Bios: Benjamin Stephens Family, Indiana Co, PA SUBJECT: Benjamin Stephens family in America SUBMITTER: Rebecca Stephens Shannon EMAIL: sshannon@artelco.com DATE: Sep 16, 1999 PASSWORD> SURNAMES: Stephens, Caldwell, Pitman, Pittman, Elkin, Mayer, Sides, Dick, Griffith, Kelly, Cramer, Richey, Conrad, McCartney, Galbreath, Robbins, Mattern, Skiles, Conrad, Lynn, Krissinger, Findlay, Spires The following history was written in 1914 and only recently located after much searching. It was written by Mrs. Olive F. Stephens Mayer of Johnstown, PA and mailed to my g-grandfather Samuel (who married Rebecca Elkin) in Arkansas. Most of her information was from a history that had been written on Indiana Co., PA. There is more that I have added to this bio. Hope it helps someone. - Becky Stephens Shannon The Stephens family residents for several generations in southern Indiana County, Pa, was founded there about the beginning of the last century by Samuel Stephens; grand-father of George M. Stephens who is a resident of Dilltown, in Buffington Township, and of Judge Marlin B. Stephens, John H. Stephens, Esq.; Mary J. Stephens, and Mrs. Olive F. (Stephens) Mayer, all of the City of Johnstown, Pa. The family has been established in America since before the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Stephens, the pioneer of this family in America, was born about the year1735, and embarked from Plymouth, England, at the age of twenty-one, to seek his fortune in the “Land of the Free”. His ship was wrecked off the coast of Maryland. In his struggle for life, he found the small boats filled to overflowing, and when he tried to hold on with one hand and swim with the other there were cries of “Cut him off,” but another yelled, “No, I’ll balance him”, and the good Samaritan got to the other side of the boat. The distance to the shore was about three miles, and by the time it was reached Benjamin was very much exhausted. He had a sum of money in his belt, and with that he began life in the New World. In 1758 Benjamin Stephens married a Miss Caldwell,in Somerset County, Maryland, and the children of this union were born as follows: Thomas, 1759; Benjamin Jr., 1761; William, 1763; Richard, 1765; Rebecca, 1767 (married Joseph Pittman); Samuel, February, 1769; and John, 1771. Benjamin Stephens served as a soldier in the French and Indian War, participating in the campaign against the French posts on the Canadian border, and was present at the capitulation of Montreal on the eighth day of September, 1760. He died in 1814 at his home in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Stephens and two of his sons served loyally in the struggle for American independence; father and two sons, Thomas and Benjamin Jr. being at one time members of the same company. Benjamin Stephens served as one o the Rangers on the frontier from 1778 to 1883 (Pa. Archives, vol. xxiii, Third Series, page 236) Some of the original family located in Maryland and some in Missouri; William and Richard went to the State of Indiana, and Benjamin Jr., pushed on to the State of Illinois. Thomas lost one arm in the Revolutionary War; he was never married. Samuel Stephens was married to Miss Miram Pitman, in 1793, near Morrison’s Cove, then in Bedford County, Pa. She was the daughter of Joseph Pitman, who fought in the Revolution as one of the fronntier rangers from Bedford County. The Pittman family came from New Jersey some time before this. She was the Grandmother of George M. Stephens, Judge Marlin B. Stephens, Attorney John H. Stephens, mary J. Stephens, and Mrs. Olive F. (Stephens) Mayer. Samuel and his young wife, sixteen years of age, came over the mountains on horseback, accompanied by his two brothers, Thaomas and John, In a recent historical publication of Cambria County, Pa., we find the following: “Samuel Stephens, shortly after the close of the Revolutionary War, was imbued, like many of that period, with the spirit of adventure, and, having learned of the productive soil in the valleys of the western slope of the Alleghenies and the abundance of game on its vast mountain ranges, set out to seek a home for himself in the wilds of western Pennsylvania. He was familiar with the country, although but a boy in years, having accompanied his older brothers, who traveled through the same on one of the military expeditions during the Revolutionary period to the headwaters of the Allegheny River and to the Great Lakes. “Samuel Stephens was accompanied to his new home by his brothers, John and Thhomas, bringing with them their cattle and such household goods as were necessary