Skip to main content

Governor William Maximillian Stone (1603 – 1660)

Catholic noble, Cecil Calvert, presenting the official document, of the 1649 Acts of Toleration, to the first Protestant, Maryland colonial governor, William Stone, who proclaimed religious protection, to Puritans, in the Province of Maryland - Wikipedia


I recently created an account and began assembling our family tree at FamilySearch and appreciate the work others have done before me.  Once I began filling in names and birth/death dates, FamilySearch sent me clues to others who might be related. I was surprised to find that there is extensive information recorded on the Stone family.

My mother would tell me stories about her family and she often mentioned that the Stones were originally from England and were once very wealthy. Mother preferred her Scottish roots, but she respected her more puritanical Stone heritage. So, you can imagine my surprise when scrolling through the Stone family tree and finding we are reportedly descendants of William Maximillian Stone, who was governor of the colony of Maryland from 1649 -1655.

Here is some information regarding William from Wikipedia:

Early life

William Maximillian Stone was born in Northamptonshire, England.[1]

Business dealings in Virginia Colony

On 15 Sept 1619, William Stone set sail for the Virginia Colony, on the ship, Margaret of Bristol and was one of the new colonists, being sent to Berkeley Hundred, to work under Captain John Woodlief's supervision. Stone was supposed to serve the Society of Berkeley Hundred's investors for six years in exchange for 30 acres of land. Sometime, prior to 9 February 1629, he received a tobacco bill from Richard Wheeler. By 4 June 1635, William had patented 1,800 acres in Accomack.

Family, marriage, and colonial government official

Local court records revealed, that he was the brother of Andrew Stone and Captain John Stone, who had been trading, on the Eastern Shore, since 1626. By 1634, William Stone had become a commissioner of the county court. Sometime, prior to February 1636, he married Verlinda Graves, the daughter of Captain Thomas Graves. William went on to become sheriff and vestryman. In 1645 he was residing on the Eastern Shore, in what had become Northampton County.

By 1648, he had become the third proprietary governor of Maryland.[2]

First Puritan settlement in Virginia

Stone came to America, in 1619, with a group of Puritans, who settled on the Eastern shore, of Chesapeake Bay, in the colony of Virginia. The first Puritan settlement, in Virginia, thrived, but eventually came into conflict with the established Episcopal Church.

In 1648, William Stone reached an agreement, with Cecilius Calvert, the 2nd Lord Baltimore to resettle the Virginia Puritan colonists, in the central region of the Province of Maryland. 
Governor of Province of Maryland

On August 8, 1648, Lord Baltimore named Stone the Governor of his colony. He was the first Protestant Governor. The Assembly sought a confirmation of their religious liberty and in 1649 Governor Stone signed the Religious Toleration Act, which permitted liberty to all Christian denominations.

In 1649, William Stone and Puritan exiles, from Virginia, founded the town of Providence, now Annapolis, Maryland, on the north shore, of the Severn River and across from, the future site of, the Maryland state capital of Annapolis.

In 1654, after the Third English Civil War (1649–51), the victorious, Parliamentary forces assumed control of Maryland and Stone went into exile in Virginia. Per orders from Lord Baltimore, Stone returned the following spring at the head of a Cavalier force. But, in what is known as the Battle of the Severn (March 25, 1655), Stone was defeated and taken prisoner.

William Stone was later replaced as Governor by Josias Fendall (1628–87), and took no further part in public affairs. 
If it is true we are his descendants, then we have a wonderful Christian legacy to pass on to our children and grandchildren.  I pray you will appreciate and make a point to learn more about the early founding of our nation and the influence of the Puritans.

Coat of Arms of William Stone

Labels:

Comments

  1. Rick StoneAugust 31, 2022 at 10:28 AM

    Gov William is my 7x Great Grandfather not only did he arrive in 1619 and was involved with the 1st Thanksgiving 2 yrs before the Pilgrams . He was the first appointed and Sworn in Sheriff in America in 1634. I’m very proud of him and his Great Grandson Thomas ( my Great Uncle ) for their Bravery and my Freedom that I have 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MacLaren / Lawson Scottish Tartan

Tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in many other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Scotland . Scottish kilts almost always have tartan patterns. Tartan is often called plaid in North America, but in Scotland, a plaid is a tartan cloth slung over the shoulder as a kilt accessory, or a plain ordinary blanket such as one would have on a bed. Tartan is made with alternating bands of coloured (pre-dyed) threads woven as both warp and weft at right angles to each other. The weft is woven in a simple twill , two over—two under the warp, advancing one thread at each pass. This forms visible diagonal lines where different colours cross, which give the appearance of new colours blended from the original ones. The resulting blocks of colour repeat vertically and horizontally in a distinctive pattern of squares and lines known as a sett. (Wikipedia)
Post a Comment
Read more

William Lawson: Finding Our True William

Dear Lawson Family, It appears there are some questions as to if the William "the rebel" Lawson is our ancestor or if perhaps another William from Scotland is the true patriarch of our family. I found this note at the William Lawson (1731 - 1826) Wiki Tree Page: William “Our Scottish Immigrant” Lawson Birth 26 Jun 1733 Montrose, Angus, Scotland Death 18 Apr 1826 Snowflake, Scott County, Virginia, USA Burial Lawson Confederate Memorial Cemetery Snowflake, Scott County, Virginia, USA Memorial ID 19302244 Please refer to www.lfhp.org for further information on William Lawson. Many people are still actively researching this ancestor and as of 2017 new data has been found. The LFHP website will be updating this information and sharing it with all on their mailing list. Correcting the information on the website is ongoing. Please understand there is no disrespect intended to any others who have devoted years of research to this ancestor. To those who paid
6 comments
Read more

William “the Rebel” Lawson and the Battle of Culloden

The Battle of Culloden (Wikipedia) Excerpt from Lawson, William - A Scottish Rebel by Bill Porter and posted online at Electric Scotland : William Lawson was born 26 June 1731 at Montrose, Scotland. He was the only son of a widow lady (1). No information is available on his father. Some believe his name was Robert and may have been killed during the Scottish uprising which culminated in the fatal route and dispersion of the followers of Prince Charles Edward Stuart, "the Pretender" to the throne of Great Britain at the Battle of Culloden on 16 April 1746.  At this battle the British army, under the command of the Duke of Cumberland, killed 1000 of the 5000 Scottish troops in less than an hour and pursued the fleeing rebels, persecuting and prosecuting them and members of their families (2). William Lawson was one of many young Scotsmen arrested and placed in prisons in northern England.  Confined at Chester and Carlisle, the Scottish rebels became a threat to
Post a Comment
Read more