Letter (copy received from OCGS) - to Miss Horton, Nov 30 1968, from Susannah E Whitcomb

10 Tuxill Ave, Corning, NY Nov 30 1968

Dear Miss Horton

I received your information today but I do want to pay you for what you did & I found no price.

I am buyiny the NY Gen & Biog books. Our Libraries near here do not have them.

I have most of Jonathan Stevens Sr’s childrens lines. I descent from his son David. I belong to the Corning Chapter of the DAR.

I am trying to find who the parents were of my Jonathan Sr. I am writing to see if I might get a copy of who ever went into the DAR under Jonathan Stevens Sr. Here may or may not give his parents.

Miss Julia Stevens, descents from Jonathan’s son Elisha, b 1757. She claims Jonathan came from England in Early 1700's with brothers William and David. David settled in Conn. William went to Hoeboken, NJ & his descendants founded Stevens Inst of Tech & Jonathan sailed up the Hudson river and settled on his large tract of 2500 acres in New Cornwall precinct. I have spent plenty of money trying to prove this. Conn. State Library sent to me the complete lines of Thomas Stevens of Stamford from John Stevens 1st who settled in Stamford in 1641 came on the "Francis" in 1638 with the Rose family.

John's son Thomas died at an early age leaving five small sons: Joseph, Benjamin, Nathaniel, Thomas and Obediah. Obediah m. Rebecca Rose & both died in Stamford. Their son Ephraim Stevens married Hannah Clark of Stamford. Ephraim’s son Jonathan, born Jan 21 1721, they believe may have been my Jonathan. They have no marriage for Jonathon or his brother Ebeneezer & they say their records show they removed from Stamford, Conn. about 1754.

This proves Miss Julia Stevens of Middleton's statement not true. It shows Jonathan was in Peekskill NY in 1755. Jonathan appears first in New Cornwall Precinct in 1775. A map made for George Washington in 1778-1779, which I have a copy of shows Jonathan Stevens in the location where he lived and dies. It also shows another Stevens just north of him.

An Ebeneezer Stevens lived in Minisink as early as 1765 & attended the first meeting held at Brewster's home to lay out roads. A john Stevens of Rochester NY is writing a genealogy on his Ebeneezer Stevens of Orange County Ny but he is stuck like I am as to where his Ebeneezer came to Orange county from.

Mrs. Predmore claims the Stevens north of Jonathan in 1778 was John Stevens & wife Elizabeth Alexander. In the Genealogy of Stevens Inst of Tech., which I have, they claim no William Stevens in their lines except for one born after the death of my Jonathan & this William died never marrying. They have their Jon Stevens coming from Middlesex, England, n 1669 in New york City. This son John Stevens married Elizabeth Alexander. According to their genealogy this John was a gentleman and Merchant of New york city, he also lived in New Jersey. In 1769 he and his wife were left many lots of land in Orange County and New Jersey.

I have from Albany New York records all the lots numbers and locations of land owned by James and Mary Alexander. Phillip Livingston married Mary Alexander and John Stevens married her sister Elizabeth. They drew to determine which lands they would own. My Jonathan bought lot #14 from William Smith of South Hampton, Long Island and John Taylor, a merchant of New York City. Lot 14 does not show up in lands owned by James and Mary Alexander estate. Jonathan paid off Thomas Smith, son of William Smith, deceased, and john Taylor in 1792. Both deeds read the same so both men owned together lot #14. He paid one man 40 lbs and the other 44 and it calls for 244 acres. William Smith died before 1784 and his son was acting as his father’s executor. Jonathan must have bought his land on a mortgage from William Smith and John Taylor.

Conn. State library says their records shows every David Stevens in Conn. was born in Conn. And he was the son of Obediah Stevens and Rebecca Rose born in Stamford, Conn. Nov 30, 1690.

I have written to a Benjamin Stevens who lives in Westchester County, NY. I have found that he descends from my Jonathan Stevens Jr. line.

