| Name |
William Stevens |
| Suffix |
(immigrant) |
| Birth |
1630 |
Buckinghamshire, England  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Immigration |
1664 |
| Property |
1665 |
Rehoboth Plantation, Pokemoke, Somerset Co, Maryland |
- William Stevens - Rehoboth Plantation
THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
The Pocomoke River rises in southern Delaware, forms a part of the eastern boundary of Somerset County, Maryland, and empties into Pocomoke Sound, an inlet of Chesapeake Bay. On the banks of this stream, not far from the mouth, Colonel William Stevens, a native of Buckinghamshire, England, located in 1665, taking out a patent on what he called the Rehoboth plantation, the name being chosen from Genesis 26:22. " And he called the name of it Rehoboth. And he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in this land." When Somerset County was organized he was made Judge of the County Court. He also became a member of " His Lordship's Councill," and was one of the Deputy Lieutenants of the Province.
As the years passed many followed Colonel Stevens to Somerset County, in search of religious freedom. Scotch, Scotch-Irish, French, and Quakers were represented in the village that was known at first as Pocomoke Town, though later it was called Rehoboth. Many of these settlers were Presbyterians, who had lost their property through persecution.
In 1672 the Grand Jury, encouraged by Judge Stevens, asked Rev. Robert Maddux to preach at four points in the county. One of these points was the plantation house at Rehoboth. The next year George Fox, the Quaker, was in the community. He also preached in his famous " leather breeches " at Colonel Stevens' plantation, to a great congregation of several thousand whites and Indians. A Quaker monthly meeting followed.
The number of Presbyterians increased to such an extent that in 1680 Colonel Stevens asked the Presbytery of Laggan in Ireland for a godly minister to gather the band of exiles into a church. Francis Makemie was sent as a result. Soon Rehoboth Church was organized by him, as well as a number of other churches in the neighborhood. The exact date of the beginning of Rehoboth Church is uncertain, but it is probable that the first building was erected about 1683.
For some years Makemie travelled from place to place, preaching and organizing churches as he went, but from 1699 to 1708, except in 1704 and 1705, when he visited Europe, he lived in the neighborhood and preached at Rehoboth whenever he was at home.
When it became necessary to erect a new church building, he decided to have this on his own land, because of Maryland's intolerant laws. This building, which is still in use, dates from 1706, the year when its builder assisted in organizing the first Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church at Philadelphia.
Makemie's name will ever be connected with the struggle for religious liberty. He had a certificate from the court that permitted him to preach in the Province of Maryland, but he had many trying experiences in spite of this fact. His congregation groaned under the necessity of paying taxes to support the rectors of three neighboring parishes.
The greatest trial was not in Maryland, but in New York, where he spent a portion of 1706 and 1707. His experiences there should be familiar to all who are interested in the struggle for religious liberty in America.
The story is told in a curious document written by Makemie himself, which was printed in New York in 1707, under the title " A Particular Narrative of the Imprisonment of two Non-Conformist Ministers; and Prosecution & Tryal of one of them, for Preaching one Sermon in the city of New-York. By a Learner of Law and Lover of Liberty."
The warrant for the arrest of the " criminal " was addressed to Thomas Cordale, Esqr., High-Sheriff of Queens County on Long-Island, or his Deputy, and was signed by Lord Cornbury. It read :
" Whereas I am informed, that one Mackennan, and one Hampton, two Presbyterian Preachers, who lately came to this City, have taken upon them to Preach in a Private House, without having obtained My Licence for so doing, which is directly contrary to the known Laws of England, and being likewise informed, that they are gone into Long-Island, with intent there to spread their Pernicious Doctrines and Principles, to the great disturbance of the Order by Law established by the Government of this province. You are therefore hereby Required and Commanded, to take into your Custody the Bodies of the said Mackennan and Hampton, and then to bring them with all convenient speed before me, at Fort-Anne, in New-York."
