Capt. James Stevenson and Rachel McKeever

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Husband Capt. James Stevenson ^{1 2}

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            AKA: Capt. James Stephenson 3 4 5
           Born:  - Berkeley Co, VA
     Christened: 
           Died: 1813 or 1814 - ? Washington Co, PA 1 2 3
         Buried: 

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         Father: Richard Stevenson (      -      ) 6
         Mother: Honora [Unk] (      -1776) 7

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       Marriage:  - Berkeley Co, WV

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   Other Spouse: Martha Barr (      -1816) 4 5 6

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Wife Rachel McKeever ⁶

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            AKA: [Unk] McKeevers,5 Rachel McKeevers 4 8
           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 14 Dec 1789 6
         Buried: 

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Children

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1 M Moses Stevenson ⁶

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2 M William Stevenson ^{1 2 9}

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           Born: 24 Jan 1771 - ? Virginia 6
     Christened: 
           Died: 1 Mar 1851 - Washington Co, PA 8
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Margaret Crawford (      -1819) 1 2

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3 F Mary Stevenson ⁶

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4 F Theodosia Stevenson ⁶

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5 M James Stevenson ⁶

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6 F Sarah Stevenson ⁶

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General Notes: Husband - Capt. James Stevenson

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He served in the Revolutionary War; he was pay-master, with the rank of captain, in the Thirteenth Virginia Regiment. In the war records his name is spelled "Stephenson," which is the most ancient form of the family name.

George Washington was a frequent visitor at his family's home, often taking part in athletic contests with him and his brothers. The early friendship ripened with the passing years, and when Gen. Washington rose to prominence in military life, James Stevenson was yet his dearest friend and constant companion.

He decided to take advantage of the cheap lands then open in western Pennsylvania. He was then in the prime of life, so in company with a negro slave named Fortune (who had been the property of George Washington, from whom Mr. Stevenson purchased him), he started on foot on a journey of exploration, leaving his family at home, not wishing them to undergo the perils of such a hazardous expedition. The two men arrived safely in Washington County, Pennsylvania, and Mr. Stevenson took up a "tomahawk claim" of 500 acres of choice land, four miles southeast of Burgettstown, Smith township. A humble cabin was soon erected, some rude improvements made, and a crop of corn planted. The negro previously mentioned was then left to manage the place, and Mr. Stevenson then returned to West Virginia, the negro subsisting on game and roots during his absence. The entire family were located in their pioneer home, which was afterward supplanted by a larger log cabin. The land increased in value as civilization progressed, and at the time of his death Mr. Stevenson was a wealthy man.

He received from the government a grant of one thousand acres in Cherry Valley, Pennsylvania, on which he settled immediately after the Revolution. He was a Free-mason, and a member of the Episcopal Church, though he united with the Seceders of Washington County.

He was born in Berkeley County, Virginia, and removed to Pennsylvania soon after the close of the War of the Revolution. There he settled in Cherry Valley on a grant of land consisting of one thousand acres given him by the government for colonial and revolutionary services. He became a prosperous farmer in the western part of the state of Pennsylvania, and a man of influence in the community, serving as a member of the legislature.

1 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 787.

2 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 517.

3 —, The History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Part II (Chicago, IL: A. W. Warner & Co., 1889), Pg 366.

4 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 794.

5 John W. Jordan, LL.D, A Century and a Half of Pittsburg and Her People, Vol. IV (New York: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1908), Pg 341.

6 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 791.

7 Franklin Ellis, History of Fayette County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 522.

8 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893), Pg 792.

9 —, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co., Publishers, 1890), Pg 1016.