Eliphalet Stone (Massachusetts politician)

Colonel
Eliphalet Stone
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the Dedham district
In office
1861–1863
In office
1869–1869
Personal details
Born(1813-05-12)May 12, 1813
Hubbardston, Massachusetts
DiedFebruary 5, 1886(1886-02-05) (aged 72)
Dedham, Massachusetts
Political partyRepublican
SpouseElizabeth Barrows

Col. Eliphalet Stone (May 12, 1813 – February 5, 1886) was an American politician.

Personal life

Stone was born May 12, 1813, in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.[1][2] His father died when he was six, and he was adopted by a relative.[1] Though he was ambitious to acquire an education, his opportunities to do so were meager given the schooling provided to farmers boys in the district school at that time.[3]

Stone was a major landowner along High Street in Dedham and lived at what is today 19 Mount Vernon Street in Dedham.[4] He married Elizabeth Barrows, the daughter of Thomas Barrows, on October 10, 1839.[5][3][2]

Business career

He settled in Dedham, Massachusetts and engaged in a number of business pursuits.[3] By 1833, he was largely engaged in the baking and grocery business, real estate and building, and for many years was the leading auctioneer in that part of Norfolk County.[3] He was especially active in building residences in the east village of Dedham and labored earnestly to advance the interests of that part of the town.[3]

Agriculture

From early youth, Stone manifested a lively interest in agriculture and horticultural pursuits.[3] He wrote many valuable papers on fruit culture.[3][2]

Political career

Stone represented Dedham, Massachusetts as a Republican in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1869.[4][3][2] He served on the committee that established Brookdale Cemetery.[6]

Philanthropy

See also: Dedham, Massachusetts in the American Civil War

It was said that benevolence was one of Stone's leading characteristics and no one was ever turned empty handed from his door.[3] He donated the land upon which Dedham High School and Stone Park were built.[4][7][8] He also donated a waiting room at the railroad stop, Stone Haven station, next to his home.[9]

He was also a great supporter of the men of Dedham who served in the American Civil War.[8][4] During the war, it was said that no person was more interested in the welfare of the soldiers than Stone.[3] He sacrificed his business interests to visit the soldiers in the field and made arrangements to provide for their families.[3][8][10] After the war, he donated a choice plot of land upon a hill and a monument to their sacrifice in Brookdale Cemetery to the local Grand Army of the Republic chapter.[2][8][10]

Death

Eliphalet Stone's grave

Stone died in Dedham on February 5, 1886, of paralysis after a three-month illness.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b Hurd 1884, p. 107.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The Soldiers' Friend Gone". The Boston Globe. February 6, 1886. p. 8. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Hurd 1884, p. 108.
  4. ^ a b c d Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 89.
  5. ^ Bosworth Genealogy: A History of the Descendants of Edward Bosworth who Arrived in America in the Year 1634; with an Appendix Containing Other Lines of American Bosworths. 1936. p. 1805.
  6. ^ Smith 1936, p. 147.
  7. ^ Chapters 64 and 65 of the Acts of 1957
  8. ^ a b c d Smith 1936, p. 149.
  9. ^ Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 96.
  10. ^ a b Dedham Historical Society 2001, p. 116.

Works cited

Information related to Eliphalet Stone (Massachusetts politician)