• Name: Anthony Franklin (Frank) Stephenson
• Birth: 15 AUG 1820 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• Death: 31 JUL 1893 in Carroll Co., GA. Buried in Tallapoosa Primitive Baptist Church churchyard with his second wife.
• Married: Mary Jane Gardener married about Nov 1838 (to 16 May 1856)
• Married: Louisa (Smith) Stephenson — married 5 Nov 1857 (to 31 Jul 1893) in Carroll County, Georgia, USA
  
  
• Notes:

  After their marriage in 1837, Frank and Jane lived ten years in De Kalb County, Georgia. There was continual movement of settlers to the frontier in those days as land was gradually taken over from the Indians by treaty and purchase. Especially by those like Frank and Jane, who were young and strong enough to wrest civilization from the wilderness. During Governor Troup's Administration (1823 - 1827) a treaty with the Creek Indians had secured all their land in Georgia. This land was then divided into several counties, one being Carroll County, which was vacated by the Indians in 1838.
  
  Frank and Jane, with their three little boys, moved to Carroll County in 1849, to 10th District land lot 44, while it was still virgin forest and unsettled country. They were real pioneers. They bought one hundred acres of uncleared land, paying fifty cents an acre. Their place was near Frank's brother, Jim Stephenson, who was already living in the area. They spent the first night with Jim and that evening Jim rode his horse throughout the community inviting the few neighbors to a "house raising" for the new arrivals. These kind people gathered the next day and cut logs and built a one room cabin into which Frank and Jane moved that night. It was well built and of generous proportions, with a roomy fireplace and a good rock chimney, and near a flowing cold water spring.
  
  They had brought with them what possessions they could on a one-horse wagon -- bedding, clothes, garden tools, dried vegetables and fruit, the meat from their hog-killing and seed for the Spring planting. They had also brought their cow, which the nine year old son John had helped his father drive all the way from DeKalb County.
  
  There was much work in getting ready to make a crop. Land had to be cleared and the fields and pastures had to be fenced in as there was no "stock law" at that time. Everyone's cows, sheep and hogs pastured on the lush grass that grew abundantly everywhere. The fences were made of rails split from logs and cut in lengths. All this kept the Stephensons very busy, but by Spring they had enough ground ready to plant their first crops of corn, syrup cane, potatoes and garden truck. 
  
  In time they acquired sheep, hogs, chickens and geese. These were a must, for the sheep produced wool for thread to weave cloth and for knitting stockings and socks for the entire family. Sheep also produced meat for the table, as did the hogs, and the chickens provided eggs and meat, too. The geese were plucked ever so often for feathers to make beds and pillows.
  
  Jane was kept very busy at the spinning wheel, spinning the thread to make clothes for her family. Also she made soap from waste grease and lye. Ashes from the fireplace were put in an open hopper and rainwater dripped through the ashes into a container below. This liquid would be pure lye. The grease was then heated in an iron pot and the lye stirred in, making a thick jelly-like substance which would be soap. This was used for all cleaning purposes. There were no stores or shops closer than Bowden or Carrolton, so there were few purchases of "store-bought" articles. Most everything was made at home.
  
  Soon Frank and Jane built a second and larger log cabin. After some years a third and even larger "Big House" was built of logs. This was weather boarded outside and boarded inside, with four glass windows in the large room and a glass window in each of the side rooms. This was a real comfortable house to live in and Frank and Jane lived there the rest of their lives. The second log cabin then was kept as a kitchen.
  
  Virginia Watkins remembered this second cabin: "They had a cook stove, but still used the fireplace, and no food seemed so delicious as that cooked over red coals of fire in that fireplace. At the other end of the cabin was the hand loom where Aunt Tomsie made beautiful counterpanes or coverlets, as they were called." 
  
  Her brother, Mell Stephenson, remembered also: "Memory is rich in reminiscence of dear Aunt Mattie, Aunt Tompsie, Grandma, Grandpa and the old home place with the kitchen located some 100 feet from the main house, Old Alabam (the horse), the geese and the guineas, the many fruit trees, and the aroma (most pleasant) always coming from that old kitchen, a most interesting place. Those are happy memories. They made life interesting for a little hungry boy. I will always love and cherish the memory of those dear souls. " 
  Jessie Hamrick also remembered the homeplace: " I would like to say that this place was dear to my heart in my childhood. It seemed like an Eden on earth with its quaint buildings, the lovely yard with sandy walks edged with beautiful white rocks, the many old-fashioned flowers, especially the roses that gave off such a sweet aroma. The spring and the spring house under the cool shade of many tall trees, I remember so well. There were wildflowers and ferns...how I did enjoy it all...the abundant fruit early and late. Best of all, I loved the apples, June apples, winesap apples, golden apples and red delicious apples in the Fall. All of that has passed now, but it will ever be fresh in my memory." 
  
  A smokehouse was built to keep the meat and other provisions. There was also a corn crib and a log barn and stable for the stock. A spring house was built, which in that day served as a "refrigerator" to keep the milk, butter and vegetables cool. All the while Frank was getting an orchard planted. There were peaches, apples, pears, figs, grapes and scuppernongs. There were a great many flowers in the yard and a rich garden that supplied the family with vegetables. 
  Jane had a beautiful voice and was called the sweetest singer in Carroll County. In those days the "all day singings" were the principle social events. Before her marriage she was a Presbyterian, but joined the Missionary Baptist Church with Frank after moving to Carroll Co. 
  
