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Author: scarpenter47119
Surnames: STOY, SEABROOK, SEABROOK, BEELER, ANGEL, BROWN, HOOPER, ASHTON, ASTON,
BEHARRELL, FITCH,SINEX, WARING, HEDDEN
Classification: obituary
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Message Board Post:
NADLS 5 Jan 1880 p4 c3: Obituary. Death of a Pioneer - Brief Sketch of New Life - Mary E.
Stoy, was born in the state of New York, February 24th, 1809, and died at the residence of
her son-in-law, Capt. F. B. Moody, in this city, Jan 3, 1880, at 6 o'clock p.m., aged
79 years 10 months and 14 days. Mrs. Stoy's girlhood was passed at Erie, Pennsylvania,
from which place she removed, with her paretts, to new Albanyk in 1816, where she has
resided ever since. Her maiden name was Wicks. She was married march 4, 1819, to Peter
Stoy, with whom she lived most happily until December 1, 1846, when he died, being at th
etime of his decease a class-leader and steward in the Methodist church-Wesley Chapel, the
mother of New Albany Methodism. Mrs. Stoy was reared in the Presbyterian church, but in
1822 united with Wesley M. E. church, in which she lived a most faithful, consistent and
influential member for fifty-seven years. She will be greatly missed from her loved
church, where, throug!
h more than half a century her example spoke words of such winning eloquence and potent
influence. She never missed the regular services of the church wehen within her power to
be present, and took great delight in urging others to live lives of devotion to Christ
and the church. By none will she be more sincerely mourned than by her sisters and
brethren of Wesley Chapel, to all of whom she was so tenderly attached. As a mother, May
E. Stoy shone in her richest character. For Thirty three years and seventeen day s she
lived in widowhood, and when death took her him to whom she had pledged her womanly
affections, she was left with the care of several children. All these she reared to lives
of usefulness and honor, and pointing them in their youth to the religion she professed
and adorned, she lived to see them all following her footsteps "In the way
eferslasting." Of her children six survive her, Peter R., Louis, Daniel and William
V. Stoy, and Mrs. F. B. Moody and Mrs. R. G!
. McCord. Mrs. Stoy was a pioneer of New Albany. Coming to the city in
1816, two years after it was laid out and the first sale of lots took place, she found
the present site of Newa Albany a primitive rforest. There were not over a dozen cabins in
the town and the outlooka tt that time was anything but cheeringthat the place selected
for her home was to become the most beautiful, healthy and edesirable place of residence
in a great state. She partook of the first communion celebrated by the Presbyterians in
New Albany. She heard the first sermon ever preached in the town. She attended the first
prayer meeting held here in the fall of 1817, at a bakeshop that stood on Pearl street n
ear Main. She was present on Nov. 29, 1818, at the decication of the frist Methodist
church in New Albany - a log structure of most unprententious appearance. She lived to see
all the churches now in the city founded and all the many handsome church edifices
erected. In all these years her soul was animated by feelings of the warmest interest for
the spread of reli!
gion, education and all things else having in view the betterance of mankind. . . . To
her son, Peter R. Stoy, she said during her last illness:"My son, I am sure my
sickness is unto death. I am all ready and willing to go. . . ? . . And thus she died -
full of years, full of hope of immortality, full of peace.. . . Mrs. Stoy's funeral
took place this afternoon at 2 ½ o'clock from Wesley Chapel, and was largely attended
by the old citizens of New Albany, to all whom she was known through the sixty-three years
of her life spent in this city. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. J. L. Pitner,
whose address was full of tenderness, affecting all present. Of the older citizens of New
Albany, those who came here about the time Mrs. Stoy arrived, only the following survive
her: Daniel Seabrook, Mrs. Jacob Anthony, Mrs. Elizabeth Beeler, Hezekiah Beeler, John
Angel, Capt. Edward Brown and wife, Annabel Hooper, Mrs. Sophia Ashton, John Aston, Mrs.
Elizabeth Beharrell, Mrs. A!
nn M. Fitch, Mrs. Flora Sinex, Mrs. Harriet Waring, (the first child b
orn at New Albany) and David Hedden. Mrs. Stoy leaves six children, thirty-two
grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Seven of her grandsons acted as pallbearers at
her funeral.
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