STEPHENS, David S., b 1856; 1905 Bio, Delta County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/delta/bios/stephensds.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 4, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- David S. Stephens David S. Stephens, who has been in this state off and on since 1876 and permanently since 1887, and who is now comfortably established on an excellent ranch of fifty acres well adapted to fruit, is a native of Howard county, Indiana, born on March 14, 1864, and the son of David R. and Nancy J. (Scott) Stephens, the former a native of Tennessee. His mother died when he was six weeks old and he was reared to the age of twelve by his grandparents, being taken to their home in Wisconsin in his infancy. The father is a farmer still living, at the age of seventy-three, in Indiana, where he has passed the greater part of his life. In 1866 Mr. Stephens' grandparents moved to McPherson county, Kansas, and he lived there until 1876. There his grandfather died in 1873 and his grandmother in 1878. In 1876, Mr. Stephens, then a boy of twelve, started out in life for himself, came to Colorado and located in Gunnison county, where he engaged in mining two years. At the end of that period he returned to Kansas, remaining in that state until May, 1880, when he came again to Colorado, and making his home in Denver, he went to school a few months. In the ensuing spring he once more returned to Kansas and engaged in farming, remaining there until 1887. In that year he took up his residence permanently in this state, purchasing a ranch on the North fork, near the site of the present village of Paonia. After improving this he sold it for three thousand five hundred dollars, the tract comprising one hundred and sixty acres, on a part of which he now lives. Since making the purchase he has sold one hundred acres of the tract, fifty of which was woodland with a water right, for which he got five thousand dollars, and he has also allowed the railroad company to have ten acres. Then he has bought an addition of ten acres so that he now owns sixty. Forty acres of this have been well improved and highly cultivated, and on the entire tract he carried on an active cattle business until 1903, when he sold his stock and determined to give his attention to fruit culture, for which the land he has is well adapted. He already has four acres in fruit in good bearing condition, and it is his intention to plant twelve acres more in standard trees, mostly peaches. On April 18, 1871, was born Miss Nettie Fawcett, of Wilson county, Kansas, the daughter of George W. and Nannie A. (Marshall) Fawcett, who came to Colorado in 1873, and first located at Saguache, then moved to Lake City. The father was a carpenter. Mrs. Stephens became a resident of Delta county in 1882, where she married the subject. Her father located what is known as the Fawcett ranch three miles from Paonia, which is a large fruit ranch and was the first of its kind in this vicinity. His wife died in 1892, but he is still living. In politics Mr. Stephens is a Republican, and fraternally he belongs to the order of Odd Fellows. He was living on his ranch at the time of marriage, June 18, 1893. It is located a mile and a half from Paonia. =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.