May 12

May 12 Margaret Brown Stone's Afflicted Revolution

Margaret Brown Stone accompanied her Continental Congressman husband to Philadelphia, but an improper inoculation permanently effected her health.

Margaret Brown Stone

Margaret Brown was the daughter of one of Maryland’s wealthiest men.

When she was married to Thomas Stone, they were gifted a substantial fortune.

This money was used to build a giant house...or so they thought.

Larger Than Expected

Shortly after their wedding, Thomas’ parents passed away and they graciously took in his younger siblings to care for.

The Stones were forced to double the size of their new house.

Through the ensuing years (which coincided with the buildup to the Revolutionary War)

Margaret gave birth to three children.

Philadelphia

The Stone’s large household was thrown into disarray with the American Revolution.

Thomas was elected to the Continental Congress and travelled to Philadelphia, where he signed the Declaration of Independence.

Margaret wanted to spend time with her husband and travelled to Pennsylvania to join him.

Improper Inoculation

At this time, yellow fever epidemics were a common problem in the city and Margaret decided to accept an inoculation.

Unfortunately, there was no regulation to how vaccines were administered (they were still in their infancy) and she ingested a substantial amount of mercury.

Stone ended up with mercury poison which would haunt her the rest of her life.

Decline

For the next decade, Margaret’s health deteriorated.

Thomas began rejecting further appointments to the Continental Congress in order to remain working in Maryland and caring for his family.

There was, however, little he could do and Margaret passed away from her affliction in 1787 at just 36 years old.

Thomas, stricken with grief, also died just a few months later.

The prognosis?

A broken heart.

Here are some other FOUNDING MOTHERS you might not have heard of:

Amelia Simmons - The Mother of American Cookbooks

Rebecca Biddle Feeds Weary Continental Soldiers

Martha Bratton - Explosions, Death Threats and Huck’s Defeat

Want to learn more about Founding Mothers of the United States?

‘Ladies of Liberty’ is one of several great books about Revolutionary Women written by the late Cokie Roberts.

If you’d like a copy you can get one through the Amazon affiliate link below (you’ll support this site, but don’t worry, Amazon pays me while your price stays the same).