JOSHUA STEPHENS, Sr., (3), the name now being changed, lived in what is now Berkes County, and probably in Union Township, near the David Stephens above mentioned. His children were:

6. JOSHUA, born in 1733, the immediate ancester of the family, and with whom the certain history of the family begins.

7. JOHN }

8. STEPHENS } Of these two brothers nothing is further known than that from a family tradition they "went South", whatever that means: "South" being an indefinite term from a standpoint in Berkes County. John was a tory during the Revolution. The existence of Stephens depends upon the testimony of Joshua Bowen Stephens of Hardin, Ohio, in a conversation with me there in 1886. To these three brothers Dr. John Wesley Stephens of State Line, Indiana, added a sister, in a letter to me, (182):

9. HETTY "who married a rich man named Humphrey, had liveried servants," etc. If so, they probably lived in Philadelphia.

JOSHUA STEPHENS, Jr., (6), was the founder of that particular line of the family of which we have any definite knowledge. His father was Joshua Stephens, (3), the immigrant ancestor, who settled in what is now Berkes County, Pennsylvania.

Berkes was then a "howling wilderness" full of Indians and wild beasts. It was here in 1733, that Joshua Stephens, Jr., was born. Neighbors were like Angel's visits, "few and far between". In Amity Township on the east lived Mordecai Lincoln, in A. D. 1725, the ancestor of the illustrious President. In Exeter Township to the north-east lived George Boone, in A. D. 1717, the ancestor of Daniel Boone, the celebrated pioneer of Kentucky. Our family tradition is that the Stephens and the Boones were intermarried, and it is known that the Boones and Lincolns formed such alliances. (See Century Magazine for November, 1886). Joshua became an expert in the use of the rifle. His early life was spent on his father's farm and in hunting, in which he became very proficient and for which he acquired considerable notoriety. Schools were scarce in those days and his literary education was probably poor. No writings of his are known to be in existence to-day. To his out-door life must be attributed the cause of his longevity, extending to a period of ninety years. He did not marry until he was 38 years of age. In 1771 he married Priscilla Humphreys. The fact that she was a member of the Seventh-day Baptist Church, who were then quite numerous in Chester County to the South of Berkes, and that his son E. D. Stephens was born in Chester, suggests that at an early date in his life Joshua left Berkes and settled in Chester, which he did at any rate, and lived not far from Valley Forge. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he identified himself with the patriot cause, and, according to the statement of his son, E. D. Stephens, was commissioned Captain of a Company of sharpshooters. During the famine of the American army in the winter of 1777-8 at Valley Forge, he hauled corn to relieve their distress. On one occasion he obtained a furlough to return home during harvest. With a Quaker and his brother John he was in the orchard gathering apples. The Quaker was up in the apple tree, picking fruit, and improved the opportunity to expostulate with Joshua over the wickedness of war, and arguing that Joshua should stay at home like his brother John, the tory. In the midst of his argument the Quaker fell out of the tree, and striking the ground violently, broke his neck, and was picked up dead. This was regarded as an act of Divine Judgment in favor of the war, and probably went far toward encouraging the despairing hearts of the patriots about them.

A few years after the war he moved with his family to a place "near the Warm Springs, Virginia," said E. D. Stephens. Whether this was the Warm Springs in Bath County, is hard to determine. "And then in a few years" said the same person, "to near LEXINGTON, (Carlisle) Kentucky." These residences are indefinitely located. "The Warm Springs" may have been in what is now KENAWHA County, West Virginia for there are such there, and according to Mr. Jordan, above quoted, they lived "near a river, in the vicinity of the residence of Daniel Boone," who lived in KENAWHA. (See Hale's "Trans-Allegheny Pioneers"). It was while here, said Jordan, that Boone was a frequent visitor to the place of Joshua, whom he invariably greeted as "Cousin." Just what the relationship was is unknown, but it undoubtedly existed. One evening Boone came to the Stephens' place, weary, and said "Twenty-one less." They understood from this laconic remark, that he referred to the number of Indians he had killed that day.

