WESSEX-PLUS-L Archives

Archiver > WESSEX-PLUS > 1999-11 > 0942274168-02


From: "Newell" <>
Subject: [WSX] James Stephens/Stevens, 1815 Wiltshire.
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 99 14:49:28 PST


Dear List

We have tried to find our great greatgrandfather James Stehpens/Stevens in Wiltshire for the past 15 years with no results. Any suggestions for research would be greatly appreciated.

James Stephens aged 35 years married Hannah Hilton aged 16 years in New South Wales, Australia in 1850 the spelling of the surname changed to Stevens, with the birth registration of their first child.

Our family story is that James Stephens/Stevens aged 27 years sailed to Australia on the same ship the Agnes Ewing in 1842, as his future wife Hannah Hilton and her family, Hannah Hilton who was aged seven years at the time, fell overboard and James Stephen/Stevens somehow saved her life and the family stayed intouch. James Stephens/ Stevens is not on the passenger lists for the Agnes Ewing are there records in England of the ships crews ?.

Apart from the marriage in 1850 we cannot find any earlier information on James Stephens/Stevens we have tried all shipping and convict records and come up with nothing.


All we have is what he wrote in the family bible, he stated that he was born in Devizies, Wiltshire, England in 1815. He may have come from a small village near Devizies are there particular parishes which I should look at, or any that were well known for growing oranges?

James Stevens purchased his own land at Camden in 1849 and became an orchardist where he grew oranges, he ran the orchard for many years up untill his death in 1909 at the age of 94. How many long living Stephens/ Stevens families are there around Devizies.

If somebody has lost a James Stephens/Stevens from Devizies I would like to hear from you.

His childrens names may be a clue: Mary Ann 1851, John 1852, James 1854, Robert 1856 Samual and William (twins) 1858, Hannah 1862, Henry 1864, Albert 1866, George 1868, Joseph 1870 and Jane 1872.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Rhonda Newell
Australia.

This thread: