Family Friday – Andrew Stephens 1837 – 1920

Andrew Stephens – 1860 – 1880

Continuing my notes for Andrew Stephens, son of William Stephens.

1860 -  Census – Franklin Co, Alabama – Western Division

William Steavens – age 53, laborer, b. in North Carolina
Dorothy – age 47, b. in South Carolina
Polly A – age 19, b. in Mississippi
Betsy C – age 15, b. in Mississippi
Martha J – age 12, b. in Alabama
John G – age 10, b. in Alabama
James S – age 7, b. in Alabama
Andrew J – age 22, day labor, b. in Mississippi
Lucy – age 18, b. in Kentucky
Nancy E – age 1, b. in Missouri

1861 -  Death of Nancy E. Stephens, 9 June, 1861, Metcalfe Co, Kentucky  (born in Missouri)

1861 -  Birth of William Dudley Stephens, 13 October, 1861, Metcalfe Co, Kentucky

Civil War – I ordered the Pension file for Andrew J. Stephens of Russell County, but I believe the man in this record is a possible cousin of Andrew’s instead.  Where is MY Andrew?

1864 -  Birth of Mary Elizabeth, Sept. 1864, Metcalfe Co, Kentucky

1866 -  Birth of George Howard, 13 May, Kentucky

1870 -  Cannot find census records.

1870 -  Birth of Cornelius, Oct, Kentucky

1873 -  Birth of Cortez, 6 Jan, Kentucky

1875 -  Birth of Andrew Jackson, 10 Mar, Kentucky

1877 -  Birth of Uriah, 13 June, Kentucky

1879 -  Birth of Dock Garfield, March, Kentucky

1880 -  Census – Russell Co, Ky – ED 103   sheet 26

Stephens, Andrew, age 41, farming
Lucy, age 36
William D, age 18
Mary E, age 16
George H, age 14
Cornelius, age 9
Cortez, age 7
Andrew J, age 5
Uriah, age 3
Dock, age 1
Pollie, aunt, age 70

• Not being able to find the 1870 census is frustrating.  Did Andrew fight in the Civil War?  It seems likely, but where?  There is an Andrew J. Stephens from Russell Co. in the war, but his pension file shows that he is not the correct Andrew. Perhaps I should begin looking at the locations of uncles.  On the other hand, they could be near someone Lucy’s family, but I haven’t figured out who is in her line.
• Census records indicate that all of Andrew’s children were born in Kentucky, but I know that at least for a short period of time, Andrew was in Alabama.  With a 20 year gap between census records, it is hard to be certain. Dates of birth for Andrew’s children come from tombstones and/or WWI draft information.
• Andrew’s grandfather, Welcome, appears in area (Adair Co) tax records around 1812. Andrew’s father, William, arrived between 1860 and 1870.  Did William and Andrew come to the area together?  If so, why isn’t Andrew in the census?  Tax records that are available at my library end in 1858.  What other records might indicate the arrive of Andrew?

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Following Clues or Reinforcing Mistakes?

I’ve been researching my Stephens line from Russell County, Kentucky for years now, but I’ve only been doing DEEP research (more than census records and birth registries) for the last couple of months.  My very first information on my line came from the book “Russell County, Kentucky: history & families” which gave names, a few locations and some dates, but no sources.  Do a search of families trees on Ancestry and there is no shortage of people researching this same line and the majority of the information matches among every tree, but again, few to no sources.  And that’s fine, I don’t enter all of my non-Ancestry sources either.

So I use the information that I see in other trees as clues for places to look and I’ve really been hot on the trail of tax records and deeds, but obviously, the further back I get (currently back to around 1800) the harder it’s becoming to find records.  But when I do find a record, what I’m really saying is “yes, there is a man named Welcome Stephens in this county at this time”.  Is that really proof of anything?  I can say, there’s a Welcome in Wilkes Co in 1800 and he isn’t there in 1810, while there is a Welcome in Buncombe Co in 1810, but have I proven that they are the same man? 

 The dates and locations kind of match the various locations that different trees have for Welcome’s children, but do they have some source to prove a birth in this location, or are they assuming a child born around this date must have been born in this county because there’s a Welcome Stephens in that census or tax list?  Granted, there aren’t a TON of men named Welcome Stephens out there during this time period (unlike Williams who lurk behind every bush!) so I feel like I’m probably on the right track, but can I say I’ve proven it?

