Ruth Stone

~ ValarieC

Ruth Stone was the wife of Isaac Gage (Jr) and the mother of Sumner Gage, She was born 19 July 1790 in what was then recorded as North County Gore which today is known as Oxford, Worcester County, Massachusetts; the 8th child (4th daughter) of Uriah Stone (Jr) and Lois Stone (yes, her maiden name was also Stone – she was her husband’s 2nd cousin once removed). This means Ruth’s 2xgreat grandfather is also her 3xgreat grandfather.  By the numbers, Ruth only has 88 ancestors up to her immigrant ancestor (6 generations) instead of the maximum 126 ancestors, that’s 38 people less that I have to research!!  Ok…I digress.

Ruth Stone of Leicester, Massachusetts married Isaac Gage of Orford, New Hampshire on 1 January 1815 in Leicester, after filing for an intent to marry on 24 December 1814 in Leicester. The 1918 publication Gregory Stone Genealogy: Ancestry and Descendants of Dea Gregory Stone of Cambridge, Massachusetts, J. Gardner Bartlett records Ruth Stone as the daughter of Uriah Stone Jr. and Lois Stone and her record (index) of death supports this publication (mother is recorded as Louisa and Ruth named a daughter Louisa, possibly after her mother who more commonly spelled her name Lois).

A graphical chart showing how old Ruth would have been at the birth of her children (proposed and actual).  Shows the plausibility of having children whose birth years ranged from 1815 to 1832.

The evidence I have for Ruth is the same as for her husband, Isaac Gage. What I know about her birth and lineage comes solely from the 1918 publication on Gregory Stone. The Stone family was large and prominent enough to found their own Stone Family Association in 1897 which commissioned the writing of the 1918 book by Mr. Bartlett using information gathered through the Stone Family Association. While these types of family biographies should always be accepted with an open mind, Mr. Bartlett shows evidence of performing due diligence in debunking and confirming family lore and citing legal and public references when available. It is still my intent to study his publication further and check out the source citations he recorded.

In accepting Mr. Bartlett’s research at face value, the Stone family came to America as far back as 1635, probably with the Winthrop fleet (as were the Gage’s), and originating from the parish of Great Bromley, co. Essex in England. The immigrant ancestor, Gregory Stone, is listed as one of the founders of New England and is not the only member of the Stone surname to have arrived. Deacon Gregory Stone (the immigrant ancestor) was a Puritan and his descendants were Revolutionist’s, he reportedly opposing taxation without representation long before the revolution broke out. Ruth’s lineage looks something like this:

Ruth was last recorded living with Sumner in the 1860 U.S. Census at Orford, New Hampshire. She must have been visiting relatives in Oxford, Massachusetts when she died on 4 August 1864. Her death is recorded in Oxford and it states she was still a resident of Orford at the time of death and her remains were transported the nearly 200 miles back to Orford for interment. Her place of burial has not been located.

Record of death for Ruth Gage nee Stone in Oxford, Massachusetts.  Ancestry.com Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. 


Genealogical Summary:

Ruth Stone was born 19 July 1790 in North County Gore, now Oxford, Worcester County, Massachusetts, the 8th child of Uriah Stone, Jr. and Lois Stone.

She married Isaac Gage on 1 January 1815 in Leicester, Massachusetts.

She died 4 August 1864 in Oxford, Worcester County, Massachusetts at the age of 74 and her remains were transported to Orford, Grafton County, New Hampshire for interment.

Isaac and Ruth had the following children:

  1. Isaac Gage (possible son) was born 7 November 1815 in New Hampshire.  By 1850 he was living in Brookfield, LaSalle County, Illinois and was married to Lucy Little.  He died 11 February 1886 in Illinois.
  2. Aaron Gage (possible son) was born abt. 1821 in New Hampshire.  He married Hannah Loring on 16 June 1851 in LaSalle County, Illinois and died 19 November 1879 in Illinois.
  3. Louisa Gage was born 20 or 23 January 1823 in New Hampshire.  She married Josiah Barnes and died 19 March 1897 in Worcester County, Massachusetts.
  4. Sumner Gage was born about 1826 in Lyme, Grafton County, New Hampshire. He married Caroline (Carrie) Emery on 1 July 1861 in Topsham, Orange County, Vermont and he died on 3 December 1895 in LaSalle County, Illinois. He was the last Gage son to move to Illinois after he experienced a house fire in 1875.
  5. Richard Gage was born abt. 1827 in New Hampshire.  He married Mary E. Jennings 3 May 1857 in LaSalle County, Illinois and he died 2 October 1889 in Illinois.
  6. Henry Gage was born abt. 1832 in New Hampshire.

Published by ValarieC