James Stevenson was one of the first people to settle in the southern part of Christian County. He, along with my 4x great grandfather James Gilmour Sr. helped found the first Presbyterian Church in this area named the Presbyterian Church at Sinking Spring (and sometimes "Pioneer Presbyterian Church), and they were the first ruling elders. When the church was re-located to Blue Water in 1830, James Stevenson and James Gilmour together ruling elders of the church.

James Stevenson was a direct-line ancestor (grandfather) of Adlai Ewing Stevenson (the 23rd vice-president of the United States) and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II who ran unsuccessfully as the democratic party's candidate for President of the United States in 1952 and 1956 (losing by a landslide both times to Dwight David Eisenhower). It was James' son, John Turner Stevenson (who married Eliza Ewing) who was Adlai Ewing Stevenson I's father.

James' full name may be James Bell Stevenson. James was the sixth of twelve known children of William "Little Gabriel" Stevenson (1725-1809) and Mary McLelland (McClelland?) (1730-1811), who married c1755 in Pennsylvania.

James was born and raised in Iredell County, North Carolina. He married Nancy Young Brevard (1774-1841) on 26 Dec 1793 at Iredell County, North Carolina. James and Nancy raised the first eight of their nine known children in Lincoln County, North Carolina and in 1814 moved across the mountains to Christian County, Kentucky where they lived for many years. James and Nancy were the parents of nine known children, namely:

1. Zilla M. Stevenson Worthington (1785-c1818)
2. Jane Brevard Stevenson Stevenson (1797-1867)
3. Hugh Brevard Stevenson (1800-1819)
4. Maria McLelland Stevenson Ewing (1802-1883)
5. William Lamech Stevenson (1805-1846)
6. John Turner Stevenson (1808-1857)
7. Nancy Young Stevenson (1810-young)
8. James Young Stevenson (1812-p1860)
9. Elizabeth McKenzie Stevenson Scott Bond (1815-1849)

Links to James' parents, wife, five of his nine known children and ten of his eleven known siblings are included below.