Gathering Roots

This article tells of how the STONE line connects with the SCOTT line. To read about the history of the STONE family, see our story Homesteaders: The Stone Line in the 19th Century. For the story of the SCOTTs and where they came from, see our story Scottish Canadians in the American Midwest – The Scotts.

Franklin Sherman STONE was born in November of 1862 in Leon Township, Minnesota. He was the eldest son of Ellery and Livonia (COLLINS) STONE. The STONE family had come west from New York and then Pennsylvania in the 1850s. Frank grew up in southern Minnesota during hard times: his father fought as a Union Soldier in the Dakota War of 1862, and he survived the Long Winter of 1881. For more information on Franklin’s family and childhood read our story Homesteaders: The Stone Line in the 19th Century.

In fall of 1884, Frank enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York. He was discharged in January of 1885 because he was “deficient in mathematics and English.”[1] After his discharge, Frank returned home to Goodhue County, Minnesota. Here he met a girl who lived in Northfield, Minnesota, about 25 miles from his family home.

Anna Carlson BENSON was born in 1869 to Olaf and Betsey (JOHNSDOTTER) BENSON.[2] Both her parents were Swedish immigrants who arrived in America around 1855-56. They were married in 1858 and made their home in Northfield, where Anna’s father, Olaf, was a blacksmith.[3] Besides, Anna the BENSONs had three sons – Nelson Bernard (b. 1862), Theodore Justus (b. 1873) and Oscar Edvard (b. 1880) – and two other daughters – Amanda (b. 1866) and Ella (b. 1877).[4]

During Anna’s childhood, Northfield was the location of the “Northfield Raid.” September of 1876, the First National Bank of Northfield was robbed by Jesse James and his gang. The townspeople spread the word, armed themselves, and resisted. They successfully managed to thwart the robbery, killed some members of the gang and captured others. Only Jesse and Frank James escaped. Every year the town celebrates with a festival they call “The Defeat of Jesse James Days.”[5]

Frank and Anna were married in November of 1887. They had a daughter, Garnett (b. 1889) and two sons, Ellery Benson (b. 1894) and Franklin Sherman Jr. (b. 1897). Frank worked as a traveling salesman, and they remained in Northfield until around 1905 when they relocated to Minneapolis and Frank took a job managing a creamery; he later returned to selling insurance.[6] The STONE family lived in a home at 2441 West 22^nd Street for the duration of their lives.

Franklin Sherman STONE died in 1929. Anna BENSON STONE died in 1952. They are buried together in Oaklawn Cemetery in Northfield, Minnesota.[7]

In June of 1913, Garnett STONE married George LEIGHTON in the house at West 22^nd Street. The new couple made their home in Minneapolis – they would live at 2449 West 22^nd Street for over 30 years – and raised three daughters: Elizabeth (b. 1915), Georgianna (b. 1921), and Mary (b. 1927).[8] Garnett died in 1980.[9]

Ellery Benson STONE went to the University of Minnesota where he met Ida SETBACKEN; they were married in June 1916. They had 2 sons – Roger Ellery (b. 1917) and Bruce Franklin (b. 1929). Ellery and his family lived at 2514 Thomas Avenue in Minneapolis and Ellery ran his own insurance agency.[10] He died in August of 1952.[11]

Franklin Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in May 1917 and served for two years during WWI, before being discharged in late April 1919. He rose to the rank of Corporal, 7^th Regiment, 90^th Company, and was stationed in Cuba.[12] After the war, Franklin Jr. attended the University of Minnesota and became a dentist.

Within a year of returning home to attend school, Elizabeth Agatha SCOTT and her family moved next door to Franklin’s parents. Familiarity led to love and they were married in 1923. Franklin Jr. and Elizabeth had three children: Robert Scott (b. 1924), Evelyn Ann (b. 1927) and Sandra (b. 1940).

For more detail about Elizabeth Agatha SCOTTs life before marrying Franklin Sherman STONE, and for more about their life together, ready our story Scottish Canadians in the American Midwest – The Scotts.

Franklin STONE Jr. would die of a heart attack while on vacation in Texas in 1974.[13] He is buried alongside his family in Oaklawn Cemetery. His wife, Elizabeth, would die in 1985. They are buried alongside each other.

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[1] U.S., Military and Naval Academies, Cadet Records and Applications, 1800-1908; National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington, D.C.; Series Number: M2061

[2] Archives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Elk Grove Village, IL, USA; Swedish American Baptisms, Marriages, Deaths, and Burials; Parish: Spring Garden Lutheran Church; ELCA Film Number: M14-15; SSIRC Film Number: E-14, E-15

[3] Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Northfield, Rice, Minnesota; Roll: M653_573; Page: 519

[4] U.S. Federal Census Year: 1870; Census Place: Northfield, Rice, Minnesota; Roll: T132_9; Page: 476; Family History Library Film: 830429

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northfield,_Minnesota

[6] Minnesota Historical Society. Minnesota State Population Census Schedules, 1865-1905. St. Paul, MN, USA: Minnesota Historical Society, 1977. Microfilm. Reels 1-47 and 10

[7]
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/93794435/frank-sherman-stone

[8] U.S. Federal Census; Residence Date: 1930; Home in 1930: Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota; Page: 19-A; Dwelling/Family: 292/315

[9] Minnesota, U.S., Death Index, 1908-2017; Certificate no. 001942; Record no. 2001837

[10] United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626

[11] https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125905427/ellery-benson-stone

[12] Records of the U.S. Marine Corps, Record Group 127. National Archives in Washington, D.C./p piU.S. Marine Corps Muster Rolls, 1893-1958/i. Microfilm Publication T977, 460 rolls

[13] Texas, U.S., Death Index, 1903-2000