George Wesley Stephens

     George Wesley Stephens was born on 1 May 1842 at Monroe County, Tennessee. He was the son of Wesley Stephens and Emily Ann Yoakum. George Wesley Stephens married, at age 22, Mary Catherine Sarver, daughter of James Sarver and Eliza Matilda Harless, on Friday, 11 November 1864 at Grayson County, Texas. George Wesley Stephens married, at age 32, C. Fannie Edsall on Thursday, 7 May 1874 at Grayson County, Texas. George Wesley Stephens died on 11 March 1927 at Austin, Travis County, Texas, at age 84 years, 10 months and 10 days.
     George enlisted in Confederate service on April 27, 1862 at 11th Texas Infantry Regiment, Reynolds Brigade, Walker's Division at Camp Lubbock (near Houston) as a private. He was elected 2nd Lieutenant and assumed command of Co. C. June 23, 1862 and on muster roll for January and February 1864 (last on file). Shown absent sick since February 1864. According to his two witnesses on his CSA Texas pension application of August 1921, George Taylor and W. M. Berryman, George fought with them on the 3rd day of November 1863 on the boggy bayou in Louisiana.

George married a young widow 11 November 1864 Grayson County, Texas. Mary Catherine Sarver was born 1842 on the New River in Montgomery Co, VA. She was the widow of Pearis Olinger. George and Mary had three children, William (Bill), James and Matha 'Mittie' Olivia.

In the 1870 census with George Stephens was a store clerk in Whitesboro, Grayson County, TX. Mary Catherine died in 1874. George married C. Fannie Edsall (a widow with six children, two at home), and moved his store into Chickasaw Territory and established a post office first near Jimtown, later near Healdton.

George sent his daughter to Catholic Schools in Grayson county. Not many girls in the 1880s had the opportunity for education to the eighth grade.

George, his sons Bill and Jim, and son-in-law Rufus Cobb, were in the run opening the Cheyenne and Arapaho Country in April 1892. After they had made their homestead claims in Custer County, they went back to the Chickasaw Nation and prepared to move their families and belonging to Custer County. Three covered wagons made the trip in October 1892. It took two weeks to travel from Stephens Post Office to Arapaho, 'G' county, Oklahoma Territory. George and Fannie Stephens built and owned the Orient Hotel in Arapaho, Oklahoma. The building was destroyed by lightning in 1902 and later rebuilt at Custer City.

George was interested in health and healing. He published 'The Magnetic Healer,' copyright 1900, 'Designed for Student and Teacher,' promises 'This little work if followed will not only save doctor's bills, but life. It is the straight path of lfe.' The book divided 'Magnetic Healing' into hypnotism, vital magnetism and mental science. The book covered subjects from Asthma, Appendicitis and Apoplexy to Vomiting, Water Brash and Yellow Jaundice in 61 pages. The introduction admonishes those who wished to follow this science to keep their selves unspotted from the world. The book embodied a trend of thought from which came the modern day Christian Scientists.

George applied for a correspondence course in the InterState School of Osteopathy at 148 Washington Street, Chicago in 1902. He paid $10 for his home-study course. His study books were Gray's Anatomy, Kirk's physiology, Potter's Compendium Anatoy, Gould's Lexington.

George was awarded the Masonic Third Degree at Custer City 24 September 1906. He retired to Confederate Soldiers's Home in Austin, Texas and died there 11 March 1927.

1855 School Census District #3, Limestone Co, TX; F. L. Yoakum (Guardian), Samuel, William H., George

1860 Census, Rusk, Cherokee Co, TX; #779-779, Household of J. M. Sharrock; G. W. Stephens, 18, farmer, TN

1870 Census, Whitesboro, Grayson Co, TX, Precinct 3, page 5, #31/32. Stevens, George W., 25, salesclerk, 600-1200, TN; '', Mary C., 27, VA; '', Wm F., 5, TX; '', Martha, 3, TX; '', James, 3/12, TX; Hatch, Samuel W., 35, clerk, NY.

1880 Census, Whitesboro, Grayson Co, TX, 6 Jun, Precinct 6, S.D. 3, E.D. 14, page 7, #59/59. Stephens, Geo, 39, Clerk, dry goods store, TN VA VA; '', C. Fannie, wf, 38, TN TN TN; '', F. Benjamin, step-son, 18, MO; '', G. Sarah, step-dau, 13, MO; '', Martha, dau, 13, KS [sic]; '', James, step-son[sic], 10, TX.

1890 Chickasaw Census, (Oct to Dec), Ardmore, Pickens Co, Chickasaw Nation G. W. Stephens & wf, age 49, children: 1 female, U. S. Citizen. Sarah Edsell, age 21, U. S. Citizen. G. W. Stephens and C. F. Stephens sold Block 47 Lot 15 & 16 in Arapah, Custer County, Okla. to R. W. Webb for $800. Assignment (SE of post office) facing east.
Jeanette Bland, Richardson, Texas.

A picture of George Wesley Stephens can be found at (http://members.tripod.com/~smcb/cobb.html) page created by Susan Bradford

George's brother Benjamin Franklin Stephens was living with his uncle Washington Yoakum in Leavenworth Co, Kansas in 1860 working as a carpenter. He married Hattie Bell Amanda Thompson 4 December 1864 at Methodist Church, Wathena, Doniphan Co, KS. In 1875 Benjamin and Hattie moved to Whitesboro, TX where Benjamin would work as a carpenter and cabinetmaker. Benjamin died the same year.

After his death Hattie remarried August 13, 1879 to Charles Banks, a native of Hamburg, Germany. He died ten years later, 1889. Hattie married third to J. A. Sadler, M. D., at Gainsville. Dr. Sadler was a prominent physician.

Hattie was active in many civic organizations while living in Sherman and had many articles published in the local newspapers. She was buried with her husbands in West Hill Cemetery.

1860 Census, Leavenworth Co, KS, 1980/1735, household of W. F. Yoakum, wife & family: B. F. Yoakum, 20, Carpenter, TN.

'Stephens, Benjamin Franklin,' THE HISTORY OF GRAYSON CO, TEXAS, V I. Jeanette Bland, Richardson, Texas.

George and Ben had three sisters, Penelope, Sidney and Josephine, by the first marriage of their father to Susan McFarland. Wesley Stephens married Emily Ann YOAKUM (Price) 28 July 1839, Philadelphia, Loudon Co, TN. Monroe Co, TN, Records 1820-170, by Boyer, page 83. (Mrs Emily A Price).

Emily (12 Dec 1816, Claiborne Co, TN-20 Aug 1854, Monroe Co, TN) and her sons, George and Ben, lived with Dr. Benjamin Bayless, her brother-in-law at the time of the 1850 census. The History of Monroe County, TN shows a frame house, located one and one-half miles west of Madisonville on Bayless Road, built by Dr. Bayless about 1840, near his doctor's office. This house is almost certainly where Emily and sons lived with her sister and brother-in-law. A brick smokehouse was built nearby in 1855.

Emily, her sister Mary (Dr. Bayless' wife), and sister Celia (wife of George M. Cuson), died in a cholera epidemic in 1854.

Wesley Stephens (ca. 1804, NC-before 1850?, TN) was a merchant. At that time all merchandise sold had to come by land from Charleston, SC or similar distant point. He served many years as county justice. He owned considerable real estate and was able to send his daughters away from home to a good school. They attended the Flower Hill Academy at Athens, TN.