I LOVE collecting records.  Do I really need a scan of EVERY tax record over a 25 year span when very little of the information changes?  YES! The more records in a surname file, the more satisfied I feel with my research effort.  On top of that, if I already have the scan, then I don’t have to wonder if I ever looked at it or not.  But I’m not going to fool myself into thinking that a “fat file” means I’ve proven any relationships at all unless I have a record that proves a tie.  Does the fact that only 7 of 10 children are mentioned in a will mean that perhaps some of the children in my file aren’t REALLY part of Welcome’s family?  I wish I knew.  But I suppose that until I have some type of proof otherwise, I’ll just keep collecting records and hoping that those clues I’m chasing are based on some record that SOMEONE has seen somewhere!  If they can find it, then so can I!

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Family Friday – Andrew Stephens 1837 – 1920

Lots of snow here in Indiana this week, so I’ve done a ton of genealogy research and totally neglected everything else – including my blog!  I’m deep into research on Welcome Stephens, the father of William Stephens from my previous Family Friday posts.  But my research is not organized in a way that will let me post about it yet, so I’m moving on to William’s son, Andrew.

1837 – 1860

1837 -  Birth of Andrew Jackson Stephens in Mississippi, Aug. 6 – parents: William Stephens and Dorothy Wiggleton

1843 -  Birth of Lucy Stephens, Dec. 16

1849 -  Accd. to 1850 census, 1 year old Martha was born in Mississippi.  (There is no Cooke Co. in Mississippi.  I’m researching Tishomingo Co,  Mississippi.  See William’s notes.)

1850 -  Census – Marion Co, Alabama – District 14

                        William Stephens, age 44, farmer, value 100, b. in North Carolina
                        Dorothy – age 36, b. in South Carolina
                        George W – age 14, b. in Alabama
                        Andrew J – age 12, b. Mississippi
                        Mary Ann – age 8, b. in Mississippi
                        Caroline – age 5, b. in Mississippi
                        Martha J – age 1, b. in Mississippi

1850 -  State Census for Marion County, Alabama

George W, Andrew J – William – William – Mary Ann, Caroline, Martha J – Dorothy
     ages – (@14)       (@13)        (@37)    (@37)        (@8)         (@2)          (@1)        (@35)

1858 -  Marriage of Andrew Jackson Stephens and Lucy Stephens, 5 Apr, 1858 in Ripley Co, Missouri

1859 -  Birth of Nancy E. Stephens, around August.  Birthplace, Missouri.  Ripley Co? 

1860 -  Census – Franklin Co, Alabama – Western Division

                      

                        William Steavens – age 53, laborer, b. in North Carolina 
                        Dorothy – age 47, b. in South Carolina
                        Polly A – age 19, b. in Mississippi
                        Betsy C – age 15, b. in Mississippi
                        Martha J – age 12, b. in Alabama
                        John G – age 10, b. in Alabama
                        James S – age 7, b. in Alabama
                        Andrew J – age 22, day labor, b. in Mississippi
                        Lucy – age 18, b. in Kentucky
                        Nancy E – age 1, b. in Missouri

•  Why did Andrew go from Ripley Co, Missouri to Franklin Co, Alabama to Metcalfe Co, Kentucky within 2-3 years?  Does it have anything to do with Alabama seceding from the Union in 1861?  A peek ahead shows that Andrew and Lucy were in Kentucky by 1861.
• Did Andrew Stephens have family in Missouri?  Is that how he met Lucy Stephens?  Who were Lucy’s parents?

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Family Friday – William Stephens part 3

William Stephens 1813 – 1885

1870 – 1880

William and Dorothy show up in Russell County, Kentucky for the 1870 census.  I will be searching land records for Russell County to see if I can determine more closely when they arrived.  Looking at the index for Russell County deeds between 1860 and 1870, I see one deed for a William Stephens and W.H. Harris in 1870.  The index is organized alphabetically for grantor and grantee, so there is no way of knowing if this William is MY William or if he is buying land or selling it, so I will order this film and see what I can find.  I also looked for marriage records of William’s children in Russell County and the earliest marriage I can find is from 1875, so that doesn’t help me to zero in on a date of arrival for William and family.

1880 – 1885

In 1880, William and his wife Dorothy are still living in Russell County and I believe, are living next door to their son, James and his wife.  I have found an 1876 marriage record for a James Stephens and Louisa Criswell, so while the fact that they are living next door to each other seems to indicate that the marriage record would be a match, I have no direct evidence that James is William’s son.  The census indicates that Joel H. Stephens is living with William and Dorothy and it says he is a grandson, but I cannot find a connection for Joel.  I have been told that this may be Joel Hopper, but again, I don’t know how he could be a grandson.  Another mystery to solve!  I will look at guardianship records to see if there’s an answer there.

