Stone, Charles J.

Charles J. Stone was born December 27, 1855, at Fredericksborg, in the Province of Delame, Sweden. After attending school, learning blacksmithing from his father at Sandviken, and studying at Upsala Seminary, he sailed to America and landed in New York on June 26, 1881. Following periods in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Ishpeming, Michigan, he married Helma Dorothea de Wahl on February 5, 1882, and eventually arrived in Oakland, California, on June 7, 1889.

In 1897, Mr. Stone moved his family to Kingsburg, where he became a prominent contractor, builder, and rancher. He developed 160 acres near Kingsburg and constructed many notable brick structures on Draper Street, including the Kingsburg Hotel in 1912 and the Ford Garage building in 1917. Beyond raising six surviving children and supporting the Swedish Methodist Episcopal Church, he served as a deputy assessor, grand juror, and dedicated community leader in Fresno County.