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JOHN STEPHENS, Esq., of Lypiatt Park, and the manor of Little Sodbury,co. Gloucester, and of Guilford, in the province of New Haven,(afterwards Connecticut), son of Sir Edward Stephens, and Anne his wife,sister of the first Lord Crewe of Stene, was founder of the Americanbranch of this house, now the heirs male of the family. He was named forhis uncle John Stephens, M. P. Shortly before his journey to Americawhich took place about 1648,1 his father's house at Lypiatt had beenbesieged and captured by the royalist party; and later his father wasmade a prisoner of state by the extremists of the opposite faction. It was a period of low ebb in the fortunes of the family; andthe outlook in the mother country was such as to cause many Englishmen todesire the comparative quiet of the life then to be found in America.Several of his friends had already sought asylum in the New Englandacross seas. As a younger son, he appeared to have slight prospect athome in the existing conditions. His wife, who was probably of Kent, haddied a little while before his leaving England. He sought Connecticutwhere he had kinsmen; taking with him two sons and a daughter. And he wasat once given a grant of lands, and accorded a place of influence inGuilford.1 One of the Fowler family connected by marriage with theEastington line of the Stephenses, joined him at Guilford, and securedlands immediately next to his. An island off the coast not far from hislanded property was named Falcon Island in understood allusion to thewell-known falcons in the coat of arms.2 He became a Judge in thecommunity.3 As a member of the Church of England he was long denied theright to yote (then called freemanship), which was limited to Puritans;but received it together with his sons when he conformed to the Puritanusage in 1669,4 there being no other religious worship then locallyexisting. Subsequently the elder line of his descendants returned to thecommunion of the Anglican Church. As is familiarly known, many gentlemenof old family took up homes in New England, and in Virginia and someother provinces; but as a single locality, Guilford was notable forhistorical relation to prominent men and affairs of the period. 1John Stephens, though of Gloucestershire, may have gone to New Englandfrom Kent, as Smith surmises: Hist. of Guilford. There is no knownauthority for this, but it seems not impossible, as he may have had somecontact with Kent. The Puritan minister of the place, the Rev. Mr.Whitfield, was a member of the family of the Whitfields, of Oakley, co.Surry, and eventually returned to England. He had voyaged from Kent withcertain of his congregation, who were the founders of Guilford. Hisdaughter Dorothy was the first wife of Samuel Desborough, brother ofMajor General John Desborough, one of the leaders of the armies of theCommonwealth, who was Governor of St. Brival's Castle, Gloucestershire,in close contact with the old Stephens estates, and was brother-in-law ofthe Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell, having married the latter's sister. Samuel Desborough who hadtaken up residence in Guilford in 1641, seems to have had directly to do with the going thereof John Stephens. John Stephens was, as already seen, in familyconnection with the family of Oliver Cromwell, being own cousin of Hester Stephens Neale, who by marriage was cousin to theProtector. He was also cousin of Thomas Stephens who married into thesame close kinship. Samuel Desborough remained at Guilford at least twoyears after the arrival of John Stephens, whose Fowler relative alsoarrived there evidently by some mutual understanding. This LieutenantJohn Fowler who became prominent in the province,1 and was the wealthiestman in Guilford2 may have joined his voice to persuade John Stephens to ahome at that locality or may himself have gone to Guilford because of thelatter's going thither. However this be, it is known that the two actedtogether, and selected adjoining lands. Samuel Desborough who returned toEngland in 1650, was made by Cromwell, Keeper of the Great Seal ofScotland, was Member of Parliament for Midlothian, 1656, and forEdinburgh, 1658, 1659. After the restoration of Charles II, he retired tohis manor of Ellsworth, co. Cambridge. But, meanwhile, through theinfluence of Desborough, or otherwise, a number of gentlemen of familyhad been brought into association at Guilford. There were the Welleses who early gave a Governor toConnecticut, the Dudleys, kin of the Earl of Leicester, with both of which families the Stephenses becameallied by marriage; and the Meggs (Meigs) family of the manor of BradfordPeverel, co. Dorset, with whom they twice intermarried, and were in intimate contact for several generations, asthe family archives bear evidence. With these were Governor Leete, ofConnecticut, a graduate of the University of Cambridge, who had sometimebeen Registrar of the Court of the Bishop of Ely;1 and the Chittendenswho had seen military service with William of Orange in the Netherlands.2The Rev. John Hoadley, who returned to the motherland, was one of