The Portland daily press., 1896-10-10
GRAY PATRIOTS.

| HN' FHt nv %
Capt. Jonas Stevens and His Family-Rev-
olutionary History OF Border Town
List of the Soldiers of that War.
In Novemb Der ITS, many of the towns
OF Massachusetts,, and perhaps all OF
them, returned to the governments of the
state, a list of the men then serving in
the Continental army from their towns.
| This was probably done for the purpose
of giving each town credit for soldiers
furnished and to regulate and equalize
til cir quotas.
The following is copy of the report
of Capt. Jonas Stevens of Gray, Maine.
which gives the soldiers names who
were then in the army from that town
also two from New Gloucester. His
company was part of Col. Timothy
Pixies Fourth Gum berland County Regt.
The original report Is in the Massachu-
setts Archives, Vol. 48. Page 65.
Probably most of these men had enlist
ed for three years service in the early
months of 1777, although there were some
| nine months men then in the Continent
| tai army.
"a return of men Unlisted in the Con-
| tinental army Belonging to tho town of
Gray In the County of Cum berland and
State of the Massachusetts Bay Belong
ing to Capt. Jonas Stevens Company in
| said town."
Capt Silas Burbank's Company. Col.
Sam1 Brewers Regiment: Moses
Twitchell, Jr., Gray; Jonathan Doughty,
Gray.
Capt. George Smiths Co., Col. Joseph
Vose's Ragt.: Broadstreet Ruteman,
Gray; Mical Davis, Gray.
Capt. Paul Ellis Co., Col Timothy
Bigelow's Rsgt.: Seth button, Gray /;
George Knight, Gray: David Jordan.
Gray; Solomon Jordan, Gray Mark Mer-
rell. Gray; William Stevens, Gray; Abar-
ham Young, Gray; Nathaniel Young,
Jr., Gray; Samuel York, Gray; Jonah
Stevens, New Gloucester; George Lesley,
New Gloucester.
Capt. jeremiah Hills Co., Col. Joseph
Vose's Regt.: John Dolley, Gray.
Capt. Johr Skillings' Co., Col. Fran
els Regiment: Nathan Noble, Gray.
"The above ia True List According
to my best knowledge"
"attest
DAVID SMALL, Lieut."
"Gray, Nov. "a, 1778."
Capt. Jonas Stevens, 1t il thought,
came with his brouher Nathaniel from
England about 174O to Massachusetts
Bay and that they were of the family of
Worcestershire where up to the end of
the seventeenth century the family were
in possession of large landed property but
being Royalists lost most of their es-
tates, when the family was broken up
and scattered and some came to this
country.
Capt. Stevens is said to have been the
Oldest son of the family and brought
over the family coat of arms, but 1t was
taken to Boston where it disappeared.
His brother. Nathaniel, is said to have
remained in Boston while he went to
Townsend, Mass, from there he came to
Falmouth, and from here went to New
Boston, now Gray, Maine, about $780,
where he was one of the first settlers.
William and Joel Stevens were also early
settlers of that town.
Capt. Jonas Stevens daughter, Ru til,
was the first child born at New Boston,
in 1862. He was a seleotman In 1778,
His children were Jonas, born in 1747,
who married Mary Crandall and proba-
bly, served three years In the Reyolu-
tionary army. He died at Norway, Feb.
ruary g. 1888 Joel born 1851, soldier
Joseph, born 1853, married Elizabeth
Hobbs and entered the army May Is,
1775, in Capt. Moses Merrili's Co. of
Col. Edmund Phinney's Regt. and is
SAID to have been the first settler of
Norway, Maine. Nathaniel. born in
Townsend, Mass. In 1851 and WAS pro ba-
bly, a soldier from New Gloucester. Ruth
born 1762, and Susannah who married
Samuel Winslow. 1t seems quite proba-
BILE that the wife of Capt. Jonas Stevens
was Ruth Farrar of Concord, Mass,
cousin Of Major Timothy Farrar, the
Chief Justice of New Hampshire during
che Revolutionary war.
The Stevens family, it is stated, was
seated in Eatieton, Go. Gloucester,
England. up to the end of the SEVEN
tesnth century where it had been In DOS.
session of large landed estates for up.
ward of two centuries, but it suffered
like many others in the Civil war, and
lost greater part of its possessions
The family were eminently attached to
the royal cause during those evtntful
times. They seem to have separated into
two branches about the end of the seven
teenth century, one settling in County
Essex, and the other in County Leister.
OF the former branch, it is said, no mem
Der survives.