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 trying 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.

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 Library on Ephraim Stevens of Stamford Conn. This line John Stevens settled in Stamford in 1641 & John Stevens died in Stamford Conn. June 19, 1658 leaving a wife and 5 small sons- Obadiah, Joseph, Benjamin, Thomas and Nathaniel.

Obediah was the father to Ephraim, Joseph, and Benjamin. Went to “Hop Grounds”, Bedford Conn. All Bedford Stevens descend from Joseph; Danby and Brookfield from Benjamin; Nathaniel to Bridgeport ands Thomas is a ?.

In 1959 I wrote to the State Library and they did a good search for me. Which today they don’t do, they give names of genealogists. I have the John Stevens lines that are on recorded in State library and if you wish it I would gladly send it to you.

State library claims records well kept in Conn. As far back as 1600’s and if a person born married or dead there, their records are on file.

They feel my Jonathan was son of Ephraim as records show marriages and births of children for Ephraim’s children except for Jonathan born 1721 and Ebeneezer. There is not marriage or death for either. There is no deaths for Ephraim, his wife or any of their other children. They felt Jonathan and Ebeneezer removed from the state before 1754 and Ephraim removed after this date.

This John Stevens line has never been traced down except for a small genealogy compiled by Frederick Stevens of Bridgeport, Mass who descended from Nathaniel and the only known copy is in the Madison Wis. Library, which I have a zerox copy of.

I sent Mr. Perry the search done by the Library and here all the Ezra Stevens he has searched out, a son of David Jr. who was son of David who was son of Obediah Stevens, compares with the birth date of his Ezra Stevens. The last I heard from Mr. Perry he was going to try and prove if this was his Ezra.

I hired Mr. Carder of Madison, Conn. To search this Jonathan for me. He came up with the same answers as the state library. He claimed the same as Mr. Perry that when the Uriah Stevens line removed from Canaan Conn. That some of the Thomas line removed with them.

I got a Genealogy of the Stevens Inst of Tech. They claim they descend from John Stevens who came from England to New York City in 1699. They don’t have a Jonathan listed and only one William and he was a Great Grandson to John of New York City and was born after my Jonathan died. This William never married. I have paid in NJ and they claim no early William Stevens in Hoboken NJ

I obtained David’s pension records from Washington DC. He claims he was born in Peekskill, NY Feb 15, 1755. Was living in Town of Warwick at the time the Rev War started. Was called to service in the spring of 1776 and discharged 1780. He served most all this time except to go home long enough to plant crops or to Harvest. This was the first money he had ever earned in his life. He helped to build Fort Montgomery, searched out Tories, marched prisoners to Fort Schuyler and Fort Niagara. He says his father proved his age and place of birth from the family Bible in possession of his father. He does not say where his father was from nor who his mother was.

I think whoever wrote it in didn’t know as much about their Jonathan as they thought. David’s pension papers show Jonathan lived in Peekskill NY in 1755. The old mortgage I found in Goshen NY where Jonathan sold 70 acres of land in 1771 to Arthur Yeomans. I am told by Mrs. McWhorter that their new A&P Store in the Highland Mills NY is built over the original Arthur Yeomans home so that must be the location of where my Jonathan Stevens sold in 1771. Jonathan does not appear in History of Orange County until 1775.

Ebeneezer Stevens was to the first town meeting in 1760 and helped lay out the roads in 1765. A Mr. John Stevens of Rochester NY is compiling a Genealogy of his Stephens of Slate hill but he cant connect this Ebeneezer nor my Jonathan with his line for Stephens nor he cant get his Stephens out of Orange County.

I hired a genealogist in the Library of Congress to try and search out my Jonathan. He came up with the same answers. Jonathan of Stamford was the only untraced he could come up with then he was blocked at Peekskill NY as there are not early records. It is claimed that the British burnt all. I have written White Plains NY and hired genealogists there. They all claim not early records. They claim records of 1789 but too late for my Jonathan.