Joshua was accompanied or followed to "near Lexington" by two of his brothers-in-law, Joshua and Jonathan Humphreys. Here two of his sons left to find homes for themselves—David Humphreys, (10), who settled in Evansville, Indiana, and Silas, (14), who settled in Nashville, Tenn. Katie, (12), a daughter died in Kentucky at a tender age.

It was while in Kentucky that he knocked a Dutchman down for insulting his daughter Hannah, and dislocated his (Stephen's) thumb.

It must have been about 1798 when he decided to remove to near Chillicothe, Ohio, for that year his son, E. D. Stephens was fourteen years old, and was apprenticed to a tanner, which naturally was on his mother's death. This occured while they were on the Pickaway Plains, in Ohio. As they were travelling, the women of the party took off their shoes to walk on the cool grass on account of the heat. His wife was bitten by a copper-head snake, and shortly died, her body turning to the color of the snake.

JOSHUA STEPHENS, (6), was over six feet high, kept his face shaven smoothly, had blue eyes and dark hair, and was powerful physically, and kept a straight figure of his body until his death.—Statement of Joshua Stephens, (32).

JOSHUA STEPHENS, (6), a Revolutionary soldier and ancestor of the Stephens family, was born in Union Township, Berkes County, Penn., in 1733. John Stephens, (15), his son, father of Nancy Stephens Mitchell, was born in Chester County, Penn., Dec. 23, 1781. Union Township is separated from Amity and from Exeter Township by the Schuylkill River. In Exeter Township lived George Boone, A. D. 1717, ancestor of Daniel Boone, who intermarried with the Stephens. And in Amity Township lived Mordecai Lincoln, A. D. 1725, and probably also the Stephens. At an early date in his life, Joshua Stephens left Berkes County and settled in Chester County, not far from Valley Forge. His early life was spent on his father's farm in hunting. He was an expert rifleman, and his proficiency acquired for him considerable notoriety. In 1771, when he was thirty-eight years of age, he married Priscilla Humphreys, who was a Seventh-day Baptist. At the outbreak of the Revolutionary War Joshua Stephens, (6), identified himself with the patriot cause, and was commissioned by General Washington as Captain of a Company of Sharpshooters. During the famine of the American Army in the winter of 1777-8 at Valley Forge, he hauled corn from his farm to relieve their distress. On one occasion he was granted a furlough to return home during harvest.

A few years after the war he moved with his family to a place near Warm Springs, Virginia. After another few years to Lexington, Kentucky. While there, Daniel Boone was a frequent visitor and greeted him as "Cousin". About 1798, he decided to remove to near Chillicothe, Ohio, lived in either Ross County or Franklin County until about 1816, when he followed his two sons, John, (15), and E. D., (16), to Shelby County, where he lived with them on their farm near Hardin. His grand-children remember his old Revolutionary Army great coat and his stories of Revolutionary times. His love for the chase never forsook him. He attributes his longevity to his outdoor life. He was over six feet in height, kept his face smoothly shaved, had blue eyes and dark hair; was powerful physically and kept an erect figure till his death. He lived to be ninety years of age. He died in March, in 1823, on the farm of his son John, (15), near Hardin and was buried in the old Hardin graveyard.

JOSHUA STEPHENS, (6), lived in either Ross County or Franklin County until 1816, when he followed his two sons, John, (15), and E. D., (16), to Shelby County, where he lived with them on their farms near Hardin. His grand-children remember how the old gentlemen used to sit around the fire-place while they teased him by slyly pouring corn into the huge pockets of his old Revolutionary Army coat. Although over eighty years of age, the love of the chase never died, and he often took his old rifle and spectacles and sat by the old salt lick and waited for the deer which never came. (So said Richard Cannon, of Hardin, to me in 1886, who knew him well, and also spoke of his Revolutionary services). He died in March, 1823, on the farm of his son John, (15), near Hardin, and was buried in the old Hardin graveyard. The grave was identified to me in 1886, and marked by me then with a wooden head board. His children were: