52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #32 William STEVENS, 1630-1703

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow , here is my 32nd installment, William STEVENS, who came to the New England colonies with his father and several siblings. The surname is sometimes spelled Stephens.

William STEVENS, b.abt 1630 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England,  was the 3rd child of John & Mary Ann STEVENS (John, 1600-1671). The other children were Mary, b. 1624, Thomas b. 1628, and John, b. 1632. I have no information as yet on his siblings.

We know that on 3 Mar 1652/3 in Guilford, Connecticut, William married Mary MEIGS/Meggs, so we know the family had emigrated before that time. Mary was the daughter of John MEIGS & Tomisina FRYE, and was the granddaughter of the original Meigs immigrant, Vincent. Both immigrant families appear to have arrived in the colony before 1640.

William and Mary STEVENS first settled in Guilford, then moved to Killingworth by the mid 1660s, but returned to Guilford shortly after. They had 7 children to the best of our knowledge:
1.  John, b. 3 Mar 1653/4, d. 1676
2.  Samuel, b. 1 Mar 1656/7, d. 7 Jul 1712

3.  Nathaniel, b. 29 Oct 1661, d. 22 Oct 1709
4.  Daniel, b. 1664, d. 1704
5.  Judith [ancestor], b. 1 Oct 1665, Windsor, d. 31 Oct 1732 Killlingworth; m. Samuel BUELL Aug 1686; 11 children
6.  Josiah, b. 9 Dec 1670, d. 15 Mar 1754; m. Sarah Hubbell 28 Jun 1699; 2 sons
7.  Mary, b. 2 Nov 1677, d. 30 Oct 1718

Much of my information on William & Mary came from the following book, Record of the Descendents of Vincent Meigs: who came from Dorsetshire to America about 1635 (Westfield, N.J., USA: self-published, 1935 (based on 1st pub. by H.B.Meigs, 1901)). There are some dates and details which contradict others from various documents, but it is a worthwhile place from which to start further research. 

William & Mary died within two months of each other:  William, aged 73, died 26 Feb 1702/3, and Mary, aged 70, died 30 Apr 1703.  

Naturally I need to do more research on William and his family, but this is a start. If you have any questions or have further information, do contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or leave details in the Comments section below. I always appreciate corrections, as well.