John Augustus Stone (born December 15, 1801 Concord

Concord, Massachusetts

Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

 - June 1, 1834 Philadelphia) was an American actor, dramatist, and playwright

Playwright

A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...

.

Biography

He appeared on the New York stage beginning in 1822.
He wrote Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags

Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags

Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags is a play originally starring Edwin Forrest. The play was written in 1829 by John Augustus StoneIt was first performed December 15, 1829, at the Park Theater in New York City....

, as a vehicle for Edwin Forrest

Edwin Forrest

Edwin Forrest was an American actor.-Early life:Forrest was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, of Scottish and German descent. His father died and he was brought up by his mother, a German woman of humble origins. He was educated at the common schools in Philadelphia, and early evinced a taste...

, for a prize of #500, and was first produced in 1829. The play

Play (theatre)

A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...

 told the life of King Philip

Metacomet

Metacomet , also known as King Philip or Metacom, or occasionally Pometacom, was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War, a widespread Native American uprising against English colonists in New England.-Biography:Metacomet was the second son of Massasoit...

.

He married Mrs. Alelia (Green) Legge, an actress. She later married Nathaniel Harrington Bannister.

Stone suffered periods of insanity

Insanity

Insanity, craziness or madness is a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity may manifest as violations of societal norms, including becoming a danger to themselves and others, though not all such acts are considered insanity...

 and he committed suicide

Suicide

Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...

 by jumping into the Schuylkill River

Schuylkill River

The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...

. He was buried at Machpelah Cemetery in Philadelphia. That cemetery was closed in 1895 and the bodies moved to a part of Mount Moriah Cemetery called Graceland, which was later abandoned. His grave at Machpelah was marked by a monument erected by Forrest. The inscription reads: "Erected to the memory of the author of 'Metamora' by his friend, Edwin Forrest". Some sources cite Forrest's success with Stone's plays and his paltry remuneration as causing his suicide.

Works

• Montrano, or Who's the Traitor, 1822 Philadelphia
• Restoration, or the Diamond Cross
  Restoration, or the Diamond Cross
  Restoration, or the Diamond Cross was an 1824 play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone....
  
  , 1824 Chatham Garden Theater in New-York.
• Tancred, or the Siege of Antioch
  Tancred (play)
  Tancred or the Siege of Antioch was an early 19th century play by American playwright John Augustus Stone. He wrote another play called Tancred, King of Sicily in 1831....
  
  1827
• Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags
  Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags
  Metamora; or, The Last of the Wampanoags is a play originally starring Edwin Forrest. The play was written in 1829 by John Augustus StoneIt was first performed December 15, 1829, at the Park Theater in New York City....
  
  December 15, 1829
• La Roque; a Regicide
  La Roque (play)
  La Roque; the Regicide was a play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone.The play was first performed at a theater in Charleston, South Carolina....
  
  Charleston
• Fauntleroy; or, the Fatal Forgery
  Fauntleroy (play)
  Fauntleroy was a play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone....
  
  Charleston
• Touretoun
  Touretoun
  Touretoun was a play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone....
  
  
• Banker of Rouen
• Tancred, King of Sicily
  Tancred, King of Sicily
  Tancred, King of Sicily was an early 19th century play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone. He had written another play, called Tancred or The Siege of Antioch in 1827. The play is likely a treatment of the historical figure Tancred, King of Sicily....
  
  March 16, 1831
• The Demoniac
  The Demoniac
  The Demoniac or The Prophet's Bride was an 1831 play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone....
  
  , or the Prophet's Bride April 12, 1831
• The Ancient Briton
  The Ancient Briton
  The Ancient Briton was a play by early 19th century American playwright John Augustus Stone....
  
  , March 27, 1833
• The Knight of the Golden Fleece, or The Yankee in Spain, 1834