Colonel Joel Stone (1749–1833) was a

United Empire Loyalist United Empire Loyalist (UEL; or simply Loyalist) is an honorific title which was first given by the 1st Lord Dorchester, the governor of Quebec and governor general of the Canadas, to American Loyalists who resettled in British North Ameri ...

and the founder of

Gananoque Gananoque ( ) is a town in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville of Ontario, Canada. The town had a population of 5,383 year-round residents in the 2021 Canadian Census, as well as summer residents sometimes referred to as "Islanders" becau ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada.

Early life

Stone was born in

Guilford, Connecticut Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Connecticut, Madison, Branford, Connecticut, Branford, North Branford, Connecticut, North Branford and Durham, Connecticut, Durham, and is situated on Inter ...

, to Stephen Stone and Rebecca Bishop. When he was two, his family moved to the growing town of

Litchfield, Connecticut Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are ...

. Although the son of a prosperous farmer, Stone ventured off on his own as a merchant. He married his first wife, Leah Moore, in 1780. They had two children together. He married his second wife, Abigail Dayton, in 1799. He died peacefully in 1833 at the age of 84.

United Empire Loyalist

Stone was a Loyalist Combatant operating from

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

during the Revolutionary war. With the outbreak of the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

, Stone remained loyal to the King and fought on the British side. He was active in collaborating with

Loyalists Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cr ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

in escaping to

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

controlled areas of the colonies, including

David Mathews David Mathews ( – July 28, 1800) was an American born British lawyer and politician from New York City. He was a Loyalist during the American Revolutionary War and was the 43rd and last Colonial Mayor of New York City from 1776 until 1783. As N ...

Mayor of New York City The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The Mayoralty in the United States, mayor's office administers all ...

. He was forced to flee to British-controlled New York and was never able to return to his home because he was wanted for treason. He took up lands in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

Founder of Gananoque, Ontario

In the 1790s after fleeing the United States on horse back in the night, Stone made his way to Upper Canada where he petitioned the king for a land grant due to his remaining loyal to the crown during the Revolution. He was granted 700 acres of land on the west side of the

Gananoque River The Gananoque River is a river in Leeds and Grenville United Counties in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Shows the course of the river highlighted on a map. The river is in the Atlantic Ocean drainage basin and is a left tributary of the Saint Lawrence ...

. He choose this area because of the two waterfalls on the river. Here he built a sawmill and a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

. This began the settlement that is known today as the town of Gananoque. He became a successful businessman in Gananoque and also began a ferry service as early as 1801 to move people, animals and produce across the Gananoque River. He was given many titles and official offices including roads commissioner, customs collector, colonel of the militia and justice of the peace. Thanks to his mills on the Gananoque River, many other mills were built and the town thrived as an industrial site by the end of the eighteenth century. It became a recreational launch point and tourist attraction for the

Thousand Islands The Thousand Islands (, ) constitute a North American archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada–US border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. They stretch for about downstream fr ...

in modern times.

War of 1812

He defended the town and area again in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Trade was very popular between the United States and Upper Canada, as it was easier for both sides to trade with each other than to obtain supplies from larger cities. Trade continued after international peace ended in June 1812 until Gananoque was attacked in September 1812. Stone's militia did its best to hold off the attack, but considerable damage was inflicted upon the settlement. Stone was absent at the time of the attack, escorting a convoy to Kingston. His wife, who was hiding the valuables in her home, was wounded after being shot in the hip. The war ended in 1814 with the signing of the

Treaty of Ghent The Treaty of Ghent () was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. It took effect in February 1815. Both sides signed it on December 24, 1814, in the city of Ghent, United Netherlands (now in ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. After the war, Stone lived comfortably until his death.

Memorials

Located in the town of Gananoque, near the town hall, is a plaque dedicated to Stone which reads:

Born in Connecticut, Stone forfeited his home and property there when he fled to New York to serve with the Loyalist militia during the American Revolution. He came to Canada in 1786, settled with his family in New Johnstown (now
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
) and was eventually granted 700 acres of land on the west bank of the Gananoque River. Here, he established mercantile operations, including a sawmill and a ferry service to cross the river. Stone was appointed Justice of the Peace for Leeds County in 1796, Collector of Customs for Gananoque in 1802, and later, a Surveyor of Highways and Roads. In 1809, he was appointed Colonel of the 2nd Leeds Militia and was in command when American forces raided the village in September 1812. The settlement established by Stone formed the nucleus of the present town of Gananoque.

At the waterfront in the Town of Gananoque is a heritage park dedicated to Stone, named the Joel Stone Park. It has 3 cannon and a memorial commemorating the War of 1812. There is also a bronze diorama representing the town as it was in 1812, an amphitheater and the beginning of a heritage trail. The town of Gananoque also commemorated the War of 1812 and Stone with re-enactments, festivals and ceremonies in 2012–2014 for the 200th anniversary of the war.

References

External links

*
Joel Stone fonds
a
Queen’s University Archives

War of 1812
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Joel United Empire Loyalists People of Connecticut in the American Revolution Canadian people of the War of 1812 1749 births 1833 deaths People from Leeds and Grenville United Counties