Edward Stephens II (abt. 1677 - 1756)

Born about 21 Jan 1677 in Marshfield, Plymouth Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Churchill) Stephens — married 23 Dec 1708 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Mercy (Holmes) Stephens — married 3 Apr 1729 (to 30 Jul 1756) in Plymouth, Plymouth, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Died 30 Jul 1756 at about age 79 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Don Churchill [send private message], Dawn Whittington [send private message], and Barbara Mills [send private message]

Biography

Edward Stephens, son of Edward Stephens, was born in the Plymouth Colony, probably at Marshfield. The date of his birth is uncertain, probably between 1677 and 1680.

Edward Stephens married Mary Churchill, and they had seven known children. He was a fisherman.^[1]

Marriage

Edward married first, Mary Churchill on Dec 23, 1708 at Plymouth ^[2].

These children of Mary (Churchill) and Edward Stephens are documented ^[3]:

1. Mary (Stephens; 1710-abt.1757); married Joseph Cole
2. Hannah Stephens, born June 21, 1710
3. Sarah (Stephens) Sherman (1715-aft.1790)
4. Lemuel Stephens, "born December 5th, 1716; deceased June 26, 1718"
5. Elizabeth (Stephens) Harlow (1719-1788)
6. Edward Stephens (1721-1788)
7. Eleazer Stephens (1723-1785)

Subsequent to the death of his first wife (1724), Edward Stephens married Marcy (Holmes) Silvester, widow of Joseph Silvester, on April 3, 1729, in Plymouth ^[4],^[5].

Death & Burial

Edward Stephens died on 30 July 1756 in his 77th year and was buried in the Burial Hill Cemetery in Plymouth, Massachusetts ^[6] where the epitaph on his gravestone reads:^[7]

"In Memory of Mr

Edward Stephens

who Decd July ye 30th

1756 in ye 77th year

of his Age."

Estate

Edward Stephens of Plimouth, "seafairingman," made his will, dated 24 July 1756, in which he named his wife Marcy Stephens; daughters Mary Cole, Hannah Bartlett, Sarah Sherman, and Elizabeth Harlow; sons Edward and Eleazer Stephens. His sons were named as executors, Edward Stephens of Plimpton, yeoman, and Eleazer Stephens of Plimouth, Fisherman.^[8]

Notes

Identity of Edward's mother is uncertain, pending differentiation of the correct spouse of Edward Stephens. The current linkages with Mary (Adams) Stephens (abt.1648-1689) must be justified vs. that of Hannah (Sherman) Stephens (1644-1680) which previously appeared in context of this profile before it was merged.

If Edward wrote his will in July 1756, then died within one week later (per his grave marker), the probate date January 3, 1756, raises curiosity. Presuming that the will was probated in January following his death, the year date of probation should be 1757.

Online memorial site, in its caption, incorrectly transcribed "...66th year of his age". The depicted grave marker clearly is inscribed 77th year, thus in agreement with the published record. This being the case, then his birth year would have been 1680, not 1677.

At the time of Edward's birth (~1674 to 1677), Marshfield was part of the Plymouth Colony. The Plymouth Colony was not subsumed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony until 1690.

Sources

1. ↑ Holman, Mary Lovering, Descendants of William Sherman of Marshfield, Massachusetts, published 1936. Reference page 10
2. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29L-G4BD : 20 May 2022), Edward Stevens, 23 Dec 1708; citing Marriage, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 004934186.
3. ↑ "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHL9-64K : 29 December 2022), Mary Churchill in entry for Edward Stevens, 1708. [1]
4. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29L-GC9C : 20 May 2022), Marcy Silvester in entry for Edward Stephens, 3 Apr 1729; citing Marriage, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 004934186.
5. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPZF-Y28Z : 11 May 2022), Edward Stevens and Mary Silvester, 3 Apr 1729; citing Marriage, Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009308.
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 23 September 2020), memorial page for Edward Stephens (21 Jan 1677–30 Jul 1756), Find A Grave: Memorial #91376939, citing Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA ; Maintained by Debbi Adams Gambert (contributor 47168007). (Includes gravestone photo.)
7. ↑ Bradford Kingman, Epitaphs from Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts, from 1657 to 1892. With Biographical and Historical Notes (Brookline, Massachusetts, New England Illustrated Historical Publishing Company, 1892), page 32, #275.
8. ↑ "Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967," images, FamilySearch (20 May 2014), Probate records 1755-1758 and 1859-1862 vol 14-14E > image 170 of 498; State Archives, Boston. Plymouth Probate Records, Vol. 14:302-304, Will of Edward Stephens of Plimouth, 1756

• Churchill Family in America - 1904, Pg 8

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