  In a country which was so sparsely settled, doctors were scarce. Although a farmer, Frank found it necessary to know something about medicine and what to do when there was sickness in his family. He secured doctors books and read about medicine and kept a supply of medicinal herbs and barks and simple remedies which mainly leaned toward botanical practices. Friends and neighbors came to depend on him in sickness. Some called him "Doc", but most spoke of him affectionately as "Uncle Frank".
  
  The 1850 census shows Frank and Jane farming their place, with their three children, aged 10 to 4, in the household. In 1856 Jane died and was buried in the Vance family cemetery "near Bowden on the lower road to Carrolton". This cemetery is located in Land District 9, lot 173, in a farm pasture more recently owned by the McCarley family of Bowden, also formerly know as the "Bennett Place", just off the Tyus-Bowden Road and North of the little Tallapoosa River. There are a dozen or so unmarked graves sunk and covered in woods. The one marked grave there is Jane's. Frank went back to DeKalb County for some Stone Mountain granite, from which he carved the marker for Jane's grave himself after hauling the stone back to Carroll County on his wagon.
  
  About a year and a half later Frank married Louisa Black, the widow of Thomas Black. Louisa had one child named Eliza Thomas (Tomsie or Aunt Tomsie) Black, born October 19, 1847, died September 17, 1916, who never married. Frank joined the Tallapoosa Primitive Baptist Church, Bethlehem, with Louisa on October 27, 1866 and was baptised the next day by C. B. Taylor. The 1860 census shows Frank and Louisa farming their place, with children John, Franklin and Tomsie in the household.
  
  Frank enlisted in the Confederate Army in the summer of 1863. He served in Company C, which was Captain Estes Company, of the 26th Georgia Reg. Battalion, Stephens Brigade, Walkers Division.(Click here for history of this Brigade) He saw guard duty in Atlanta in the autumn of 1863 and fought in the line of battle at Missionary Ridge. He was taken sick with bad dysentery while in camp at Dalton, then released on furlough on March 4, 1864, signed by S. Merideth. His furlough was extended on certificate of poor health by W. W. Fitz, MD, and he saw no more service. Franks certificate of parole was issued on May 13, 1865 and showed he was 5 feet eleven inches tall with light hair and complexion and gray eyes. Frank's son John enlisted early in the war, his second son James (Jimmie) was crippled from a childhood illness so was not able to serve and his third son Franklin was too young at the beginning but did sign up in the last year of the war.
  
  The reconstruction years were trying times in Carroll County, but Frank and Louisa went to work to make their home the way they wanted it. With the will to work and the will to do always the right thing at all times, their family had a happy home. Their marriage was a happy one and one child, Martha, was born to them. 
  
  After Louisa's death, the homeplace was purchased by James Madison Stephenson from the other three heirs. In 1906 the interests of J. W. Stephenson and Martha Stephenson McDaniel were purchased (Deed Book 6, page 472, Caroll Co., GA, 55 acres in land lot 44 of District 10 ). On December 26th 1917, he purchased Franklin T. Stephenson's share (Deed Book 15, page 191, one fourth interest in 55 acres off the West side of land lot number 44 in the original 10th district, known as A. F. Stephenson place, consideration of $500). 
  
  J. M. Stephenson owned it until his death in 1925, then it was sold at auction to C. W. Wood (Executrix was daughter Virginia Eudora Stephenson, Deed Book 30, page 128, described as 101.25 acres in 9th land district, being the North half of lot No. 204). In 1940 the "Big House" was blown down during the Christmas holidays by a tornado which scattered the logs all over the farm and blew the chimney down. In 1940 the property was purchased by Kermit B. and Clarice S. Cox and became part of the Cox family's large nearby land holdings. Frank's home is located about 6.7 miles WSW of the Carrollton Court House, in the area once known as Bethesda Church Community, and more recently as Farmers High Community. It is on the South side of Lee Morgan Road about 200 yards from its intersection with Farmers High Road (also known as Route 828 or Lower Carrollton-Bowden Road). The house site was about 600 yards South of Lee Morgan Road. A private lane now leads to a small white house built near the A. F. Stepehnson home site.
  
  Frank and Louisa are buried, along with Tomsie, at the Tallapoosa Primitive Baptist Church, at the right rear corner of the church. The church is on Tyus Road (Route 838), about 4.1 miles WSW of the Carrollton Court House. Frank's epitaph: "Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved". Louisa's: "None knew thee but to love thee". Tomsie: "Her end was peace"

Father: John E. Stephenson b: 12 NOV 1786 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co. 
Mother: Susan Anna (Susannah) Peeler b: 7 JAN 1792 in Greene Co., GA

Their Children:

• Thomas U. Stephenson b: 14 NOV 1812 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• James Pleasant (Happy Jim) Stephenson b: 21 DEC 1814 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• John Elbert Stephenson b: 23 NOV 1815 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• Susan Elanor Stephenson b: 15 AUG 1818 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• Anthony Franklin (Frank) Stephenson b: 15 AUG 1820 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• William Miles Stephenson b: 2 DEC 1822 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• Joseph Andrew Stephenson b: 10 NOV 1824 in that part of Wilkes Co., GA, that later became Greene Co.
• Moses Randall Stephenson b: 8 MAR 1827 in De Kalb Co., GA Elizabeth (Betsyann)
• Ann Stephenson b: 6 JUN 1829 in De Kalb Co., GA Mary Esiphany Stephenson b: 20 MAY 1831 in De Kalb Co., GA John (Jack) Alexander Stephenson b; 29 APR 1833 in De Kalb Co., GA
• Jacob Henry Stephenson b: 20 Feb 1835 in Dekalb County, GA.
  
  

Anthony Franklin (Frank) Stephenson Pedigree

Anthony Franklin (Frank) Stephenson Decendants

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