James B. Stephens

SOURCE: The Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1889
Contributed by Michael Brown
18 Oct 1998

---------------------------------------------------------------------- History of Benton County

James B. Stephens is a son of William and Delilah (Short) Stephens, and was born in Tennessee December 20, 1824. The father and mother were born in North Carolina and Kentucky, respectively, the former being yet alive and almost one hundred years of age. The latter's birth occurred in 1811, and she died in 1883. After leaving North Carolina Mr. Stephens resided successively in Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, and in 1843 located in Arkansas, where he yet resides. The following are his children: James B., Jeremiah, who was killed by lightning in Sebastian County, Ark., and Riley, Zerilda, Frances and Elizabeth, who are dead; Amanda, wife of Franklin Moore, died in 1865; Sarah, who died when a child; Nancy, wife of Joseph Merrill, died just before the close of the war; Cynthia A., who resides in California, the wife of J. J. Rogers, and William T. James B. Stephens served in the Mexican War under Scott, and belonged to the body guard of Gen. Franklin Pierce, who afterward became President of the United States. He has some interesting relies of that conflict in his possession. In 1850 he went to California and engaged in mining gold, meeting with good success. He was then engaged in stock raising for five years, and while in California married Matilda Watson. After returning to Arkansas he took for his second wife Miss Margaret Hughes, and she and her infant son. Franklin, died during the war, while Mr. Stephens was in the Union service. He served under Col. John E. Phelps, a son of ex-Gov. Phelps, of Missouri, as first lieutentant. December 21, 1865. Mr. Stephens married Elizabeth Douglass, who was born in Missouri. She became the mother of nine children: Margaret D., wife of Samuel Shipley; James R., William T., Sarah L., Cora A., Ollie B. (deceased), George F., Daisy B. and James B. Mr. Stephens represented Sebastian County in the State Legislature during the session of 1871, and was also captain of a company of the State Guard of Arkansas, receiving his commission from Gov. Powell Clayton. Mr. Stephens owns 220 acres of very fine land in the Osage Valley, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity and G. A. R. He is a Republican, and cast his first presidential vote for Franklin Pierce.