When brought before Lord Cornbury, Makemie said : " We have Liberty from an Act of Parliament, made the first year of the Reign of King William and Queen Mary, which gave us Liberty, with which Law we have complied."
But Lord Cornbury replied : " No one shall Preach in my Government without my Licence. . . . That Law does not extend to the American Plantations, but only to England. . . I know, for I was at Making there-of. . . . That Act of Parliament was made against Strowling Preachers, and you are such, and shall not Preach in my Government."
Makemie again challenged Lord Cornbury to show " any Pernicious Doctrine in the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church." Later he refused to give " Bail and Security to Preach no more."
" Then you must go to Gaol," his Lordship said.
On January 23 another warrant was given to the High Sheriff of New York. He was told " to safely keep till further orders " the prisoners committed to him.
From the prison Makemie sent a petition asking to know the charge, and demanding a speedy trial. Later the prisoner was released on habeas corpus proceedings.
At the trial, where Makemie conducted his own de-fence, he read Chapter 23 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, as a complete reply to the charge that he believed what incited the people to disregard the authority of the king.
The jury brought in a verdict of " not guilty," but Makemie was obliged to pay the costs, including the fees of the Court Prosecutor, which amounted to twelve pounds. The total cost of the trial, including the expense of a trip from his home in Maryland, made necessary by a recess in the trial, was more than eighty pounds.
A few months later Makemie died. It was felt by those who knew him that the trying experiences at New York hastened his end.
He had not lived in vain. His struggles for religious liberty were to bear rich fruit before many years.
Henry van Dyke wrote a sonnet to the memory of Francis Makemie, which was read on May 14, 1908, when the monument to the memory of the pioneer was unveiled :
"To thee, plain hero of a rugged race,
We bring a meed of praise too long delayed!
Thy fearless word and faithful work have made
Of God's Republic a firmer resting-place
In this New World : for thou hast preached the grace
And power of Christ in many a forest glade,
Teaching the truth that leaves men unafraid
Of frowning tyranny or death's dark face.
" Oh, who can tell how much we owe to thee,
Makemie, and to labor such as thine,
For all that makes America the shrine
Of faith untrammelled and of conscience free?
Stand here, grey stone, and consecrate the sod
Where rests this brave Scotch-Irish man of God."
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles15/shrines-45.shtml
__
On a recent research trip to Maryland and Virginia I had the opportunity to stand in a place that
that is important in the history of my family. The Rehoboth plantation was established in the mid 17 century on the Eastern Shore of Maryland just north of the border with Virginia. I have ancestors who were part of a Puritan community which traveled by boat on Sundays from their Virginia plantations to worship at Rehoboth. Services were held in the home of the owner of the plantation, a Puritan named William Stevens. Stevens named his plantation for an incident from the story of Isaac in Genesis 26. Isaac is a refuge in the land of the Philistines and is encountering opposition when he digs the wells needed to sustain his family and his animals. Finally he digs a well at a place where no one protests and he names it Rehoboth saying, "Now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the
land (Genesis 26:22)." Stevens named his plantation Rehoboth because he saw it as the place where
religious dissenters in Maryland and Virginia could find room to worship God.
It was this worshiping community at Rehoboth plantation that wrote to Presbyteries in Ireland
asking for a minister. In 1683 Francis Makemie answered that call and came to Rehoboth plantation to live in William Stevens' home and preach to the people who worshiped there. During the next 25 years Makemie traveled all through the colonies pursuing business and church activities. But Rehoboth was the one place to which he always returned. The worshiping community there had welcomed him to America and had remained his solid rock of support and a primary source of spiritual identity
After William Stevens' death the worshiping community of Rehoboth did not have a permanent building in which to gather. The people met in private homes and may have had a temporary building for a short time. In the early 1700s Makemie led an effort to build a permanent church at Rehoboth. At this time there was less religious freedom in Maryland and permission to build a new church had to be secured from the Bishop of London. When the Bishop did not respond, Makemie took matters in his own hands. By this time Makemie had become a wealthy merchant. So he bought the land and personally financed the building of the church using the best English bricks that could be secured in 1706.
