Tombstone Tuesday: Martha "Patty" STANTON

Row #3, Grave #308-10-035, GPS 41.41670 N - 71.9719 W
(Transcript from Hale Survey)
 Gallup, Martha, wife of Christopher, and daughter of Phinehas Stanton, died Feb. 12, 1818, age 53
 (Note; The Hale has her age at death as 53 but the stone looks like it has 52 or 59)
Photo by Brian Zoldak, 2014, used with permission

Beginning of "Row 3" at the Gallup Cemetery in Ledyard, CT

Sacred/to the memory of/Mrs. Martha Gallup/wife of/Christopher Gallup/ & Daugh.of Capt./ Phineas Stanton/she died Feb. 12, 1818/ Aged (unclear).

Martha Stanton was married to Thomas PRENTICE for about a year before he died and then she married Christopher GALLUP. Her maiden name was STANTON and as it says here on her gravestone she was the daughter of Phineas STANTON. She was born 17 Jun 1766 and died 12 Feb 1818 at the age of 51 ("in her 52nd year")

I needed to consult compiled genealogies that included surnames of Stanton, Prentice and Gallup to be sure of the correct connections. All of the Gallup genealogies agreed except the 2009 version which listed her husband Christopher Gallup as Christopher Prentice Gallup. The 1893 version (shown below) and the History of Stonington have the same information.

Gallup Genealogy (1893) Archive.org

Martha was known to her family by the common nickname "Patty" and that is what they wrote on the gravestones for her children. 

Martha married Thomas Prentice (Daniel, Jonas, Samuel, Thomas, Thomas) but no record of that marriage is recorded. 

She married Christopher Gallup 13 April 1792. The History of Stonington states that the first Thomas Prentice came to Massachusetts from England. It is possible that his name was really Nathan Thomas Prentice as I have found a Nathan Thomas Prentice born to Daniel in the Barbour Index.

We do know that the first child of Martha and Christopher was born 17 Dec 1792.