Stone, William B., 1811-1890

William B. Stone; son of Francis and Hannah Stone, was
born in North Brookfield, January 24, 1811. He removed
with his parents to West Brookfield parish when he was six years old. Joined First Church in Brookfield on March 4, 1827 at the age of 16.
At the age of twenty-two he began the study of Latin and Greek in preparation for college, teaching or laboring, meanwhile, a
portion of each year, in order to procure pecuniary means for
his education. He pursued his preparatory studies, for the
most part, at Hadley Academy; and was graduated at Amherst College in 1839. He studied theology for a time at Andover, and completed his theological studies with Rev. George Trask of Warren. He was licensed to preach by the Brookfield Association in 1841; was ordained pastor of the Evangelical Congregational Church, Gardner, Massachusetts, February 23, 1842, where he remained until August, 1850, when, partly by reason of ill health, and partly in consequence of the solicitation of his parents, he retired from the ministry, and took up his residence in this town, where he still lives, and is known as a thorough-going and prosperous farmer.

William Bowman Stone; born 24 Jan 1811, North Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts; died 4 Feb 1890, West Brookfield, Worcester County, Massachusetts. William was the brother of women's rights activist Lucy Stone (1818-1893). He was the pastor of the Evangelical Congregational Church which was then located on Green Street near Heywood Street. This church represented the more conservative wing of Congregationalism in Gardner. William Stone served as the pastor of this church for eight years. Like his sister, he was an ardent abolitionist and also opposed the use of tobacco. In 1850, Stone resigned his pastorate because of illness and retired to the family homestead in West Brookfield. During this time, even though in poor health, he was still able to serve one term in the state legislature.