Nicholas Stephens

Nicholas and Elizabeth (Storkey) Stevens

Nicholas STEVENS - b. about 1620, Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire; d. Jun. 11, 1675, Gloucestershire Son of Thomas STEVENS and Mary WALLE. Nicholas served as leader of a train band in Oliver CROMWELL's army in the 1640s. He became Captain on Apr. 18, 1645. An alternate death date of Sep. 27, 1670, Albemarle, VA for Nicholas also appears, depending on accepting Nicholas migrating to America and being in Taunton, MA by 1669 before settling at Jamestown, VA. Married Sep. 9, 1641, St. Peters Church in Cornhill, London.

Elizabeth STORKEY - b. about 1614, Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire.

Children of Nicholas and Elizabeth Stevens

1. Henry - b. about 1644, Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire, England; d. 1726, Stonington, New London Co., CT.
2. Nicholas - b. about 1648, Little Sodbury, Gloucestershire; d.Aug. 6, 1674, Haddam, CT. A resident of RI, he was on his own boat in the Connecticut River when accidently drowned.
3. Thomas - b. about 1662; d. 1751, Craven Co., NC. Resided in Perquemins and Craven Cos., NC. Married first by 1690 to Jane, and second about 1713 to Mary KASWELL, daughter of Francis KASWELL. Children of Thomas and Jane STEVENS: Thomas married; Sarah married Ben BROCKETT; Elizabeth; Mary; and Anne. Children of Thomas and Mary STEVENS: Frances; and John married first Grace RAIFORD, and second Sarah.

NICHOLAS STEPHENS (THOMAS2, ANTHONY1) was born Abt. 1620 in Little Sodbury, Glouscestershire, England, and died 1670.He married ELIZABETH STARKEY September 09, 1641 in Little Sodbury, Glouscestershire, England.She was born 1614 in Little Sodbury, Glouscestershire, England.

Nicholas Stevens was born Ca. 1620, eldest son of Thomas and Mary Stephens.He married Elizabeth Starkey in St. Peters Church in Cornhill, London September 9, 1641.This was near Tower Ward where he lived.He was a Captian in the victory of Nasby June 14, 1645 and fought for religious freedom under Oliver Cromwell and against the Stuart King.He came to America ca. 1660 under an assumed name because of the persecutions in England.He was in Taunton, Mass. in 1660, then he and his brother went to the Jamestown Colony.His heirs could not receive any of his wealth becausee he had changed the spelling of his name to Stevens.He died September 27, 1670 in Albemarle, now North Carolina.

NICHOLAS STEVENS was an immigrant to America some time before 1669 but I have found no date for that or for his birth. The official record (Visit. of London) proves that his father was Thomas, Sr. but does not give his age. In 1634 he was apparently a minor living in his father's household in the Tower Ward in London so he was probably born about 1620.

The following record shows he was married in Sept. 1641:

"Sept. 9, 1641, Nicholas Steuens and Elizabeth Starkey p'lycense" - The Register of St. Peter's Cornhill, London Vol. I, p. 257 of the Harlein Publications. At that time the letter "u" was interchangeable with "v" so the clergyman spelled the name Steuens. Cornhill St. is near the Tower Ward in which Nicholas lived. One reason why no date for the arrival in America of 1) Nicholas may be explained by the following quotation from E. S. Barney's Genealogy, p. 46.

"Again it is a tradition that Henry Stevens, the oldest son of Nicholas Stevens, an officer in Cromwell's army fled from England to escape the persecutions of the Royalists after the death of Cromwell; but this record rests only on a letter from one member of the family to another of that generation. This letter is still extant and in the possession of Mrs. Updike of New York City, a descendant."

