Comment by Chris Dunham on March 17, 2017 at 3:45am

Moses Cornelius Stone was the son of Moses and Harriet (Parker) Stone, born 23 April 1842, as shown by Jay town records. His father's birth record is here. His mother was supposedly the daughter of Scarborough and Hannah (Goding) Parker, but her birth was not recorded in Jay with those of her older siblings. Moses's parents married 12 June 1836 in Jay, as shown here. They both died in 1891. Harriet's estate file begins here; Moses's begins here.

Moses's grandfather, also named Moses Stone, died in 1860, and his will may be seen here. A photograph of his homestead may be seen here.

Cumberland County Deeds show that Moses Stone Jr. of Watertown, Mass., was buying and selling land in the vicinity of Phipps Canada (later Jay) as early as 1774. I believe this was the great-grandfather of Moses C. Stone. His interest in the land would explain how his son came to settle in the town.

Comment by Mary Pirro on March 17, 2017 at 3:17pm

Thank you very much, Chris. I'm traveling now so comparing to my data is difficult. I definitely do not have the estate documents in my files. I have also hit a brick wall on the spouse of Gr gr grandfather, Moses Stone. Her first name was Elizabeth. She may have been the daughter of George Brown and Elizabeth Coolidge Brown (married in Cambridge, MA In 1777) but I am having difficulty proving this. If you have any info on Elizabeth that would be extremely helpful. I do know that Moses Stone Jr provided a land grant in Maine to Moses C. Stone. Finding a wife willing to commit to the arduous journey and rural lifestyle of Maine in that era was quite a challenge. Are you related to the Stone Family?

Comment by Chris Dunham on March 17, 2017 at 6:03pm

If Elizabeth (Brown) Stone's mother was a Coolidge, then I am related, by marriage, to the Stones. My grandmother was descended from Simon Coolidge of Watertown and Jay.

The 3 June 1778 birthdate of Elizabeth, daughter of George and Elizabeth (Coolidge) Brown, does fit with the age on Elizabeth (Brown) Stone's gravestone. But I find only circumstantial evidence of the connection. Elizabeth's parents seem to disappear after the births of their children in Watertown, but then Elizabeth pops up in the Watertown in 1802 to marry Moses. That makes me think that she lost one or both parents at an early age, and was raised in another household.

The 1801 estate file of Eunice (Stratton) Coolidge, supposedly the mother of Elizabeth (Coolidge) Brown, mentions "cash paid Sally Brown for necessary care of the Deceased in her last sickness." Sally Brown of Watertown married Edward Richardson Jr. of Jay in September 1801. The following spring Betsey Brown married Moses Stone. I suspect that Elizabeth and her sister Sally lived with their grandmother Eunice, and married just before or soon after her death. Eunice did have other females living in her household in 1790 and 1800.

Comment by Mary Pirro on March 17, 2017 at 11:05pm

Thank you, again. I have been most frustrated by George Brown Sr as I have found no birth or death information ar all. There were several George Brown's born in Ireland in the proper time frame but I can't make a firm connection. I have also found some evidence of a son, George Brown Jr., brother to Sally and Betsey. You have certainly provided food for thought. I concur that George Sr and Elizabeth disappeared following the birth of their children. My assumption was that perhaps George died and his wife remarried either to someone not interested in her previous children or that the children were "absorbed" into a blended family. I will definitely look further into the records of Eunice (Stratton) Coolidge in search of a definite link to her grandchildren. Appreciate your insight very much.

Comment by Mary Pirro on May 19, 2017 at 12:42pm

I recently found (in my uncle's collection of family documents) a letter written by Elizabeth Pettingill Stone to my great uncle and his wife, Kenneth and Helena Stone.  From the contents, it appears that "George Brown" has been a brick wall for centuries!  There is speculation in the letter that he changed his name to George Brown; that he was a soldier and gunsmith and that he may have been confused early on with a man named Justin Bliss.  None of this, however, explains the marriage record and birth of his children.   What the letter seems to confirm, anecdotally, is that the children of Elizabeth Coolidge Brown were raised by their grandmother, Eunice (Stratton) Coolidge.  The letter writer also assumes that this was because Elizabeth Coolidge Brown passed away at a young age.

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