William Stevenson (1768 - 1857)

Born 4 Oct 1768 in Near Station Ninety-six, South Carolina

Husband of Elizabeth Ann (Hoghland) Stevenson — married [date unknown] in Louisiana, United States [uncertain]

Husband of Jane Campbell — married 4 Feb 1794 in Greene, Tennessee, United States

Descendants

Died 5 Mar 1857 at age 88 in Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: L Junod [send private message]

William Stevenson was Born in South Carolina.

William Stevenson was member first Arkansas Territorial Legislature.

Biography

The Rev. William Stevenson was a nineteenth-century circuit riding preacher credited for preaching the first Protestant sermon in Texas (Pecan Point) and for helping to establish Methodism in Arkansas and northwestern Louisiana.

Born into a Presbyterian family in 1768 near Ninety-SIx, South Carolina, he converted to Methodism as a young adult and devoted the rest of his life to preaching, sharing the Gospel from horseback, from underneath shade trees, and from around campfires throughout many parts of territorial Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana. While living on a farm in the Bellevue Valley area of Missouri (about 1809-1817) Stevenson became friends with Stephen F. Austin, and wrote a first-hand account of the New Madrid earthquakes that rocked southern Missouri and northern Arkansas in 1811.

Stevenson and his wife Jane Campbell raised a family of 11 children, several of whom became circuit riders or married circuit riders. After their youngest son was born in Missouri in 1815, the family moved to a sparsely populated area of Arkansas (near Old Washington) where he continued to farm, to preach locally, and to ride the circuit. In 1820 he was elected to represent Hempstead County in the first Arkansas Territorial Legislature. Stevenson was chosen to be Speaker of the House but only served in this position briefly.

He later moved his family south to Claiborne Parish, Louisiana, where he helped grow the Methodist faith for more than 20 more years, passing away in March of 1857 after several years of declining health.

Find William's autobiography here: [1]

William is frequently confused with many other William Stevensons, including his nephew William B Stevenson (his brother James' son- their Claiborne Parish probate documents are mixed together) and William Blair Stevenson, believed to be unrelated.

Dozens of letters written in William's hand, and dozens of land transactions and other legal documents, all show his name as "William Stevenson" (or occasionally Stephenson) with no middle name ever used.

Y-DNA Testing

Stevenson - Stephenson Project FTDNA

As of 1 Jan 2024, William has two descendants whose Y-DNA tests of 37 markers or more place them in I-M253 (I1). In addition, three more men who are descendants of William's documented brother James and who have tested at 37 markers or more report the same I-M253 haplogroup.

An additional tester who traces to David Stephenson, a possible brother of William, and whose autosomal test matches most of the above men also reports an I-M253 haplogroup.

The above results suggest that William's haplogroup was likely I-M253.

More refined SNP testing groups several of the above testers into I-BY144497, believed to have formed 250-300 years ago, 1-3 generations before William's birth.

Do you know any Stevenson/Stephenson men who would be interested in Y-DNA testing? Here's a link to our Stevenson/Stephenson Y-DNA project at Family Tree DNA: [2]

Here's a link to William's Encylopedia of Arkansas profile [3]

The original GEDCOM import for this profile is courtesy of John Hiemstra, researcher.

Birth

Birth:

Date: 4 OCT 1768

Place: Near Station Ninety-six, South Carolina, USA^[1]

User ID

User ID: EFC17E7F3873AB4FB7B3239773B336D5A724

Residence

Residence:

Place: Tennessee^[2]

Note

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=21e82443-1f17-48cd-8316-05904cbba650&tid=2410046&pid=-88218715

William Stevenson and Texas

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=9d345ad1-4a0e-4d81-b5da-24a6b81fd1d9&tid=2410046&pid=-88218715

William Stevenson a Pioneer Preacher in Caliborne Parish, La

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=9a51784d-1414-470e-a5c8-30d41b6bec0c&tid=2410046&pid=-88218715

William Stevenson autobiography pg

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=7e1a9a8e-7347-4538-816a-afb3cb223fab&tid=2410046&pid=-88218715

Will of William Stevenson

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=a92749bc-a5ad-48bb-a10f-bc66d058a0e5&tid=2410046&pid=-88218715

Stevenson Preacher Pg 2

http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=image&guid=ff2496d5-3848-4afa-89be-e793a1101886&tid=2410046&pid=-88218715

Data Changed

Data Changed:

Date: 19 MAR 2010

Time: 07:36:52

Prior to import, this record was last changed 07:36:52 19 MAR 2010.

