**The following information was taken from Rebecca Leach
Dozier's book, "Twelve Northampton County, North Carolina
Families 1650-1850, published by Gateway Press, INC.,
Baltimore, MD 2004; page 325:
During the 1700s and into the 1800s, the surnames
"Stephenson" and Stevenson" and the even shorter versions
Stevens" and "Stephens" were used simultaneously in most
legal documents found in courthouses both in Virginia and
North Carolina. In Northampton Co., NC, the surname
"Stephenson" was the spelling that seemed to have survived
during the latter part of the nineteenth and twentieth
centuries, and because of this, "Stephenson" will be used
when referring to either of these surnames in this family
sketch.
John Stephenson, who was born around the 1640/50s, was
from the Upper Parish of the Isle of Wight Co., VA(1).
Several Stephenson researchers have said that he was born in
England and then came to Virginia at an early age, but this
author has not found any information proving or disproving
that he came from England or was born in England. John
married Elizabeth Edwards, a daughter of Charles and Mary
Edwards of Isle of Wight Co., VA(2). This marriage was
proven by an Isle of Wight deed in which Charles Edward and
his wife Mary left 100 acres to their grandson George
Stephenson on 24 October 1713(3). That same year Charles and
Mary left land to their grandson Charles "Stephens" and
stipulated that should Charles die, the land was to go to
grandson George "Stephens" or to grandson James Briggs(4).
"Stephens" in this instance was referring to the surname
"Stephenson."
On 3 April 1680 John bought 150 acres from John Wakefield
and his wife Sarah in Isle of Wight Co., VA(5). On 22
September 1682 John was granted 330 acres near Cursrawaugh
Swamp in Isle of Wright County(6). He was recorded on the
1704 Quit Rent roll in Isle of Wright County as having 150
acres of land(7). John Stephenson, Sr. wrote his will on 23
November 1726, and it was registered in Isle of Wight County
Court on 27 February 1726(8). John named his wife as
Elizabeth and his children as John, Abraham, Thomas,
Charles, George, Mary, and William Stephenson. Some of
John's children and their descendants were later found in
several North Carolina counties, including Edgecombe,
Johnston, and Northampton. John and Elizabeth's son Abraham
Stephenson was the "father" of the Northampton Co., NC
Stephenson families that lived in the Conway and Pendleton
communities, so this author will follow his family in depth,
including brief sketches of John and Elizabeth's other sons.
(1)Valsame, James Mark, "Nimord and Amanda (Johnson)
Stephenson of Pleasant Grove Township, Johnston Co., NC,
Their Ancestors and Descendants, 1991."
(2)Chapman, Blanche Adams, "Wills and administrations of
Isle of Wight Co., VA., Vol. II, 1938", p. 79, Will of
Charles Edward, in which he named daughters Elizabeth
Edwards and Sarah Briggs.
(3)Isle of Wight, Co., VA. Will and Deed Book 2, p. 248.
(4)Ibid., p. 249.
(5)Boddie, John B., "Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight
Co., VA.", p 585.
(6)Valsame, James Mark, "Nimord and Amanda (Johnson)
Stephenson of Pleasant Grove Township, Johnston Co., NC.
Their Ancestors and Descendants, 1991."
(7)Boddie, John B., "Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight
Co., VA.," p. 701.
(8)Chapman, Blanche Adams, "Wills and Administrations of
Isle of Wight Co., VA., Voll. II," 1938, p. 28.
__________________________________________________________________________________
The following information was provided by Alan C.
Stephenson, from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, March 25,
2010:
Deeds and Land Grants:
See item 1 under Deeds and Land Grants in the notes for
John Stephenson Sr.
1. John Stephenson of Isle of Wight County County to
Robert Griggs and Thomas Payne dated February 10, 1678,
12,400 pounds of tobacco for land on Slaughters Creek in
Lancaster County, witch his father John Stephenson bought
from William Clapham deceased according to a covenant
recorded in Lancaster County Court dated July 12, 1654, and
according to the patent granting said land to Epaphroditus
Lawson, deceased, on September 1649, situated on Slaughters
Creek which divides said land from the land of Coll. Jno.
