Person’s Story

1st letter is From Lisa Young- it isn’t dated but believe from early 80s

She is writing to her aunt Francis to tell her she has to write a research paper for college.

“One of the topics asks us to document a courtship of an older couple. Well, I was not going to do this one until I was talked to my sister, Sherry, and she told me you and Linwood met while he was in the military through letters only and that you didn’t meet in person until he came home, Well, I realized my older sister has a great tendency to over exaggerate everything and I can’t quite believe everything she says, but I thought I should take a chance that this was true. 

If this is how you met it sounds completely romantic and I would love to do my essay on this. Maybe you would rather not share your story. If not, I will understand completely. If you are willing to I only have a short time before my essay is due so I need to get started right away.

Please tell me how you met, what year you met, and what was happening in the world at the time, who was President, how you felt, how your marriage came about, did your parents consent to your courtship and marriage. Tell me everything you can remember. I would love to hear his feelings. Do you still have love letters? Would you share some of them with me? I know it will be hard to put this on paper. I wish I had the time to talk with you in person….”

Grammie (Francis Stone’s...aka the “Rolling Stones”) response

“Stone & Young----The beginning

Our courtship all began with the “Eastern Gazette” a local newspaper. With no television and living on a farm and working with my mother tending the cows and chickens there was not much for a young girl to do. So upon seeing the list of names and pictures of the boys in the military in the paper I decided to write to Linwood Stone as a pastime. Where I went to the grange I knew of a Lewean Stone who lived in a foster home and so I thought I could write and ask him if that was his sister. I also used this time to tell him about myself and my family hoping to have him interested enough to write back. Well it worked, he did write back and yes Lewean was his sister. This was Feb. 1951 I was 18 and Linwood was 17 and stationed at Sheppard AFB in Texas. Linwood says that there was not much to do so he continued to write and more so after he was transferred to a remote base in …?. Ther was only 9 men there and the only way in or out was to fly. So he continued to write to me. And I continued to write to him. Everyday was exciting because I never (k)new when another letter would arrive and I could escape the farm for a while and bury myself in his letters. We both just grew to love each other through the U.S. Mail. This went on for 2 years.

THE BIG DAY

My older sister Ardis was engaged to marry Lindwood’s brother, Lloyd. Lindwood was the best man in the wedding I guess I did not think to(o) much about Linwood being there with all the commotion goin on and the excitement of the wedding getting closer This was January 9th, 1953. Lloyd had been sitting in the chair behind the living room door and I had been running out to ask him questions for Ardis who was getting ready for the wedding and I was being silly. I came out of my bedroom a flying! To ask Lloyd something and my nose was about 6 inches from his nose and to my surprise it was not Lloyd. I let a screech out of me, too off for the bedroom again, came back to get a better look, an another screech came out of me! Finally! I came too that it was Linwood in the chair and not Lloyd. I could not believe my eyes, Man was I excited!!!! I did not know that Linwood had come by taxi and had sat where Lloyd had been sitting. This was our very first meeting, WOW!! We both were excited, no will will ever know how wonderful Linwood looked to me. I was so excited I could not keep anything down for several hours. For a whild I thought it was me getting married instead of my sister, Ardis. What a great meeting that was. Linwood was my FIRST and ONLY LOVE to this day. 

On March 21, 1953 Linwood and I were in the kitchen, I was standing by the sink when he asked me where he culd put his identification on me, silly me thought -(oh no! He wants to give me a hickey) So I told him on my shoulder would be ok, He replied “I don’t think it will fit very well. “ I turned around and low and behold he had an engagement ring. No wonder he said he didn’t think it would fit my shoulder!! (he insisted he got it from a box of Cracker Jacks)

We set our wedding date for June 6, 1953 (grandparents wedding date too). We had our wedding here at the old homestead. I never dreamed when I bought that first postage stamp that anything like this was going to come out of it. But by the time Linwood and I met the first time I had fallen in love with him, through his letters. By the time we met I felt I had known him forever, and I think Linwood felt the same way. I would do it all over again.

Our courtship and marriage has worked out very well, we have had our ups and downs like everyone does, but we have never had a fight. But, you know it pretty hard to fight when one doesn’t talk and the other won’t argue. You see if I get upset, I don’t talk, and Linwood does not argue. Sometimes I think it’s best that way. Because when people are angry they say hurtful things they don’t really mean. You can say you are sorry, but you can’t take away the broken heart. So I find it's much better to say a little prayer. All I can say is it works. After 40 good years we are still together and love each other more and more as the years go by. And out of this marriage came two beautiful daughters, Velora Faye made her way into our lives July 29, 1954. Three years later in 1957 Brenda Sue made her way into our lives. They have given us three grandsons, Faye has two boys, Eugene now 19, and Brent now 17. Brenda has one son, Jimmy now 11. We all live here on the North Road in Dixmont. We are one big happy family. So I think we have done well for ourselves. If it is God’s will, we’ll be around for a few more good years.

Things going on in the world at the time. “1951” was the beginning of the Korean War, the president was Harry Truman. My parents at first were not happy with me at the beginning of Linwood’s and my courtship, but they grew to love him very much and accepted him as their son-in-law. We continue to live at the old homestead, we have remodelded and brought it up to date. I kind of have to laugh at myself, as a young girl I used to wish I was 20 so I could leave home, and I’m still here, but happy after all these years!!!