Staggs Family History

My ancestors in the United States

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      Jacob Stone (1822-1888)

      BIRTH: Abt 1822, Vanport, Beaver, Pennsylvania, USA
      DEATH: 25 Oct 1888 • Beaver County, Pennsylvania, USA
      FATHER: Adam Stone (1770–1849)
      MOTHER: Unknown
      SPOUSE: Eliza Ann Ayers (1830–1922)

      The life of Jacob Stone

      A River Carpenter, Frontier Farmer, and Patriarch of the Stone Line

      Jacob Stone was born in 1821 or 1822 near Baltimore, Maryland, the youngest known son of Adam Stone I, a German‑ or Dutch‑born immigrant and War of 1812 veteran. Jacob’s earliest memories would have been shaped by the rugged, industrious world of his father — a farmer, stonemason, and builder who moved his family northward to Beaver County, Pennsylvania around 1823. There, along the Ohio River, Jacob grew up in a community of river workers, farmers, and craftsmen, learning the skills that would define his life.

      By the time he reached adulthood, Jacob had become a ship carpenter, a trade that required precision, strength, and a deep familiarity with the river economy that powered the region. The 1850 census places him in Beaver County, already established in his craft and newly married to Elizabeth Ann Ayers, daughter of Richard Ayres, a Revolutionary War soldier, and Elizabeth McCreery. Jacob and Elizabeth began their family in Vanport, raising children who would carry the Stone name into the next century: Thomas Wesley, Richard Carnegie, Ida Antha, and Charles M.

      The 1860 census captures Jacob at age 38, working as a ship carpenter with a young family at home. His occupation placed him at the heart of the Ohio River’s bustling boat‑building industry. In 1863, he appeared in the Civil War draft registration for Beaver County — a 41‑year‑old married man with dependents, listed in Class II and never called to serve. His life remained rooted in work, family, and the steady rhythms of the river.

      In 1863, Jacob and a partner established a boat‑building and repair yard known as Stone’s Point, located along the Ohio River near Vanport. For nearly a decade, the yard served the needs of river traffic, repairing hulls, crafting new vessels, and supporting the commerce that flowed between Pittsburgh and the western frontier. The business dissolved in 1871, and soon after, Jacob made a bold decision that would reshape his family’s future.

      In 1872, Jacob, Elizabeth, and their four children migrated west to Platte County, Missouri, settling near Parkville along the Missouri River. There, Jacob turned from ship carpentry to farming, purchasing land and building a new life on the frontier. The 1870 and 1880 censuses show him as a farmer in Pettis Township, working the land while his children grew into adulthood. Letters from this period reveal a man who worked hard, worried about his family’s well‑being, and maintained close ties with relatives back in Pennsylvania. When a smallpox epidemic swept through the Midwest, Elizabeth temporarily returned to Vanport for safety, prompting Jacob to write her a tender, slightly lonely letter from Parkville in 1881.

      After eighteen years in Missouri, Jacob sold his property and returned to Vanport, Pennsylvania in 1885, drawn back to the community where he had spent most of his life. There he lived out his remaining years, surrounded by extended family and the familiar landscape of the Ohio River valley. He died in 1907, at the age of 86, and was buried in Vanport beside Elizabeth, who lived until 1920.

      Jacob Stone’s life spanned nearly the entire 19th century — from the era of riverboats and frontier expansion to the dawn of the modern industrial age. He was a craftsman, a farmer, a father, and a man who adapted to the changing world around him with resilience and quiet determination.

      Legacy of Jacob Stone

      Jacob Stone’s legacy lives on through the family he raised and the communities he helped shape. His children carried the Stone name into Pennsylvania, Missouri, and beyond:

      • Thomas Wesley Stone became a long‑lived resident of Pennsylvania, anchoring the family’s presence in Beaver County.
      • Richard Carnegie Stone became a prominent millwright, engineer, and businessman in Missouri, building some of the region’s largest flour mills.
      • Ida Antha Stone, my great‑grandmother, carried the Stone line into the Staggs family and eventually west to Oregon.
      • Charles M. Stone raised a large family in Missouri, extending the Stone presence into the 20th century.

      Jacob’s life reflects the story of countless American families who moved with the currents of opportunity — from Maryland to Pennsylvania, from the Ohio River to the Missouri frontier, and back again. His work as a ship carpenter and farmer supported not only his own household but the broader communities that depended on river commerce and agricultural labor.

      More than a century after his death, Jacob Stone remains a foundational figure in our family’s history — a man whose steady hands built boats, homes, and a lineage that continues through all of us.

      Parents

      FATHER: Adam Stone (1770–1849)
      MOTHER: Unknown

      Married

      Eliza Ann Ayers (1830–1922)

      Children

      • Thomas Wesley Stone (1851–1941) married Minnie Maginnis (1854–1942)
      • Richard Stone (1858–1926) married Eva E Barnes (1861–1911)
      • Rachel Stone (1859–died before 1870)
      • Ida Antha Stone (1861–1930) married Hudson Randolph Staggs (1848–1916)
      • Charles Stone (1863–1936) married Elizabeth —- (1867-1925)

      Documents

      • Census
        • 1860 United States Federal Census > Pennsylvania > Beaver > Borough > Name: Jacob Stone; Age: 38; Birth Year: abt 1822; Gender: Male; Race: White; Birthplace: Pennsylvania; Home in 1860: Borough, Beaver, Pennsylvania; Post Office: 0; Dwelling Number: 701; Family Number: 650; Occupation: Ship Carpenter; Personal Estate Value: 100; Inferred Spouse: Eliza Stone; Inferred Child: Thos W Stone; Rachel Stone; Household members: Jacob Stone (38),Eliza Stone (30), Thos W Stone (9), Rachel Stone (1)
        • 1870 United States Federal Census > Missouri > Platte > Pettis > Name: Jacob Stone; Age in 1870: 48; Birth Date: abt 1822; Birthplace: Pennsylvania; Dwelling Number: 241; Home in 1870: Pettis, Platte, Missouri; Gender: Male; Post Office: Parkville; Occupation: Farmer; Male Citizen Over 21: Yes; Personal Estate Value: 1000; Inferred Spouse: Elizabeth A Stone; Inferred Children: Richard Stone; Ida A Stone; Chas K Stone; Household members: Jacob Stone (48), Elizabeth A Stone (40), Richard Stone (12), Ida A Stone (9), Chas K Stone (6), Elizabeth Ayers (13)
        • 1880 United States Federal Census > Missouri > Platte > Pettis > 097 > Name: Jacob Stone; Age: 59; Birth Date: Abt 1821; Birthplace: Pennsylvania; Home in 1880: Pettis, Platte, Missouri, USA; Dwelling Number: 3; Race: White; Gender: Male; Relation to Head of House: Self (Head); Marital Status: Married; Spouse’s Name: Eliza A. Stone; Father’s Birthplace: Maryland; Mother’s Birthplace: Maryland; Occupation: Farmer; Household members: Jacob Stone (59), Eliza A. Stone (48), Ida Stone (19), Charles Stone (17)
      • Other

      Relation of Jacob Stone to Steven Barry Staggs: 2nd great-grandfather

      Page last updated June 18, 2025

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