Stephens Family of north Georgia and western NC and SC
My Stephens ancestors are believed to have been in Gloucestershire, England as early as the 1500’s. By 1645, William Stephens was born in York Co, VA. By 1704, when John Stephens was born, the family was in Perquimans Co, NC, and then later Jones Co. I personally have not done the research on these older generations. However, starting with Joseph Stephens who was born ca. 1740 in Carteret Co, NC, the records are pretty thorough.
Throughout the 1700’s the family migrated through the NC counties of Carteret and Chatham, before moving south to Pendleton District, SC by the early 1800’s. This is where Samuel H. Stephens died in 1824.
By the mid 1800’s, James Stephens moved the family to north GA along the NC border. My branch of the Stephens family remained in these border counties of Towns Co, GA and Union Co, GA as well, and sometimes across the line into NC. I have five (5) generations of Stephens ancestors buried in Towns and Union Counties, GA – from James Stephens (d. 1865) all the way forward to my grandmother, Wilma Stephens Patterson (d. 1991).
(front row, left to right) Exie Stephens, Wilma Stephens, Merzy Ann Byers Stephens
Samual J. Stephens
(1873-1938)
John Stephens
(1844-1882)
Wilma Stephens Patterson
(1904-1991)
Sam & Mollie Franks Stephens
The Stephens Family of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
The first generation of the Stephens family to migrate into western NC and NE Georgia was James Stephens. James was the 4xG-GF of Wes Patterson. He was born Bet. 1787–1789 in NC and died 13 Jun 1865 in Young Harris, Towns Co, GA. He married Mary Ferguson about 1812 in Pendleton District, SC. Mary was born 1795 at Pickens Co, SC and died 04 Jun 1860 at Young Harris, Towns Co, GA. She was the daughter of James G. Ferguson and Nancy Strain. James and Mary had 12 children. My lineage is through their 2nd child and oldest son, Cannon Stephens.
Cannon Stephens was born 27 Nov 1815 Pendleton Co, SC and died 11 Jan 1897 Union Co, GA. On 14 May 1839 in Rabun Co, GA Cannon married Jane Coffey. She was born 28 Oct 1811 in SC and died 20 May 1897 Union Co, GA. She was the daughter of Cleveland Coffey and Martha Brown. Cannon and Jane had 7 children. Their third child and oldest son was John Stephens.
John Stephens was born 04 Mar 1844 Brasstown, Union Co, GA (now Towns Co) and died 16 Oct 1882 Young Harris, Towns Co, GA. He married Merzy Ann Byers on 02 Jan 1868. She was born 04 Aug 1848 in NC and died 01 Oct 1910 Young Harris, Towns Co, GA. She was the daughter of Ephraim Byers and Millie Ratcliff. The Byers family can be traced back 6 more generations before Ephraim. Millie Ratcliff was the daughter of Abraham Ratcliff and Mary Ann Jaynes. The Ratcliffs can be traced for dozens of generations to English royalty, and into Biblical genealogies too, for that matter. John Stephens and Merzy Ann Byers had 5 children. Their oldest son was Samual Jasper Stephens, aka Sam.
Samual Jasper Stephens was born 28 Jul 1873 Young Harris, Towns Co, GA and died 06 Feb 1938 Ivylog, Union Co, GA. Sam married Mary Virginia (Mollie) Franks on 20 Oct 1901 in NC. She was born 10 Oct 1883 Clay Co, NC and died 26 Jan 1964 Ivylog, Union Co, GA. She was the daughter of John Tyler Franks and Nancy Elizabeth Ingram. The Franks and Ingram families can be traced back many generations as well. Sam and Mollie had 7 children. Their oldest child was Wilma Lee Stephens, the Grandmother of Wes.
Wilma Lee Stephens was born 30 Oct 1904 Warne, Clay Co, NC and died 30 Mar 1991 Marshville, Union Co, NC. On 23 Aug 1924 she married Clinton Willie (Clint) Patterson in Blairsville, Union Co, GA. Clint was born 04 Jun 1904 Copperhill, Polk Co, TN and died 04 Nov 1975 Blairsville, Union Co, GA. Clint and Wilma had 5 children. Their 4th child was my father, Francis O. Patterson.
Clint and Wilma Stephens Patterson are buried at Antioch Church Cemetery in Ivylog, Union Co, GA.
Sam and Mollie Franks Stephens are also buried at Antioch.
John and Merzy Ann Byers Stephens are buried at Old Union Church Cemetery in Young Harris, Towns Co, GA.
Cannon and Jane Coffey Stephens are buried at Ebenezer Church Cemetery in Ivylog, Union Co, GA
James and Mary Ferguson Stephens are also buried at Old Union Church Cemetery in Young Harris.
Wes’ Lineage to Joseph Stephens
- PATTERSON, Wes
m. FISHBURNE, Ginna - PATTERSON, Francis Oliver (Frank) (1940 – 2015)
m. DAVIS, Vanza Mae (1939 – 2018) - STEPHENS, Wilma Lee (1904 — 1991)
m. PATTERSON, Clinton Willie (Clint) (1904 — 1975) - STEPHENS, Samual Jasper (1873 — 1938)
m. FRANKS, Mary Virginia (Mollie) (1883 — 1964) - STEPHENS, John (1844 — 1882)
m. BYERS, Merzy Ann (1848 — 1910) - STEPHENS, Cannon (1815 — 1897)
m. COFFEY, Jane (1811 — 1897) - STEPHENS, James (Bet. 1787/89 — 1865)
m. FERGUSON, Mary (1795 — 1860) - STEPHENS, Samuel H. (1764 — 1824)
m. POWELL, Mary Ellen (1764 — 1862) - STEPHENS, Joseph (ca. 1740 — 1815)
m. HAMILTON, Isabel
Ancestors Report for Wilma Stephens (Patterson)
The following report shows 10 generations of ancestors for Wilma Lee Stephens (Patterson).
