General Leonard Stephens
About General Leonard Stephens and the Benjamin Stephens family of Virginia and Kentucky.
Letters of Leonard Stephens from Beech Woods, Kenton County, Kentucky to his brother, William Stephens of Monroe County, Missouri
- 10 May 1838 - New neighbors and a growing family
- 12 September 1839 - Deaths of their father, Benjamin Stephens, and of some neighbors
- 13 February 1840 - Money and property matters, son Napoleon at Legislature
- 24 February 1840 - More money and property matters; Leonard becomes sheriff
- 3 March 1840 - A shopping spree in Cincinnati; money matters resolved
- 27 August 1843 - Death of his wife, Catherine Sanford Stephens
- 10 Oct 1854 - Neighborhood and church news; Boone & Kenton fair; Leonard admires a widow
- 19 May 1856 - Death of their brother, John Stephens
- 18 October 1861 - Son-in-law Reuben Bristow in train wreck; neighborhood deaths; reflections on the growing conflict
- 29 January 1863 - Leonard invites William to visit; snowfall; pig problems
- 12 December 1863 - Family news at the holiday season; unrest among farmhands
- 7 Jul 1864 - Death of brother, Edmund Stephens; the army drafts servants
- 16 August 1864 - Niece Betsy Haden returns to war-torn Missouri; arrests of pro-Southern neighbors
- 12 January 1865 - Deaths in the family; a scandalous separation; war news
- 22 October 1865 - Problems of postwar adjustment
- 5 January 1866 - Mild weather for Christmas dinner; Mrs Clotterbuck burns to death
- 20 February 1866 - Family visits; new grandchildren; an election upset
Diaries of Leonard Stephens on his travels
- Diary of 1855 trip with son Napoleon to Orange County, Virginia by steamboat and buggy through the Appalachians
- Part 1 - Steaming up the Ohio and trotting through the mountains
- Part 2 - Visiting old friends in Orange County
- Part 3 - Sightseeing at the Springs and along the Kanawha
- Map of Route
- Diary of 1857 return trip with brother William to Orange County and Washington City, etc. by steamboat and railroad
- Part 1 - Getting there and visiting
- Part 2 - Sightseeing in Fredericksburg and Washington City; home
- Part 3 - Memorandum of expense
- Map of Route
- Diary of 1859 trip to visit brother William in Monroe County, Missouri by new railroad lines (Incomplete)
- Part 1 - Taking the cars to Saint Louis and on to Middle Grove
- Part 2 - Memorandum of expense
- Map of Route
Who are these people?
- Index of persons found in the letters and diaries
- Portrait of Leonard, William, Nancy and Polly
- Stephens family genealogy.
- Sources used in preparing the material for publication
Other sites of interest
- Kentucky Historical Society
- The Filson Club
- Missouri Historical Society
- Virginia Historical Society
- The Library of Virginia
- Orange County, Virginia Historical Society
- Kenton County Public Library
Editor's note:
I have tried to identify all those whose names appear in the General's writings, as well as to provide some background information to assist the modern reader in understanding daily life in the time of my great-great-great grandfather, but there are still too many persons who remain phantoms. Your help in filling in the blanks would be appreciated.