 My notes say that William Stephens died in 1885 in Adair County, Kentucky.  I do not know where this information came from as I have no source cited and I cannot confirm at this time.

I have begun to focus my research on William’s father Welcome Stephens and his siblings and have found tax records for Welcome in Adair County for every year back to 1812. It does not appear that he owned any land until 1814, so I will search Adair County deeds around this time period to see what I can discover. 

As I’ve researched further back in Adair County, I have found that William was a very common name in this family line.  Some tax records have nicknames to help tell the men apart.  There’s William (Red Eye – I’d love to know the story there!), William (Preacher) and William (Big Bill) as well as a William whose nickname I cannot decipher (care to make a guess?) all listed in the Adair County tax records for 1819 all living in the same general area. Some of these nicknames show up again in later tax lists as well. None of these William’s can be “my” William as he would have been approximately 9 years old, but I do believe they are all related.

I plan to begin researching the deeds for Adair County to search for clues to how the men are related.  I have confirmed that the Welcome Stephens listed is the correct man by following the land information contained in the tax records.  Which makes me wonder, which is incorrect, William’s date of birth or location of birth?  The date of birth is based on age from census records, so I have to believe that William was born shortly before 1812 and then came to Kentucky with his family.  William’s younger brother, Sherwood, was born around 1815 and census records indicate that he was born in Kentucky, so that agrees with the timeline.  Where exactly was this family in North Carolina and what records can I find for that area? Is it possible that William purchased land in Adair County before moving to the Mississippi/Alabama area?

There are many questions waiting to be answers in my search for William and Dorothy Stephens information, but I do feel like the tax records and deeds will contain hints to help me zero in on appropriate records to search.  SOMEDAY, I will be able to visit Russell County and Adair County to search the original records myself.  THAT would be my genealogy heaven!

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Working It Wednesday – Tax Slips

I’m taking a bit of a turn this week.  I feel really good about the “regular” genealogy forms that I’ve created for my Genealogy Planner but this week, I’ve created something specifically to help my current research.  I don’t know if other researchers will find this as helpful, but I’m posting it anyway.

I’ve been working with a recently discovered cousin to find out all of the information we can on the various Stephens families in Russell County, Kentucky.  There is alot of information on the web about the Russell County Stephens, but very little of it contains sources, so we are collecting sources for everything that we can and using any other information as “hints” to help in our research.  Bottom line – no source means not confirmed.  We’ve collected tons of census records and we’re working on the vital records, but this family line goes back before census records included information forindividual family members.  So I’ve started looking at and analyzing tax records.  I’ve been working backward with the goal of determining when our Stephens family came to the Russell County area. We know they were in the area before Russell County was formed, so I’m also looking at Adair County – the parent for most of Russell County.

What I’ve discovered is that there are several Stephens families and they all seem to LOVE the name William!  In order to keep them separeated, I need to track them based on the information on the land that they were being taxed on.  Because I’m such a visual person, I’ve created slips that let me keep track of the year, the watercourse, number of acres and the names that the land was entered, surveyed and patented in.  I also have a box to help me group the names into families.  This should help me to be sure that I’m looking at the correct names as I work my way backward.  The Kentucky Secretary of State has an excellent web page on reading these early Kentucky tax records.  I learned a lot about these numbers that I’ve been giving myself a headache reading!

These pages will be kept in my planner, but not hole punched as I don’t plan to keep them in the planner for long.  Whenever I have a few free minutes, I’ll open the files that I keep on my flashdrive and fill out slips for the Stephens listings that I see.  Each page has 8 slips.  My plan is to cut apart the slips so that I can organize them into family groups through the years on my kitchen table and to make sure that each William stays with the correct family group.

The slips are meant to be filled out by hand as I look through the tax pages that I have scanned at my library, although the information could be typed in if I thought that would be helpful.  As I complete a sheet, I’ll cut the slips apart so that they can be arranged. After I feel confident that I know which Stephens men belong in my line, I’ll start looking for the deeds that go with each parcel of land.

Nothing fancy this week!  No border or anything, just a page to print out and copy, if you’d like.