Carter; witnessed by Thomas Lewis and James Ridley; recorded
February Court 1678. Lancaster DB 4:307.
The above deed is followed by (I) a statement dated
October 27, 1677, of Christian Stephenson, widow of John
Stephenson, consenting to the sale by her son John
Stephenson of land on Slaughters Creek and relinquishing her
dower rights and appointing John Lawson and Rowland Lawson
as attorneys to consent for her in county court; witnessed
by Josiah Harrison and Richard Bdd [?]; recorded February
Court 1678; and (ii) a statement dated October 27, 1677, of
Christian Stephenson certifying that her son John Stephenson
was 21 years of age on May 12, 1677; recorded February Court
1678. Lancaster DB 4:308.
2. John Wakefield and wife Sarah to John Stephenson dated
April 3, 1680, [no consideration stated] for 150 acres in
Isle of Wight County, Virginia, adjoining a branch and the
main branch, part of a patent of 755 acres: witnessed by
John Jones and James Baron. IW DB :431.
Court Records:
1. The Isle of Wight County, Virginia, court records
contain the following entry in June 1694: "John Stevenson
being summoned as evidence for Nicholas Wilson against Capt.
Robert Randolph and Anne his wife executrix of Col James
P??? deceased and the said Stevenson not appearing, he is
thereupon fined for his default according to law." IW DB
1:court orders, p. 37.
Will dated November 23, 1726 (proved February 27, 1728)
(IW WB 3:16) (spelling and punctuation as in the original):
"In the name of God amen I John Stevenson of the Upper
Parish of Isle of Wight County being very sick and weak in
body but in perfect mind and memory thanks be to almighty
God for it and calling to mind the certainty of death and
the uncertainty on the earth [?] wish to make this my last
will and testament in manner and form following first and
principally I commit my soul to God my creator and redeemer
and have through the birth and death of my own beloved
savior and redeemer Jesus Christ to have full redemption of
all my sins and my body to the earth to be decently buried
at the discretion of my executrix hereafter named. First and
principally I do give and bequeath unto my son John
Stevenson one heifer of about two years old.
Item. I do give and bequeath unto son Abraham Stevenson
one loose coat.
Item. I do give and bequeath unto son Thomas Stevenson
one old flock [?] bedd with one small rugg and one sheet of
bolster and one ???? saw.
Item. I do give and bequeath unto my son Charles
Stevenson ye value of 20 shillings.
Item. I do give and bequeth unto my son George Stevenson
one pare of letther gloves.
Item. I do give and bequeath unto my daughter Mary
Stevenson one feather bed and bedsted one byde [?] rugg and
all other furniture thereunto belonging and one pine chest
and one small pine box and one iron pott of about three
gallons and pott hooks and three pewter dishes and two
pewter plates and one young cow and calf by her side and two
heifers of about two years old and three young ewe.
Item. I do give unto my son William Stevenson all my
lands to him and his heirs and half of my cattle being
equaly divided after legaties paid and other half of my
cattle to my loving wife being equaly divided between my son
William and my wife.
Item. I do also desire that my son William Stevenson
shall have full possession of the said cattle by the fourth
day of May next.
