Re: Mathew/Matthew Fleming Stephenson, Assayer of Dahlonega Mint, Georgia 1850-1854
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In reply to:
Re: Mathew/Matthew Fleming Stephenson, Assayer of Dahlonega Mint, Georgia 1850-1854
Andy 7/14/10
Hi - Thanks for the links. I had found information in the Oregon State Archives listing, and in a book called Genealogical Information in Oregon Donation Land Claims, but had never seen the BLM site regarding this. The book is available on ancestry.com and is published by the Genealogical Forum of Oregon. They have the originals of the land claim records on microfilm; I will join and go research there when I can afford it. Here is a link to the GFO site with an index of claims:
http://www.gfo.org/donation/index.htmhttp://www.gfo.org/donation/index.htm
The originals are at NARA - perhaps the microfilms are also in the Family History Library - I haven't checked yet and haven't yet tackled using their system, even though there is one right down the street from me.
A point of information re BLM records: Both John and Robert E's claims are filed with "Ann M". To clarify: there were two Ann M Stephensons: John (Jr) Stephenson's second wife, Ann/a Macon (Steger) and Robert Edelen Stephenson's wife, Ann/a Maria (Stephens/Stephenson).Here's a twist: the abstract of the donation land claim gives the latter's maiden name as being Stephens, not Stephenson. I give some weight to this, as the record was more contempory and information given by the applicants themselves with affidavits by people who had known them for some time. But everything else I've seen says Stephenson. However, spelling of names being more free-form then, it may just be a variation.
Family lore is that Robert E and Ann Maria were first cousins who fell in love while travelling in the same wagon train to Oregon, and got married shortly after they got here. Records confirm Robert E's arrival and their marriage date; however, records of emigrants on the wagon trains are incomplete, especially for females, and there were a lot of Stephenses in Oregon earlier than the Stephensons, so it's possible she was one of those. In this case, finding her parentage will only rule out her line as relevant to yours.
I found the post regarding the Stephenson family Bible:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/stephenson/messages/1787.htmlhttp://genforum.genealogy.com/stephenson/messages/1787.html
This post says the Bible is in possession of the Oregon Historical Society, but I wasn't able to find it in their online catalog. I emailed the librarian a couple of days ago, but haven't heard back. This may still be useful to you if it sheds any light on Mathew F's origin. I will let you know. The OHS does list a file on the Stephensons, which I will certainly review when I get there.
I have wondered about John being born in Monongalia County, VA too, but Fayette Co PA was part of VA's in Yohogania Co, not Monongalia. They are connected via the Monongahela River and trade/migration routes of the time, though. I presume John Sr had lived in Monongalia/Harrison Co, as there seems to be good evidence that he married Elizabeth Fleming from there per probate and land records (Chelledge's site), but I haven't found any records of his residence, their marriage, or the birth of children there. It's also possible they were married in Delaware before the Flemings moved to Virginia, but I haven't found a record of that. I did see a John Stevenson on a map of the Fairmont area. I have to remind myself of the county sequence: Monongalia was formed from Augusta, Harrison from Monongalia, Wood from Harrison. Right?
One more thought - have you thought about y-DNA testing? There is someone on the GenWeb Stephenson forum who has done quite a bit with y-DNA testing amongst the various Stephenson lines. Sounds like you are not in the male line - do you know anyone who is? I found two male Stephensons in my generation in my family tree, but they are distant cousins that I never met, and it looks to be quite a project to find out how to contact them.
I am not sure exactly what I will do in terms of a research trip. The state archives and library are free, but OHS and GFO are not, and I have to watch my budget very closely right now. I will try to get the most for my money. I am sure that whatever I am able to do, I will find out some interesting things.
Thanks for your interest and suggestions!I will let you know what I come up with in terms of Mathew F.
Margaret
More Replies:
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Mathew/Matthew Fleming Stephenson and John Stephenson (of Oregon) Bible
Margaret Murdock 7/28/10