Shubael Stearns

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jan 16 2017, 23:22:11 UTC

"There is a tradition prevalent in Lynn, Mass., that three brothers, names Daniel, Isaac (First Vol. I) and Shubael Stearns, came from England to America in 1630, and settled near Watertown, Mass.; that Daniel died, unmarried; that Shubael and Isaac each brought their families with them; that, soon after landing, Shubael and wife both died, leaving two sons, named Charles and Nathaniel, eight or ten years of age, who were reared and cared for by their Uncle Isaac; this same account was given by John Peck Stearns ; that these sons afterwards married and each, as well as their Uncle Isaac, left a large family, from whom all of the names of Stearns in America are supposed to have descended. It is noticable that Isaac (First Vol. I.), Charles and Nathaniel all named their sons John, Isaac and Samuel. There is also a traditional anecdote of the first landing of the Stearns family, as follows: "that on reaching anchorage in America, Isaac, like the spies sent into Canaan, went forward and selected a place of settlement; soon after, an emulation arose between the two boys as to which should step on land first, and as they sparang from the boat, Charles Stearns missed his footing and fell into the river which was therefore christened the Charles River." Nevertheless, the historian claims for the name a royal origin."Genealogy and Memoirs of Charles and Nathaniel Stearns, and Their Descendants, " by Mrs. Avis Stearns Van Wagenen, 1901.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Aug 20 2018, 13:00:53 UTC