STEPHENS

My Paternal Grandmother's Ancestors: Stephens, et al

By Wes Patterson

Last Revised: 20 August 2018

My Stephens ancestors are known to have been in Gloucestershire, England as early as the 1500's. By 1645, William Stephens was born in York Co, Va. By 1704, when John Stephens was born, the family was in Perquimans Co, NC, and then later Jones Co. Throughout the 1700's the family migrated through the NC counties of Carteret and Chatham, before moving south to Pendleton District, SC by the early 1800's. This is where Samuel H. Stephens died in 1824.

By the mid 1800's, James Stephens moved the family to north Ga along the NC border. My branch of the Stephens family remained in these border counties of Towns Co, Ga and Union Co as well, and sometimes across the line into NC. I have five (5) generations of Stephens ancestors buried in Towns and Union Counties, GA - from James Stephens (d. 1865) all the way forward to my grandmother, Wilma Stephens Patterson (d. 1991).

My Stephens ancestors are as follows, beginning with the oldest generation: 

1. Edward Stephens (b. 1523; d. ca 1587)
   m. Joan Fowler
2. Richard Stephens (b. 1554; d. 1599)
   m. Audrey ____
3. Dr. John Stephens (b. ca 1575/95; d. ____)
   m. Miss Powell
4. John Stephens (b. 1616; d. ____) [pedigree]
   m. Ann Wade
5. William Stephens (b. 1645; d. 1715)
   m. Mary Elizabeth Harker
6. John Stephens (b. 1704; d. ca 1782)
   m. Elizabeth Vann
7. Joseph Stephens (b. ca 1740; d. ca 1815) [pedigree]
   m. Isabel Hamilton
8. Samuel H. Stephens (b. ca 1764; d. 1824)
   m. Mary Ellen Powell
9. James Stephens (b. 1787/89; d. 1865)
   m. Mary Ferguson
10. Cannon Stephens (b. 1815; d. 1897) [pedigree]
    m. Jane Coffey [pedigree]
11. John Stephens (b. 1844; d. 1882)
    m. Merzy Ann Byers [pedigree]
12. Samuel Jaspar Stephens (b. 1873; d. 1938)
    m. Mollie Franks
13. Wilma Stephens (b. 1904; d. 1991) [pedigree]
    m. Clint Patterson [pedigree]
14. Francis Oliver "Frank" Patterson (b. 1940; d. 2015) [pedigree]
    m. Vanza Davis [pedigree]
15. Charles Wesley "Wes" Patterson (b. 1968)
    m. Ginna Fishburne
    

Wilma Stephens' Maternal Family Lines 

The following surnames make up Wilma Stephens' (my dad's mother) ancestors. If you have any info on any of these families that you'd like to share with me, I'd certainly appreciate it. Thank you.

• FRANKS Family: my g-grandmother (includes DAVIS, BROUGHTON)
• BYERS Family: my gg-grandmother (includes RATCLIFF, McCLAIN, European Royal families)
• COFFEY Family: my ggg-grandmother (includes CLEVELAND, PRESLEY)
• FERGUSON Family: my gggg-grandmother (includes STRAIN / STRAYHORN)