Good luck in your research!
Lisa

Tax Record Slips

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Family Friday – William Stephens part 2

William Stephens:  1813 – 1885

1850 – 1859

In 1850, there are 2 census records for this family.  The Federal Census for Marion Co, Alabama (just across the state line and slightly south of Tishomingo Co) shows William Stephens, age 44, farmer, value 100, b. in North Carolina; Dorothy – age 36, b. in South Carolina; George W – age 14, b. in Alabama; Andrew J – age 12, b. Mississippi; Mary Ann – age 8, b. in Mississippi; Caroline – age 5, b. in Mississippi and Martha J – age 1, b. in Mississippi. 

By 1860, Martha J. is listed as being born in Alabama, but because the birth of Martha would have been relatively new in the 1850 census, I believe Mississippi is correct, which would indicate a move from Mississippi to Alabama around 1849 or 1850. It is important to note that there is a 2^nd William Stephens family in Marion County as well.  In the Federal Census, the names and ages of all children are given.  In the State Census records, only the number of males and females are given.  The “William Stephens” in the State census has a total of 12 people in the household, while “W C Stephens” has 7 members, all of the appropriate age range for “my” William Stephens family. 

John G. Stephens was listed as 10 years old and born in Alabama in the 1860 census, but was not listed in the 1850 census.  I would look for his birth late in the year 1850 in Marion Co, Alabama. It could be helpful to see the instructions to enumerators about the date to use for age calculation.  James S. Stephens was born around 1853.

There was a state census taken in Alabama in 1855.  No census exists for Marion County, but there is one for Franklin Co, where I find William’s family in 1860.  I cannot find William in this census, so I believe the family must have moved between 1855 and 1860.

1860 – 1869

In the 1860 Federal Census, William Stephens and his family are found in Franklin Co, Alabama.  (Franklin Co. is directly North of Marion Co. and directly West of Lawrence Co.)  This was a tricky one to find because of the name being spelled “Steavens”.  William’s five youngest children are still living at home as well as his 2^nd son, Andrew with his wife, Lucy and their daughter Nancy E. who had just come from Missouri.  (Andrew and Lucy were married in Ripley County, Missouri.)  I would love to find George Stephens in the 1860 census, but I have had no luck finding him after the 1850 census.  This family is not found in the 1866 state census for Franklin County or in the 1867 voters’ registration for Franklin OR Marion County.   At some point during this decade, the Stephens family moved to Russell County, Kentucky, where William’s father and siblings had been living since before 1830.  Russell County tax records are pretty consistent as a yearly resource between 1826 and 1858 with only 3 years missing.  Because I know where the family was in 1860, these tax records will not help me.

Next week, I’ll wrap this up and develop my research plan for moving forward in my research.

 

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Surname Saturday – William Stephens descendants

Well, this has been a pretty hard week in our house, so there wasn’t alot of genealogy research getting done.  So instead of writing part 2 for my William Stephens research, I thought I’d post my descendant chart for William instead.  I sure would love to communicate with anyone else researching this line of Stephens from Russell County, Kentucky!

….. 1   William Stephens b: Abt. 1813 in North Carolina, USA, d: 1885 in Adair, Kentucky, USA

…..   + Dorothy Wiggleton b: Abt. 1815 in South Carolina, USA

……….. 2   George W. Stephens b: Abt. 1836 in Alabama

……….. 2   George Stephens

……….. 2 Andrew Jackson Stephens b: 06 Aug 1837 in Mississippi, US, d: 23 Apr 1920 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

……….. + Lucy Stephens b: 16 Dec 1842 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 14 Jun 1928 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3 Nancy E Stephens b: Aug 1859 in Ripley, Missouri, USA, d: 09 Jun 1861 in Metcalfe, Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   William Dudley Stephens b: 13 Oct 1861 in Metcalfe, Kentucky, USA, d: Bef. 1910

…………….. + Ella J Dockery b: Abt. 1875 in Kentucky, USA, m: 27 Dec 1888 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 11 Jun 1967 in Adair, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Avery Stephens b: 1891 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Geneva Stephens b: 1894 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3 Mary Elizabeth Stephens b: Sep 1864 in Metcalfe, Kentucky, USA, d: Feb 1905 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. + William George b: Abt. 1840 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, m: 03 Nov 1889 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: Abt. 1898 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Ollie B. George b: Sep 1890 in Kentucky, USA