I would say that letter is good evidence. Two of the judges, at least, Colonels Whalley and Goffe, spent their last years in Mass. under assumed names so very likely 1) Nicholas Stevens embarked under an assumed name so we are not likely to find exactly when he came to America, but it was probably 1660. Neither have we been able to find with any certainty where he first arrived in America. According to Plowden Stevens6 an old county history related he came to Taunton, Mass. and settled in Taunton or Dighton (a suburb) and his son Nicholas also resided there. However, I find nothing in the Taunton Vital records nor in Dighton about him. There are data about 41) Nicholas, the son of 13) Richard, so I think the two men with the same name have been confused. It appears 1) Nicholas visited there about 1669 according to some family records. No doubt the reason official records of 1) Nicholas were not found in New England was that he and his brother 3) Anthony had gone to the Jamestown Colony. Possibly Anthony was there before 1660. In Lancaster County Record book No. 2, Anthony Stephens is listed as a witness in 1659 an also in 1662) p. 236) and in 1663 he is on a bill list for 850 pounds of tobacco.7 He had a land grant in 1667 for 1850 acres of land in Westmoreland Co. and probably settled there, where the will of Edmund Randolph in 1724 says "...to Nicholas Stephens and daughters Elizabeth and Millicent..."

This was not 1) Nicholas since he would not have lived so long but doubtless was a grandson of 3) Anthony named after his brother 1) Nicholas. I think so since I have never found these names in any other Stephens lines except our own.

Nicholas Stephens did not immigrate directly to Albemarle (now North Carolina) Colony in 1660 because King Charles II did not make the grant till 1663; so it is doubtful if 1) Nicholas lived there more than five or six years before his death in 1670, as proved by the official record Sept. 27, 1670 where Capt. Crawford was awarded damages to his boat. The name of 1) Nicholas is also on the list of those present earlier that year, at a hearing in regard to the estate of Gov. Samuel Stevens. There is no more record left of the estate of Nicholas. Isaac Rowden, administrator of the estate, lived in 1695 just west of Flatty Creek and east of Harvey Creek in the Pasquotank precinct. Of course, Nicholas was deceased before 1695 so his name does not appear on this tax list but this is evidently the locality where he spent his last days. William Crawford, I think, had been a fellow officer in Cromwell's army in England.

There was another Nicholas, perhaps the same one who was mentioned in the will in Westmoreland Co., Va. who died in what is now South Carolina about 1724 but he would have been much too late to have been 1) Nicholas, nor have we found any other at that time1 of the right age.

NICHOLAS STEVENS AND YE FAMILY IN ENGLAND "They were His songs that rose to Heaven before The surge of steel broke wild o'er Marston Moor. When rough-shod workman in their sober gear Rode down in dust the long-haired Cavalier." -(James Russel Lowell)

No official birth date has been found for 1) Nicholas Stevens but since he married Elizabeth Starkey1 at St. Peter's church in Cornhill London in 1641 he would normally have been born about 1620. He entered the English Civil War ca 1642 against the tyrannical King Charles I on the side variously called Republican, Round Heads, Independents or Puritan; but they were not all Puritan so I prefer Republican as Milton called them. At first he apparently had organized a company or "trained band" of citizen-soldiers for the defense of London. Dr. E. S. Barney in her Stevens Genealogy quotes an old English record as follows:

"Nicholas Stevens for his cursing at Winsor before the trainband last Monday, is to pay the public treasury 10 shillings." 2

He apparently was a Captain at this time, at least we know from official records he was a little later when he and his men were ordered to join the new modeled army under Cromwell and Fairfax. Before Oliver Cromwell was raised to Lt. General and remodeled the army, the battles went against the Republicans and the situation was so bad that if the king could have captured the capital, he very likely would have won the war. On Oct. 13, 1642, he and his army came near London but the London trained bands barred his way at Turnham Green so he made the military mistake of withdrawing. As the historian Gardner says "he was never to have such another chance again." Thus in helping to organize these trained bands, Capt. Nicholas Stevens made a considerable contribution toward winning the war, regardless of his service in other battles.