thechaplains of Cromwell's army, and being later convinced of the justice ofthe royal cause, became chaplain to General Monk, Duke of Albermarle, whobrought about the Restoration. He was father of John Hoadley, Archbishopof Armagh, and grandfather of the celebrated Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, LordBishop of Bangor. There were the Baronet family of Sheaffes, theChatfields, Wilcoxes and other Englishmen of gentle blood; and, asalready seen, there was close contact between these men and currentaffairs in high quarters, in the mother country. Colonel George Fenwick,resident near by, had been a member of the Long Parliament in companywith Sir 1He was Governor of Connecticut and gave protection in his houseat Guilford, to Generals Goffe and Whalley, of Cromwell's army, (who hadbeen judges for the beheading of Charles 1), when they passed through;being actively aided in this by John Meigs, Esq. Edward Stephens.Returning "home" he became Governor of Berwick and one of the eightCommissioners for Scotland. It was in such association as this that JohnStephens made his home under very English conditions and connections in what became eventually apart of the United States. He may have had some thought of returning himself, as his eldest son wasnot brought over with him, but left with the relatives in England. He lived till 1670, when he diedafter a lingering illness.1 His will, which was made August 27, 1670, he sealed, but was too feeble to sign. Itwas however admitted, and is preserved in the original in the State Houseof Connecticut at Hartford. It begins: "This writing witnesseth that IJohn Stephens of Guilford, in the county of New Haven, in ye Colony ofConnecticut in New England, being sick and ill in body, but of perfectmind and memory, blessed be God, I do leave this my last will andtestament as followeth; and first I bequeath my soul into the hand ofAlmighty God, yt gave it me, and my body to the dust, to be decentlyburyed, and for the wordly goods yt God hath given me, I give, etc". Hethen bequeaths the bulk of his landed estate to William as eldest son inAmerica, on condition of a gift in money to his elder brother in England,with special legacies to other children and to grandchildren who arementioned by name.2 Throughout the will, as in the first official list ofthe family in Guilford in 1650, the family name is spelled with its usualold English spelling of "Stephens."3 In later family and public records the fashion of that period is shown inthe disregard of fixed letters for the spelling, care being taken only inpreserving the sound of the name. Instances occur where the name isspelled in several different styles in a single document.The olderspelling "Stephens" has at least persisted occasionally even where otherforms were used. John Stephens was to the present time without a breakand without question. Of many other old families in America the samething, so far as descent is concerned, is true. Such recognition of theprinciple of primogeniture or of elder heredity, however changed in laterdays, was common in New England among gentle families in the time of JohnStephens, of Guilford, modified, in the case of land inheritance bygeographical conditions. When an inheritance was mainly of land locatedin New England, which in the nature of things at that period waspractically valueless to an heir resident in the mother country, it wasregarded proper to have it devolve on the eldest male actually on the spot. As land could not be transportedacross sea, nor then easily turned into money equivalent, it was oftenconsidered sufficient where primogeniture was held to, to allow for aneldest heir's "coming over", and on his failure to "come", to make him aspecified moneyed provision instead of land, in the act conveying theland to the eldest heir in residence. To this law of primogenture asseemingly thus applicable in New England, John Stephens carefullyconformed in his will, giving the bulk of his landed estate to WilliamStephens, as his eldest son actually resident in America, on thecondition of the latter's making a nominal moneyed payment to his elderbrother, then in England; to which elder brother William eventuallybecame full heir. Further evidence of William's inheritance is found inTerrier 1 of John Collins' lands, in Guilford Town Records, in which intransferring certain of the lands, it is specified that William inherited them fromhis father. And also there is evidence in a deed dated March 11, 1669-70,and recorded in Guilford Town Records, Vol. B, p. 114, that the fatherconsulted his eldest son John before so much as adding a strip to even upthe lines of some property that had been purchased by Thomas adjoininghis own. The language of the grant clearly shows the usage ofprimogeniture as implying the need or propriety of his eldest son John'sconsent. It reads: I "doe give unto my sonne Thomas Steuens ofKillingworth, MY ELDEST SONE AND HEIR BEING WILLING," etc. A singularmistake arose at one time as to the relative age of Hon. Thomas Stephens,by which some writers supposed him to have been the second son, and chiefheir to his