The building stands today and is a beautifully maintained worship space called the Rehoboth Presbyterian Church. It is an expression of the gratitude of a man who was rooted in faith. Makemie understood how much he owed to the community which had made room for him in that place (I. Marshall Page, The Life Story of Rev. Francis Makemie, pages 138142).
We stand on that kind of solid ground. By God's grace, we, too, can sink deep roots of gratitude and faith.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:fIk6zZ1tgQAJ:www.wpcspi.org/pdf/Rooted%2520in%2520Faith.pdf+rehoboth,+stevens,+maryland&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShs9fn8sT6okCp4UP6onfUVDhj2W8fIIzuTYysRuRsMwNMxEWNhC0Da9tpcW3KnVQVOkrYIpHoWtJLW2TToLphDdPS4O95HaxdzW4X0BYODUrDxHr36vSe4UA4f8xB-3o_7RwDU&sig=AHIEtbRUvEZB8hxp6u2DWlLPijehRAfrFw
----
historical Marker:
Rehoboth
("There is Room")
By William Pfingsten, November 23, 2007
1. Rehoboth Marker
Inscription.
5 miles
1000 acres surveyed 1665 for
Col. William Stevens,
member of Governor's Council,
through whose influence
Francis Makemie
came to Maryland and established
Presbyterianism in the State. On this
same tract stood the Episcopal
Church of Coventry Parish.
Erected by State Roads Commission.
Location. 38° 5.237? N, 75° 36.433? W. Marker is in Pocomoke City, Maryland, in Somerset County. Marker is at the intersection of US 13 and MD 667, on the right on US 13. Marker is in this post office area: Pocomoke City MD 21851, United States of America.
Other nearby markers: At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies....
Rehoboth Prespbyterian Church (approx 4.4 miles away)
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=3880
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3883
|
 |
Rehoboth Presbyterian Church marker
Location. 38° 2.713′ N, 75° 40.118′ W. Marker is in Westover, Maryland, in Somerset County. Marker is at the intersection of MD 667 Rehoboth Road and Coventry Parish Road, on the right when traveling south on MD 667 Rehoboth Road. Marker is at or near this postal address: 31330 Rehoboth Road, Westover MD 21871, United States of America.
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=3880 |
 |
Rehoboth Church
1000 acres surveyed 1665 for
Col. William Stevens,
member of Governor's Council,
through whose influence
Francis Makemie
came to Maryland and established
Presbyterianism in the State. On this
same tract stood the Episcopal
Church of Coventry Parish.
Location. 38° 5.237′ N, 75° 36.433′ W. Marker is in Pocomoke City, Maryland, in Somerset County. Marker is at the intersection of US 13 and MD 667, on the right on US 13. Marker is in this post office area: Pocomoke City MD 21851, United States of America.
http://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=3883 |
| Property |
24 Nov 1679 |
Beckford Plantation, Pocomoke Hundred, Somerset Co, Maryland |
| rent roll |
- 24 Nov 1679: "Beckford", Pocomoke Hundred, Somerset Co., Maryland, 500 acres from William Stevens of Pocomoke River, E. Princess Ann, Election District 15. Rent Roll 1666-1723 it was possessed by Peter DENT
|
| Death |
23 Dec 1687 |
Rehoboth, Somerset Co, Maryland |
| Burial |
23 Dec 1687 |
Rehoboth, Somerset Co, Maryland (tomb still there) |
- photo of Wm Stevens grave:
Grave of Col. William Stevens
Rehoboth Presbyterian Cemetery, Somerset County, MD Here lyeth the body of William Stevens, Esq. who departed this life the 23 of December 1687 Age 57 years. He was 22 years Judge of this County Court, one of His Lordships Council, and one of ye Deputy Lieutenants of this Province of Maryland. VIVII POST FVNERA VIRIVS Recut 1886
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3883
|
 |
Stevens, William, Esq.
