All decendants of Herry Stevens say that "Nicholas Stevens of England was wealthy, owining three shires in Wales, and after his death on of his heirs went over from New England, and prosecuted for and obtained a decree for his share of the property, but in signing the receipt he wrote his name �Stevens', when the attorney for the crown declared him an imposter, as the English records were spelled �Stephens', so the Judge ruled him out." He came home and so reported. One account says. "Nicholas Stevens for his cussing at Windsor before the train hand last Monday, is to pay to the public treasury 10 shillings." According to history, Henry Stevens, whose, father, Nicholas, was an officer in Oliver Gromwell's Army, after the death of the "Great Protector," emigrated to America and first settled in Stonington Conn. In the year 1600 with his brothers, Thomas Stevens and Richard Stevens.
Again, it is a family tradition that Henry Stevens, the oldest son of Nicholas Stevens, and officer in Oliver Cromwell's army, fled from England to escape the persecutions of the Royalists, after the death of Cromwell: but that record rests only on a letter from one member of the family to another of that generation. This letter is still extant and in the possession of Mrs. Updyke, of New York City, a descendant In 1608 a census was taken of Stonington. Conn., and of the forty-three inhabitants, Henry Stevens and wife were two. He was admitted an inhabitant in 1670. They became members of the Congregational Church, organized there on June 3, 1674. It is a question whether he removed to Stonington. Conn., form Newport. R. I., or from Swansey Mass. He married Hannah Lake Gallop. According to the Rhode Island Colonial Record, there was a Henry Stevens in Newport, R.I. in 1648 who was a blacksmith and who had a wife, Elizabeth Gallop. On May 13, 1667. Henry Stevens, with others, was selected because of his skill to repair all arms on the order of the Captain or Lieutenant of the train band, of Newport.
John Winthrop, first Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony landed at Salem with a company of 900 on June 12, 1630 and among the number was Capt. John Gallop, who settled in Boston, and there became the father of a family consisting of several children. John Gallop Jr., married a relative of Gov. Winthrop and afterwards became a Captain and removed to Pequot, Conn., where he raised a family of four boys and five girls. Capt. Gallop was killed on December 25, 1675, in the swamp fight in northern Rhode Island, by the Narragansett Indians under King Philip
There are no written family records, letters, or documents of an early date, to settle beyond doubt the ever pressing query, who was the father of Henry Stephens or Stevens of Stonington, Conn. A very common tradition is that three brothers, Thomas, Richard, and Henry Stephens, came to New England about the year 1660 and that Henry settled in Stonington, Conn. No mention is made of father or mother, or the place whence they came.
In a history of a county in New York State, the following is given: "The subject of this sketch is of English origin. It is related that as early as 1660 three brothers, Thomas, Richard and Henry Stevens, settled in this country; that they distinguished themselves as soldiers in King Philip's war, and served as colonels."
In another appears: "The subject of this is of English origin. It is related that three brother-Thomas, Richard and Henry Stephens-came to America from Ireland sometime during King Philip's war, served during said war as colonels.
There is no doubt that Henry was a private in King Philip's War, but I can find no record of the service of either Thomas or Richard in any capacity.
Another story is given after this fashion: "Nicholas Stevens or Stephens, who had been a Brigadier General in Oliver Cromwell's army, came to Taunton in Mass., in the year 1669. He had three sons, Nicholas, Thomas, and Henry. Nicholas settled in Taunton or Dighton, and his son, Nicholas, resided there with his family. One of his sons, according to the best information to be obtained, settled near Boston. His name was supposed to be either Thomas or Ebenezer.
Both of these traditions agree that one of the brothers was named Thomas, and there was a Thomas Stephens, whose name appears on the list of free inhabitants of Westerly, R.I., who married Mary, daughter of Henry Hall., Sr., of Westerly, R.I., and removed to Stonington, Conn., where he died May 14, 1736. His will was probated June 4, 1736.
No children are mentioned in the will, nor are any found recorded at Westerly, R.I., or Stonington, Conn. He is believed to be one of the brothers of the tradition and this view is confirmed by the late Hon. Richard A. Wheeler, historian of the town and church of Stonington, Conn., who has repeatedly stated that Henry Stephens of Stonington and Thomas Stephens of Westerly were brothers.
Richard Stephens of Taunton, Mass., a contemporary of Henry Stephens of Stonington, Conn., Married about 1666 Mary Linkon, the widow of William Hacke, and daughter of Thomas Linkon of Taunton.
Richard, b. Mar. 26, 1667; accidentally killed in 1785.
Nicholas, b. Feb.23, 1669; m. Remember Tisdale; m., 2nd, Annie Spier.
Mary, b. June 8, 1672; m. May 24, 1694, Ephraim Miner of Stonington, Conn.
Thomas, b. Feb. 3, 1674; m. Sept. 28, 1699. Mary Casewell; lived in Norton, Mass.
