Bio: Stone, John F. (1881)

Contact: Crystal Wendt

----Surnames: Stone, Buck, Victory, Hutchins, Crocker, Hackett, Pear, Board

----History of Northern Wisconsin (Eau Claire County, Wis.) 1881, page 341

JOHN F. STONE, capitalist, was born in town of Mt. Holly, Vt., March 9, 1814; he was removed to St. Lawrence Co., N. Y. when he was four years of age. In 1849, he came to Roxbury, Dane Co., Wis.; resided there three years; then settled on Sauk Prairie, where he remained until he came to Augusta, in the Fall of 1856, he being the second settler here (Charles Buck being the first). Mr. Stone immediately commenced building operations, constructing a saw-mill during the Winter of 1856-57; commenced sawing lumber in April, 1857; continued to operate it for about five years; he also owned a grist-mill at this place, which he ran until five years ago. Twelve years ago he built a steam saw-mill, which ho ran until four years ago. Besides his manufacturing business, he was for several years extensively engaged in merchandising, in partnership with M. Victory, until 1880. When he first settled here he had to go to Chippewa Falls for lumber, which required five days to make the trip. For several supplies he had to go to Sparta and La Crosse. In an early day his retail lumber business was large, often having from $15,000 to $20,000 outstanding among the settlers in notes and book accounts. He was first married in Massena, St. Lawrence Co., N. Y., Jan. 26, 1834, to Letitia Hutchins, who was born Oct. 3, 1818, and died in April, 1869. They had eleven children. The living are as follows; Fernando Decoella, Uriah Meeker, Hortentie Ranson, Theodore Caple, Carolus Frank, John Walden, Emmett Montgomery, Aldula Sophira (now Mrs. David Crocker, of Cumberland. Wis.), Charlotte Fredona (now Mrs. J. C. Hackett, of Augusta, Wis.); lost two children, Morgan L., who was born Sept. 27, 1857, and died May 26, 1841, and Carilus Edwin, born May 12, 1852; died in January, 1871. Mr. Stone was married to Mrs. Hattie A. Pear, his present wife, Feb. 26, 1871. Her maiden name was Board. She was born in England, and is an early settler of Merton, Waukesha Co., Wis. She came to Eau Claire when there were but two houses there.