JAMES B. STONE, one of Fitchburg township’s most influential citizens, was township’s most influential citizens, was born on the Isle of Wight, March 27, 1826. His father, Jonathan Stone, was a native of the same place, where he was reared, married and resided until 1851, when he emigrated to the States, remaining in New York for a short time, but finally emigrating to Wisconsin, where be located in Fitchburg township. Here the good man spent the remainder of his days in peace and comfort. The maiden name of his wife was Harriet Dore, also a native of the Isle of Wight. She died in Fitchburg township, after rearing a family of eight children, namely: Marie, Jaeob, Charlette, Eliza, James, Ann, John and George.

Our subject was reared on a farm and remained with his parents until his sixteenth year, when he resolved to leave the land of his birth and seek wider fields, accordingly in February, 1842, he set sail from Portsmouth on a sailing vessel and landed in New York after a voyage of six weeks and five days. It was a lonely time for the boy, alone in a strange land. He made his way to Ontario county, and there hired out on a farm for $20 for six months, but his employer cheated him out of the most of his wages. He remained in Ontario county nearly a year, and then went to Seneca, where he was employed in a soap and candle factory in the village of Waterloo. He remained there until 1846 and then went to Wisconsin, going via railroad to Rochester, via lakes to Racine and then engaged on a farm for the summer and chopped wood in winter, remaining in Racine until 1852, when he removed to Dane county. He had made preparations for locating there by buying forty acres of land and remained there until February, 1853, when he went to Fitchburg township, where he bought sixty acres of land, which is included in his present farm. This was university land and he paid $7 an acre for it. He immediately began improving it, built a house, has since bought other land, and now has 237 acres. twelve of which is in timber.

In 1859 he was married to Miss Emma Dore, a native of New Haven, Connecticut, a daughter of David Dore, a native of the Isle of Wight. To this union two children have been born, Homer A. and James D. Mr. Stone is independent in politics.

Biographical Review of Dane County, Wisconsin, Chicago, Biographical Review Publishing Co., 1893, p206