Manoah F. Stone was born on November 17, 1818, in Grayson County, Virginia. He eventually moved to Tennessee, and he married Emily Dewett on March 24, 1842. They had at least five children: Jeremiah, born around 1844; Mary, born around 1846; Sarah, born around 1848; Mahala, born around 1850; and C. M., born around 1852. He worked as a farmer in Roane County, Tennessee, and by 1850, he owned $300 of real estate.
His wife probably died in the 1850s, and he married Mary T. Johnson in 1856. They had at least two children: W. L., born around 1857; and Susan, born around 1860. He moved to Rusk County, Texas, in the 1850s, and by 1860, he owned $900 of real estate and $560 of personal property.
He enlisted in the Confederate army on September 19, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in the 10th Texas Cavalry. According to his service records, he was 5 feet tall, with dark hair and blue eyes. In December 1861, he received a three-month furlough. He died in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 15, 1862.