Ebenezer Stevens (1751 - 1823)

Born 11 Aug 1751 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Lucretia (Ledyard) Stevens — married 4 May 1784 in New York City, New York, USA

Descendants

Died 2 Sep 1823 at age 72 in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York, United States

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Biography

Lieutenant Colonel Ebenezer Stevens served with Rhode Island Militia during the American Revolution.

Ebenezer Stevens is a DAR Patriot Ancestor, A108796.

Ebenezer Stevens (August 11, 1751, Roxbury, Massachusetts [1] - September 2, 1823, Rockaway, New York [2]) was a lieutenant colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolution 1775-1783, 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment -Ebenezer Stevens Corp of Artillery, a major general in the New York state militia, and a New York City merchant.

His first wife was Rebecca Hodgden. They married in Providence, Rhode Island, on October 11, 1774. He married secondly on 4 May 1784 in New York City to Lucretia Ledyard (22 February 1756 - 2 July 1846). He is the father of banker John Austin Stevens and surgeon Alexander Hodgdon Stevens.

Ebenezer Stevens was a participant in what became known as the Boston Tea Party. A member of the Sons of Liberty, he began his career in Paddock's Artillery Company along with the likes of Paul Revere and Thomas Crafts.[3] Together with other members of the company, and under the leadership of Jabez Hatch, he participated in the Boston Tea Party.

Not long after the Boston Tea Party he moved to Rhode Island and there, upon receiving news of the Battle of Lexington, volunteered for the Continental Army. He was commissioned as a first lieutenant in the Company of Rhode Island Artillery in May 1775, and fought in the Battle of Bunker Hill under Major General Nathanael Greene.[1] He was promoted to major of the Independent Battalion of Artillery on November 9, 1776.

Ebenezer was selected by George Washington to raise battalions against Quebec, Canada. Ebenezer was present at the surrender of the British General Burgoyne at Saratoga, New York, on October 17, 1777. He served under the French general the Marquis de Lafayette in Virginia with distinction.

On November 24, 1778 he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Lamb's Continental Artillery Regiment (later the 2nd Continental Artillery Regiment) to rank from April 30, 1778. In 1781 he was one of the artillery commanders at the Siege of Yorktown. He was discharged from the Army in June 1783.

Adding: ( Noted one day difference in date of birth) Maj. Gen. Ebenezer4 Stevens (Ebenezer , Erasmus , Erasmus) was born on 12 Aug 1751 at Boston, MA. He married first Rebecca Hodgdon, daughter of Benjamin Hodgdon and Rebecca Marshall, on 11 Oct 1774 at Providence, RI. He married second Lucretia Ledyard, daughter of John Ledyard and Mary Austin, on 4 May 1784 at New York, NY, her 2nd husband. Ebenezer died on 2 Sep or 5 Sep 1823 at Rockaway, NY, at age 72.. He was buried at Astoria, NY. He was a merchant. He was a Lt. Col. during the Revolutionary War in Nov 1778. He was a Major General of militia during the War of 1812.

He left a will on 26 Feb 1820 at New York, NY; proved 3 May 1824.

Rebecca Hodgdon died on 7 Oct 1783 at West Point, NY. Known children of Maj. Gen. Ebenezer4 Stevens and Rebecca Hodgdon were as follows:

1) Elizabeth Stevens was born in Jul 1775 at Providence, RI. She died on 1 Jun 1777 at Boston, MA, at age 1.

2) Gen. Horatio Gates Stevens was born on 19 Sep 1778 at Stamford, CT. He married Eliza Lucille Rhinelander, daughter of William Rhinelander and Mary Elizabeth Robert. He died on 16 Jun 1873 at New York, NY, at age 94. He was a Major General of the New York state militia.

3) Rebecca Hodgdon Stevens was born on 24 Nov 1780 at New Windsor, NY. She married John Peter Schermerhorn, son of Peter Schermerhorn and Elizabeth Bussing, on 27 May 1802 at New York, NY. She died on 1 Jun 1815 at age 34.

4) George Alexander Stevens was born on 21 Sep 1782 at West Point, NY. He died in 1807; at sea, unmarried.

Second wife: Lucretia Ledyard was born on 22 Feb 1756 at Hartford, CT. She married Richardson Sands, son of John Sands and Elizabeth Cornell, in 1777 at Philadelphia, PA; 1st husband. She died on 2 Jul 1846 at Astoria, NY, at age 90. Known children of Maj. Gen. Ebenezer4 Stevens and Lucretia Ledyard all born at New York, NY, were as follows:

5) Samuel Stevens was born on 14 Mar 1785. He died on 25 Nov 1844 at New York, NY, at age 59; unmarried. He was a lawyer. He was graduated in 1805 at Yale College, New Haven, CT. 6) William Stevens was born on 4 May 1787. He died on 1 Nov 1867 at Poughkeepsie, NY, at age 80; unmarried.

7) Dr. Alexander Hodgdon Stevens was born on 4 Sep 1789. He married Mary Jane Bayard, daughter of John Murray Bayard and Margaret; 1st wife. He married Catherine Morris, daughter of James Morris and Helen Van Cortland, on 29 Apr 1835; 2nd wife. He married Phebe Coles Lloyd, daughter of John Nelson Lloyd and Phebe Coles; 3rd wife. He died on 30 Mar 1869 at New York, NY, at age 79. He was a surgeon. He was graduated in 1807 at Yale College, New Haven, CT. He was graduated in 1811 at The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; M.D.

8) Byam Kerby Stevens was born on 20 Apr 1792. He married Frances Gallatin, daughter of Albert Gallatin and Hannah Nicholson, on 6 Apr 1830 at New York, NY. He died on 15 Feb 1870 at age 77. He was graduated in 1811 at Yale College, New Haven, CT.

9) John Austin Stevens was born 22 Jan 1795; married Abigail Perkins Weld.

10) Henry Hewgill Stevens was born on 28 Feb 1797. He married Caroline Clarkson Crosby, daughter of William Bedlow Crosby and Harriet Ashton Clarkson, on 9 Nov 1836 at New York, NY. He died on 6 Oct 1869 at Poughkeepsie, NY, at age 72. He was a merchant at New York, NY.

11. Mary Lucretia Stevens was born on 16 Apr 1798. She married Frederic William Rhinelander, son of William Rhinelander and Mary Elizabeth Robert, on 10 May 1823 at New York, NY. She died on 26 Aug 1877 at Newport, RI, at age 79.

Sources

• Drake, Francis Samuel. Tea Leaves, Being a collection of letters and documents relating to the shipment of tea to the American colonies in the year 1773, by the East India Tea Company (A. O. Crane, Boston, 1884) Page 165-6.
• Wikipedia: Ebenezer_Stevens
• Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/), "Record of Ebenezer Stevens", Ancestor # A108796.
• http://www.ourfamtree.org/browse.php/Ebenezer-Stevens/f336784

See also:

Boston Tea Party Participant Biographies (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2023. Ebenezer Stevens