father. The confusion seems to have been due to some one'sblunder in reading the name "Thomas" in place of "William" in theprovision of the will of John Stephens, which refers to the principallanded inheritance. They thus attributed to Thomas the position andobligations which in that legal instrument are specifically anddefinitely recognized as belonging to William. Unfortunately this blunderhas sometimes proved misleading in consequence of failure to compare suchstatements with the original will in the State Capitol at Hartford, andeasily accessible. The error may have been influenced in part by a hastyinference from the fact that in the will Thomas Stephens is mentionedfirst of all the children, and therefore before buried at GuilfordSeptember 2, 1670,1 ten years after the restoration of King Charles II.He left issue; I. John, who at the time of his father's death was living in England, andwhom the record shows to have been childless. II. WILLIAM, eventual heir, of whom presently. III. Hon. Thomas, an officer in the military expedition against the Dutchof New York during the War between England and the Netherlands, 1654. His name originally spelled"Stephens" in the records, and so spelled in his father's will, came tobe Steuens and Steevens, which latter his descendants continue.1 He wasone of the founders of Killingworth, Conn., and was a member of theGeneral Court, or Legislature of Connecticut, 1671--1683.2 He marriedMary Fletcher, and died November 18, 1685. IV. Mary, who married first Harry Kingsnoth, Esq.,3 1669, John Collins,of Guilford, Conn. She died 1700, having by her second husband had issue; 1. Mary, born February, 1700. Among emigrants to "Barbadoes," in 1634, was a John Stevens. In thosedays emigrants to New England and Virginia from England had to take anoath of allegiance and [religious] conformity, before they were allowedto leave. In going to Barbadoes or Bermuda, these oaths were notrequired, consequently many emigrants shipped to Bermuda and Barbadoes,and from there came to Virginia and New England. The above John Stevens,a Rich[d] Osborn, and two others, passengers by the ship Hopewell, forBarbadoes, Feb. 17, 1634, were shortly afterward all residing in Hingham,Mass., and the Rich[d] Osborn above named came afterwards to New Haven,then to Fairfield, and is ancestor of most, if not all of the Osborns ofFairfield County. John Stevens may have also drifted this way fromHingham. It is possible this was our John. New England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV (I) John Stevens, the immigrant ancestor, came to this country on theship which sailed from England, arriving at New Haven in July, 1639,shortly after the "St. John" came. Most of the passengers settled inGuilford, Connecticut, and his name is found on the records there ashaving settled in the town before or about 1645, when he was a judge. Hemay have been the John mentioned in the will of Dame Anne Moulson, of St.Christopher, London, widow of Sir Thomas Moulson, knight and alderman of London; the will was dated August 11, 1657, and provedNovember 2, 1661, and she wills to "Mr. John Stevens and his wife,another of my niece Knightly's daughters; Mr. Thomas Stevens, eldest sonof Mr. John Stevens, by Anne, his late wife, daughter of my husband'sbrother," etc. One authority says John Stevens came from Kent, and thisis likely, as many of the Guilford settlers came from there. In 1650 hisname and those of his sons, Thomas and William, are mentioned among thefirst settlers. He was a member of the Church of England. His wife,doubtless, died in England, as she is not mentioned in Guilford records.His home lot was situated on the east side of Fair street, and consistedof one and a half acres; he also owned thirty-six and a quarter acres ofupland besides the alder swamp. He joined the Guilford church between1650 and 1656, and was recorded as a freeman in 1656. On March 11, 1670,he deeded his East Creek land to his son Thomas. His will was datedAugust 27, 1670, and he died in 1670. He married Mary (???). (Perhaps her name was Anne (???)). Children: John, remained in England;Thomas; William, of further mention; Mary. New England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV STEVENS This family is of direct English descent, and for sevengenerations has been resident in Connecticut, where from the first theytook prominent part in the affairs of colony and state. The name of thefamily has undergone various changes from the original form Stephens,owing to the uncertainty of spelling in colonial times. (I) John Stephens, the first known member of this family, was a native ofEngland. Apparently his wife did not accompany him to America, for at thetime of his leaving England he was only accompanied by his three youngerchildren. They came to America in the second ship to arrive in New Haven,Connecticut, in July, 1639. He then settled at Guilford, in the samecolony, and in 1645 acted as judge of the town. In 1650 he gives his ownname and the names of his sons, Thomas and William, in the first list ofsettlers in Guilford, spelling it Stephens. All later records give thename