| Other People | Frank J. Bradley | Olive Rambo Cook | Jerry Litton | | |||
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Past and Present of Livingston County Volume 2. Biographies by Major A. J. Roof. 1913 |
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Page 162-165
Photo available
John C. Stone occupies an enviable position in agricultural circles in Livingston county as one of the largest landed proprietors of Green township. He owns three hundred and eighty-five acres of fertile land on sections 30 and 31, one hundred and fifty acres of timber land on sections 18 and 19 and one hundred and twenty-five acres on section 25, in all five hundred and eighty acres. He is a native son of Livingston county and one of its early pioneers, having not only been an interested witness of the changes that have occurred but a helpful and cooperant factor in the general advancement and development. He was horn in Utica, Missouri, January 17, 1839, and is a son of John and Susanne (Stover) Stone. John Stone, the father, was one of the first settlers in this part of the country, having come here in 1837. He, to a large extent, enjoyed the esteem and good-will of his contemporaries and was called upon to serve in various public capacities, among which was that of judge of the county court. All his life he was an ardent democrat and supported the principles of this party. He died in 1893, at the advanced age of eighty-eight years, his wife preceding him in 1886, slid both are buried in the Stone graveyard. The family is of old English origin, early ancestors coming from the mother country to Virginia in the eighteenth century and several of them figuring prominently in the Revolutionary war.
John C. Stone attended the public schools of Utica in the acquirement of an education and left his lessons when eighteen years of age. However, he attended in the wintertime only and during the summer months helped on his father's farm, on which he continued in make his home all his life with the exception of a few years when he was engaged in the general mercantile business. Following modern and progressive methods, he has developed his property to one of the most valuable in this section and has added thereto as his means allowed him. He has made many valuable improvements in the buildings on the farm and largely added to its general equipment.
On November 29, 1866, Mr. Stone was united in marriage to Miss Eliza Harper, a daughter of John S. and Juliet (Butts) Harper. The father followed general mercantile pursuits during all his life. He was a pioneer settler of 1838 sod wherever known much liked and highly esteemed. His political faith was that of the democratic party. He died in 1908, at the remarkable age of ninety years, his wife preceding him in 1884, and both found their last resting place in the Utica cemetery. The Harper family is an old English one, coming to this country at an early day, and the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Stone, Thomas Butts, was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary war. Mr. and Mrs. Stone are the parents of three sons: Charles, an agriculturist, who is married arid has a family; William, a rural mail carrier residing at home; and Harry B., a harness maker at Lanesboro, Iowa.
Mr. Stone's political affiliation is with the democratic party and as he is always public-spirited and willing to render service when called upon, he has served in the capacity of township clerk and also township assessor, discharging his duties in these capacities with circumspection and ability. He is a member of the Baptist church and deeply interested in the activities of this organization. His fraternal relations are confined to the blue lodge of Masons. Mr. Stone has made a highly creditable record along agricultural lines in this section, his course being marked by steady progress gained through ready utilization of opportunities as they have presented themselves, and his industry and energy have found substantial reward in a most gratifying degree of prosperity. He is highly esteemed in this locality for his sterling traits of character, which have won him the regard and confidence of all who have come in contact with him. Having been born in this county over seventy-four years ago, he has witnessed the wonderful transformation that has occurred as pioneer conditions have given way before the onward match of civilization.