BIOGRAPHY: Stephens, Redman D.
From the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of the State of Iowa, 1875

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REDMAN D. STEPHENS was born in Steuben County, New York, November 2, 1830.

The tradition concerning his ancestry is that three brothers came to America previous to the 
Revolutionary war and settled in New England, one in Connecticut, and the other in different localities.  
One member o the family subsequently moved South and settled in Georgia, from whom Alexander H. 
Stephens is descendant.  The Connecticut branch settled in the western part of the state, and some of 
these subsequently migrated to the Wyoming Valley, in Pennsylvania, and were among the sufferers in 
that terrible massacre by the Indians and Tories in 1783.  Mr. Stephens' great grand-father, John 
Stephens, married a Miss Susanna ____________.  One of his sons, John Stephens, married Olive 
Franklin and had ten children, viz: Cynthia, Uriah, Phineas, Frederick, Franklin, Elias, John H., 
Alexander H. born Sept. 5, 1800, David and Parmelia.

Alexander H. Stephens married Mary M. Davis, and had Redman D., born November 2, 1830.
Mary M. born December 23, 1832.
Charlotte, born November 5, 1837, died May 3, 1871.
Merritt A., born March, 1844, died 1847, drowned.
Sabrey H., born March 1852.
Redman D., the subject of this sketch, was married October 7, 1857, in LaFayette, Ind., at the 
residence of Chief Justice Gregory, of the Supreme Count of Indiana, to Louisa G. Briar, and has three 
children:
Mary, born April 3, 186l.
Louisa, born May 31, 1871. 
Redman, born May 30, 1874.

Mr. Stephen's great grand-mother's maiden name was Olive Franklin, and as the family were 
great sufferers, a brief mention will not be deemed out place in this conversation.  Roswell Franklin, the 
father of Olive, was born in Woodbury, Connecticut, and was twice married.  His life was one of 
continued hardships and sufferings, living amidst the fierce savages of the American wilderness.  Worn 
out by constant misfortunes, he finally, in the aberrations of insanity shot himself and died in 1791 or 
92.

His children by his first wife were: Joseph, born in 1764.  When about twelve years of age he 
was left during the absence of his father with a neighbor, whose house being attacked by the Indians, 
was killed, and his family carried off prisoners.  Joseph ran for the river, but was fired upon and 
captured, being badly wounded in the thigh, and was compelled to go with the rest.

The next day he was too sore to travel and was left behind with two Indians who killed him, 
took his scalp, and left his body food for wild bears.

Olive, born in 17867, was stolen by the Indians, April 8, 1781, when fourteen years of age, and 
carried two or three days' journey into the wilderness, was recaptured by a pursuing party, and after 
suffering incredible tortures from fatigue and hunger, finally reached her home to find the house 
reduced to ashs.  Her mother was shot on this occasion by the Indians while lying beside her, and her 
life-blood flowed upon the grief-stricken child.  She afterwards married John Stephens, and was the 
grand-mother of the subject of this sketch, and lived to a good old age near Seneca Lake, New York.  
Roswell, born 1769, was captured by the Indians, with his cousin Arnold Franklin, with whom he was 
obliged to run the gauntlet, and came near being killed while escaping to Niagara, where he became a 
waiter to a British officers, and afterwards came near being scalped by an Indian in Canada.  He was 
exchanged at Fort Niagara in the Spring of 1781, and making his way on foot back to the Wyoming 
Valley, surprised his father who had long supposed him dead.  Here young Franklin learned for the fir 
time of the death of his mother!  Who can paint the emotions that thrilled the trobbing hearts of 
that broken family ? The dead returned to life - the living dead ?   He afterwards married 
and lived in Cayauga County, New York.
Susannah, born 1771, when 11 years old, was captured by the Indians at the same time 
with her sister Olive.  She had gone to the spring for water when some Indians, who were 
lying in ambush, sprang upon her and dragged her away into the wilderness.  During the 
battle which preceded her recapture, she saw a large Indian approaching , and warned her 
mother to lie down.   The words were scarcely uttered when the whizzing bullet told the 
fatal tale.  Her mother rolled up her eyes as if she wanted to speak,  but said nothing, 
gasped once or twice and expired.
Thankful died of small-pox, 1778,  while Stephen, who was born 1777, was, when four 
years old, captured by the Indians, who, rushing upon the house with muskets pointed at 
the heads of the mother and her little ones - seized them all  -  fired the house, and  hurried 
them away into the forests.
Like rabbits these little ones lay snug to the ground, while the bullets of the pursuers on 
one side and those of the Indians on the other whistled over them.  And when the Indians 
fled after shooting the mother, and the voice of their neighbors and friends were heard - up 
from their covert they sprang - and the words - " run you dear souls, run " - did not need 
to be repeated to put wings on their feet.  Olive says, " I had Stephen on my back, and 
when we heard the voice of our friends, we flew to meet them."  Ichabod, born in 1779, 
was captured by the Indians when eighteen months old, and was never heard of after !
The Stephens family shared in these fearful times and in the massacre of Wyoming, but 
unlike the Franklin family, they have had no historian to perpetuate the memory of the 
personal reminiscences and afflictions which befel them.
Redman D. Stephens received a good comon school education, prepared for college, and 
entered Alfred Seminary, now Alfred University, and graduated in the class of 1851.  He 
then taught a year at Cuba, Allegheny County, New York; entered a law office in 1852; 
was admitted to practice in the courts of New York, September, 1853, and in the 
following December entered the law department of the Albany University and attended the 
course of lectures of 1853-4 and 1854-5.   Leaving Albany, he arrived the last day of 
March, 1855, at Marion, Linn County, Iowa, where he engaged in the practice of the law 
exclusively till 1863, when he commenced in the banking business to which he has since 
given the most of his attention.
Upon arriving in Marion his worldly possessions consisted of  $ 23.00 in cash.  He 
provided, however against all contingencies, by taking a life assurance of $ 50,000, and 
thus settled all anxiety in regard to the future so far as the supplying of his family was 
concerned after his decease.  As a lawyer, banker and financier, he has been eminently 
successful, and his internal revenue tax indicates the largest income in Marion, if not the 
county.