SARAH E. STONE |
Sarah E Stone Dead
Tuesday Morning, Dec 17, 1912, marked the passage
from the living of Mrs. Sarah E Stone of Cape Fair; a land mark in the
History of Stone County. She was 86 years old and had enjoyed exceptionally
good health all her life and was in the best of health until she fell while
walking across the floor, breaking her hip which was the cause of her death.
"Aunt Sarah" was born in Simpson Co, Ky, March 26,1826
and came to Missouri in 1835 with her parents, and settled at the mouth
of Flat Creek, where her father started a powder mill, a grist mill and
distillery, the only industry; some hunting and fishing and Farming on
a small scale, in all this part of the state.....Cape Fair as the place
was soon called became the center of social life for a radius of fourty
miles. Horse riding, racing, shooting matches and all the kindred sports
of the frontiersmen being indulged in besides the couty "Hop" at which
Miss Sarah Williams was always among the foremost.
One December 18, 1841 she was married to John
H Stone. Their debut in houskeeping was made in a rail pen under Virgin
Bluff two miles south of Cape Fair, where the young bride of 16 spent weeks
alone while her husband journeyed to Linn Creek, Missouri for supplies,
principally salt.
In later life, it was a pleasure to "Aunt
Sarah" to relate the circomstances of her early years, how she built brush
fires around her cabin at night to frighten the wild animals away, and
how she provided the table with meat from her turkey pen, a contraption
by which wild turkeys were captured; of how she mounted her hourse and
rode to Forsyth, fourty miles away, the then County Seat, to pay her taxes
while her husband was looking after the farm work, of how she carded, spun
and wove the cloth that dressed herself and family, and of the hardships
endured by the family during the War, when the Father and two sons were
away in the Army.
Mrs Stone was the mother of twelve children,
six of whom are still living. They are W.T. Stone; E. B. Stone; and George
L. Stone; all of Cape Fair, Mrs. Telitha King of Hinton Oklahoma; Mrs.
Almeda Carney of Cape Fair; and Mrs. Sarah R Carney of Flat Creek.
Her descendants are numbered by hundred, and run into sixth generations.
She was a half sister of Enoch Williams of Sholton, who is the father of
a large family and is related either by blood or marriage to the majerity
of this vacinity.
Stone County received its name from the Father-in-law
of Sarah E, he having been the first Representative from the County.
She was buried in the Marsh Spring Cemetery
near Cape Fair. Funeral services were conducted by Rev. James Allman of
Crane.
"This obituary was taken from the Crane Chronicle. Frank Carney was
exitor and grandson of the deceased"
Submitted by Robin Biddle on May 17, 1999