William Stone (1603 - 1660)

Born 7 Oct 1603 in Poynton Manor, Lancashire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Verlinda (Graves) Stone — married [date unknown] in Accomack Co., VA

Descendants

Died 3 Dec 1660 at age 57 in Nanjemoy Parish, Charles County, Province of Maryland

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William Stone was a Maryland colonist.

William Stone migrated from England to Colonial America.

This profile is part of the Stone Name Study.

Biography

William Stone is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

William Stone, Captain, was the First Protestant, and 3rd proprietary, governor of Maryland^[1]

1603 Birth

William was born about 1603 in England^[1] (or Northampton, Lancashire, Derbyshire, England)^{[citation needed]} His parents are unknown, but he is said to have been the nephew of Thomas Stone, a haberdasher of London.^[1][2]

1619 Immigration to Virginia

William Stone sailed 15 September 1619 aboard the Margaret out of Bristol. He was one of the original settlers of the Berkeley Hundred in Charles City Shire (later County), Virginia.^[3]

1628 Stone Settles on Eastern Shore of Virginia

In about 1628, settling on the Eastern Shore in that area of Virginia that was later formed into Northampton and Accomack Counties. 33,34 He later applied for and received a land grant on 4 June 1635 from the Virginia authorities for 1,800 acres of land. 27 This grant was described as follows: "beginning at the blunt point between Hunger’s Creek and Mattawomens, westwardly on the bay, eastwardly towards the pyne swampe taking in the Clapboard quarter, due him for his own personal adventure and that of his brother Andrew and for the transportation of 34 indentured servants." 27"^[4]

Marriage to Verlinda Graves

William was "brother-in-law" to Thomas Sprigg/Spriggs by his wife's sister, Katherine (Graves) Roper and her 2nd marriage to Thomas Sprigg, Sr. (NOT by a marriage to Elizabeth Spriggs).^[5]

William Stone married in Accomack County, Virginia to Verlinda Graves, the daughter of Thomas and Katherine Graves (possibly Katherine Crowshaw.)^[4]

Verlinda's sisters:

• Ann (Graves) (Cotton) (Eaton) Doughty (1620-1683), who married 1) by 1637 Rev. William Cotton, 2) by 1642, Rev. Nathaniel Eaton, and 3) c. 1657 Rev. Francis Doughty;
• Katherine (Graves) (Roper) Sprigg, who married 1) William Roper, of Accomack County, Virginia, and 2) Thomas Sprigg (1630-1704) of Calvert County, Maryland.^[1]

Children

Sons:^[1]

1. Thomas (ca.1635-1676), a justice of Charles County in 1661; married Mary Richard (?-1667)
2. John Stone (ca. 1648-1697)
3. Matthew (?-1676), clerk of Charles County, 1674-1676; married Margery

Daughters:^[1]

1. Elizabeth, who married in 1661/62 William Calvert (ca. 1642/43-1682)
2. Mary; married 1) John Thomas (?-1673) of Stafford County, Virginia and Charles County, 2) Robert Doyne (?-1689)
3. Catherine

Decision to Leave Virginia

In Virginia, Governor William Berkeley, a staunch supporter of the Church of England, was determined to force the Virginia Puritans to conform to the principles of the Church of England, or face expulsion from that Colony. To promulgate this, he decreed that no minister could officiate in any church in Virginia unless they used the Book of Common Prayer. Shortly thereafter, representatives of the Virginia Puritans contacted Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore and Proprietor of Maryland, about establishing a settlement in that Province. ^[4]

Negotiations with Maryland

William Stone, though not a Puritan himself, made a practical suggestion to Lord Baltimore. He recognized that as a Catholic, Lord Baltimore would have difficulty maintaining his position as Proprietor of Maryland once Oliver Cromwell and the Puritans were in control of England. He subsequently urged Lord Baltimore to offer sanctuary in Maryland to the Virginia Puritans, thereby earning their support. Lord Baltimore saw the wisdom in this suggestion, and in gratitude appointed William Stone as Governor of Maryland in place of Thomas Greene. As such, William became the first Protestant Governor of Maryland.^[4]

Upon accepting the Governorship, William Stone informed the Virginia Puritans that Lord Baltimore would grant them free lands if they resettled in Maryland. And, to overcome their fears, he secured passage by the Maryland Assembly of the Toleration Act of 1649. This Act, which guaranteed religious freedom to all "who professed a belief in Jesus Christ," was the first of its kind to be passed by any of the English colonies in North America.^[4]

1650 Immigration to Maryland

The first party of Virginia Puritans that removed to Maryland took up land near the mouth of the Severn River, where they established the settlement of Providence. Gov. Stone later visited this settlement on 30 July 1650, and formally declared the territory within which Providence was situated as a new county. This new county was named Anne Arundel County in honor of the Lady Anne Arundel, wife of Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Lord Baltimore.^[4]

Governor of Maryland and other Offices

William was the 3rd Proprietary Governor of Maryland. He removed from Virginia to Maryland at the invitation of Lord Calvert to become the governor of Maryland.^[1] He and his family resided at St. Mary's County and Charles County in Maryland.

