The following was received in 1996. I do not know if there is any documentation to it.


Dear Jackie

Please excuse the length of this letter. It is necessary because my Irish Stevens
ancestors seem to have married into numerous other Stephens families whom I
believe were Welsh-English. These Wales and Irish Stephens eventually meet
up in the Greenbriar River Valley of West Virginia. Due to the fact that both
families are not part of the established church of the Colonies there are very few
individual records of this group. They were going into "Indian" territory, they did
seem to travel in groups and I have tried to trace the "group" movements. In
doing so I have run across a few records of our Stevens which has made me
believe that I may be on the right track.

In order to find my family I am trying to sort these families that emigrated first
into West Virginia then Kentucky's Mason Co. which included Campbell Co. and
parts of Fleming and Floyd Co. I am interested in any Stephens-Stevens that
come into the Greenbriar, Shenandoah, or Northern Neck of Kentucky areas.
We also have relatives in the Brown Co. Ohio area which is right across the river
from Mason Co.

We have a very large group of "Cousins" which are working on these families.
We are willing to exchange information with research references with families
that were in West Virginia area around 1750-1800 and Kentucky's Mason Co.
about 1776 to 1800.

PLEASE REMEMBER THIS IS ONLY A THEORY AND IF YOU HAVE ANY
SUGGESTIONS TO ADD TO THE THEORY, OR EVEN CONTEST IT PLEASE
SEND THEM TO ME.


Fitz Stephens Family

A Norman family that came with William the Conquier in 1066. This family is
truely a King Maker family, or more accurately the Kings Aquisition Family. The
Stephens are sent by the King to new Territories in order to help subdue the
native Territories. The Duke of Glouster says that no American family can claim
direct descendents of this family. We only include the family because it is
generally believed that most Bristish Stevens are named after or indirect
descendents of the Fitz Stephens.
Ireland
Scotland
Wales
Colonies
1631 North Carolina Stephens
1632 Jamestown Stephens
1635 New Jersey, Pennsylvania part to Maryland
1710 Spotswood Stephens

NORTH CAROLINA STEPHENS - 1631

This family did claim a connection to the Fitz Stephens of England, descendents
of Lord Glouster. They were English and followed the Church of England
Religion, coming first to North Carolina then to Virginia. Captain Richard
Stephens married Elizabeth Stephens. Their son Samuel marries Frances
Culpepper of noble birth. After Samuel's death Francis Culpepper married Gov.
William Berkeley, the Governor of Virginia. It is believed that Samuel had no
children and his brother William's son was a bachelor who died before his father
William. There are those who list themselves as Captain Richard Stephens
descendents in the Mormon computer. I have not really done enough research
to prove either way.

JAMESTOWN STEVENS - 1632

A Stephens comes from Ireland with Lord Baltimore in 1632 on the Ark and the
Dove. This family eventually spreads out along the James River as far as
Henrico and Dinwiddy Co. Traditionally knwon as Catholic Co. in Virginia.

My Ancestory, Jerimiah who comes later with the Spotswood miners, settles in
this area and his descendents are probably marrying into and traveling with the
original James River, Henrico Co. Stephens.

Many of the original families on the Ark and the Dove (Lord Baltimore's Ships
from Ireland) eventually make their way to St. Mary's Co., Maryland where they
eventually come with a James Stephens to the Catholic Pottinger Creek area of
Kentucky.

WALES STEPHENS - 1640

This group appears to be Quakers (Society of Friends) who left Wales because
of persecution. This group was brought to New Jersey, then Pennsylvania by
William Penn to populate Pennsylvania and eventually more were brought in to
mine the ore of William Penn in Carleslie Penn area.

THE WALES STEVENS SPLITS INTO TWO GROUPS

Group one: The Pennsylvania group seems to have left the Carleslie area and
established another Carleslie in West Virginia which at that time was claimed by
Virginia and Pennsylvania. Joshua Stevens went to Union Penn then migrated
down to Greenbriar River Valley (Monroe Co.) which was populated before the
Shenandoah River area.

Another Quaker family by the name of Smith is traveling with Joshua Stevens
and marries our ancestor Blessing Stevens in the Greenbriar River area. Her
granddaughter Agnus Nelson marries Benjamin Stevens who could be a
descendent of Joshua because he has a family cemetery plot in Washington
Twn., Mason Co., Kentucky where a E.D. (Evan Davis?) Stevens is buried.