Item. I do give and bequeath unto my beloved wife
Elizabeth Stevenson three sows and piggs and all the rest
and residue of my estate when all my just debts and legaties
are paid. I do apoint my wife to be my full and lawfull
executrix of this my last will and testament disannulling
and revoking all wills and testaments by me made as witness
my hand this 23rd day of November 1726. \par
Thomas Sherrard [?] Abraham Baggitt
John (his mark) Stevenson"
Estate Records:
1. An inventory of the estate dated March 25, 1727,
included 18 head of cattle, 15 hogs, 9 sheep, 1 hare [?], 3
iron pots, 9 pot hooks, 2 pair of pot racks, a brass kettle
and a brass skillet, an iron spit, a set of iron wedges, a
frying pan, 3 saws, 3 schythes, 2 narrow axes, a broad axe,
10 old wood and 3 feather beds and furniture, 8 bedsteads, 3
chests, 2 boxes, 1 trunk, a spinning wheel, 12 cidar casks,
fire tongs, 1,300 nails, 2 pairs of cotton cards, 2 pot
racks, 4 water pails, a wishing tub, 4 tankards and 2 pewter
cups, a candlestick, 3 pewter basins, 9 pewter dishes, 7
pewter plates, a dozen pewter spoons, an old chair, a bridle
and saddle, a grinding stone, a pair of cart wheels, 2 pair
of wound yarn stockings, a pair of men's worsted, 3 men's
coats, 3 jackets, 4 pairs of men's britches, a looking
glass, 10 glass bottles, a table cloth and 6 napkins, a pair
of men's shoes, 2 muslin neck clothes, a spade and a mare
filly. IW WB 3:19.
[The apparent discrepancy between the 1727 date of this
inventory and the 1728 date when John's will was proved was
probably the result of the court clerks' use of the year of
the old calendar for the date of the inventory and the year
of the new calendar for the date the will was proved.]
English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records (The Learning
Company 2001): \par \par 1. "A List of her Maj'tys Qt. Rents
in the Isle of Wight County 1704" includes Jno. Stevenson as
owning 150 acres. Others listed include Edw'n Boykin and
Arthur Allen [see deeds 2 and 3 under Deeds in the Notes for
John (d. 1737), John's son] Charles Edwards and James Briggs
[see Deeds in the Notes for John (d. 1737)], Thomas Sherrer
[who follows John in the list and may have been one of the
witnesses to his will set forth above], and William West,
Nehemiah Joyner and Thomas Joyner [see Virginia Deeds and
Land Grants in the notes for Abraham].
2. "The Present State of Virginia for the Year 1714"
lists 168,026 acres and 1,223 tithables in Isle of Wight
County.
Bacon's Rebellion
In 1676 the Virginia colony erupted in armed rebellion
against the royal government. The immediate cause of the
rebellion were Indian raids on the frontier against which
Governor Berkeley would not allow reprisals. However, the
grievances of the rebels extended back to 1660 when
Parliament passed the Navigation Acts following the
restoration of the monarchy. The Navigation Acts ended the
free trade previously enjoyed by Virginia and required that
all goods imported into the colonies come from England and
all products produced in the colonies be exported only to
England. As a result, prices of tobacco, Virginia's
principal product, dropped substantially to a level at which
it was no longer economic to grow tobacco.
In 1676, following the continuation of Indian raids,
Nathaniel Bacon of Henrico County raised a force and marched
into North Carolina to fight the Indians without the
authority of the Governor. Upon Bacon's return, Governor
Berkeley proclaimed him a rebel and set a reward for his
capture. On June 23, 1676, Bacon's force captured Jamestown
without resistance. The House of Burgesses was in session
and the presence of Bacon and his force of small planters
and frontiersmen obtained the passage of a number of bills
establishing new rights against the royal government. In the
face of the support of Bacon, Governor Berkeley and a few of
his supporters fled to the Eastern Shore. At the end of
December 1676, a fleet with a regiment of royal troops
arrived from England carrying three commissioners of King
Charles II to investigate and report on the causes of the
rebellion and attempt to restore order. Berkeley sailed for
England, and the commissioners announced that the king would
protect all informers and petitioners who came forward to
state their cases.
In March 1677, a list of 26 grievances were presented by
certain residents of Isle of Wight County. A number of
residents of Upper Parish in Isle of Wight County replied by
dissassociating themselves from the ist of grievances. Among
the signers of ths reply was Charles Edwards, the
fathler-in-law of John Stephenson. In April, a little over a
month after the list of grievances, the signers reccanted in
the Isle of Wight court and requested mercy from the royal
government.
