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EARLY SETTLERS OF SANGAMON COUNTY - 1876
By John Carroll Power

These biographies were submitted by a researcher and evidently abstracted from the 1876 History of Sangamon County, IL. Errors could occur, so one should always verify the correctness by obtaining copies of vitals and performing all necessary research to document what is contained herein.



STONE, ASAHEL, was born Sept. 25, 1780, in Chesterfield, New Hampshire. His father, Colonel William Stone, was born in Groton, Mass., and was second in command at the taking of Crown Point, by Ethan Allen. He was a prisoner at Ticonderoga at the time of its evacuation by the British, immediately after Burgoyne's surrender. Col. Stone's wife was Submit Ward. At the time of his imprisonment, they had two children, aged respectively two and four years. The day before Col. Stone was to leave for Great Britain to be tried for high treason, Mrs. Stone left these two children at home alone and went to the fort, twelve miles distant, in a canoe, accompanied by her brother, David Ward, aged ten years--who was afterwards a Baptist minister and grandfather of Captain E. B. Ward, the late detroit millionaire. They reached the fort late in the afternoon, but the officer in command refused to admit her, notwithstanding all her pleading, and compelled her to wait all night in the boat. On returning home she found her children safe. The next day her husband was liberated. The rapid advance of our troops up the country having compelled the British to leave without being able to provide transportation for their prisoners.

Asahel Stone, whose name heads this sketch was a graduate of Dartmouth College, in the same class with Daniel Webster. He was married February, 1805, in Bridport, Addison county, Vt., to Laura Culver They came to Sangamon county, Ill., Nov. 1831, and entered the land now owned by Hiram E. Gardner six miles west of Springfield. They had six children, viz:--

WHELOCK, S., born Nov. 28, 1805, in Madrid, St. Lawrence county, N. Y. He was a classmate of Dr. Hatfield, of New York city; Dr. J. J. Owens, Prof. Cozzens and D. B. Tower, at Middlebury College, and graduated there in 1828 with the second honors of his class. He afterwards became a minister of the gospel. He was married September, 1832, to Martha Storrs and died at Mobile, Alabama, in 1837, of yellow fever.

OSSIAN L., born May 24, 1807, in Madrid, N. Y., was brought up in Vermont. He came to Sangamon county with his father in 1831 and was married October 29, 1835 in Sangamon county, to Abigail C. Stewart, who was born in Junius Seneca county, N. Y., May 16, 1811. See James Stewart. They had four living children, namely: LAURA L., born June 7, 1840, in Sangamon county, was married March 30, 1858, to Jacob Gregory. See his name. They have two children, MARY and GEORGE, and reside in Decatur Illinois. JAMES A., born May 6, 1842, in Sangamon county, married September 26, 1866, in Morgan county, to Eliza Allyn. They have three children, JESSIE, PERCY A., and JAMES R. J. A. Stone owns and resides with his family on the farm entered by his father in September, 1834, the patent for which was signed by Andrew Jackson. The farm joins that entered by his grand-father, Asahel Stone. HENRY A., born April 3, 1844, in Sangamon county, died April 21, 1861. CHARLES O., born May 4, 1847, in Sangamon county, is unmarried and resides in Springfield, Illinois. Ossian L. Stone died in 1850 and Mrs. Abigail Stone was married March, 1862, to Aaron Thompson and died in Springfield, Ill., Feb. 15, 1875. Mr. Thompson is one of the firm of Thompson & Newman, planing mill.

THEDA S., born Dec. 14, 1808, in Madrid, N. Y., died at Bridport, Vt., March 31, 1820.

FRANCES S., born Dec. 17, 1813, in Bridport, Vt. Came with her father's family to Sangamon county, and was married at their farm residence Feb. 13, 1840, to Jonathan C. Bancroft. See his name. Rev. Dr. A. P. Happer, of the Chinese Mission, was groomsman at their wedding.

PHILIP Z., born Dec. 16, 1816, in Bridport, Vt., was married Feb. 1843, to Julia McCarty in Sangamon county. She died in 1852, while on their way to Oregon. P. Z. Stone resides in St. Louis, Missouri.

LAURA A., born April 10, 1821, in Bridport, Vt., was married at her father's farm residence in Sangamon county, Ill., April 21, 1842, to Jacob Ruckel. See his name.

Mrs. Laura Stone died June 21, 1845, and Asahel Stone was married September, 1846, in Springfield, Ill., to Lucretia Dresser. He died there Oct. 2, 1871. His widow resides in Springfield. Asahel Stone was the last survivor of the class in which he graduated in Dartmouth college, of which it has already been stated that Daniel Webster was a member.



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