Rehoboth Presbyterian Cemetery, Somerset County, MD
Here lyeth the body of William Stevens, Esq. who departed this life the 23 of December 1687 Age 57 years. He was 22 years Judge of this County Court, one of His Lordships Council, and one of ye Deputy Lieutenants of this Province of Maryland. VIVII POST FVNERA VIRIVS Recut 1886
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=3883 |
| Will |
26 Mar 1688 |
Rehoboth, Pocomoke, Somerset Co, Maryland |
- William Stevern,
Rehoboth, Pocomoke, Somerset Co.,
29 Aug 1687-26 Mar 1688
To Sarah White, Widow, Plantatin during life which "she now lives on."
To Sevens White so fo sd Sarah and hrs sd plantation at her death; also property on which testator lived adn "The Points".
To John White's child. and their hers. 200 a (unamed) in common.
To cous. William White a ndhrs 500 a (unnamed).
To Cous Eliza: White and hrs 500a "Cedar Hall"
To 3 young daus of sister White vis Tabitha, Priscilla & Sarah (personalty).
To Edward (or Edmund) Howard and his son, William Stevens Howard and hrs.land;
To George sec son of Edmond (Edward) Howard, land; Benjamin
keysar 300 a part of "Rich Ridge" and personalty in Rehoboth Town.
To wife Eliza; extx dower rights and to hold land bequeathed to Stevens White Afsd during life.
Test Philip Hammon, Thos Prunell, Henry Scafield.
|
| Research Notes |
23 Mar 2017 |
| relationships |
- Much speculation to relationship of William Stevens to Edmund Howard and his son William Stevens Howard, to whom William Stevens willed to them part of "Entrance" and "Rehoboth Plantation."
This is best guess:
probable relation of John White and William Stevens to Edmund & son Wm Stevens Howard:
Edmund Howard's mother believed to be sister to George Keyser Jr. so...
George Keyser Sr.
George Keyser Jr.
.....Sarah Keyser White (John's wife)
.....Elizabeth Keyser Stevens (William Stevens' wife)
sister (FNU) to George Keyser believed to be Edmund Howard's mom
......Edmund Howard
........ William Stevens Howard
(John White's wife's cousin)
John White's will states Cousin William Stevens
Howard personalty.
|
| Notes |
- findagrave:
"William Stevens described himself as 'formerly of London, Ironmonger now of Somerset County in the Province of Maryland Esquire.' Stevens operated three plantations, kept a store, and speculated in land. In 1679 he became a member of the Governor's Council, he was a Judge of the Somerset County Court for 22 Years and died in 1687, after adding the title Esquire to his other dignities and hundreds of pounds to his pocketbook"
Burial:
Rehobeth Presbyterian Cemetery
Rehobeth
Somerset County
Maryland, USA
Family links:
Parents:
Richard Stephens (1602 - 1636) [sic]
Elizabeth STEPHENS Piersey Harvey (1609 - 1646)
Siblings:
John Stephens (1627 - 1700)*
Samuel Stephens (1629 - 1670)**
William Stevens (1630 - 1687)
note: Maryland bio says:
FATHER: John Stevens of Liebourne, Buckinghamshire, England.
BROTHER: Richard (??1667).
-------
1664 Arrived late in 1664 or early 1665 to the Eastern Shore. Took an active part in the affairs of the settlement, while the exercise of his abilities through the 22 years of his residence at Rehoboth on the Pocomoke River won for him the unquestioned honor of "first citizen of Somerset." 2/23/1665, 8/25/1665, 8/22/1666 Named in the Commission of Peace 7/18/1665
Rehoboth surveyed for William STEVENS (100 acres) 12/11/1665 Commissioner 8/22/1666
Designated as one of the 3 "judges" of the court. The office of a judge (and frequently presiding judge) he continued to occupy until his death in 1687 (22 years).