In January 1677, William West, was captured leading a
rebel force to attack a loyal fort. In October of that year,
a number of people, including John Stevenson, signed a
petition praying that West's life be spared and that his
estate be restored to his wife and children. It is likely
that the signer of the petition were either active rebels or
sympathized with the rebels. After being condemned to death,
West escaped.
It would seem that the signers were either active rebels
or sympathized with that lost cause. John Wakefield was also
a signer.
See J. Boddie, Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County
Virginia (1938), Vol. 1, pp. 144-166.
It should be noted that a William West owned land
adjacent to the land received by John Stephenson's son
Abraham in his 1715 land grant. See item 1 under Virginia
Deeds and Land Grants in the Notes for Abraham.
__________________________________________________________________________________
John Stephenson (1656-1726/27) of Isle of Wight County,
VA
Posted by: Mark (ID *****9222)Date: April 12, 2011
at 02:09:05
In
Reply to: James H. Stevenson (Stevensone) - 1601-
Edinburgh,Scotland by Don Stephenson3160"> of
3219
If
the ancestry you are referring to pertains to that of
John Stephenson/Stevenson (b. May 12, 1656; Isle of
Wight County, VA will devised November 23, 1726, proven
February 27, 1726/27), then you should know that much of
what is being perpetuated on the internet through
Ancestry and other sites has little basis in fact. John
Stephenson of Isle of Wight County, VA was not the son
of John Stevenson and Elizabeth Boyd of Glasgow,
Scotland, nor the grandson of James Stevenson and Janet
Hunter.
Recent
research has revealed that John Stephenson/Stevenson was
in Lancaster County, VA prior to his appearance in Isle
of Wight County, VA. On October 27, 1677, Christian
Stephenson, widow, granted consent to her son John
Stephenson to sell the land of his late father John
Stephenson located on Slaughters Creek in Lancaster
County, VA. She relinquished her right of dower and
thirds to Thomas Paynes, and appointed John and Rowland
Lawson as attorneys to acknowledge the consent in court.
She further certified on the same date that her son John
was 21 years of age on May 12th last, indicating that he
had been born on May 12, 1656. Christian's consent does
not state that she was a "of Lancaster County" nor where
she resided, and the fact that she appointed attorneys
to acknowledge her consent in court suggests that she
may have lived elsewhere or abroad.
It
appears that John Stephenson (1656-1726/27) came to
Virginia to settle his late father's affairs, and was in
Lancaster County, VA prior to May 8, 1678. On that date,
a certificate was issued to Francis Emmanuell for some
headrights assigned by Robert Griggs. One of them was a
John Stephens. On September 11, 1678, Robert Griggs, who
was a member of the court, presented a certificate that
John Stevenson, a servant to Lt. Col. John Carter, had
been brought before him for running away, and that he
had been absent from his master for 14 days. The court
ordered that John Stevenson serve Carter another 28
days. Then on February 12, 1678/79, the court ordered
that John Steventon, a servant of Robert Griggs "comeing
into this Countrey wth:out Indenture," serve seven years
indenture from his arrival.
Two
days previous on February 10, 1678/79, John Stephenson
"of Ile of Wight County in Virginia" conveyed to Robert
Griggs and Thomas Paynes the 700 acres on Slaughters
Creek formerly belonging to his late father John
Stephenson. The land had been conveyed to the elder
Stephenson on July 12, 1654 by William Clapham, Jr., and
had formerly been a patent granted to Epaphroditus
Lawson on September 3, 1649. William Clapham, Jr. had
married Elizabeth (Madestard) Lawson, the widow of
Epaphroditus Lawson. This deed, together with Christian
Stephenson's consent document of October, 1677, were
both recorded in Lancaster County, VA during February
Court, 1678/79. When Christian Stephenson issued her
consent for the sale of the land in October, 1677, she
had relinquished her dower and rights to Thomas Paynes.
However, Griggs was not mentioned at that time. It is
possible that Griggs was included in the February 10,
1678/79 deed as a partial payment by John Stephenson for
his indenture to Griggs.
