An Oral History of Hearthstone

I wanted to share this oral history that was taken by Mary Frances Stone (Nana to us) that is in the possession of the Stone family.  Nana was always interested in the former owners of Hearthstone.  At the time, she went to visit Mrs. Davis who was very elderly, almost blind, and living in the "sycamore house" (later, the Whiteman's residence, previously known as Button Wood) down and across the street.  She was eager to share the stories she remembered with Nana.  As you are reading, you will see that Nana dedicates these notes to all who share in her curiosity of this property (hello chills and goosebumps...how awesome!)  I'm attaching pictures of the original document, but have hand typed the scripts to provide an easier read (below).  

Additionally, I have scanned the old Hearthstone slides that FAS lent us (thanks!!).  I have them on a Snapfish account.  Here is the link for the pictures:  

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=9050388008/a=55283338_55283338/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

I hope you enjoy these snapshots of history as much as I do!  I am going to keep searching through old notes and pictures to see what else I can uncover and continue to share with you.  If anybody has any additional stories or tidbits, please share!!  :)

     

       

Notes On Formal Owners of Hearthstone

Compiled by Mary Frances Zeigen Stone through interviews with older local residents in 1954.

         Richard Pike, who ran the Friend’s Meeting House, owned a tract of land down to Beaver Brooke.  Whitaker, the man who built Hearthstone, in 1733, owned thousands of acres.  The Windle House “Button Woods” was built definitely in 1733.  As it is contemporary, it more and less places the date.  Whitaker’s daughter, Estelle, was courted by one of the Windles.  One evening, he was up at Hearthstone sitting one side of the big fire place while she sat on the other.  She suddenly noticed that he had fallen asleep and ….. at the insult she fetched a churn and putting it in her chair she flounced off to bed.  He woke and saw the churn he was mortally offended and left the house and vowed never to return.  Neither of them ever married.  Young Windle turned into an ardent woman hated and never spoke to one willing by afterwards.  While Esther Whitaker founded a little school on the left of the drive to which the famous local poet, Thomas Reede, went for a short time.

         Hearthstone next came into the hands of the Lochards.  And then for a short while, a man called Bond lived there whose only distinction was that he gave his name to the village, Bondsville.  Then came the McFarlands, who had lovely active boys in the 1840’s.  They all took picnic lunches to school every day and there was a great deal of noisy argument as to the things to be eaten in each satchel.  Mr. Windle, father of Mrs. Windle Davis, grew up with these boys and he could hear these arguments over the lunch coming across the fields between the houses. 

         In 1858, a manufacturer called James Roberts, bought the house and mill and was lucky to land a civil war contract to make material for some of the uniforms.  By this means, he amassed a considerable fortune.  He built the big house opposite the drive and made a village store out of it and his son, Jim, lived there for awhile.  He also built the frame house beyond the barn.  The Roberts had 3 sons and 1 daughter.  They lived to bring them up well and give them a good education but the money spoiled them.  The 3 sons took to bad habits of drinking, etc.  though they did nothing abonible.  Mr. Roberts had a brother who bought the farm on the ____ of the Guthriesville Road, opposite the grocer’s.  He became grandfather to the present Mrs. Wallace Pearson.  No relation to the Pearsons here, however.  There are still a few Roberts descendents in the vicinity.  While Roberts’ daughter, Eliza, was a young woman there was held a big revival at the local Baptist church and a young minister came down from Philadelphia.  Specifically on it they met and fell in love and so they became Mrs. Floyd and lived in Philadelphia.  Meantime, old Mr. Roberts died leaving a heartbroken widow who was ___ reacted/resented the way the three sons were acting.  When she died, it was found there was little money left among the sons, but Eliza had carefully put it aside so she came back and bought out the sons and ran things at the mill, while the husband continued his ministry in the city, coming down for weekends.  The Floyds’ son was unbusiness-like.  He couldn’t run the mill, so Eliza sold the house and the mill to an English man and his wife, Frederick Pearson.  He was an intelligent but eccentric man full of whims and impulses.  At one time, he had every room in the house filled with canaries.  These in turn, were replaced by oil paintings.  He had so many that he was forced to hang a number of them in the chicken houses (another craze of his were chickens) and some of those paintings were quite valuable, in particular, one of the originators of the Declaration of Independence.  He was also a keen business man and ran the mill well.  His English wife was not quite so well educated but was of fine character and an excellent housekeeper.  Mr. Pearson had already run through one fortune and was a man of extravagant habits.  He loved to give _____ presents to his wife to whom he was devoted.  On one occasion, it was Christmas time and the house, already clean for the occasion.  Mrs. Pearson happened to mention that she would like a certain type of fireplace in the parlor instead of the existing one.  She then went out visiting and on her return found that the place full of bricks and plaster and there her husband busy giving instructions to the builders what she said has not been recorded.  They had 3 girls and 5 boys.  Mary was the one who was most business like.  Patty married a doctor at Richmond.  Mr. Pearson eventually sold the mill to Aikman but for some time, kept a controlling interest in it.  Finally, even this hold on its fortunes was relinquished.  He spent many thousands of dollars clearing the dam of silt, etc.  When he died, the place was rented to various families, the last being the John Stones.    The house at the end of the drive across the road still belongs to the Pearsons and is rented to the Scotts and Waltons.  The block of houses on Bondsville was sold to each tenant by the mill owners when the mill was vacated.  Beaver Brooke has always been famous for its mills of which some have been ___ others flour and wooling.  The little creek across the horse meadow is known as Sucker Run Creek. 

Additional Notes by Mary Frances Zeigen Stone (in black journal):

         Hearthstone name was given by Charles H Stone III. 

Dr. and Mrs. Charles H Stone III, with 3 sons and 1 daughter, moved to Hearthstone (which was the old Pearson homestead) on June 11, 1954.  At this time, I, Mary F. Stone, became interested in recording the history of this beautiful house.  As well as what I could find of the history of my family (Zeigen and Hall) and Charlie’s family (Hoops and Stone) for benefit of those who may live after me and might sometime have a little of the same curiosity, I dedicate this.

Notes on former owners of Hearthstone, as given by Mrs. Davis, the neighbor.  Richard Pike, who ran the Friend’s Meeting House, owned a tract of land down to Beaver Brooke.  Whitaker, the man who built the original building at Hearthstone in 1733, owned thousands of acres beyond this point.  The Windle House (Button Woods), Mrs. Davis’ home was built definitely in 1733 and is contemporary with Hearthstone.  It more or less fixes the date. 

** _____ or …. Throughout this document indicate there are additional words in the original document that I was unable to quickly translate.