Some of the old histories in America, county and otherwise, say that he was a brigadier general. For

instance, Plowden Stevens quotes one: "Nicholas Stevens, who had been a Brigadier General in Oliver Cromwell's army...." In a letter to R. A. Stevens, Costa Mesa, Calif., 6 Sept. 1955, the Public Records Office in England wrote:

"Brigadier General Nicholas Stevens has not been identified. A search has been made in the indexes to the calendars of State Papers Domestic for the period 1635 to 1665 without success."

I have no objection if someone wants to call him a Colonel, as he may have been, but as Brig. Gen. M. J. Gavin pointed out to me in a letter, I doubt if the title brigadier general was used then in England. Enough has been proved so that we do not need to exaggerate. 1 The Register of St. Peter's church, London, England 2 Dr. E. S. Barney; see No. 1 in the bibliography

Surely it is distinction enough that he was an officer (Captain or Colonel) under the great Cromwell, in an army never defeated although often outnumbered, lead by the greatest military genius of the 17th century - an army that had conquered the British Isles and even driven the Spanish army before them like chaff before the wind at the Battle of the Dunes in France, resulting in the liberation of the French people. This Spanish army was rated as the best in Europe, which means this army of Cromwell's was the peer of any in the world and other nations knew it. I fancy the secret was in part that he made soldiers as he said "who knew what they were fighting for and loved what they knew." It would be interesting to know just how many of great grandsons of that grand army fought in the American Revolution for much the same principles of government as these Republicans. I recall, for instance Darius Stevens, a descendant of Capt. Nicholas, gave his life in the Battle of Bunker Hill. There are doubtless over a million descendants of that grand army in the United States today, but probably only a few know it. At any rate no order of Sons of the English Revolution (SER) has been formed but there is a Cromwell Association. Mark Twain was a descendant of Geofrey Clemens (or Clement), one of the judges who sentenced Charles I to death.

In the letter referred to above from the English Public Office it is said "Several references have been found to Capt. Stevens, who in 16 April 1645 was instructed with his troops that he was to form part of Sir Thomas Fairfax's new (modelled) army." However, it was Cromwell, 2nd in command, who did the remodelling; but he soon was to be the top commander of the Republican army and later was to be known as the greatest ruler of England. What a sorry contemptible lot were the kings of England as compared to him. Capt. Nicholas Stevens and his men had just joined this new-modelled army in time to be in the great Republican victory of Nasby, June 14, 1645. This I believe has been rated as one of the fifteen decisive battles of the world. On the right Ireton's cavalry was routed by Rupert, who lead the best Royalist troops, but he stupidly chased them for miles. Cromwell's Ironsides were conquerors on the left. The Republican foot in the middle, containing many raw troops, was slowly being driven back but the genius of Cromwell saved the day. He turned his cavalry around and fell on the side of the Royalist infantry in the center and thus defeated them, thus winning a glorious victory for the Republicans, who captured over 5,000 prisoners, artillery and baggage, including the king's personal correspondence which was to be used against him later. When Rupert got back, he found his side defeated. Says the historian, J. R. Green:

"Modern England, the England among whose thoughts and sentiments we actually live, began with the triumph of Nasby. Old things passed suddenly away." Yes, indeed, and how much of that greater New England beyond the seas, began with the victory at Nasby. I believe Carlyle says there are few remaining rolls for private soldiers but perhaps Thomas and

Anthony, brothers of Capt. Nicholas, were in this battle. This invincible army was sometimes outnumbered more than two to one; for instance on Aug. 17, 1648 with less than 9,000 men they fell upon 24,000 who followed Hamilton and after three days fighting routed them utterly. At the Battle of Dunbar with some 11,000 men they defeated 23,000 Royalists under Leslie, taking 10,000 prisoners. The Royalists lost over 3,000 dead and Cromwell's army not over 20 men. The rest of their victories can be read in any good history of England and is beyond the scope of this book. As Cromwell said: "Such a history to look back unto.....even our enemies confessing that God himself was certainly engaged against them, else they should never have been disappointed in every engagement." 1

The Republicans had fought mainly for religious freedom and against religious persecution, so common then in Europe, and for a more just government in general. In his first speech to Parliament Cromwell, as Chief Executive, reported what his officers wanted:

"Some things are Fundamentals. These may not be parted with; but will, I trust, be delivered over to posterity as the fruits of our blood and travail. The government by a single person and Parliament is a Fundamental.

