Phineas Stevens (1716 - 1755)

Born 13 May 1716 in Andover, Essex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Husband of Jane (Gerrish) Stevens — married 30 Jun 1741 in Haverhill, Essex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Husband of Sarah (Sanders) Varney — married 30 Jun 1747 in Haverhill, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 19 Jan 1755 at age 38 in Boscawen, Merrimack, Province of New Hampshire

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Cameron Little [send private message]

Biography

Phineas Stevens graduated from Harvard in 1734 and later completed the A.M. degree.^[1] In October 1740, Rev. Phineas Stevens was selected as the first minister of Boscawen with a first-year salary of £135. He also received one one-hundred-and-fourth share of the land in the town.^[2]

Being the minister did not prevent Rev. Stevens from fulfilling military duties. He served as private in the militia company of Capt. Ebenezer Eastman from 14 November 1747 to 9 May 1748. This was one of the scouting companies that spent several months at a time scouting the frontier during the period of the French wars. This was also a period of hostilities with the Indians. Caesar, a slave of Phineas, was killed by Indians on 4 May 1746.^[3]

The administration of Phineas’s estate was granted to his widow Sarah on 11 February 1755. Accounting included providing support for four minor children: daughter Sarah for four months and children John, Phineas, and Abigail. Estate division was on 20 November 1771. The dower thirds were set off to James Varney and Sarah his wife who was the widow of Stevens. Distribution was made to eldest son John, Phinehas Stevens the other surviving son, Abigail Eames one of the daughters, to daughter Sarah, and to Jane Hill the other daughter.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Harvard University. 1905. Quinquennial Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. p 138
2. ↑ Coffin, Charles Carleton. 1878. The History of Boscawen and Webster [N.H.] from 1733 to 1878. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association. p 29; https://archive.org/details/historyofboscawe00coff
3. ↑ Coffin, Charles Carleton. 1878. The History of Boscawen and Webster [N.H.] from 1733 to 1878. Concord, NH: Republican Press Association. p 246, p 305
4. ↑ New Hampshire State Papers, volume 35, pp 227-230. New Hampshire State Papers at this link: https://sos.nh.gov/archives-vital-records-records-management/archives/publications-collections/new-hampshire-state-papers/

• "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FHLK-4Y2 : 13 July 2016), Phinehas Stevens and Jane Gerrish, 24 Nov 1741; citing Marriage, Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 886,203.

• Little, George. The Descendants of George Little, Who Came to Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1640 (The Author, Auburn, Maine, 1882) Page 19

• The History of Boscawen and Webster, From 1733-1878, Coffin, Charles C., Concord, N.H., 1878 Page 22, 28, 72

• Price, Ebenezer. A Chronological Register of Boscawen (J.B. Moore, Boscawen, N.H., 1828) Page 45.