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Blackett · Averett · Stephens line (Jerry's mother's side)
Mary Sampson Stephens
Mary Sampson
Wife of General William Stephens and the family's link to the Huguenot refugees who fled French religious persecution. The Stephens family honored her heritage by naming a son Sampson — her maiden name carried forward as a first name.
At a Glance Has open questions
- Born
- ~1715–1720, Virginia or the Carolinas
- Died
- ~1780s, exact date unknown
- Parents
- Of the Sampson family, descended from Huguenot refugee Richard Sampson who fled France after 1685
- Spouse
- William Stephens (married ~1740, Virginia)
- Children
- 9 known: Alexander, Sampson, Richard, James, Daniel, William, Samuel, Louise, Ann
- Family line
- Blackett · Averett · Stephens line (Jerry's mother's side)
- Relation to Jerry
- Probable 6th great-grandmother — the Huguenot thread in the family bloodline
How sure are we? Mary's marriage and children are documented; the deeper Huguenot ancestry through Richard Sampson is a research thread not yet fully pulled.
- The full story of Richard Sampson, the Huguenot refugee ancestor, has not yet been traced through British, Dutch, or French archives.
Read about Mary in…
The Huguenot · The Family Tree
Sources for this page
-
Geni.com — Brigadier General William Stephens profile
Lists William's 9 documented children. No 'Rebecca' is listed — the basis of the Rebecca Stephens open question.
-
Colonial American Huguenot heritage references
The Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland, the Proceedings of the Huguenot Society of America, and Virginia Huguenot records at the Library of Virginia (many refugees settled at Manakin Town, VA).
Notes from the family
Remember something about Mary? A story, a photo, a correction, a date?
Even a messy note helps. Just open the plain-text file
research-notes/mary-sampson-stephens-notes.md and type it in — or tell Scott (or Claude Code)
“add this to Mary’s page,” and it will be woven in properly,
with the source recorded.