"Again is not liberty of conscience in religion a Fundamental? Liberty of conscience is a natural right and he that would have it ought to give it.....truly that is a thing that ought to be very reciprocal.....It is for us and the generations to come." 2

Said the noted historian Thomas Carlyle: "My brave one, thy old noble prophecy is divine....and shall in wider ways than thou supposest, be fulfilled!" 3

They extended toleration to the Jews, and Quakers were no longer persecuted. 4 They stopped persecution of the people for the totally imaginary crime of witchcraft, not only in England and Scotland but in much of Europe. 5 Let those scoff at the temporary witchcraft delusion of the Puritans at Salem, Mass. note that. When the Duke of Savoy caused the massacre of a number of the Valdois in the Piedmont valleys, Cromwell obliged the Duke to stop and caused the Pope to be informed that if Protestants continued to be molested anywhere the roar of English guns would speedily awaken the echoes of St. Angelo (in Italy).6 He also told the French ambassador "Never will I sign away our right to help the Huguenots..." Thus he practically stopped religious persecution all over Europe.

1-2 Carlyle's "Cromwell's Letters and Speeches" III, 66. Cromwell's comment on this subject was: "England hath had experience of the blessing of God in prosecuting just and righteous causes whatever the cost and hazard may be, and if ever men were engaged in a righteous cause in this world, this will scarcely be second to it." Among his supporters, were not only Capt. Nicholas Stevens but his alleged relatives John Stephens of Tweakesbury near Gloucester; Nathaniel Stephens of Gloucestershire; and William Stephens of Newport and Wight, members of the Long Parliament (Carlyle) and probably several of the family served as common soldiers. How right they were! But it seems impossible to change the habits and superstitions of a people in seven years, so in 1660 came the so-called restoration, partly due to the treason of Colonel Monk; but absolute monarchy could never be restored, and representative democracy is the government today of England and the U. S. A.

The Plowden Stevens Gen. says a county history in New York gives the children of 1) Nicholas as Thomas, Richard and Henry; and that another story is that three of the children were Nicholas, Thomas and Henry. I think that is correct except that Henry was the oldest. In the F. S. Stevens Gen. 6 (p. 23) is a copy of the family record submitted by Susan Stevens, b. ca 1815. She and her husband were both descendants of 10) Henry Stevens. She says: "Nicholas Stevens (of) Cromwell's army, came to Taunton, Mass. in the year 1669. He had three sons Nicholas, Thomas and Henry. Nicholas settled at Taunton, or Dighton and his son Nicholas resided there with his family.....Henry Stevens was sixteen years old when he came to America."

