Stephen Swain (1666 - 1713)

Born 21 Nov 1666 in Nantucket, Province of New York

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth White — married before 1691 in Knotts Island, Currituck, North Carolina

Husband of Patience Parris — married about 1700 in Chowan, North Carolina, British Colonial America [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 24 Jan 1713 at age 46 in Chowan, North Carolina

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Stephanie Ross [send private message]

Biography

Stephen Swain was born 21 November 1666, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, to John Swain and Mary Wyer Swain. His father John, along with John's father Richard Swayne, were among the original group of 10 men who formed a consortium to purchase and settle Nantucket Island.

Stephen's grandfather Richard was born in Binfield, Berkshire County, England, in 1595. He had arrived in Massachusetts between October 1634, when his son John Swain, Stephen's father, was baptized in Easthampstead, Berkshire County (about 2 miles from Binfield), and 1638, when he was in Newbury Massachusetts, in the valley of the Merrimack River. On 6 September 1638, the Massachusetts General Court granted permission to a group of petitioners, including Richard Swaine, in Newbury, to establish a settlement at Winnacunnet; the settlement was later renamed Hampton, in 1639, and is now across the state line in the state of New Hampshire.

By 1569, Richard and son John, as part of a group of 7 others, had begun arrangements for the purchase of Nantucket Island. Records indicate they were motivated by a wish to escape the increasingly repressive Puritan overseers of the Massachusetts Colony. Richard had been disenfranchised on 12 November 1659, and among the other purchasers, both Coffin and Macy family members are recorded having had disputes with the local officials; both Tristram Coffin and Thomas Macy had been arrested and fined, on 18 October 1659, for entertaining Quakers. The purchase was completed in 1659, the year Richard was disenfranchised, and Richard and John, along with most of the other purchasers, removed to the island, where Stephen Swain was born in 1666. Richard is recorded selling his property, and as no longer present in Hampton, by 1693.

Stephen is identified as being descended from the Swains of Nantucket, Massachusetts, by his son John's "Nantucket Bible," given to John in 1730 by Stephen's nephew William Swain of Nantucket. William was the son of Stephen's brother John, who remained on Nantucket Island when Stephen emigrated to North Carolina. From the Bible:

"1730 ye 3rd mo William Swain of Nantuckett gave this Bible to John Swain of North Carolina."

The Bible is now in the possession of the North Carolina Dept. of Archives and History, in Raleigh, N.C.

Stephen emigrated from Massachusetts to North Carolina sometime between 1680 and 1690, probably settling initially on or near Knotts Island, Princess Anne County, Virginia (later to become Currituck County, North Carolina). He married his first wife, Elizabeth White, by about 1690, probably on Knotts Island. She was the daughter of Patrick and Elizabeth White, of Knotts Island. In 1691, Patrick and Elizabeth's son Solomon White recorded a deed of gift of 454 acres to "sister Elizabeth, now wife of Stephen Swaine, bounded by land of Patrick White, now deceased," on Knotts Island in Princess Anne County. In 1692, Elizabeth's mother, Elizabeth White, named her "Elizabeth Swaine" in her will.

Stephen and Elizabeth's daughter Mary (named after Stephen's mother) must have been born by about 1694. She was married to Samuel Smithwick by about 1714, and had her first child (Sarah Smithwick) by about 1715. John, Stephen and Elizabeth's eldest son, (he was named after Stephen's father), appears in a July 1716 court record in Chowan County, wherein he dismisses his guardian, indicating he has achieved the age of majority [21], proving he was born by 1695. John's sister, Stephen and Elizabeth's daughter Elizabeth (named after her mother Elizabeth's mother), must have been born after 1698; John retained her guardianship, and indentured her as a servant to John Worley, on 17 July 1716. She had to be under 18 on that date, and perhaps younger.

It's not known when Stephen Swain and Elizabeth settled in Chowan County, or even if Elizabeth was still alive when Stephen settled there. There are no surviving records of land grants or transactions for Stephen, but by the time he wrote his 1713 will, Stephen was living in Chowan County, and married to his second wife, Patience [probably Patience Parris]. Elizabeth had died shortly after the birth of her daughter Elizabeth, probably about 1699. Stephen was remarried to Patience by 1700; their daughter Patience was born about 1702. Their first son, James, was born about 1704, and son Richard about 1706.

As Stephen's children appear to have been named in accordance with standard naming practices at the time, it's possible that James was named after Patience's father; the name James does not appear in Stephen's extended family before this time. Daughter Patience, of course, was named after Patience, and Richard was named after Stephen's grandfather Richard, both again strictly in accordance with standard naming practices at the time.