The
headright claim for John Stephenson's transportation to
Virginia somehow later ended up in the hands of Rowland
Bulkly. Bulkly claimed John Stephenson as one of his
headrights when he acquired a land patent on Currowaugh
Swamp in Isle of Wight County, VA on October 22, 1682.
In the Lancaster County court entries of September 11,
1678, Robert Griggs also presented certificates for a
number of other servants of John Carter, besides John
Stephenson, who had run away. One of them was Titus
Turner. Turner was also claimed as a headright by Bulkly
in the 1682 land patent. The fact that Bulkly claimed
both John Stephenson and Titus Turner as headrights for
his Isle of Wight County, VA land patent in 1682 further
confirms that the John Stephenson indentured in
Lancaster County in 1678 is identical with the man who
later appears in Isle of Wight County, VA. We know that
John Stephenson was in Isle of Wight County, VA by
February 10, 1678/79 based on the Lancaster County, VA
deed. On April 3, 1680, John Stephenson acquired land in
Isle of Wight County, VA when John Wakefield and his
wife Sarah deeded 150 acres to him.
While
it remains to be confirmed, the elder John Stephenson
might possibly be identical with John Stephens, who
appears in the records of Old Rappahannock County, VA.
The name Stephenson/Stevenson was often abbreviated as
Stephens/Stevens in early colonial records. In some
other Lancaster County, VA deed references, our John
Stephenson is also referred to as Mr. Stephens or Mr.
Stevens concerning the 700 acres he had bought from
William Clapham, Jr. in 1654. John Stephens of Old
Rapphannock County, VA acquired a patent for 1000 acres
of land on the Rappahannock River opposite the land of
Col. Henry Fleete on March 13, 1657. John Stephens' will
was written March 5, 1661/62 in Old Rappahannock County,
VA, and submitted to court on February 5, 1677/78. It
was recorded on February 28, 1677/78. The will indicates
that John Stephens was bound for England, but makes no
specific references to a wife or children. The will left
500 acres from Stephens' 1657 patent for 1000 acres to
John Fulcher, son-in-law of Richard Webley, Gentleman.
The other 500 acres from the patent was left to
Alexander Dudley, son of Richard Dudley. Stephens left
Richard Webley 500 acres of land on the Rappahannock,
which had been sold by Walter Granger to John Stevens on
April 13, 1661. Stephens also left Webley one half of
his hogs in Rappahannock, and bequeathed to Webley and
Richard Dudley jointly all the remainder of his estate
and debts there. Clement Herberts and Thomas Liddle were
witnesses to will in 1661, but they were evidently dead
in February 1677/78 when the will was submitted for
probate. John Stevens apparently also had a patent for
653 acres formerly owned by John Paine granted to him by
Governor Francis Morrison on October 16, 1660. On
February 25, 1661/62, he sold this patent to Capt.
Walter Sherland and David Warren, mariners, of Bristol.
The conveyance was witnessed by Richard Webley and
Richard Dudley, and recorded on March 5, 1661/62, the
same day that Stephens executed his will. On February 2,
1677/78, just three days before the John Stephens' will
was submitted to Lancaster County court for probate,
Alexander Dudley conveyed to Joshua Lawson the 500 acres
which had been bequeathed to him by Stephens.
The
fact that John Stephens devised a will in 1661 to
dispose of his lands and wrap up his affairs in Virginia
so that he could return to England, together with the
fact that the will was probated and recorded in Old
Rappahannock County, VA in February, 1677/78 makes a
potentially compelling case for John Stephenson (md.
Christian) and John Stephens of Old Rappahannock County,
VA possibly being the same individual. The will of John
Stephens was probated only about four months after
Christian Stephenson gave her consent in October, 1677
for her son John Stephenson to sell the land of his late
father in Lancaster County, VA, and would have roughly
coincided with the time of the younger Stephenson's
arrival in Virginia.