Dr. E. S. Barney gives the sons as Henry, Thomas and Richard but I believe they have confused 13) Richard, who lived at Taunton, Mass., as a son, while I consider him a cousin. So it seems proved that three of the sons were Henry, Nicholas and Thomas. There may also have been a Richard, John (as given by Mrs. Ghastin) and Ebenezer but unless more evidence is found, I doubt if we should list them as sons. Nicholas3 (Thos.2, Anthony1), b. ca. 1620 of London "eldest son and heir"-m- in 1641 Elizabeth Starkey.(St. Peter's Register, Cornwall St., London.)He is said to have changed the spelling of his name to "Stevens" (Dr. Barney) and in the church register his name is spelled "Stevens or Steuens". He was an officer under Oliver Cromwell in the English Civil War and joined Cromwell's New Modeled army as a Captain, 18 April 1645.(See Chapter II herein).Dr. Barney tells us that"Nicholas Stevens of England was wealthy, owning three shires in Wales, and after his death one of his heirs went over from New England, and prosecuted for and obtained a decree for his share of the property, but in signing the receipt he wrote his name "Stevens", when the attorney for the crown declared him an imposter, as the English records were spelled "Stephens", so the Judge ruled him out." He came home and so reported. - (Dr. E. S. BarneyGen. p. 45) She also mentions that he and his sons are said to have come to America in 1660 to escape thepersecution of the Royalists. He and son Thomas settled in the Albemarle Colony (now North Carolina) then under Jamestown Colony and their names appear there in the records where Nicholas died in 1670, when probably only about fifty years of age. (N. C. H. & G. Reg.) He is said to have appeared in Taunton, Mass. in 1669 (F. S. Stevens Gen. p. 23) but no record of him appears in the three volumes of Taunton Vital Records or in other Mass. records, so he probably only paid a visit tohis son Henry and nephew 13) Richard. He left no will. His name is on the list of those present at a meeting concerned with the settlement of the estate of Governor Samuel Stevens. (N. C. H. & G. Reg. by Hathaway).

"At a called Court held, 15 July 1670, at ye house of Sam Davis for ye County of Albemarle, in ye Province of Carolina, Capt. Wm. Crawford, petition against ye administrator of Nicholas Stevens, deceased, for the hire and use of a shallop (which) was bulged and damnified, wherefore ye Court orders Mr. Rowden (Isaac), Administrator of ye estate to pay Capt. Crawford 500 1bs. of tobacco". (Hathway's N. C. Hist. and Gen. Reg. Vol. I, p. 136).

Probably Capt. Crawford was the same Capt. Crawford who had been a fellow-officer with Nicholas in England under Cromwell. Henry was the eldest son and 16 years of age when he came to America in 1660. (F. S. Stevens Gen., Dr. Barney Gen., and others.) Therefore he was born in 1644. While some sources list a brother Richard and one source, perhaps an Ebenezer, I do not consider there is enough evidence to include them as brothers. Probably they have confused 13) Richard who was a cousin instead of a brother of Henry. 14) Thomas did have a brother Richard but that was a different Thomas. So I think that Susan (Mrs. I. P.) Stevens, born ca. 1815, was correct as to the three sons: Henry, Nicholas, Jr. and Thomas, although there may have been a son Richard which we have been unable to trace. Susan not only had written records but in a letter to F. S. Stecens Dec. 20, 1890 said that John Stevens, a relative, "had the genealogy of the family, far back." (Stevens Gen. by. F. S. Stevens, 1891, p. 23.) Plowden Stevens in 1909 mentions three or four other sources which all agree that two of the brothers were Henry and Thomas. There were likely other siblings.(*) Then for 1)

Nicholas and Elizabeth Stevens, issue:

1. Henry4 Stevens (Stephens) 1644-1726, set. Stonington, Ct.

2. Nicholas, Jr. ca. 1648-1674, set. R. I. - drowned while sailing a boat on Connecticut River in 1674.(Conn. Probate Rec.) Desc. not traced.

3. Thomas4, ca. 1662--1751, set. in Carolina Colony, now N. C.

Important note: There are a lot of errors on the Internet adding children to Nicolas that actually belong to his brother Thomas Jr. Thomas, Stephens Jr 3 (Thomas2, Anthony1), b. ca. 1621 -m- wife unknown. That he had a wife and children, Richard, Cathrine (also Kath.) and other siblings, is proved by the affidavit of Jonathan Lincoln in 1768.(Bristol Co. Mass. Rec. Vol. 53, p. 514, or Plowden p. 14)Jonathan Lincoln was a close relative to 13)Richard's wife Mary Lincoln.Jonathan swore that he "well remembers Richard Stephens of Taunton .....and that sometime after Richard came, his father whose name was Thomas, and mother, and sister Cathrine, and some time others of ye family came over to Taunton."This is first class evidence. I gave some evidence in Chapter III that 14) Thos., 15) Cyprian, and 17) Mary were brothers and sister of 13) Richard and Cathrine. So far as I know all genealogists of 15) Cyprian agree his father was a Thomas Stephens (Stevens) of London and Mrs. Holman and her Stevens-Miller Gen. and others say that Thomas, the Armourer, was not the father as some have claimed. In fact the Armourer could not have been for he died long before 15) Cyprian was born. So only a little evidence is needed to show that 15) Cyprian's father was 2) Thomas Jr. of London. (*)perhaps also 12a) John4 Stevens in Albemarle (now N. C.) given in Stevens-TrippGen. by M. S. Ghastin, p. 2.

