Stephen was a Revolutionary War soldier. At the age of 21, he enlisted in the cavalry of Major William Armstrong and Col. Washington. He served five years in the Light Horse Dragoons of General Green's division in Surry County, North Carolina, but the last 2 years hired a substitute. After the war, he returned to Virginia and lived there for twenty years. He then moved to Tennessee and lived in Warren, Giles, Wayne, and Hardin Counties.
From information researched by Janet Austin Curtis, with help from Oliver Qualls of Savannah, TN and Mrs. Orville Sharp of Florence, AL, family tradition among the descendants of Stephen would seem to indicate that he was sort of a "wagon master" who made trips back to North Carolina and Virginia and led settlers from there into Tennessee. Supposedly, he made his last trip when he was 70 years old and came back with 30 families, mostly relatives from VA and NC, who settled in Wayne Co., TN, along Second Creek; in Hardin Co., TN, along Hollands Creek; and in Lauderdale Co., AL, along Bumpas Creek. Since he does not show up in many census schedules, this seems like a likely explanation for these absences.
Stephen died in 1850 in Hardin County, Tennessee, and was buried in the Hollands Creek Cemetery, Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee.
Note: One of Stephen's many grandchildren was Martha Viannah Austin Rhea, daughter of William and Rebecka (Moses) Austin,
Stephen was a Revolutionary War soldier. At the age of 21, he enlisted in the cavalry of Major William Armstrong and Col. Washington. He served five years in the Light Horse Dragoons of General Green's division in Surry County, North Carolina, but the last 2 years hired a substitute. After the war, he returned to Virginia and lived there for twenty years. He then moved to Tennessee and lived in Warren, Giles, Wayne, and Hardin Counties.
From information researched by Janet Austin Curtis, with help from Oliver Qualls of Savannah, TN and Mrs. Orville Sharp of Florence, AL, family tradition among the descendants of Stephen would seem to indicate that he was sort of a "wagon master" who made trips back to North Carolina and Virginia and led settlers from there into Tennessee. Supposedly, he made his last trip when he was 70 years old and came back with 30 families, mostly relatives from VA and NC, who settled in Wayne Co., TN, along Second Creek; in Hardin Co., TN, along Hollands Creek; and in Lauderdale Co., AL, along Bumpas Creek. Since he does not show up in many census schedules, this seems like a likely explanation for these absences.
Stephen died in 1850 in Hardin County, Tennessee, and was buried in the Hollands Creek Cemetery, Savannah, Hardin County, Tennessee.
Note: One of Stephen's many grandchildren was Martha Viannah Austin Rhea, daughter of William and Rebecka (Moses) Austin,
Family Members
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement