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Native · 1748 – 1814

Michael Stoner, German long hunter

Born Michael Holsteiner near Philadelphia in 1748, Stoner grew up speaking German and drifted to Virginia’s New River frontier as a teen.

AI illustration of Michael Stoner, long hunter, about 1774
Michael Stoner AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive; no known likeness exists

In June 1774, Capt. William Russell picked him and Daniel Boone to warn Virginia surveyors scattered across Kentucky during Dunmore’s War. The pair covered roughly 800 miles in about 61–62 days—Harrod’s new town, the Kentucky River, the Falls of the Ohio, then home by Cumberland Gap—pulling most parties back before Shawnee and Mingo strikes closed the country.

AI illustration of Daniel Boone in old age, after Chester Harding's 1820 portrait
Daniel Boone AI illustration · Kentucky History Drive

Stoner later hunted for Boonesborough, took a wound in 1777, and settled in Clark County before ending his days in Wayne County (d. 1814/15).

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Published . Last revised .

Chicago

Snowden, Shannon. "Michael Stoner, German long hunter." Kentucky History Drive. Published September 12, 2026. Last revised September 12, 2026. https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/michael-stoner-german-long-hunter/.

MLA

Snowden, Shannon. "Michael Stoner, German long hunter." Kentucky History Drive, published 12 Sept. 2026, last revised 12 Sept. 2026, https://kyhistorydrive.com/stories/michael-stoner-german-long-hunter/.

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