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Blackett · Averett · Stephens line (Jerry's mother's side)
Brigadier General William Stephens
William Stephens, "The General"
A Virginia frontier Indian fighter who raised militia in the French and Indian War, rose to Brigadier General in the Continental Army at an advanced age, and was captured at the Siege of Charleston in 1780. Family memory says he died aboard the British prison ship Forshay.
At a Glance Has open questions
- Born
- 1711, York County, Virginia
- Died
- 1780/81 — possibly aboard the British prison ship Forshay, Atlantic Ocean (genealogical record lists Beaufort, Carteret County, North Carolina)
- Parents
- William Stephens Sr. & Penelope Stephens
- Spouse
- Mary Sampson (Huguenot heritage)
- 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-grandfather (through Rebecca Stephens → Hardy Averett → Jeduthan Hardy Averett → Elizabeth Jane Averett → John William Blackett → Robert Earl Blackett → Fern Blackett → Jerry)
How sure are we? The man and his military record are documented; the line connecting him to Jerry through Rebecca Stephens is a strong circumstantial case awaiting documentary proof.
- Whether Rebecca Stephens (who married Jeduthan Averett Sr.) was William's daughter, granddaughter, or niece — the single most important unresolved question in the family history.
- Whether his death at Beaufort, NC and the family account of death aboard the prison ship Forshay describe the same event.
Read about Brigadier in…
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.
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Family handwritten notes passed down to Jerry's father
The handwritten notes preserved in the family, including the account of General William Stephens's death aboard the prison ship Forshay and the (likely erroneous) 1880 birth year for Robert Earl Blackett.
-
North Carolina State Archives — Edgecombe & Nash County records
109 E. Jones Street, Raleigh, NC. Estate papers, deed books, and will books that may resolve Rebecca Stephens's parentage — the central open question.
Notes from the family
Remember something about Brigadier? A story, a photo, a correction, a date?
Even a messy note helps. Just open the plain-text file
research-notes/william-stephens-notes.md and type it in — or tell Scott (or Claude Code)
“add this to Brigadier’s page,” and it will be woven in properly,
with the source recorded.