Jonathan Jr’s son Samuel had a son Josiah who was twicw married. Josiah’s first wife Mary Johnston he had seven children by his second wife Mary Cook he had five sons: James, Reuben, Philo, Conrad and Washington. The five brothers came to Towanda PA. James reuben and philo settled in Towanda, PA but Conrad and Washington went on to southeast of Towanda and founded and settled Stevensville. PA. This Benjamin Stevens of Westchester county could not tell me the name of who he descended from. He only knew they were of an early family of Stevens who came from England and Settled in in Conn. And after coming to Pa and settling Stevensville, Pa , theire descendants criss crossed back and forth to and from Conn. Whoever his Great Grandfather John Stevens parents were he did not know only that they removed from StevensvillePA to Gales Ferry, Conn. Where his Great Grandfather was born then his Grandfather removed to Stevensville PA where his father was born and where Benjamin was born and lived until about five years ago when he retired and removed to Westchester county.

Mrs. Predmore did my early Stevens some forty or forty-five years ago she used Julia Stevens story as to where Jonathan Sr. came to Orange county, NY. Mrs. Predmore could find nothing on Jonathan Sr’s sons Joseph, Adam and Justus.

In tracing Jeremiah Trickey I found he married Jemima Stevens of Goshen Ny (B) about 1775. I received a letter this summer from a Mrs. Allan Crawford of Saddle river, NJ asking if I would give her some on Jonathan Stevens Sr. as she descended from his daughter Jemima which was not mentioned in his will, married Jeremiah Trickey.

I have found Adam and Justus Stevens were here in Chemung Town, NY, Montgomery County, (now Chemung County). In early history of Tioga County (which Montgomery county changed to after 1790) Adam and Justus were landowners and taxpayers. I don’t find Justus after this and don’t find Adam again until 1825 when he lived right here in Town of Addison, NY over 45 years old, I male with him over 45, yrs, 4 acres of land, 1cow, 3 hogs. Adam was born in 1760, Justus about 1763.

What I am trying to do is make a genealogy on Jonathan Stevens of Orange county , NY and the lives of his children.

Now back to David and Eleanor Fulton. Eleanor is to have been related to Robert fulton who invented the steamboat but what relation is not known. Down through the generations from Eleanor and David I have Robert Fulton Stevens several times.

Now for Samuel Smith and his wife Jane Stevens. I have tried to trace this Jane Stevens line. I descend from David and Eleanor Stevens 1^st child, 1^st son jeremiah Stevens(B) October 4 1782 in Town Of warwick NY & died Sept 20 1846 in Town of Chester NY. He married Nancy Smith a daughter of Samuel Smith and jane Stevens, born Sept 11 1796 in town of warwickNy died March 17 1833 Town of Warwick. Nancy was a child bride. Her third child was born in 1812. the other two in 1810 and 1811.

My Grandfather Floyd was their youngest child born Apr 3 1831 in Town of warwickNy and died March 3 1909 in town of Addison, NY Steuben County.

Jeremiah and Nancy are both interred in a small Smith family cemetery. It is located on a hill in the sheep pasture. The original Samuel Smith home is located on the Bellvale Road and called “Fair Acres”. Mrs predmore lives the first house on Gibson Hill Road just below the original Smith farm. From Mrs. Predmore’s parlor window you can see the locate. The only stones there are Nancy’s stone, it gives her date of birth and death and that she was the wife of Jeremiah Stevens. Nancy’s fathers stone, a footstone with J.S. a stone that says a slave, and a child of Samuel and Jane Stevens.

I hired a genealogist in Washington DC about 5 or 6 years ago to try and trace my Jonathan Stevens Sr. of New cornwall Precinct. It was he who told me about the Thomas Stevens line of Stamford Conn. And he believed my Jonathan belonged to this line and was the son of Ephraim Stevens and Hannah Clark born Jan 21 1721. He was blocked as he culd not find a marriage or death in Conn. For this Jonathan and it showed he removed from conn. So I wrote to the state library, for $3.00 they sent to me all on record on this Stevens line. They also claimed that Conn. Records had been well kept way back to the early 1600’s and they found no marriage or death for Jonathan Stevens born June 21, 1721 and his brother Ebeneezer born July 18, 1723. Their records showed these two removed from Conn about 1754. Their brother John(B) Feb 4 1725-6 remained in Conn. Married in Conn and he had 9 children born there but removed from Conn. After the birth of his ninth child Rachel born Dec 26 1774. Now this John had a daughter Jemima born in Stamford Conn Sept 4 1772.

Mrs Predmore claims John Stevens and Elizabeth Alexander lived north of my Jonathan in 1778. She is rather set in her mind that Julia Stevens is right, I belong to the Stevens Inst of Tech Stevens.