In
Peter W. Coldham's "The Complete Book of Emigrants,"
there is a reference in the records of the PRO to a John
Steventon being aboard the ship "Ann" commanded by
Benjamin Cooper and bound from London to Virginia. The
ship sailed sometime between October 14-December 6,
1677. There could possibly be a problem with this,
because Christian Stephenson's consent was issued on
October 27, 1677, which may possibly be after the "Ann"
had sailed. Presumably, son John Stephenson would have
carried a copy of his father's will and his mother's
consent document with him to Virginia. This record could
conceivably be reference to John's voyage, though it is
very difficult to say for certain.
In
the parish of St. Dunstan and All Saints Church in
Stepney, Middlesex, England, just on the eastern
outskirts of the City of London, there are parish
register entries for a John Stephenson, shipwright, with
a wife named Christian. St. Dunstan and All Saints was
known as being the parish church of mariners. The
register records the burial of an infant daughter on
September 9, 1642, and the burial of another infant
daughter on July 12, 1643. In both burial records, John
and Christian Stephenson are recorded as living on King
Street. In the case of the 1643 infant, the surname is
rendered as Stevens, but it is the same couple. There is
also a record of the baptism of their daughter Anne
Stevenson on November 1, 1648. At that time, John and
Christian lived on Pope's Lane. I have found no
christenings for any other children of this couple, nor
a burial for John Stephenson/Stephens. Much later in the
same register, there is a burial recorded for a
Christian Stevens of Ratcliffe, widow, on April 29,
1685. Ratcliffe was a hamlet in Stepney Parish. The fact
that she is called a widow at that time is interesting,
since we know Christian Stephenson was a widow by
October, 1677. Of course, none of this evidence proves
that the family in Stepney is identical with the family
of John and Christian Stephenson referenced in Lancaster
County, VA records, but it is certainly a lead worth
further investigation.
Source:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?3160::stevenson::3160.html
________________________________________________________________________________
John
STEPHENSON -- Isle of Wight Co, VA
Top
of Form
Replies:
18
Re:
John STEPHENSON -- Isle of Wight Co, VA \par mv66nc
(View posts )
Posted: 17 Jan 2012 7:31PM GMT
Classification:
Query
Dear
Don,
DNA testing has already been performed on our shared
Stephenson line. Gary Stephenson of Baltimore,
Maryland, a direct descendant of Solomon Stephenson,
Sr. of Johnston County, NC, was DNA tested at my
urging through FamilyTreeDNA in 2010. His test
results confirm that we are descended from John
Stephenson (d. 1727; md. Elizabeth Edwards) of Isle
of Wight County, Virginia, as his results closely
match several individuals who descend from John's
son Charles Stephenson. Gary's DNA tests show that
our Stephenson ancestors were Haplogroup I1.
See Haplogroup I - Lineage II
Our ancestor John Stephenson/Stevenson
(1656-1727; md. Elizabeth Edwards) of Isle of
Wight County, Virginia was not the son of John
Stevenson and wife Elizabeth Boyd of Glasgow,
Scotland. This claim has been circulated widely on
Ancestry and other places, and has no basis in
fact whatsoever. John and Elizabeth (Boyd)
Stevenson's son John married Janet Jack in Glasgow
in 1679, and they had at least five children
christened in Glasgow between 1682 and 1689, well
after our ancestor John Stephenson was already
established in Isle of Wight County, Virginia.
Recent research has shown that our ancestor John
Stephenson was in Lancaster County, Virginia as
early as 1678. His parents were John
Stephenson/Stevenson/Stevens and wife Christian.