Tamasin, b. July 3, 1677; m. May 5, 1698, Edward Wilcox of Westerly, R.I.
Nathaniel. b. July 4, 1680; m. Hannah: removed to Roxbury, Mass.
Dighton, Mass., formerly a part of Taunton, was incorporated in 1712. Nicholas, the son of Richard, lived there. He married, first, Remember Tisdale, born July 8, 1675, daughter of John Tisdale.
Richard, b. Apr.21, 1698; m. May 14, 1725, Priscilla Jones.
Nicholas, b. Feb. 24, 1702; m. Aug. 21, 1724, Rachel Andros.
Joseph, b. Apr.23, 1704; m. Lydia.
Isaac, b. Oct. 11, 1706.
Josiah, b. Nov. 23, 1707; m. Mar. 20, 1734-5, Sarah Pool; m. Sept. 27, 1739, Mary Tuels, daughter of Benjamin Tuels of Dighton, Mass.
Hannah, b. Oct. 6, 1710.
Nicholas Stephens married, second, Anna Spier Mar. 12, 1712-13. Their children were:
Annie, b. May 8, 1715; m. Joseph Jones of Taunton.
Robert, m. Jan. 3, 1745, Mary Hathaway.
Mary,
Mrs. Mary L. Paige of Taunton, Mass., a descendant of Richard Stephens of Taunton, and his son Nicholas writes: "as is well known, our Richard was son of Thomas, who came later, but it is not thought stayed or died here." Mrs. Paige furnished the following affidavit:
"Jonathan Lincoln of Norton, in ye County of Bristol, in ye province of ye Mass Bay, in New England being in ye eighty second year of my age, testifies and says, that he will remembers one Richard Stephens of Taunton, in said County, and he appeared to be an old man when I was young, and that it was said that he came from Plymouth, in old England, and that he was a Cloather and worsted comber by trade, and that some time after ye said Richard came his father whose name was Thomas, and mother, and sister Catharine, and some time, others of ye family came over to Taunton, ye said Richard married a person whose maiden name was Mary Linkon, and had by her four sons, to wit. Richard, Nicholas, Thomas and Nathaniel, and two daughters, to wit. Mary and Tamsin, all these I knew except Richard, I then understood, died young and unmarried, the other three Nicholas, Thomas and Nathaniel are deceased and left children: the said Nicholas had six sons, to wit. Richard and Nicholas (who are both now deceased) and Joseph, Isaac and Josiah, who are now living, and Robert who I know nothing of but by heresay, the said Joseph being ye eldest son of ye said Nicholas who is now living. The Deponant further says, he lived in s'd Taunton in s'd County until he was 26 years of age, then he moved to Norton, which is joining to Taunton and further saith not.
Katharine Stephens, the "sister Catharine." mentioned in the above document, married, Jan. 5, 1669-70, Thomas Deane.
The first tradition, the Taunton and Dighton records, the affidavit of Jonathan Lincoln, and the account of Thomas Stephens of Westerly, R.I., are consistent, and would afford a reasonable solution of the immigrant ancestor and kin, were it not for the second tradition about the father named Nicholas, of whose existence no written record has been found among any of the families descended from Henry Stephens of Stonington, and no tradition respecting him among the descendants of Richard Stephens of Taunton.
It is well known that many of the settlers of New England, who came over after the accession of Charles the Second as King of England in 1660, had taken part under Cromwell and Parliament against the forces of King Charles the First, and it is very probable that some of our family were of that number. It is very easy, in the absence of records, to misplace names, and to give that of a son to the father, or brother. Military titles are frequently magnified in our day and there is no reason to believe that it is confined to our era.
So, far circumstantial evidence favors the first tradition and would name Richard of Taunton as the brother of Henry Stephens of Stonington, and would make Thomas the Ancestor. But the fact that Thomas returned to England and died there prevents us from calling him the Immigrant Ancestor, so we begin our American Ancestry with a most worthy sire, that sturdy New England pioneer, Henty Stephens or Stevens of Stonington, Conn.
Henry (this is the brother of our Richard) Stephens and Henry Stevens are both used in the Stonington, Conn., records, but on the land-books, where the deeds and agreements are copied, the name is more frequently written Stephens.
Thomas, the eldest son, who settled in Plainfield, Conn.. Used the Stevens mode and so did all of the sons, there and at Canaan, Conn., and all of the family, except the descendants of Uriah of Canisteo, have continued to use that form, so far as reported. At Canisteo all use the Stephens form.
Richard, the second son, used the Stephens form, but his son Ebenezer, changed to Stevens and all of his descendants continue to spell that way.
Henry, the youngest son, generally spelled his name Stephens, but sometimes Stevens. Most of his descendants, except the Abel Stevens branch of Canaan, use the Stephens form.