Michael Jenifer Stone (1747 – 1812) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

planter and statesman from

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county in Southern Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is part of the Wash ...

. He represented

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

Early life and education

Stone was born to David and Elizabeth (Jenifer) Stone at Poynton Manor in Charles County. That home had been founded by his ancestor William Stone who had been the third Governor of the colony of Maryland in the mid-seventeenth century. His elder brother

Thomas Stone Thomas Stone (1743 – October 5, 1787) was an American Founding Father, planter, politician, and lawyer who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a delegate for Maryland. He later worked on the committee that formed the Artic ...

signed the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

, and his younger brother John Hoskins Stone was the ninth

governor of Maryland The Governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The Governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

Career

As an adult, Michael lived at Haberdeventure, which was the plantation of his brother Thomas near

Port Tobacco Port Tobacco, officially Port Tobacco Village, is a town in Charles County, in southern Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historical ...

. Michael married Mary Briscoe and they had five children. Their grandson,

Frederick Stone Frederick Stone (February 7, 1820 – October 17, 1899) was a U.S. Congressman from the fifth district of Maryland, serving two terms from 1867 to 1871. Education and career Stone was born in Leonardtown, Maryland, and graduated from St ...

, represented Maryland in the U.S. Congress. When Thomas died in 1787, his will gave Michael the lifetime use of Haberdeventure, and asked that he raise his young son. Stone represented Charles County in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1781 to 1783. In 1788, he was a delegate to the states convention that ratified the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

. In the new Federal government, Stone represented

Maryland's 1st congressional district Maryland's 1st congressional district encompasses the entire Eastern Shore of Maryland, including Salisbury, Maryland, Salisbury, as well as parts of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore, Harford County, Maryland, Harford, and Carroll County, M ...

in the

First United States Congress The 1st United States Congress, comprising the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791, during the first two years of George Washington's presidency, first at Federal Hall in ...

from 1789 to 1791. Coat of Arms of Thomas Stone

Personal life

Stone died in 1812 and was buried on his own estate of Equality near

La Plata La Plata () is the capital city of Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from th ...

in Charles County. His son, Michael Jenifer Stone (II), built the historic home Sunnyside at Aquasco, in

Prince George's County, Maryland ) , demonym = Prince Georgian , ZIP codes = 20607–20774 , area codes = 240, 301 , founded date = April 23 , founded year = 1696 , named for = Prince George of Denmark , leader_title = Executive , leader_name = Angela D. Alsobroo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Michael J. 1747 births 1812 deaths People from Charles County, Maryland Members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Members of the Maryland House of Delegates American planters People of colonial Maryland Burials in Maryland People from Port Tobacco Village, Maryland Stone family 19th-century American Episcopalians Jenifer family