had a boquet in his hands one on his heart one in the coffin and three limbs on it.

 

How I Am Related

  • Vera Marie Kaser (Badertscher) is the daughter of
  • Harriette Anderson (Kaser),  the daughter of
  • Vera Stout (Anderson), the daughter of
  • Harriet Morgan (Stout), the daughter of
  • Mary Bassett (Morgan),  the sister of
  • Lura Bassett (Stone),  the mother of
  • Maro Farwell Stone, the father of
  • Mary Augusta Stone. (2nd cousin 2 times removed)

Notes on Sources

U. S. Federal Census Reports, 1870 and 1880, Cambridge, Guernsey, Ohio

Personal Journal of Mary Augusta Stone, in possession of a descendant of Miss Stone.

Genealogical Notes of Mary Augusta Stone, in possession of a descendant of Miss Stone.

(The Mary Augusta Stone records are posted on Ancestry.com on public member trees.)