…………………..   + Logan Dunbar 

………………….. 4 Lucy Jane George b: 26 May 1893 in Kentucky, USA, d: 16 Jun 1940 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. + Joseph Buford Bennett b: 13 Feb 1888 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 02 Aug 1956 in Pulaski, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4 Luther George b: 10 Jan 1894 in Kentucky, USA, d: 06 Sep 1939 in Livingston, Illinois, USA

………………….. + Olga Lee Blankenship b: Abt. 1890 in Kentucky, USA, m: 11 Dec 1912 in Russell Springs, Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 18 Dec 1977 in Chenoa, McLean, Illinois, USA

………………….. 4 Lelar George b: 25 Dec 1896 in Russell Springs, Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 02 Oct 1927 in Russell Springs, Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. + Enos Seymour Bennett b: 14 Sep 1885 in Russell Springs, Russell, Kentucky, USA, m: 04 Mar 1917 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 03 Jun 1965 in Franklin, Johnson, Indiana, USA

……………..   + John Flanagan m: 15 Jan 1899 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. + Rice Wilson Stephens b: 16 Apr 1863 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, m: 10 Sep 1880 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 26 Mar 1940 in Windsor, Casey, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4 James Lewis Stephens b: 01 Aug 1881 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 29 Oct 1918 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. + Parmelee Barnard b: 21 Jul 1888 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, m: 17 Jan 1914 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3 George Howard Stephens b: 13 May 1866 in Kentucky, USA, d: 01 Jan 1918 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. + Sarah J Coffey b: Abt. 1870 in Kentucky, USA, m: 28 Mar 1889 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Marce Stephens b: Abt. 1897 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Charley Stephens b: Abt. 1899 in Kentucky, USA

 …………………. 4   Ory O Stephens b: Abt. 1905 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Amon Stephens b: Abt. 1907 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   George A. Stephens b: 1908 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Cornelius Stephens b: Oct 1870 in Kentucky, USA, d: 18 Apr 1932

……………..   + Lula Roy b: Aug 1877 in Kentucky, USA, m: Abt. 1893

………………….. 4   Terrell W Stephens b: Nov 1896 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3 Cortez Stephens b: 06 Jan 1873 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 25 Apr 1947 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

……………..   + Essie Tarter b: 11 Jun 1880 in Kentucky, USA, m: Abt. 1897, d: 30 Mar 1953

………………….. 4   Marvin G Stephens b: Abt. 1903 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Alvin R Stephens b: Abt. 1904 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Cora E Stephens b: Abt. 1906 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Allie Stephens b: Abt. 1911 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Ermine L Stephens b: Abt. 1913 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Avery Stephens b: Abt. 1915 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3 Andrew Jackson Stephens b: 10 Mar 1875 in Kentucky, USA, d: 11 Feb 1954 in Pulaski, Kentucky, USA

……………..   + Lola Tarter b: 03 Feb 1879 in Kentucky, USA, m: 28 Feb 1892, d: 01 Jul 1964

………………….. 4   Ezra Stephens b: Sep 1896 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Eva Stephens b: Abt. 1904 in Kentucky

………………….. 4   Aquille Stephens b: Abt. 1906 in Kentucky

………………….. 4   Ruby G Stephens b: Abt. 1908 in Kentucky

…………….. 3 Uriah Stephens b: 13 Jun 1877 in Kentucky, USA, d: 21 Aug 1961 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. + Laura Ellen Bennett b: 20 Mar 1883 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, m: 1909 in Russell, Kentucky, USA, d: 02 May 1940 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Zilpha M Stephens b: Abt. 1910 in Kentucky, USA 

………………….. 4   Ova Stephens b: Abt. 1913 in Kentucky, US 

………………….. 4   Buell Stephens b: Abt. 192 

………………….. 4   William Stephens b: Abt. 1925

…………….. + Laura Ellen Bennett b: 20 Mar 1883 in Russell Co, Kentucky, US, m: 1909 in Russell Co, Kentucky, d: 02 May 1940 in Russell Co, Kentucky, US

………………….. 4   Zilpha M Stephens b: Abt. 1910 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Ova Stephens b: Abt. 1913 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Buell Stephens b: Abt. 1923