Apptd commr 5/31/1667
Registered cattle mark; "Mr" 4/13/1669
Delegate to Assembly Elected, and returned, as the 1st representative from Somerset county, to the Lower House of the General Assembly of Maryland, which was convened 4/13/1669. Elected again in 1678 & 1679. The office of a member of Lord Baltimore's council for Maryland was held throughout the remainder of his life.
11/20/1669 Snow Hill surveyed for William STEVENS (500 Acres)
1671 Liberal attitude towards the various expressions of religious belief. Encouraged the "county evangelistic" preaching of Robert MADDOX (denomination unknown) by establishing 1 of 4 preaching stations at his home.
3/11/1675 O'seer Rds Pocomoke;
Under Sheriff 5/15/1676 Delegate to Assembly
12/3/1676 Ellis's Lott assigned to John ELLIS by William STEVENS, 50 acres
11/1/1678 Tobacco List; "Mr"
11/4/1678 Registered cattle mark; planter
1680 Petitioned the Presbytery of Laggan, in the north of Ireland, to send a "godly minister" of Presbyterian faith and order to Somerset County (at the same time as he proscribed to the Church of England). As a result, in 1683, Reverend Francis MAKEMIE was sent to Somerset County.
11/13/1683 President commr; Col. 1684 one of the Lieutenant Deputies for Maryland
When Charles, Lord Baltimore left for England in 1684 to defend his charter before the Privy Council, he made his son, Benedict Leonard CALVERT, governor of the province. Since, however, Benedict Leonard was a minor, the Proprietary appointed a board of Deputy Governors. William STEVENS was named as one of these Deputy Governors. 8/29/1687 Agreement w/ William Stevens
Also held the rank of colonel, commanding the cavalry force of Somerset and Dorechester counties. Engaged in large real estate and merchandising ventures, through which he built up a handsome fortune. by patent and purchase he obtained thousands of acres of land in Somerset County, disposing by sale of large quantities and increasing his wealth. To all appearance he was a wise investor. Facetiously he has been called "the Land Office of the Eastern Shore." Designed as "merchant" in the records of Somerset.
Born and bred a member of the Church of England; continued to be a "Churchman" up to May, 1682, when he signed a defence of the policies of the Roman Catholic Lord Proprietor of Maryland, subscribing himself as "professing the gospell of Jesus Christ, according to the Littury of the Church of England and Protestants against the Doctrine and Practice of the Church of Rome..."
Text: Pages 326-329, 461-462
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Vol 2, 1662-1772, Page 50
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Vol 2, 1662-1772, Page 57
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Vol 1, Page 98
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Vol 1, Page 60
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Pages 326-329
Text: Pages 326-329, 461-462
Text: Pages 326-329
TOB: Y
SOM: Y
Change Date: 1 MAR 2003
Father: John STEVENS
Marriage 1 Elizabeth (Betty) KEYSER
Sources:
1 Type: Rent Rolls
Place: Somerset Co, Maryland
Text: Vol 2, 1662-1772, Page 57
2 Type: Book
Title: Old Somerset on the Eastern Shore of Maryland
Author: Clayton Torrence
Text: Pages 461-462
3 Type: Book
Title: Old Somerset on the Eastern Shore of Maryland
Author: Clayton Torrence
Text: Pages 326-329, 461-462
4 Type: Book
Title: Old Somerset on the Eastern Shore of Maryland
Author: Clayton Torrence
5 Type: Book
Title: They Lived In Somerset: 17th Century Marylanders
Author: Wilmer O Lankford
Publication: Manokin Press, Princess Anne, MD
Date: 1990
6 Type: Rent Rolls
Place: Somerset Co, Maryland
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=kcgoodman&id=I6021
____
Google Book - info about Priscilla Holloway, possible first wife of William Stevens, -- if this William Stevens lived in Virginia before going to Maryland. Nonetheless, an interesting story and surmise.
