"Nearly all who were of age in 1776 were soldiers of the Revolution, and there were many hardy pioneers among them. Peter Stephens (1) was among the first to settle in the Shenandoah Valley, in Virginia, and founded the town of Stephensburg. His son Peter (4) penetrated further up the same valley to Wythe County, Virginia. His grandsons, Joseph (7), William (8) and Joseph Lawrence (16) were among the pioneers of Kentucky. John (19) in Tennessee and Ohio, and Joseph (7), mentioned above, was one of the first settlers in Cooper County, Missouri." Dr. Clark has traced the Stephens ancestry, and related branches, back over one hundred years opening with Peter Stephens (born c1690-1700). Numbered records contain (as available): name of father, maiden name of mother, date and place of birth, place of residence, date and place of death, marriage date and spouse's name, children's names and dates of birth. Education, occupation, military service, religious affiliation, political affiliation,and other miscellaneous biographical information augment many records. A full-name index completes this work.