………………….. 4   William Stephens b: Abt. 1925

…………….. 3   Dock Garfield Stephens b: Mar 1879 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Armilda Jane Stephens b: Jun 1881 in Kentucky, USA, d: 1933 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. + William Thomas Aaron b: 16 Nov 1877 in Adair, Kentucky, USA, d: 13 Jun 1941 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Ella R Aaron b: Abt. 1899 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Ada S Aaron b: Abt. 1904 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Dernon S Aaron b: Abt. 1907 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4 Larue V Aaron b: 20 May 1908 in Kentucky, USA, d: 04 Apr 1937 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Lula F Aaron b: Abt. 1908 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   George H Aaron b: Abt. 1912 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Louie Aaron b: Abt. 1909 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Loren Aaron b: Abt. 1914 in Kentucky, US 

………………….. 4   Lilburn Aaron b: Abt. 1915 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   James N Aaron b: Abt. 1917 in Kentucky, USA

………………….. 4   Ollie M Aaron b: Abt. 1921

………………….. 4   Henry J Aaron b: Abt. 1923

………………….. 4   Teddie R Aaron b: Abt. 1924

………………….. 4   Luther Aaron b: Abt. 1914 in Kentucky, USA

……….. 2   Mary Ann Stephens b: 1841 in Mississippi, USA

………..   + Anderson Stephens b: Abt. 1823 in Kentucky, m: 06 Dec 1877 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Rice W. Stephens b: Abt. 1864 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Cassa E. Stephens b: Abt. 1867 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Sevanah Stephens b: Abt. 1879 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Savannah Stephens b: Abt. 1870 in Kentucky, USA

………..   + James Riley Stephens m: 09 Oct 1877 in Russell County, Kentucky

……….. 2   Caroline Stephens b: 1845 in Mississippi, USA

……….. 2 Martha Jane Stephens b: 02 Mar 1849 in Alabama, USA, d: 02 May 1887 in Russell Co, Kentucky

………..   + Andrew J. Stephens

…………….. 3   Elmerine Stephens b: Apr 1876 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Lucy A. Stephens b: Mar 1878 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Helen Stephens b:

……….. + Andrew J. Stephens b: 06 Oct 1846 in Kentucky, USA, m: 14 Sep 1875 in Russell Co, Kentucky, d: 27 Jan 1907 in Russell, Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Elmerine Stephens b: Apr 1876 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Lucy A. Stephens b: Mar 1878 in Kentucky, USA

…………….. 3   Helen Stephens b:

……….. 2   John G Stephens b: Abt. 1851 in Alabama, USA, d: 11 May 1911

………..   + Sarah A. Moles b: Abt. 1856 in Alabama

…………….. 3   Ulyssus Stephens b: Abt. 1875 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Lenora Stephens b: Abt. 1877 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Dorotha Stephens b: Abt. 1878 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Elmer Stephens b: Jun 1885 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Ethel Stephens b: Abt. 1887 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Estell Stephens b: Apr 1889 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Pearly Stephens b: Sep 1891 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Elzy Stephens b: May 1893 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Elsie Stephens b: Abt. 1895 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Ethard Stephens b: Abt. 1896 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Edgar Stephens b: Jan 1897 in Kentucky

……….. 2   James Stephens b: Abt. 1854 in Mississippi, USA

………..   + Louisa E. Criswell b: Abt. 1858 in Kentucky, m: 10 Jul 1876 in Russell County, Kentucky

…………….. 3   William L. Stephens b: Abt. 1877 in Kentucky

…………….. 3   Leona Stephens b: Abt. 1879 in Kentucky

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Family Friday – William Stephens part 1

William Stephens – 1813 – 1885

Birth:

Based on census records, William Stephens was born around 1813 in North Carolina.  His father is widely said to be Welcome Stephens but I have no source for that and I’m unclear on the identity of his mother.  Some researchers have his mother listed as Nancy Bailey, but I cannot confirm that.  The same researchers have a marriage date of 29 Apr, 1830 in Russell Co, Kentucky. 

I have found a marriage record for Welcome Stephens and Nancy Stephens in Russell Co, Kentucky for that date, so I believe that is the source for this information.  I have to wonder if some researchers aren’t jumping to conclusions because the Stephens family eventually appears in Russell Co, but perhaps someone has a source that says Nancy Stephens was previously married and her maiden name was Bailey. That is purely speculation since I have not seen a source. So maybe Nancy Bailey is the correct name, but the Russell County marriage cannot be for William’s parents. At least it cannot be for the mother of Welcome’s children because they were all born before this date. Welcome’s son, William, would have been about 15 years old in 1830 and it seems strange that Welcome would have been in Russell County at this time while William doesn’t show up in Russell County until the 1870 census.  This makes me wonder if this particular Welcome could be related to William, but not his father.  I need to search for available records at the time of Welcome’s death in Russell County to see if any of his children are mentioned.

