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, p ...

planter and statesman from

Charles County, Maryland Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. T ...

. He represented

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

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 Arti ...

signed the

Declaration of Independence A declaration 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 territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

, and his younger brother

John Hoskins Stone John Hoskins Stone (July 17, 1749 – October 5, 1804) was an Americans, American planter, soldier, and politician from Charles County, Maryland. During the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War he led the 1st Maryland Regiment of the Con ...

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, Maryland, United States. The population was 13 at the 2010 census, making Port Tobacco the smallest incorporated town in Maryland. Overview This was historically the te ...

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

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

, 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, on March 4, 1789. Originally including seven articles, the Constituti ...

. 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 Harford County, Maryland, Harford County and parts of Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County; it i ...

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 i ...

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 2022 Argentina census, census, the La Plata Partido, Partido has a population of 772,618 and its metropolitan area, the Greater La Plata, has 938,287 inhabit ...

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

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

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 18th-century American planters People from Port Tobacco Village, Maryland Stone family 19th-century American Episcopalians Jenifer family 18th-century Maryland politicians 18th-century members of the United States House of Representatives