Patience's last name is not proven, but is commonly believed to have been "Parris", based mostly on a reference, by her second husband Henry Speller, to Thomas Parris as his "loving brother Thomas Parris of Edenton." The reference implies that Thomas Parris was most likely Henry Speller's brother in law, the brother of Henry's wife Patience, the widow of Stephen Swain. Henry Speller and Patience also, significantly, named their only son "Thomas," presumably after Thomas Parris. There were at least 2 Parris families in Barbados at the time of Patience's birth, where the name "Thomas" was common. There were also other Parrises in New England, some of them related to the Parrises on Barbados. None of these families, however, are known to have named a daughter Patience. There was also at least one family of Parrises in Lancaster County Virginia, in the early to mid 1600's, about whom records and information are more limited than from Barbados and New England. As noted above, Stephen and Patience's son James likely was named after Patience's father, and while the name James does not appear in Stephen's extended family before this time, it does appear in the Parris family, in both Barbados and Virginia. A James Parris is recorded arriving in Barbados in 1679, and a James Parris was also recorded as a ship's master [the "Samuel and Mary] carrying tobacco between Virginia and London, in 1671. It's also notable that these families were descended from Richard Vines, whose daughter Elizabeth married John Parris about 1650, on Barbados, notable because Richard Vines was one of the original owners of Nantucket Island, purchased by Stephen's father John Swain in 1659. It seems likely that Thomas Parris and Patience may have been descended from one of these families. Most of the very early immigrants to North Carolina came from Virginia and Barbados, then later coming from New England, and from England, directly, as well.

There are some trees that indicate that Patience was the daughter of Richard Stiball, who left a will, dated 1695, in Chowan County NC. That error stems from an early misreading of the almost illegible scrawl of Richard Stiball's will. He had a daughter Patience born about 1680. The problem originates about halfway into the will where the following line appears [the version here, lacking any and all punctuation, is as it appears verbatim in the will]: "Item I give to my daughter Mary my horse and I give her colt to my daughter Pashens Item I give my daughter Mary and my daughter Pashens my plantation, only my loving wife to have her lifetime in my plantation." An early researcher misread the word "Item" as Swain, and the error propagated from there, and appears today in many trees, as well as in some publications.. Some also point to land purchased by Stephen that once belonged to Richard Stiball, however that too is not accurately understood; Stiball had sold his land to a a third party, William Wilkinson, long before Stephen Swain was in Chowan County, and in fact that William Wilkinson had resold the land to a fourth party, David Perkins, who then in turn sold it, again, to a fifth party, Charles Naughton, who then sold it to Stephen Swain - long after Richard Stiball had originally sold the land, and in fact years after Richard Stiball had died. There was no transaction between Stephen Swain and Richard Stiball, and there is absolutely nothing, no other record, no evidence, nothing at all, other than the misreading of Richard Stiball's will, that links Patience Stiball to Stephen Swain. She can safely be dismissed as a likely wife of Stephen Swain.

There are also some who show Patience as Patience Gardner, born 1675, on Nantucket, to Richard Gardner, but who then disappears from the record entirely; she, and Stephen's children, do not appear in Richard's 1728 will.

Some trees show Stephen having a daughter Sarah, but no daughter Sarah appears in the wills of either Stephen or Patience. There is a granddaughter Sarah named in Patience's will; it's likely some have misread this Sarah as a daughter.

Stephen Swain served in the House of Burgesses from 1708 to 1710. He died in January 1713.

Will

Last Will and Testament Stephen SWAIN District of Chowan, NC 1-24-1712/13

In the name of god amen. I Stephen Swaine of the district of Chowan in the province on NC being sick and weak in body but of sound and perfect mind and memory praised be almighty god for it doe make and constitute this my last will and testament. Revoking disanulling and making void all other wills by me heretofore made. Imprimis. I give and bequeath my soul into the hands of god my Creator hoping at the last day to have full pardon and redemption of all my sinns through the merits of my blessed Savior and redeemer Christ Jesus and as touchings such worldly estate as it hath pleased god to blessed me in this transitory life I give and bequeath the same in manner following my just debts and funeral expenses being firs payd and satisfyed by my executors hereafter named.

Item I vie to my son John Swaine all my plantation and tract of land whereon I now live and to his heirs for ever

Item I give to my son James Swaine a tract of land lying in thick nick containing 50 a to him and his heirs forever

Item I give to my son Richd Swaine a tract of land lying at cushy containing 100 a with all the stock thereunto belonginge and to his heirs for ever.

Item I give to my son John Swaine one third of all my personal estate to be delivered to him soon after my decease

Item I give to my dau Elizabeth Spruell one shilling in full of all demands

Item I give to my loving wf Patience Swaine on other third of all my personal estate and to her heirs forever.

Item I give one other third of all my personal estate amongst my children vizt James, Richd, Mary , and Patience Swaine and to their heirs for ever equally to be divided amongst them

I do hereby nominate constitute and appoint my loving wf Patience and my son John Swaine executors of this my last Will and Testament. In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 24th day of Jany Anno Domi 1712^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.geocities.ws/knighthistory/Susannah.html

See also:

• Swains of Nantucket: Tales and Trails, Richard Henry Swain, 1990

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=crystalinda22&id=I15182

• "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQD8-HJX : 15 January 2020), Stephen Swain, 1666.