Origin of the Stephenson Name

Happy St. Stephen's Day!
Saint Stephen was the first martyr, and the 7th chapter of Acts in the Bible contains his story. He was probably a Greek convert to Christianity, appointed by the Apostles to distribute alms to the poor. Saul attended his trial where he gave a speech about hypocrisy. He was then stoned to death. His legacy endures, and at least two kings took his name.

One of the earliest Stephens in Scotland was Sir Stephen Loccard, who acquired land in Ayrshire in the western lowlands of Scotland in the 1100s. He built Kerelaw Castle and a town grew up around it that still exists, named Stevenston. Stephen may have been English or he may have been Flemish or Normand. Going back even further, his ancestors may have been Scandinavians, as the Norsemen settled in the northern part of France.

Here are a few photos of the ruins of Kerelaw Castle.

Charles Sylvester Stephenson of Kansas

Here is a portrait of my maternal grandfather, Charles Sylvester Stephenson. He was a proud man, and yet gentle and loving. I can tell this from his photos. I don't remember meeting him, and he died when I was two years old. But I know that I did meet him, because I have a photo of me sitting on his lap. He and his wife, my grandmother, M. Elizabeth, were laughing. They were a happy family, despite encountering much hardship.

Charles Sylvester was born at the family's homestead in Washington County, Indiana. Generations of their family had lived there. He was born on November 8, 1881. When he was very young, his father, William Francis, moved the family to Hazelton, Kansas, and they settled there. There was a homestead and many acres of land dedicated to raising cattle. As a young man, "Ves" worked the farm in the summers and worked for the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad in the winters.

He met  Mary Elizabeth Hardesty of Delphos, Kansas, and married her on September 23, 1907. They had long lives, many children, and much happiness. They endured the Depression, the Dust Bowl, and many challenges together. Here is a photo of the family.

The older children are at left and the younger children are at right. My mother, Phyllis, was the youngest child at right. The photo looks like it was taken at Hazelton, but they must have just been visiting then. Records indicate they moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1930.

Link to album of Stephenson photos

Here is a link to a Google Photos album called Stephenson. It only has three photos in it now, but I will add more and others can contribute too!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3latSl5KvzOwAwHl2

How the Stephensons Came to Live in Kansas

The Stephensons first appeared in America in the colony of Virginia. Later, they moved to Kentucky and served valiantly in the Revolutionary War. A Stephenson set out for Washington County, Indiana, just a year after it became a state. Several generations of Stephensons farmed in Indiana until William Francis Stephenson moved to Hazelton, Kansas, in 1890 with his family. He bought a section of land from his father, Nelson Stephenson, who had registered it under the Homestead Act. Here is W. F. "Frank" Stephenson and his family.

Back row are Ernest Everett and Paris Edgar Stephenson. They died at the ages of 22, and 21 respectively. In front of them are (from left) Elsie Mayme, Charles Sylvester (Phyllis' father), William Francis holding Trullia O'Peach (who died in Hazelton at age 28), and Martha Jane "Mattie" (Ashings) Stephenson holding Olive Myrl. This photo was taken in Hazelton, Kansas.

I am grateful to Olive Myrl Stephenson Meyer for writing an extensive genealogy from which I have taken many facts. She states that the family moved back to Bedford, Indiana, about 1900 because of his mother's health. About 1905, they returned to Hazelton. Here is the family homestead in Hazelton.

This last photo is of W. F. "Frank" Stephenson and his sons, Ernest Everett, Paris Edgar, and Charles Sylvester. Note that the father and two eldest sons have blue eyes, and Charles has brown eyes.

Welcome to Phyllis, A Stephenson Girl

Phyllis Lee Crandell Florence began life as Phyllis Stephenson on February 4, 1927. She was born the seventh living child of Mary Elizabeth (Hardesty) and Charles Sylvester "Ves" Stephenson, in Anthony, Kansas, down near the Oklahoma border. Phyllis' mother was 40 years old when she was born and her older sister, Ruth Leo, didn't even know that "Lizzie" was pregnant.

It was still "the roaring Twenties" in the cities but in rural Kansas, hardships came earlier. Artificial incentives to farmer and ranchers during World War I had expired. Those who had borrowed money to buy more land and livestock could not pay back their loans. The Stephenson family had been happy growing up on the farm, when times were good. For 20 years, Ves farmed his father's land in the summer near Hazelton, Kansas, and worked for the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in the winter. In 1926, he went in with a friend and bought a combination pool hall and barber shop in Anthony. They bought a car (which was later stolen). Sister Ruth played piano at the movie house, Ves called squares in the monthly dances while Lizzie played piano.

But in 1930, the family moved to Wichita where Ves worked at the meat packing plant and as a policeman. Lizzie was a seamstress at Grayson's Dress Shop. Much of the childraising of Phyllis was accomplished by her older sisters. It was the Great Depression and the start of droughts in the area that would lead to the Dust Bowl. However, the Stephenson girls remember a happy upbringing, with lots of piano music, card playing and cameraderie.

When Phyllis was old enough to attend high school, she moved to Jackson, Mississippi, to live with her sister Ruth and Ruth's husband. After graduation, Phyllis moved back to Wichita. Here is her high school graduation photo.

Stay tuned for more about the life of Phyllis Stephenson and the Stephenson family going back all the way to the 1600s in Scotland! Your comments and questions are welcome.