GEORGE W. STONE. This gentleman who resides in James Creek Township, is the owner of a fine farm, which attests by its value and productiveness the excellent qualities of thoroughness and system which mark the owner. He is a native of Ozark County, Missouri, where he was born in 1848, a son of John and Maria (Bayless) Stone, natives of Tennessee, where they were reared and married. From that State they removed to Greene County, Missouri, and later to Ozark County, of the same State, where Mr. Stone died when the subject of this sketch was very small. In 1862 the family removed to Marion County, Arkansas, where Mrs. Stone breathed her last about 1882, having long been a member in good standing of the Christian Church. Her father was a farmer of Tennessee and died in that State. The paternal grandfather was also a Tennessean and reared four sons: John, Edward, William and David, all of whom died in Missouri.
The subject of this sketch was the youngest save one of the following family: Sarah, who died in Marion County, the wife of James Cain; Louisa, who also died here, the wife of Robert Long; Mary Jane, who became the wife of Andrew Benton, and died in Marion County; Adaline, who died in Marion County, the wife of A. C. Musick; Julia Ann, who became the wife of William Lance, also died in this county; Edward Marion, died in this county in 1863; Amanda, became the wife of Joel A. Presley and died in Marion County; George W. and Serepta, who died young.
George W. Stone remained with his mother until he reached manhood, but owing to the fact that he assisted her in every way in his power and to the scarcity of schools, his education was not of the best. In 1873 he married Marinda Jane, daughter of John Porter, who died in Woodruff County, Arkansas, when Mrs. Stone was quite small. She was born in that county and there died about 1876, leaving two children: Marion and Druscilla, the latter named for her grandmother Porter, who now lives in Marion County, the wife of G. B. Forrest. In 1881 Mr. Stone married Lucina, daughter of Robert and Rachel Forrest, who were born and spent many years of their lives in Ozark County, Missouri, but are residents of the State of Washington, where they have become comparatively wealthy during their fourteen years’ residence there. Mrs. Stone was born in Ozark County, and by Mr. Stone is the mother of seven children: Everet Clarence, Walter, Ida Belle, Frank, Cora, Charley and Nora. Since the time of his first marriage Mr. Stone has resided on his present farm, but at that time only a few acres had been cleared and a small log cabin erected thereon, for which he paid the sum of $25;. He now has a fine bottom-land farm of 152 acres, about seventy of which are cleared and under cultivation. His place is nicely improved with excellent buildings of all descriptions and he always has an abundance of fruit of various kinds. In 1893 he erected a gin, saw and corn mill. all of which net him a satisfactory income. Besides this valuable property he is the owner of some extremely desirable mineral claims. He has followed farming all his life, has made it a success, and is considered one of the substantial men of his section. For the past fourteen years he has been a director in his school district, and he has ever been an earnest advocate of the free-school system, and is a patron of all progressive measures generally. He and his worthy wife are members of the Christian Church and politically he has been a lifelong Democrat. and his first presidential vote was cast for Horace Greeley in 1872.