as Steevens, or Stevens. Three days before his death, which occurredon September 11, 1670, he made his will. He was a member of the Church ofEngland. In England he married Mary, surname unknown, and had fourchildren, all born in the mother country. (II) Corporal Thomas Steevens, son of John and Mary Stephens, was born inEngland in 1628. In 1654, while still living in Guilford, where he hadremoved with his father, he was chosen corporal in an expedition againstthe Dutch of New York. He moved later to Killingworth, Connecticut, andwas there proven a man of ability and gained prominence in the townaffairs. He was twice elected to the general assembly of Connecticut. Hedied November 18, 1685. He married, in 1650, Mary, daughter of John andMary (Ward) Fletcher. The last-named was the daughter of Widow JoyceWard. Thomas Steevens had thirteen children, among whom was John, of whomfurther. (III) John (2) Steevens, son of Corporal Thomas and Mary (Fletcher)Steevens, was born March 10, 1661, in Guilford, Connecticut, died inKillingworth, same state, in 1722. He married, April 28,1684, AbigailCole, of Worthingford. They had ten children, among whom was William, ofwhom further. (IV) William Steevens, son of John (2) and Abigail (Cole) Steevens, wasborn September 24, 1701, at Killingworth, Connecticut, died there in1751. He married, August 26, 1734. Ruhamah Earl. They had five children,among whom was Leverett, of whom further. (V) Captain Leverett Stevens, son of William and Ruhamah (Earl) Steevens,was born at Killingworth, Connecticut, September 19, 1742, and was lostat sea while on a voyage on the coast of Florida, October 24, 1799. Hewas a sea captain. He married, October 24, 1771, Esther, daughter ofJeremiah Macumber. Among their children was Leverett (2), of whomfurther. (VI) Captain Leverett (2) Stevens, son of Captain Leverett (1) and Esther(Macumber) Stevens, was born at New Haven, Connecticut, July 4, 1773,died March 28, 1835. He was like his father a sea captain. He was amember of the Episcopal church. He married, September 7, 1796, NancyThomas, and had eight children, among whom was George Coxall, of whomfurther. (VII) George Coxall Stevens, son of Captain Leverett (2) and Nancy(Thomas) Stevens, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, March 14, 1819,died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1854. He married, in 1842,Catherine Elvira, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Johnson) Kilton, ofCoventry, Rhode Island. Their children were: Leverett Cooper, of whomfurther; Jencks Raymond, born in 1846. (VIII) Corporal Leverett Cooper Stevens, son of George Coxall andCatherine Elvira (Kilton)Stevens, was born April 16, 1844, in Coventry,Rhode Island. His early education was obtained in the public schools,which he attended until the age of thirteen, when he went to work asoffice boy. Subsequently he became a clerk in Providence, Rhode Island,where he had started in his first position. The Civil War soon awakenedhis interest, and he enlisted in October, 1861, as a private in the FirstRegiment Rhode Island Cavalry Volunteers. He was discharged as corporalfrom this regiment in July, 1865. In June, 1863, he had the unpleasantexperience of being captured while in Virginia, at the battle ofMiddleburg. He was held as prisoner in various Confederate prisons andstockades for a period of twenty-one months. He was one of five survivorsof a squad of forty-five prisoners taken at the same time from hisregiment, of whom the other forty died in captivity. After thedeclaration of peace he lived for two years in Tennessee, then moved outto the western plains, remaining for eleven years, and for twenty-twoyears resided in Minnesota. In 1900 he returned to Rhode Island, where hehas since resided. He married (first) in 1870, Sarah, daughter of JamesN. and Emeline (Trout) Slaughter, of Cheyenne, Wyoming. He married(second) in 1904, Lucy J.,daughter of Curnel S. and Sarah J. (Case)Brown, of Greene, Rhode Island. Children by his first wife: Katherine,born in Cheyenne, in 1871; Helen, in Cheyenne. 1872, died in 1877;Pearle, in Cheyenne, 1877; Paul, of whom further; Raymond, born inMinneapolis, Minnesota, in 1885, died in 1893. Child by second wite:Marion, born August 2, 1905. (IX) Paul Stevens, son of Corporal Leverett Cooper and Sarah (Slaughter)Stevens, was born April 27, 1879, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He waseducated in the common schools of his birthplace, and was a graduate ofthe Central High School. He is living at the present time (1913) inArizona, and is unmarried. Stephens/Stevens from North East Settlers by Savage, Vol. 4.Massachusetts. John Stevens of Guilford in 1650, is one on list of freemen there in1669. Died 2 Oct 1670. In his will he named four children, son John inOld England, Thomas and William here, and daughter Mary, wife of JohnCollins (m. 2 June 1669), who had first married Henry Kingsnoth and hedied in 1668. -----William Lackey Stephens;http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/s/t/e/William-Lackey--Stephens/index.html
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