335 years ago, 23 April 1666, my 7th Great Grandmother, Abigail Elizabeth Stevens was born in Guilford, Connecticut, to Thomas and Mary Fletcher Stevens.

Abigail married Edward Lee, son of Hugh Lees, in 1687. They were the parents of six: Mary (1689), Sarah (1691), Lemuel (1693), Thomas (1696), Ebenezer (1699) [my 6th great grandfather], and Abigail (1699).

Thomas had two children from his previous marriage to Elizabeth Wright: Joseph (1678) and Samuel (1681). Elizabeth died in 1685.

Per research done on the Stevens family (The 400 Year Story of an American Family, Paul Lee, 2016, p 8) Abigail Stevens 19th [my 26th] great grandfather was Airard Fitz-Stephen (1036- ), a nobleman of Normandy in France. Airard commanded a ship called the “Mora” for William the Norman when he invaded England in 1066. Airard then immigrated to England with William the Conqueror. Land was one of the big spoils of the conquest, and William (after setting aside a good portion for himself), allocated parcels to his loyal followers. The Fitz-Stevens land was in Gloucester.

Airard’s son, Thomas Fitz-Stephen (Abigail’s 18 great grandfather, and my 25th) commanded the White Ship that sank at sea. It was the year 1120 AD and the Norman conquest had fully established itself on the Throne of England with Henry I. The White Ship carried Crown Prince William, son of King Henry I, and a number of the powerful of England. Henry I was left without a male heir and the country disintegrated into civil war upon his death.

#Stevens #Lee #WilliamtheConqueror #genealogy