I could be wrong without proof but I rather believe after paying three different genealogists and information from the State Library of Conn and all believe my Jonathan to have been the son of Ephraim Stevens. I believe the three brothers were in Orange County. Ebeneezer in Minisink in 1769, Jonathan in New Cornwall Precinct in 1775 & in 1778, the John Stevens north of him was his brother John and the Jemima Stevens who married Jeremiah Trickey in Goshen NY about 1775 could have been this John Stevens dau. of Stamford, Conn. Born Sept 4 1772.

Now my father’s sister Bertha died two years ago last may. She left no children. She married late in life. She had property and money when her husband died ten years before her, she turned over her property and money to go to the state but willed us four nieces her personal property.

All these ten years she used her checking account and sold her car. As far as we know the state didn’t pay a cent for her keep. She always told us she left what she had this way and after she died no Stevens had to fight over what she has worked for all her life. This was fine with us because we all feel a person has a right to give what they have to who they like.

The state wasn’t to take any furniture from the house. When she went to the nursing home which was only for 5 weeks then she died, they locked her house up good. My Great Grandmother’s bible she promised me several years ago. While she was sick she wanted me to get the Bible and after she was gone she wanted I have her collection of books. I am a book collector. After her death, it was about a month when we were notified to meet a man at the house and be prepared to remove what ever we wanted. There wasn’t much left in the house and the nman claimed someone mudt have broken in and stole a lot. The books were gone but the Bible was there. As we searched the attic, my one cousin found a box that belonged to her mother. It still today has puzzled her how this box of things got in Aunt Bertha’s house.an old ledger was in it with a genealogy of out Stevens line. Elizabeth said it wasn’t her mothers writing. This genealogy has puzzled me again.

It says Jeremiah Stevens was born in the Town of warwick New york on the same piece of ground that James Stevens built his mansion, the first cement home built in Orange county. This property formally having belonged to Obediah Stevens.

Now Mrs Predmore says my david built on land originally belonging to his father Jonathan’s tract. Then David broke his farm up into farms for his sons. Now this genealogy we found refers to David Stevens farm. Two years ago when I was in Orange County tracing deeds I found a deed where David sold a farm to his son Joseph. This farm today is just about Mrs. Predmores. The deed says it was the original farm of Isaac Pinckney. Well Isaac Pinckney married Sarah Ann Stevens who was a daughter of onathan Sr’s son Elisha Stevens.

Now Mrs predmore says someone must have made a mistake on the Genealogy we found as ar as she knows there was never an Obediah Stevens lived in that area.

Is this Thomas Stevens lines is a Obediah Stevens Jr. that married Elizabeth Lydia Scofield Aug 9 1761. They had seven children born in Stamford Conn. And one of these was Jane Stevens born June 9 1771.

Here is what I wonder if Samuel Smiths wife Jane could or could not have been this Jane?

Perhaps my Grandfather Floyd did this Genealogy. We will never know but I hope I can get to Orange County again this coming summer as I feel hidden away in their records I may come up with some answers. Please let me know how much I owe you. It was David and Eleanor’s daughter Mary that married Joshua Newberry. I have some of their line.

As ever, Susannah E. Whitcomb.

Jan 15 1971 (My Jonathans Children’s names compare with the Thomas line names.

Dear Miss Horton,

Not being allowed to do any exercising… (idle chit chat)…First you ask how I try to connect Jonathan with Ephraim Stevens and Hannah Clark of Stamford, Conn. I have worked for 15 years tring to straight out the Genealogy done by Helen Predmore over 40 years ago. At the time she did it, she had the chance of getting dates from my David, Jonathan Jr., and Elisha Sr’s Bibles.

Rutherford Stevens still living on Gibson Hill Road still has My david’s Bible. I tried to let him show it to me and Helen tried, he said “If I didn’t want to take Helen’s dates as when his wife was living she let Helen copy them, then I could wait until he died as the Bible would go to the historical Society of chester, NY”.

A Mr Perry of California, I haven’t heard from him now in months, He was having eye trouble. He was in search of Ezra Stevens. He claimed 12 lines of Stevens and I guess he knew every line except where to find where he belonged. He asked me to check with the Conn State Libray on Ephraim Stevens of Stamford Conn. This line John Stevens settled in Stamford