Marriage – 1839

William was married to Dorothy “Wiggleton” (last name not confirmed) around 1835, most likely in Alabama or Mississippi.  In the 1850 census, the oldest child – George W – is listed as being born around 1836 in Alabama, which is why I have chosen 1835 as a likely marriage date.   There may have been an older daughter – based on a possible 1840 census from Tishomingo Co, Mississippi – but she does not appear with the family in the 1850 census.  If there is an older daughter, then my approximation for a marriage date could be off by a couple of years.

According to the FHL research guide for Alabama, before statewide registration of marriages began in 1936, the clerk of the probate court in each county issued licenses and recorded marriages, usually within 10 years of the creation of the county.  Marion County was established in 1818, so I should do a search for these records.  I should not limit my search to Marion County only.  I chose Marion County because I know this family resided there in 1850, but they also lived in Mississippi before 1850.  There are clues that he may have lived in Tishomingo Co, Mississippi, but Tishomingo County was not established until 1836, so I don’t believe they were married there. (Note:  I have since discovered that a fire at the Marion County courthouse in 1866 and again in 1883 may have destroyed all vital records.)

Following clues in the 1850 census, I know that William’s family was located in Alabama and Mississippi during the early years of their marriage.  The oldest child, George, was born in Alabama around 1836, but the 2^nd child, Andrew J, was born in Mississippi by 1837.  Looking for likely census matches based on this information lead me to possible matches in Marion Co, Alabama; Franklin Co, Alabama; and Tishomingo Co, Mississippi between 1840 and 1860.  (As a side note, many public family trees have Andrew’s place of birth as Cooke Co, Mississippi.  There is no Cooke County in Mississippi and as far I can find there never was.)

If I can determine if George or Andrew served in the Civil War, I may be able to find a more exact date of birth or location.  I have lost track of George after the 1850 census, but I haven’t really spent time looking for him either.  At one time, I thought I had found the pension file for Andrew, but it turned out to be the wrong man (but ironically, still part of my family tree).  Since then I have discovered Andrew’s marriage record in Ripley County, Missouri in 1858 and I know Andrew, his wife and daughter lived with William’s family in Franklin Co, Alabama for the 1860 census.  I have found  that Andrew’s daughter died in Metcalfe Co, Kentucky in 1861.  A son and daughter were also born in Metcalfe Co in 1861 and 1864, so there are several options for locations where Andrew may have entered the military.  He could have fought for the North or the South but Andrew Stephens is a common name, so I have had no luck so far.

I have found three 1839 land grants for William Stephens in Marion County, Alabama.  All three grants were written on the same day, but 2 of them were written for “William Stephens of Marion County” and 1 was written for “William Stephens of Lawrence County”.  During my research, I have found that there was a 2^nd William Stephens in Marion Co, Alabama around this same time.  He was approximately 6 years older than “my” William and was also born in North Carolina.  They both lived in District 14 of Marion County in the 1850 census, so I’m not sure how to distinguish if the land grants belong to the man I am researching or not.  I don’t know how to determine where District 14  is in Marion County and but that could be helpful.  There is also a William Stephens in Lawrence County in the 1840 census who is about 6 years younger than “my” William.   To help keep these men straight in my mind, I am going to number them.  “My” William will be William(1).  The older “Marion Co. William” will be William(2).  Lawrence County William will be William(3).

I decided to compare the land grants that I had found on http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/PatentSearch  with plat maps I had found in the book Family Maps of Marion County, Alabama by Gregory A. Boyd.  I matched the land grants with the correct locations on the map and I suspect that the all of the land parcels belonged to the same man. The 3 land grants from 1839 (shown in blue) were all dated 1 Aug, 1839 and the certificates are numbered 98, 99 and 100.  Two of the grants are written to “William Stevens, of Marion County, Alabama” and 1 of them is written to “William Stevens, of Lawrence County, Alabama”.  It seems quite likely that because the certificates are sequential and are all on the same date, they would belong to the same man.  It also seems more likely that land being granted in Marion County would have accidentally been written to “William of Marion County” than to accidentally write “William of Lawrence Co.”  Two of the parcels of land are in the same section on the township.  Later, in 1858, another grant is given to “William Stephens of Marion County”.  This grant describes 3 parcels of land, (shown in orange) one of which is exactly between 2 of the parcels given in 1839.  To me, that makes it most likely that it belongs to the the same William who was granted land in 1839.  

