Easton's Stone House: Backdate

Published in the Adams COunty Times

The history of the old, stone house in Easton, featured three weeks ago, has opened from behind.

Bertal Jarosh, 61, Grand Marsh, said that the markings on the house's backside, "M T Walton, 1876," are not those of the builder, and do not represent the construction date.

Living in the house at that time, according to Mrs Jarosh, was John Walton, who operated the Easton Mill. The date and signature were left by the hand of one of John's sons, Mark.

Kids do things like that. School desks and trees bear similar records. Mark was one of eight Walton boys.

Bertel knows about this, because her great-grandmother was married to John Walton. She was Emma Pease, a widow. John Walton became a widower, and started courting Mrs Pease. Shortly, John Walton and his eight boys joined up with Emma Pease and her three boys and a girl. A wooden addition was built onto the stone house to hold everyone.

Mrs Jarosh said that the Waltons were a wonderful family, and took good care of great-grandma Emma after John died.

Anyway, back to the house history.

Mrs Jarosh thinks it was Willis & Parker who originally constructed the stone house. This agrees with the findings of Marion Givvons, who researched Easton history a few years ago.

The date of construction? Good question. Marion Gibbons thinks it might have been any time after the construction of the Easton Dam, which was built by Willis & Parker in 1854, up until about 1870.

Thus, the stone house may or may not predate the Easton homes that are Civil War constructions.

A few hours in the Register of Deeds office showed that John Walton was quite a land deeler, and a lender too. But transfers of the lots 6, 7 and 8, fragmented bock 1, upon which the stone house stands, was difficult to trace. Mainly, it was confusing.