Group two: William Stephens migrates down river to Maryland and eventually to
Talbot Co., where he becomes the progenitor of a very large Quaker family.
This family appears to have married into the Catholic families of Maryland also.

Part of the Quaker family seems to have migrated to the Shenandoah Valley.
We find Giles Stephens living in the Shenandoah Valley area. Giles, Thomas,
Benjamin, and William are all very common names in the Maryland family
Stephens. We believe that Thomas the father of Sherwood may have been the
brother of Giles. Thomas's son Sherwood married the widow of John. We
believe this Thomas was the Thomas listed in Charleston W. Va., marrying a
Mary. Thomas married at least three times.

We believe this Sherwood appears to be a Quaker and there is a Quaker Colony
in the Shenandoah Valley region where Peter Stephens family migrates to in
about 1740.

Sometime in the early 1700's a large group of Irish Quakers emigrate into York
Co., Pennsylvania, into the same areas as the original Wales Quakers.

MARYLAND IRISH FAMILY

The Irish family from the Ark may have stayed basically in St. Mary's Co.,
Maryland where the Catholic Church was located. This group eventually signs a
pack with James Stephens and moves to the Catholic Settlements of the north-
central portion of Kentucky. (see list of Ark and Dove and List of Maryland
Catholics who move to Kentucky).

MARYLAND SCOTISH FAMILY - 1640

After the Scotish revolution a Samuel Stephens comes to Virginia with a land
grant to establish a safe haven for the exhiled adherents of King Charles (1648-
1650 per W & M Quarterly #3). Charles was a Catholic who escaped to Scotland
when the English Parliament revolted. He was caught on the Isle of Wright and
executed. A county in Virginia is named the Isle of Wright.

There is a General Edwards Stevens in Kentucky who I believe is from an
Edward Stevens living in Isle of Wright Co., Virginia about 1722. He was
probably a relative of the above mentioned Samuel who married Lady
Culpepper.

General Adam Stephens is known to have been expelled from Scotland after its
revolution. He traveled the World eventually coming to the Isle of Wright Co.,
Virginia where he fought in the American Revolution. We believe our ancestors
fought with General Adam Stephens and this is why Jerimiah is naming his son,
Adam after the General. It is also interesting to note that the Peter Stephens
family is also naming a son after the General. General Adam Stephens migrates
to the Shenandoah Valley after the revolution and his brother Robert eventually
migrates to Kentucky about 1780.

MARYLAND RELATIVES TO SPOTSWOOD MINERS

Many of the Orange Co. emigrants from Governor Spotswood Mines seem to
have relatives in Maryland that came between 1633-1700. I believe these were
the Catholic relatives or those relatives with money who emigrated when the
Presbyterian movement started in Scotland. Many Presbyterian Scotch had
Catholic sympathies like their King, who became a Catholic on his death bed
(see articles on James and Charles of England and Scotland).

It is also possible that these are not relatives at all. The Scotch like the Irish
held the tradition that all clans men took on the ancestory of their clan leaders.
The wealthier earlier families were undoubtedly clan leaders, so many of the
simple peasant stock soldiers would have taken on not only the surnames of
their clan leader, but would have used the same first names. This makes it very
difficult at times for the genealogist to sort out the different families, especially
since it was to the advantage at that time to appear to be from the gentile class.

I also believe that many of the peasants deliberately followed their clan leaders,
seeking some sort of security of home, and it was to the advantage of the clan
leaders to encourage this custom because it gave them power here in the
colonies.

SPOTSWOOD STEPHENS - 1710

These Stephens came with Governor Spotswood Indentured Miners. After
James was defeated by William of Orange a treaty was signed by James to
allow him and his defenders to emigrate to France. The Duke of Louraine
employed a large mercenary army and we believe most of Jame's foot soldiers
joined this army. The Duke of Louraine settled the families of these men in
Alsace which was between the Duke of Louraine's Duchy and Germany who
were his enemies. The foot soldiers of James were Irish Catholics and their
Scotish cousins, that had emigrated to Ireland to help their Catholic King.

The above info was sent by:
Esther V. Kozeny
5050 Clayridge #308
St. Louis, Mo 63129
Ph: 314-487-5428
E-Mail Esther at: rjkoz@stlnet.com

Back to Stephens/Stevens Records/Documents


Compiled by:
Jackie Shepherd

Tom Stevens -E-Mail: stevetho@datastar.net