1652 Conflict between Maryland and Puritans

By 1651, Oliver Cromwell and his followers had executed King Charles I, had subdued their enemies in Scotland and Ireland, and had taken complete control of Great Britain. Because Lord Baltimore denied Cromwell's authority, the Puritans, emboldened by Cromwell's successes, refused to co-operate with the government of Maryland any further. The following year Cromwell sent a military force to Maryland to "reduce all the plantations within the Chesapeake Bay to their due obedience to the Parliament of England." Upon their arrival, the Puritans established their own government under the leadership of Richard Bennett and William Clayborne, and on 29 March 1652, they also demanded that control of the Maryland government be turned over to them. On 17 February 1653, Lord Baltimore retaliated by issuing instructions to Gov. Stone to require the Puritans to take an oath of loyalty to him and the Provincial Government of Maryland, or suffer forfeiture of the lands allotted to them. This proclamation was received with great resentment by the Puritans, especially since control of the Provincial Government was still claimed by Roman Catholics. Unfortunately, the struggle between Lord Baltimore and the Puritans soon developed into armed conflict which culminated in the Battle of the Severn on 25 March 1655.^[4]

1655 Battle of the Severn

In this Battle, Gov. William Stone's troops were defeated by a surprise attack from their rear by a smaller, though better trained, force of Puritans under the command of Captain William Fuller. Gov. Stone was wounded by a shot through the shoulder, and was taken prisoner. Although he was court martialed and condemned to death for his actions, some of the Puritan's wives were close friends with William's wife, Verlinda, and they successfully pleaded with their husbands to spare his life. He was subsequently put under the charge of Captain John Norwood, High Sheriff of Anne Arundel County, until his release.^[4]

William was leader of Lord Baltimore's forces and was wounded and captured at the Battle of the Severn, in Maryland on 25 March 1655. Thomas Hatton, Secretary of the colony, was killed in the battle.

1653 Residence in St. Mary's City

During the period that William Stone served as Governor of Maryland, he and his wife, Verlinda, resided at St. Mary's City in St. Mary's County. Gov. Stone had received a warrant on 19 October 1653 for land in Charles County, Maryland, which he named "Poynton Manor." This property was situated on the north side of Avon Creek in Nanjemoy Hundred in the western portion of Charles county. And, it is here at Poynton Manor that William and Verlinda settled after William’s term in office expired, and where he remained until his death in 1660. 37,38,39,40 ^[4]

William Stone was a Councellor for Maryland from 1656 to 1659, a Provincial Court Justice Maryland in 1657 and in 1659, and the first Protestant Governor of Maryland beginning on August 8, 1648 until 1654.

1660 Will and Death

William died c. 1660, probably at his home at Poynton Manor, Nangemy Parish, Charles County, Maryland.

William Stone’s will, which had been written on 3 December 1659, was subsequently probated in Charles County, Maryland on 21 December 1660. 41 Verlinda, on the other hand, died in Charles County in 1675. 42 Her will was probated before the Charles County Court on 15 July 1675. 42 The below listed children were named in William Stone’s will. 41^[4]

Stone, William, Capt., Charles Co., 3d Dec., 1659; 21st Dec., 1660.

• To wife Verlinda, house and lands at St. Mary's, and to remain in home at Nangemy during widowhood.
• To eld. dau. Eliza Stone and hrs., 900 A. at Bustard's Island, Patuxent R., and 600 A. at ?Nangemy;? that which testator formerly gave her in trust by his brother Sprigg not to be in force.
• To son Richard and hrs., 500 A. of ?Nangemy Manor,? and cattle in consideration of that formerly given him by his uncle, Richard Stone.
• To son John and hrs., 500 A. of ?Nangemy.?
• To son Mathew and hrs, 500 A. of ?Nangemy.?
• To daus. Mary and Katharine, personalty.
• Eld. son Thomas and hrs., exs. and residuary legatees.
• Overseers and guardians of minor child: Gov. Josias Fendall, brother-in-law Francis Doughty, and brother Matthew Stone.
• Test: Francis Doughty, Stephen Montague, Stephen Clifton. 1. 89.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Papenfuse, Edward C. et. al., A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789. Archives of Maryland. October 31, 2014, accessed January 22, 2015
2. ↑ Neill, Edward D. 1886 Virginia Carolorum: the colony under the rule of Charles the First and Second, A. D. 1625-A. Albany, N.Y., J. Munsell's sons, Archive.org (Pages 201, 416).
3. ↑ McCartney, Martha W., Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary (Page 672) Genealogical Publishing Com, 2007, GoogleBooks.com accessed January 25, 2015
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} Jack E. MacDonald, Powell, Wyoming, (updated 1 Jan 2017) The Stone Family of England, Virginia and Maryland. (Part One) (Ancestors and Descendants of Gov. William Stone of Maryland) Five Generations Shown (Approximately 66 Pages) Archive.org, (5 Mar 2017) Accessed April 11, 2015].
5. ↑ Scroggins, William G Leaves of a Stunted Shrub: A Genealogy of the Scrogin-Scroggin ..., Volume 5. (Page 92) Lulu.com, 2009 - England, GoogleBooks.com accessed January 22, 2015
6. ↑ The Maryland Calendar of Wills, Volume I: Wills from 1635 (Earliest Probated) to 1685: Pages 1-13. Originally Compiled by Jane Baldwin (1904). Edited and Annotated by USGenNet Patrons Rhoda Fone & Carole Hammett (2001)

See also:

• Mike Marshall. Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties. Profile for Governor William Stone (1603-1661.
• Wikipedia contributors, William Stone (Maryland governor) November 10, 2013, accessed January 22, 2015.