I have already spent forty dollars ($40.00) out for a search in England and Scotland. They claim all records checked for different counties from 1700-1800 and no Jonathan, David or William born there. All ships passenger lists were checked and no Jonathan David or William listed on any. They say my Jonathan was American born and his father before him came to America or Grandfather. They sent me a list of Stephens/Stevens who were passengers and to where they were heading.

I paid the Long Island Historical Society to check out Stephens/Stevens. They sent me a genealogy not complete on an early Thomas Stevens of Southhampton, LI. It only covered Thomas’ 1^st,2^nd, 3^rd etc. Thomas 5^th or 6^th had a son Mathias and I have wondered about Mathias of Orange County. They didn’t seem to have anything more on this Thomas line.

I wonder about Jemima that married Jonathan Trickey. She is supposed to have been born about 1772. John Steven’s brother of Jonathan of Stamford Conn. Removed from Stamford after 1775. This is the last date on record for a child of his to be born and nothing more on him or his family. He had a daughter Jemima Stevens born 1772 in Stamford Conn. He also had a daughter Jane Stevens born Stamford.

If I could only prove who Ebeneezer Stevens of 1760 and where this John Stevens in 1778 was John of New York City or John of Stamford.

I don’t know who my Jane Stevens was that married Samuel Smith.

Samuel Smith was living in 1809 and died in 1811 but a mortgage I copied in Goshen NY, My David Stevens loaned Israel/Isaac Smith $750 to buy his fathers farm and the mortgage said if he failed to pay back the money, my David or his heirs would take possession of the farm that Samuel Smith lived on.

I don’t know Joseph’s sons names but I have copied deed from Chemung County NY and it is a puzzle. Coleman, Marths and Sarah Stevens of Monroe NY deeded land to Moses Stevens of Elmira NY land given to Martha by her father John W Stevens of Tioga County NY. Whether Coleman, Martha and Sarah and Moses were brothers and sisters it does not say. There was a David Stephens here in Elmira NY that went to Calif. in 1854 stayed 9 yrs and returned to Elmira NY and became the postmaster.

My Floyd Stevens was born in Town of Warwick 1831 his mother Nancy Smith died 1833. He was sent to Deckertown NJ (now Sussex) to be raised by Samuel Giveans. I can’t prove who Samuel Giveans was to the family and NJ claims no records of old Deckertown NJ. At 18 yrs old he came to Elmira NY where his brother’s Layfayette and William Van Ness was also his sister Elizabeth. In History of Bradford county Pa it has a nice History on William Van Ness Stevens and says he came to Southport Elmira NY at death of his mother and was raised by his aunt Mrs. Isaac Wells. I can’t place where she comes in as an aunt unless one of the Smith girls married a wells. Two of them I know married Newberrys. Helen Predmore claims when Nancy died Jeremiah sent all the children off to live with the Smith side of the family.

In 1790 Census I find Jonathan’s daughter Dorothy alone living in Orange, but today no one seems to know where Orange in Orange county was in 1790

In Frederick Stevens Genealogy he claims the Thomas lines removed from Stamford Conn. To Peekskill, Poghkeepsie, NY and Patterson NJ but they were never traced.

When my Floyd became 21 yrs old he went back to Town of Chester NY and claimed 40 acres of land for his fathers services in the War 0f 1812. In 1854 he went to CA, remained and came back Oct 1869 and Feb 23 1870 married Mary Anthony up here in Presho NY. I have wondered about this. Daniel and my Floyd both going to CA 1854. I will close for now as ever Susannah Whitcomb

Also Attached: a semi ancestor list that really is put in to show that the names in the Stevens of Ny = the names of the CT Stevens. Not really a stretch because nearly everyone in these years were Jonathan, John, Joseph, William, Lydia Rachel, Mary etc. (A thought from Lil – absolutely NO Ephraims in Jonathan’s line.