and in common use at that time in the new country, and finially located (1798) in what is now Brushvalley Township, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, Pa., near the present site of Mechanichsburg. “John and Thomas remained with their brother Samuel for some time, assisting him to clear some land and erect his cabin house, when they returned to their homes. Thomas had lost an arm as a result of a gunshot wound, in the Revolutionary War.” As stated above, Samuel Stephens located on the present site of Mechanicsburg, where he resided for a number of years, nine of his children, all now deceased, being born on that tract, namely: First, Rebecca, married John Graham and had nine children, all now deceased. viz.; Samuel, who married Elizabeth Brown; James, who married Nancy Gibson, and (second) Orman Lyda; John; Joseph; Benjamin; Ann, married to Robert Woodside, and (second) to John Sadler; Rebecca, married to James Dick. Samuel’s children were; Mary Magdalene, married, deceased; Rebecca, married William Sides; Amos L., married to Miranda Dick; James Benson, married to Lizzie Griffith; Susan, deceased, married to J.T. Griffith; and Watson, married. Amos L. and James Benson were both in the Civil War. James is living on the old homestead, and has quite a large family, and Amos is living in Johnstown, Pa. Second, Nancy married Jacob Stephens, of Ohio. Third, Samuel S., married Rebecca Elkins, and removed to Arkansas. Fourth, Sara, married Evan Griffith, and had twelve children, tow of whom reside in Indiana, Pa., namely, Mrs. Mary (Griffith). Fifth, John, who made his home in Ohio, married Eliza Williams, and had children, one of whom, Mrs. mary Gleason, is still living, and resides in Morrow County, Ohio. Sixth, Benjamin, married Elizabeth Ginter, in Clearfield County, Pa., and had seven children, one of whom, Hardman Stephens, is still living, and resides at Ramey, Clearfield County, Pa. Seventh, Abednego, lived at Tyrone, Pa., married Rebecca Elder, and left to survive him five children three of whom are still living, namely; Miss Irene Stephens, Mrs. Athenia (Stephens) Robbins, wife of Rev. Robbins, a Methodist minister of high standing, of Williamsport, Pa., and Lawrence Abednego Stephens of Denver, Colorado. Eighth, William S. Married, first, Mary Mattern and, second, Sara Ann Skiles, and the children still living are; George M. Stephens of Dilltown, Indiana County, Pa., Miss Mary J. Stephens, Judge Marlin B. Stephens, Mrs. Olive F (Stephens) Mayer and Attorney John H. Stephens, all of Johnstown, Pa. Ninth, Joseph, married mary Stevens, and had three children, namely, Meshac, who died in the West, leaving to survive him, three children; Samson, who married Elvira Conrad, and had seven choldren, four of whom are still living, namely; Harry C. Stephens, married Helen Kelly, Samuel J. Stephens, married Stelly Lynn, and both live in Johnstown, Pa., Mrs. Ida (Stephens) Cramer, of Cramer, Indiana County, Pa., and Mrs. Maud (Stephens) Krissinger, of Homer City, Indiana County, Pa., two older daughters, deceased, married Samuel Findlay and had no children, and Mary, married John Findlay, leaving three children, Irma, Ira, and Mary, all of Jamestown, Pa.; Elias who married Melissa Spires, and is still living, had five children, two of whom are living - Joseph, married, and has three children, and with them lives on the old homestead of the grandfather, Joseph Stephens, in East Wheatfield Township, Indiana County, Pa., and Leon, who lives with the parents on a fruit farm in California. Samuel Stephens’ wife did when Joseph, the youngest child was but two hours old; in December 1809. She was buried on a part of the Brushvalley farm on which the village of Mechanicsburg now stands, and a stone marks the spot to this day. After the death of his wife, Samuel became discontented, and sold his farm in Brushvalley, buying another on Blacklick Creek, from Adam Richey, in Buffington Township, about one mile northwest of Dilltown, in June, 1810. This farm is now owned by Frank G. Conrad. Here Samuel Stephens laid out the road that leads to Croft, and thence to McCartney’s where he courted and married Catherine, daughter of Joseph and Catherine(Galbreath) ----------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free genealogical information on the Internet, data may be freely used for personal research and by non-commercial entities as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may not be reproduced in any format or presentation by other organizations or persons. 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