Stoner, Claude Thomas, 1899-1977

Dexter, Michigan, collector of materials relating to the history of railroading in Michigan.

From the description of Claude Thomas Stoner photographs and papers, 1870s-1977. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34419419

Claude Thomas Stoner was born May 12, 1899 in a log house near Ashley, Michigan. His childhood interest in railroads led him, after a few years of farming, to work for the Ann Arbor Railroad, first in Ashley in the 1920s, then in Alma, Michigan, from about 1928 to 1930. He served as a filing clerk in Howell, Michigan, from 1930 to 1938, and as a warehouse foreman in Elberta, Michigan, from 1938 to 1942, living in Frankfort, Michigan, the end of the Ann Arbor line. He left this work because of a back injury and returned to the Ann Arbor, Michigan, area, to live in Dexter, Michigan. He worked for King Seeley Corporation, makers of speedometers and other auto parts, but principally for Argus, Inc., camera manufacturers. In both firms he worked in the metallurgy department, retiring from Argus in 1962. His work involved heat treating of dies and other precision parts. According to his friend, photographer Sam Sturgis, he was a master tool maker.

From the 1930s on, every house where Stoner lived had a darkroom in the kitchen, bathroom, or basement. During the 1940s and 1950s Stoner's interest in railroad photography developed rapidly.

Already he was a man of many hobbies: gardening, bird-watching, coin collecting, and sports, especially the Detroit Tigers. Concern with local history led him to join the Washtenaw County Historical Society and Dexter Historical Society, as well as the Ann Arbor Train and Trolley Watchers. An indulgent father and grandfather, he loved children, too, and often took them for walks--along the railroad tracks or to the depot, where he sent unauthorized messages in Morse code to friends down the line. He enjoyed practical jokes and had a sharp mind. Stoner died March 19, 1977.

Biographical sketch by May Davis Hill, based on interviews with Barbara Stoner.

From the guide to the Claude Thomas Stoner Photographs and Papers, 1870s-1977, (Bentley Historical Library University of Michigan)