Farmed with his father until they built the Grist and Saw Mill at the east side of Kirkersville in about 1849/1850. Thomas Murphy ran the mill and taught Samuel the art of dressing mill stones (burrs). Samuel became quite skilled in this trade. When James died in 1868/69, they sold the mill because the Doctor (Wiseman) advised Samuel the dust was affecting his health. In 1870 they were operating a Grocery Store in Kirkersville in partnership with his sister Elizabeth and her husband and their mother. In January of 1871 Samuel and John Dawson, his brother in law, bought Lot 12, adjoining theirs from John and Samantha Cunningham.
His health was still giving him problems and the Doctor advised him, he should go to a drier climate. He traveled west with some men looking for new horizons. They hunted buffalo and headed for Colorado, but when they were in Kansas, Samuel found the Railroad was offering land to new settlers for $3 to $7 an acre. He decided this was what he wanted. He bought about 160 acres, seven miles south of Burlington in Coffee County and returned to Ohio to prepare his family for the trip west. He sold his share of the Grocery Store to Elizabeth and her husband.
They made the trip by Wagons. Aunt Alice told of her holding the baby (Ralph) on her lap and dropping him in the gutter as they were going though St. Louis. Another happening related by her was of the time her dad, Samuel, got his beard caught in the mill wheels and pulled out his whiskers on one side of his face. After that they never grew as long on that side of his face. After arriving in Kansas, they set about building a house and buildings, but Samuel had spent most of his money on land and the trip west. Catherine had $200 she had inherited and with this they bought stock and did very well for a while. The ground was poor and after several crop failures they sold this land and moved on the Neosha River in a log cabin. Samuel returned to his old standby of dressing burrs and traveled during the week from Emporia to Chanute providing this sevice. When he was home, he was working on the house. He was roofing the house on a cold Decmeber day, took cold and died that night of a hemorrhage (13 Dec 1900).
This left Catherine with nine children to feed, clothe, and care for. She sold this place and bought 80 acres about seven miles west of Leroy, Coffee County in the Crandall Commmunity.
In 1980 I visited the area and found the house in which they lived and a large rock with the name Stone chisled on it. Mr. and Mrs. Ray Arnold were living there and showed us the old dug well so many family stories have been built around. Mr. Arnold’s grandfather had bought the farm from the Stone Family in 1901. We found the graveyard where Grandpa and Grandma Stone and many of the relatives were buried. The Cemetery is on the est side of Leroy. It was interesting to find that the Newspaper office in Leroy has every edition of “The Coffee County Reporter” since 1880 in thier office. We found the obituary for Samuel and Catherine as well as other little articles relating to the family, such as: “1889, Last Friday, Mrs. Stone of Crandall was thrown down and run over by some cattle, dislocating her arm. Dr. Keener adjusted the dislocation and she is getting along nicely at this writing.”
Samuel Stone was a mason. He became a member of the Masonic Lodge (Royal Arch Etna No. 212 in Juyly of 1853). When the Lodge ceased to exist, he jointed Hebron No. 116 in 1856. Later he helped in organizing Lodge No 404 in Pataskala in 1868. He remained a member until 1873 when he moved his membershiop to Kansas.1

1850 Federal Census (Ohio, Licking, Harison, 28): James Stone 59 M Farmer 6000 Virginia; Ruth Stone 55 F born in Virginia; Samuel Stone 22 M Farmer Ohio; Rebecca Stone 18 F Ohio; Elizabeth Stone 14 F Ohio; Thomas MUrphy 29 M Profession Miller born Ohio; Elizabeth attended school that year.

1860 Federal Census (Ohio, Licking, Harison, 34):  James Stone, 68, M, Miller, born Virginia, Ruth Stone, 65, F, House Keeper, born Virginia, Elizabeth Stone, 22, F, House Keeping, b Ohio; Saml Stone, 33, M, Miller, Ohio; Alice 4 F Ohio, Catharine OCain 21, F, House Keeping Ohio. Last entry on page. Next page is new family. No sign of younger child, Albert of Emily and Samuel.

1870 Federal Census (Ohio, Licking, Kirkersville, 4): Samuel J. ?2 M W Grocer 5000; Catherine 31 F W Housekeeping; Alice 12 F W house work; Carrie 8 F W; Mary 6 F W; James 4 M W; Charles 3 M W; William 2 M W; Ralph 0/12 M W born Mar; Creedo Rebecca 36 F W house work Pennsylvania cannot read cannot write. All others born in Ohio. Alice, Carrie, and Mary attended school that year.

1880 Federal Census (Kansas, Coffey, Neosho, 049, 5). Samuel A. Stone W M 52 Farmer; Catherine M. W F 41 Wife ; Keeping House, Carrie M W 18 F Daughter At Home; Mary E. W F 16 Daughter At Home; James H. W M 14 Son At Home; Charles T W M 12 Son At Home; William T. W M 11 Son, At Home; Ralph H.  M 10 Son At School; John C. W M 8 Son; Ruth V W F 2 Daughter. Samuel and Catherine are indicated as married. All the children are marked as single. All children from Carrie to John were in school that year. All four grandparents were born in Virginia. John, Frank, and Ruth were born in Kansas. All the others in the family were born in Ohio.