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

Personal life

Stone was born May 12, 1813, in

Hubbardston, Massachusetts Hubbardston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town population was 4,328. It is situated 18 miles north of Worcester and 53 miles west of Boston; it is distinguished in Massachusetts by be ...

. His father died when he was six, and he was adopted by a relative. 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. Stone was a major landowner along High Street in Dedham and lived at what is today 19 Mount Vernon Street in Dedham. He married Elizabeth Barrows on October 10, 1839.

Business career

He settled in

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...

and engaged in a number of business pursuits. 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. 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.

Agriculture

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

Political career

Stone represented

as a Republican in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

in 1861, 1862, 1863, and 1869. He served on the committee that established

Brookdale Cemetery Brookdale Cemetery is an historic cemetery in Dedham, Massachusetts. More than 28,000 people are buried there. Mother Brook runs behind it. History For nearly 250 years after it was established, Old Village Cemetery was the only cemetery in Dedha ...

Philanthropy

It was said that benevolence was one of Stone's leading characteristics and no one was ever turned empty handed from his door. He donated the land upon which

Dedham High School Dedham High School is a public high school in Dedham, Massachusetts, United States, and a part of the Dedham Public Schools district. The school was founded in 1851 by the oldest public school system in the country. It earned a silver medal from '' ...

and Stone Park were built.Chapters 64 and 65 of the Acts of 1957 He also donated a waiting room at the railroad stop, Stone Haven station, next to his home. He was also a great supporter of the men of Dedham who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. During the war, it was said that no person was more interested in the welfare of the soldiers than Stone. He sacrificed his business interests to visit the soldiers in the field and made arrangements to provide for their families. After the war, he donated a choice plot of land upon a hill and a monument to their sacrifice in

to the local

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

chapter.

Death

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

References

Works cited

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Eliphalet People from Hubbardston, Massachusetts Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives 1813 births 1886 deaths Philanthropists from Dedham, Massachusetts 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American philanthropists