http://books.google.com/books?id=1KvkiaQks-kC&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=rehoboth,+william+stevens&source=bl&ots=z6QBaNp5rs&sig=k5jBfbfFWDywg7peRA9t8CnDle0&hl=en&ei=43CRS9eWA43WNc3o6KEN&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CBkQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=rehoboth%2C%20william%20stevens&f=true
---------
http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001100/001186/html/1186bio.html
Archives of Maryland
(Biographical Series)
William Stevens (1630-1687)
MSA SC 3520-1186
Biography:
STEVENS (STEPHENS), WLLLIAM (1630-1687).
BORN: in 1630 in Buckinghamshire, England; eldest son.
IMMIGRATED: by 1665 as a free adult from Northampton County, Virginia, where he had settled by 1664/65.
RESIDED: at "Rehoboth," Pocomoke Hundred, Somerset County.
FAMILY BACKGROUND.
FATHER: John Stevens of Liebourne, Buckinghamshire, England.
BROTHER: Richard (??1667).
MARRIED Elizabeth (??ca. 1695), probably the daughter of George Keyser. Her brother was probably Benjamin (??1691?i. Her sister was probably Sarah, who married John White (??1685). Elizabeth subsequently married Ca. 1689 George Layfield (??1703).
CHILDREN: Died without progeny.
PRIVATE CAREER. EDUCATION: literate.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican, but was largely responsible for introduction of Presbyterian ministers into Somerset County and was also a close friend of Quakers.
SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Mr., by 1666; Gent., by 1676; Esq., by 1679; brought two others on arrival in Maryland; one of the few Protestants appointed to high provincial office by Charles Calvert, 3rd Lord Baltimore (1637?1714/15).
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: called ?tormerly of London, ironmonger,? 1687; planter; merchant; land speculator.
PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Somerset County, 1669, 1676?1678 (AcCounts 1; appointed to the Council by the 3rd session of the 1676?1682 Assembly); Upper House, 1681?1682 (appointed by the 3rd session of the
1676-1782 Assembly; Accounts 3), 1682?1684 (Accounts 1, 2; Laws, chairman 3), 1686 (died before the 2nd session of the 1686-1688 Assembly).
OTHER PROVINCIAL OFFICES: Council, 1679? 1687; justice, Provincial Court, 1679?1687; Board of Deputy Governors, 1684?1687.
LOCAL OFFICES: quorum justice of the Eastern Shore, 1665? 1666; justice, Somerset County, 1666?1687 (quorum); coroner, Somerset County, 1666; keeper of weights and measures, Somerset County, 1671.
MILITARY SERVICE: commander of horse, Somerset and Dorchester counties, 1681-1687; colonel. 1681?1687.
STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: valued proprietary supporter who was influential in settling the Eastern Shore for the Lords Baltimore.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: Ca. 3,000 acres. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: sold 2,000 acres, 1670.
WEALTH AT DEATH.
DIED: on December 23, 1687, in Somerset County.
PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, at least £468. 12.10, plus 467,070 pounds of tobacco, 5,120 feet of plank, 5,688 pounds of pork, and £297.17.8 in debts due the estate (including 3 servants, 10 slaves, 20 books, plate worth £19.90, and goods and livestock found in 4 plantation houses and 1 townhouse).
LAND: over 1,000 acres.
Source: Papenfuse, Edward C., et al. A Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature 1635-1789, Vol. I, I-Z. (Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1985).
http://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001100/001186/html/1186bio.html
This information resource of the Maryland State Archives is presented here for fair use in the public domain. When this material is used, in whole or in part, proper citation and credit must be attributed to the Maryland State Archives. PLEASE NOTE: Rights assessment for associated source material is the responsibility of the user.
|
| Person ID |
I24692 |
Roots |
| Last Modified |
23 Mar 2017 |
1630 - 1687 (57 years)