Marriage

Husband: William Stevenson

Wife: Jane Campbell

User ID: 6039D09E0048454480C33376736277748414

Child: Elisabeth Stevenson

Child: John W Stevenson

Child: Mary Stevenson

Child: Hugh Stevenson

Child: Sarah Ann Stevenson

Child: William Campbell Stevenson

Child: Nancy Stevenson

Child: James Porter Stevenson

Child: David Young Stevenson

Child: Jane Ann Stevenson

Child: Henry Walker Stevenson

Marriage:

Date: 4 FEB 1794

Place: Greene, Tennessee, United States^[3][4]

Sources

1. ↑ Source: #S11 Page: Source number: 1575.052; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: . Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=worldmarr_ga&h=1163933&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt3 _APID 7836::1163933 Data: Text: Birth date: 1768Birth place: SCMarriage date: 1794Marriage place: TN
2. ↑ Source: #S24 Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=tnstatemarriages&h=1577710&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt3 _APID 1169::1577710 Data: Text: Marriage date: 4 Feb 1794Marriage place: GreeneResidence date: Residence place: Tennessee
3. ↑ Source: #S24 Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=tnstatemarriages&h=1577710&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt3 _APID 1169::1577710 Data: Text: Marriage date: 4 Feb 1794Marriage place: GreeneResidence date: Residence place: Tennessee
4. ↑ Source: #S11 Page: Source number: 1575.052; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: . Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=worldmarr_ga&h=1163933&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt3 _APID 7836::1163933 Data: Text: Birth date: 1768Birth place: SCMarriage date: 1794Marriage place: TN

• WikiTree profile Stevenson-768 created through the import of Hiemstra_Dyer Family Tree.ged.ged on Oct 25, 2011 by John Hiemstra. See the Changes page for the details of edits by John and others.

• Source: S11 Repository: #REPO1 Title: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Author: Yates Publishing Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004.Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was deri Abbreviation: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Note: 1 _APID 7836::0 Master Listing Source: Y Page: Source number: 1575.052; Source type: Family group sheet, FGSE, listed as parents; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: . Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=worldmarr_ga&h=1163933&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt3 _APID 7836::1163933 Data: Text: Birth date: 1768Birth place: SCMarriage date: 1794Marriage place: TN

• Repository: REPO1 Name: Ancestry.com Address: http://www.Ancestry.com

• Source: S24 Repository: #REPO1 Title: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.Original data - Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville, TN, USA: Tennessee State Library and Archives. Microfilm.Original data: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002. Nashville Abbreviation: Tennessee State Marriages, 1780-2002 Note: 1 _APID 1169::0 Master Listing Source: Y Note: http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=sse&db=tnstatemarriages&h=1577710&ti=0&indiv=try&gss=pt3 _APID 1169::1577710 Data: Text: Marriage date: 4 Feb 1794Marriage place: GreeneResidence date: Residence place: Tennessee

• "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCJQ-5X2 : 12 April 2016), Wm Stephenson, Claiborne parish, part of, Claiborne, Louisiana, United States; citing family 644, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

• Ted A. Campbell, ed., The Autobiography of William Stevenson (Dallas, TX: Bridwell Library, 2015; ISBN 0-941881-41-5). This autobiography that Ted Campbell edited was originally published in the New Orleans Christian Advocate.

• "William Stevenson - Riding Preacher" Author Walter N. Vernon, Southern Methodist University Press, 1964, Dallas, TX.