Children of NICHOLAS STEPHENS and ELIZABETH STARKEY are:

i. HENRY21 STEPHENS, b. Abt. 1644, Little Sodbury, Glouscestershire, England; d. 1726.

ii. NICHOLAS STEPHENS, b. Abt. 1648, Little Sodbury, Glouscestershire, England; d. 1674,

Drowned on Connecticutt River. Notes for NICHOLAS STEPHENS:

As for the son 11) Nicholas, Jr. b. ca 1650, he may have settled for a while at Taunton, Mass. but I find nothing about him in the Taunton Vital Records, so I think he was the Nicholas in Rhode Islan who drowned in 1674. Providence is only about twenty miles from Taunton. Through the courtesy of Brig. Gen. M. J. Gavin, I quote the following from Conn. Probate Records, Col. 1, p. 241:

"Aug. 1674. There was returned by the constable of Haddam a verdict concerning the death of one Nicholas Stevens of Rhode Island. A jury investigating the death of Nicholas Stevens found no murder but that he was drowned in the river Aug. 6, 1674. They were supposed to care for the navigation of the vessel to finish the journey and return it and the estate to authorities in Rhode Island." Haddam is a town on the Connecticut river and it appears he was sailing his own boat on the river.

His issue, if any, has not been traced. There are about 12 pages of this report if anyone should care to search to see if they can estimate his age etc. Database: Full Context of Hartford, Connecticut Probate Records, 1635-50 A DIGEST OF THE EARLY CONNECTICUT PROBATE RECORDS. 1663 to 1677. Name: Nicholas StevensLocation: Court Record, Page 141-13 August, 1674: There was returned by the Constable of Haddam a verdict concerning the death of one Nicholas Stevens of Rhoad Island: We whose names are underwritten, being appoynted a Jury to enquire into the cause of the death of Nicholas Stevens of Rhode Island, have according to the best of our skill and judgement, viewed his corps & searched to see if there was any wound or any thing that might be a blameable cause of his death, & this we give in our verdict, that we find no wound nor any reason of Jealousy to submit that any man was accessory to his death, but by the overruling providence of the most high & most wise God (who appoynts the time & place of every man's death) was appoynted to period & finish his dayes in this time & place, being drowned in the River.

This Verdict was drawn up & subscribed by the Jury August 6th, 1674, & delivered into the Courtthe day above written, Together with an Inventory of his Estate signed by Mr Thomas Terry, Mr James Huling & Nicho: Braddock. (On file.)These engaged to take Care for the Carefull Navigation of the Vessell till she hath accomplish her voyage, & to return the vessell & Estate to the authorities at Rhode Island, The dangers of the seas only excepted. 43.iii. THOMAS STEPHENS, b. February 03, 1661/62, Little Sodbury, Glouscestershire, England; d. 1759, Craven County, North Carolina.

Sources

"Stevens - Stephens Genealogy and Family History" Author: Clarence Perry Stevens Call Number: CS71.S844 This book contains the history and genealogy of the Stevens-Stephens family of North Carolina. Bibliographic Information: Stevens, Clarence Perry. Stevens-Stephens Genealogy and Family History.Privately Published. 1968 http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/s/t/e/William-Lackey--Stephens

Links

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