In 1677, Christian Stephenson gave her son John
Stephenson consent to sell his late father John's
patent land on Slaughter's Creek in Lancaster
County, Virginia. The elder John had acquired the
land by patent in 1654. Christian Stephenson
certified that her son John was 21 years of age on
May 12th last, thus establishing his birth date as
May 12, 1656. Lancaster County, VA Court Orders in
May, 1678 show that John was present in that
county by that time, and that he subsequently
became indentured to John Carter and then later
Robert Griggs, an official of the court. John sold
his father's land to Thomas Paynes and Robert
Griggs in February, 1678/79, by which time he was
already residing in Isle of Wight County, VA. John
acquired his first lands in Isle of Wight County,
VA from John and Sarah Wakefield in 1680. John was
claimed in 1682 as a headright by Rowland Bulkley
for a land patent on Currowaugh Swamp in Isle of
Wight County, VA. Bulkley also claimed as a
headright in the same patent Titus Turner, who had
also previously been an indentured servant to John
Carter in Lancaster County, VA.
Circumstantial evidence strongly
suggests that the elder John Stephenson/Stevenson
who patented land in Lancaster County, VA in 1654
may be identical with John Stevens/Stephens of Old
Rappahannock County, VA. Old Rappahannock County,
VA was just north of Lancaster County, and later
became the counties of Essex and Richmond. John
Stephens patented land in Old Rappahannock in
1657, and left a will upon his pending return to
England in March, 1661/62, disposing of his lands
in Old Rappahannock County. There are no family
members mentioned in the will, only individuals
with whom Stephens was associated. Stephens will
was probated in Old Rappahannock County, VA in
February 1677/78, which is almost exactly the same
time frame when the younger John Stephenson would
have arrived to sell his late father's land in
Lancaster County. There is also a record of a John
Steventon sailing on a ship named "Ann" from
London to Virginia between October and December,
1677. This may or may not be identical with our
John Stephenson.
The jury is still out on the origins of
the elder John Stephenson and his wife Christian,
although I have found a couple with those names
living in the correct time frame in Stepney Parish
in Middlesex County, just outside the City of
London, England. Stepney Parish was a parish in
which many mariners resided, and the John
Stephenson/Stephens there was listed as a
shipwright. It would not be a stretch that he and
his family might have ventured to Virginia,
especially since the last reference to them in the
Stepney Registers is the christening of a daughter
born in 1648. While there is no proof that this
couple is identical with the John and Christian
mentioned in Lancaster County, Virginia records,
the parish register of Stepney does record the
burial of widow Christian Stevens of Ratcliffe in
April, 1685. We know that the elder John
Stephenson of Virginia was deceased by October,
1677 when his wife Christian executed her consent
for the sale of her husband's Virginia land, so
she certainly would have been a widow in 1685.
Again, this is not proof of a connection, but
certainly one strong possibility for the UK
origins of our Stephenson line.
All of this information is described in
greater detail in a GenForum message which I made
in response to your posting there last year.
Mark (Valsame)
_________________________________________________________________
Familysearch.org says
his name was William John Stephenson Jr., born
12 May 1656 and died November 1727, Isle of
Wight, Virginia, British Colonial America
_________________________________________________________________________
Transcribed by James
Mark Valsame, Raleigh, NC
Christian Stephenson,
widow of John Stephenson, consents to sale of
land, October 27, 1677
Lancaster County, VA
Deeds, Etc., No. 4, 1666-1682, p. 308.
I Christian Stephenson
widdowe and Relicte of John Stephenson deceased
Doe by these presents Surely consent unto my
Sonne John Stephenson Sale of his Land in
Rappahannock which lyeth withine A Creeke called
Slaughters Creeke, and Doe hereby relinquish my
right of Dower or thirds thereunto unto Thomas
Paynesand his heires or assignes. And doe
authorize John Lawson, and Rowland Lawson or
either of theme as my Attorney or Attorneys to
acknowledge this my Consent in the County Court
of Lancaster as wittness my hand and Seale this
27th Day of October 1677.
Christian Stephenson
In presence of
Josiah Harrison
Richard (x) Bee
Recorded February
Court, 1678.
John Stretchley, CC
I Christian Stephenson
Doe hereby Certifie that my Son John Stephenson
was one and twenty yeares of age the twelfth Day
of May Last. Witness my hand this 27th Day of
October 1677. \par \par Christian Stevenson \par
\par Recorded February Court, 1678.
John Stretchley, CC}