William(2) can be found in the Marion County census records in 1850 and 1860 as well as a likely match in 1840, so based on that information, it seems all of the land could belong to William(2).  Because of the “Lawrence Co” wrinkle, I have to wonder if all of the land belongs to William(3)however William(3) is living in Itawamba County for the 1850 and 1860 census so I’m not sure if this makes sense.  Itawamba County is just west of Marion county, but would that be a significant distance in 1850?  “My” William(1) seems to be the least likely choice because he seems to be found in Tishomingo Co, Mississippi in 1840; Marion Co, Alabama in 1850 and Franklin Co, Alabama in 1860. However, these 3 counties are all in the same general area, so I cannot completely rule him out.

I need to do more research on what records are available (if any) when a man applied for a land grant.  Land records are new for me and while I’ve done quite a bit of research using deeds from Russell County, Kentucky, I know nothing about the process for receiving a land grant.

This part of William and Nancy’s life is full of questions and guessing based on information in the 1850 and 1860 census.  Part 2 will have a little more that is certain.

Questions to research:

• When and where was William born?  Confirm parents.
• When and where did William get married? What was his wife’s maiden name? What records might tell me this?
• Was there a daughter that was older than George?
• Do the Land Grants that I have belong to “my” William Stephens?

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Searching for Stephens

I’ve been doing a more than average amount of research this week – and I’m loving it!  But I haven’t taken any time to write about it, so I thought I’d jot some quick thoughts.

I’ve been working my way “up” my family tree – double checking sources, updating notes and FTM, spending time in the library – all things that I don’t normally get to do as much as I’d like during the school year.  I reached my Stephens branch and realized that I had never put together any notes for this family, so I’ve been working on those and as I’ve been doing that, I’ve been pleasantly surprised at some sources that I’ve never checked before.  I’ve had Andrew J. Stephens, son of William Stephens in my Russell County line for a long time, but I’ve never taken the research outside of Kentucky.  Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been able to do that.

I knew that Andrew was born in Mississippi because of census records, but I didn’t know where.  I think I’m getting closer to figuring that out.  I was able to find a marriage record for Andrew Stephens and Lucy Stephens (aha!  That really WAS her maiden name!) in 1858 in Ripley County, Missouri.  I had never considered searching Missouri and I’m still not sure what the connection is to that state.  Because I have no family information for Lucy, I wonder if that’s where her line comes from, but so far, no luck in finding that.  I do not find a Lucy Stephens of the correct age in an 1850 Missouri census, so that train of thought is on hold for now. 

Andrew and Lucy didn’t stay in Missouri for long.  They had 1 daughter there (Nancy E.) and then all 3 of them show up in the 1860 census in Alabama living with Andrew’s family – William Stephens and Nancy Wiggleton/Wiggenton (still haven’t figured out this line either.)  By 1861, Andrew and Lucy show up in Metcalfe Co, Kentucky.  There, I can find the death record for Nancy and the birth of their first son, William Dudley.  I believe a 2nd daughter, Mary Elizabeth, was also born in Metcalfe Co, but so far, I have not found that record.  (Mary Elizabeth is the branch for my direct line, so I’d really like to find this!)

I cannot find Andrew and Lucy in the 1870 census, although William and Nancy appear in the Russell County census.  I suspect that Andrew and Lucy are nearby, but not indexed correctly, so the search continues!

As far as William and Nancy are concerned, I’ve found them in 1850 in Marion County, Alabama and then in 1860 in Franklin County, Alabama.  Franklin County is the county to the north of Marion County.  There are Land Grant records for Marion County for William Stephens from 1839 and 1858, but how can I tell if this is the same William that I am researching?  There is one other William Stephens family also in Marion County and so far, I can find no records to help me sort them out.  I know I could order the original files, but since my husband has been unemployed for a year now, my budget for genealogy is pretty slim!

Most of William’s children are listed in the census records as being born in Mississippi, so I thought that maybe I should search Mississippi counties that are near Marion and Franklin County.  There is a William Stephens in Tishomingo County, Mississippi (one county to the west of Franklin and Marion County).  I have found the 1840 federal census and 1845 state census for Tishomingo County.  Of course, these only list the head of household, but the ages of family members seem to match pretty well.  Somehow, I need to find some type of records to help me confirm or disprove this line – but what???

Any other Stephens researchers out there who’d like to work on this together?

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