Joseph STEVENS

Notes:

Name:
"Connecticut Ancestry": Joseph Stevens and his brother Benjamin both participated in the development of the new town inland from Stamford that became Bedford in Westchester County, New York. They were both on the list of original proprietors there on 23 December 1680 (the same year as Joseph's marriage). Benjamin actually moved to Bedford and stayed there until about 1685, when he moved further inland and back eastward to another new settlement - this time the one at Danbury, Connecticut, where he remained until his death. Joseph was not involved with this second migration to Danbury and in fact probably did not even leave Stamford for Bedford in the first place. On 2 May 1683, the Town of bedford disallowed the sale of his land there, and his rights were assigned to John Slason instead.

On 24 December 1714, Joseph Stephens Senior of Stamford gave for fatherly affection to his well beloved son Joseph Stevens, all his real estate in Stamford, including a house and lot of 1 acre, 3 acres in the North Field, and 2 1/2 acres in the South Field. The younger Joseph later sold the "home lott that was my father's" to an adjoining owner, Ebenezer Weed on 4 March 1717, shortly before his father's death.

Joseph married Sarah BUXTON on 24 Jun 1680 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Sarah (daughter of Clement BUXTON and Unica ?) was born after 1655 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Joseph STEVENS was born on 21 May 1681 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.
2. Unica STEVENS was born on 5 Dec 1683 in Stamford, Fairfield Co., Connecticut.
3. Sarah STEVENS was born on 27 Jan 1686 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; died about 1732.
4. Mary STEVENS was born on 30 Jan 1691 in Stamford, Fairfield Co., Connecticut.

Notes:

Name:
"Connecticut Ancestry": Thomas Stevens was in Stamford at least by 1649 (probably as early as 1641), and died there on 19th day, 6th month (August) 1658, as a relatively young family man. He is often said to have been a close relative, either a brother or son, of a John Stevens, also of Stamford. This seems to be due to the single mention of a John Stevens in the Stamford Town Records, that being a surviving fragment of a legal proceeding in which Abram Ambler Sr. gave bond in connection with an attachment "taken out agst John Stevens, Ye (...words missing...) Fairfield this 21st April 1686." The Rev. Mr. Huntington placed this John Stevens on his list of first settlers of Stamford, since he found another record in which (?) Stevens had been granted land on 7 December 1641. The official transcription of the Town Records does not give the final letter in the first name of this Stevens as "n" as did Mr. Huntington, and in fact does not give any letters at all for that first name. Since there are not other records at all for a John Stevens in Stamford, I believe we may conclude that no such person ever existed in that town (at least before 1686, and then instead more likely in Fairfield, as suggested by the above record fragment.

It therefore seems probable that our subject THOMAS Stevens was the person granted a house lot in 1641, and that he should be placed on the lists of original Stamford settlers instead of John. Savage apparently came to the same conclusion, since his comprehensive GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY places Thomas Stevens in Stamford in 1641.

Furthermore, the New Haven colony Records document an episode at Stamford in November 1643 in which a Thomas "Stevenson," along with George Slason, was assigned to guard a Dutch prisoner overnight, and who was later charged, at a New Haven Magistrates Court on 1 April 1644, with the responsibility for the prisoner's escape. There are no other records of anyone named Stevenson in Stamford at this time and it is very likely that this situation involved our subject Thomas Stevens instead.

Certainly Thomas Stevens had accumulated several pieces of property in Stamford before the general real estate inventory that was made in 1649-1652 for the Town Records. Although there is no survey of his own lands at that time in the surviving records, he appeared as an adjoining property owner in the descriptions of the lands of at least 9 different neighbors, with the earliest record being that of Thomas Morehouse on the 31st day, 11th month(February) 1649/50. This accumulation of property confirms that Thomas Stevens must have been in Stamford for a considerable time before 1650, reinforcing the theory that it was he who arrived in 1641, and not some other Stevens individual (and also that he was probably the Thomas "Stevenson" of the Dutch prisoner incident).

Several very incomplete and imperfect genealogies have been published covering one or more individual lines from Thomas Stevens, and no comprehensive family genealogy is available at this time. Perhaps the most complete (and very careful) study of the family to date has been published in chart form by Mrs. Halstead. Her chart entitled "Stevens Family" appeared in the New Canaan Historical Society's first ANNUAL in 1946.

Thomas Stevens married at an unknown time and place, Ann (?), who survived him and married (2) sometime after 1658, Frances Holmes, another early Stamford settler. Several writers have reported this relationship, but without documentation. The evidence is contained, however, in the following Stamford Land records. On 20 December 1686, the brothers Obadiah, Benjamin and Joseph Stevens agreed that their mother, "the widow Homs," would live with her son benjamin Stevens, with some support being provided by the other two brothers in the form of certain specified gifts of animals. And, on 1 April 1689, Ann Homs, widow, signing with her X mark, gave "a sartain ox" to her son Joseph Stevens. Francis Holmes had died at Stamford before 14 February 1675/76 when his inventory was taken.

None of the children of Thomas Stevens had their births recorded at Stamford. The names of Obadiah, Benjamin and Joseph come from the land records already mentioned. Ephraim Stevens was granted a house lot by the town on 25 February 1668/69, and died before 1676/77 when his estate was distributed to his brothers and sister, including Obadiah Stevens and Obadiah Seeley, who had married the sister, Esther Stevens. Obadiah Seeley and Obadiah Stevens agreed on 2 January 1676/77 that "our two brothers Benjamin and Joseph Stevens" should have their brother Ephraim's entire estate. Some writers have proposed a fifth son, a Thomas Stevens Jr., presumably named for his father, who "had land in Stamford in 1670", but this appears to be in error. The land record quoted for 1670 actually refers to "ye land yt was Thomas Stevens", and therefore does not prove a person by that name living in 1670. both Obadiah and Benjamin had sons named thomas Stevens, but their father apparently did not, at least not one that survived to manhood.

Thomas Stevens made his will at Stamford on 18 August 1658 (the day before his death), and it was probated at Fairfield on 30 November 1658. the will mentioned a wife and children, but no names were given. Thomas Stevens, signed with his "T.S." mark, which is more than a typical "X" and may indicate some education, and the use of initials perhaps due to extreme weakness at the time of signing. His wife was to receive the entire estate for her benefit in bringing up the children, but if she were to remarry, then the estate was to be divided into thirds, with the wife receiving one third and the children receiving 2/3 as a group, with the eldest son to receive a double child's portion "if he be deserving."

The estate was settled by the Fairfield Probate Court on 14 March 1670/71, with the court naming the eldest son Obadiah Stevens administrator at that time, about 12 years after his father's death. Obadiah must have been found deserving, since he was granted the full double portion......

Thomas married Anna ?. Anna was born in England; died in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]