Memorials › Mary Frances Blanton Stephenson
Mary Frances Blanton Stephenson
1802 – ?
| Birth | 1802 |
| Death | ? |
| Cemetery | Pace Cemetery Bonham , Fannin County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | Ben Cynova on 23 Jun 2025 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/139319789 |
Bio
Mary Frances Blanton (1802 – bef. 1870) Summary Mary Frances Blanton was a second-generation American frontier woman whose life followed the westward movement of Southern families in the 19th century. Born in South Carolina and raised in Tennessee, she became part of the migration that eventually settled in North Texas. Throughout her life, she appears in census returns, local records, and family recollections as a matriarch who managed household and family affairs while raising a generation of children who carried forward the Blanton-Stephenson legacy. Birth and Family Background Mary Frances Blanton was born about 1802 in South Carolina, the daughter of John Dean Blanton (abt. 1775 – 1836) and Fannie Howell (1772–1817). She was one of eight children of this marriage: William Howell Blanton (25 Aug 1801 – 1874), South Carolina Sarah Melissa Blanton (abt. 1803 – 1824), South Carolina Elizabeth Ann Blanton (abt. 1806 – 1837), South Carolina Lemuel Oliver Blanton (22 Mar 1810 – 1896), South Carolina Mariah D. Blanton (15 Nov 1811 – 1852), Maury County, Tennessee Susanna M. Blanton (abt. 1815 – 1898), Maury County, Tennessee Julia Ann Blanton (1817 – ?), Maury County, Tennessee Fannie Howell died not long after Julia was born, leaving John Dean Blanton a widower. He married Ann J. Byars in 1819, and together they had four children, all born in Maury County, Tennessee: Wilson F. Blanton (abt. 1820), John H. Blanton (abt. 1826), Susan J. Blanton (Aug 1828 – 1910), and Malinda Ann Blanton (1830 – 1917). Ann J. Byars later moved to Victoria, Texas, likely accompanying one of her daughters, and died there in 1851, continuing the pattern of westward migration that characterized the Blanton family's expansion. Marriage and Children Around 1820, Mary Frances married Moses Dunlap Stephenson (c. 1795 – before 1870), a second-generation Scots-Irish frontiersman from South Carolina. Together, they had eight children, all born during their years in Tennessee before moving to Texas: Mary Agnes Stephenson (abt. 1820 – 1900), managed family affairs after moving to Texas; married Anderson A. Cowsert William Benjamin Stephenson (9 Oct 1824 – 16 Aug 1888), respected early settler in Fannin County, Texas Calvin W. Stephenson (abt. 1830 – 1894), community leader in North Texas Julia A. Stephenson (abt. 1833 – 1856), devoted to family despite early death; married Newton Gilbert Pinkney Stephenson (abt. 1835 – 1870), worked alongside his father on the family farm Eugenia Stephenson (abt. 1837 – 1860), remembered for letters documenting frontier life; married William B. Underwood Leonidus Eliho "L.E." Stephenson (23 Jan 1840 – 1914), prominent civic and agricultural contributor Elizabeth Stephenson (abt. 1844 – 1872), preserved family correspondence and records; married John M. Biggerstaff Tennessee Years (Williamson and Maury Counties) During the 1820s–1840s, Mary and her growing family lived in central Tennessee, primarily in Williamson and Maury Counties. Census, tax, and deed records place the family there, where Mary managed household and children while Moses engaged in estate, agricultural, and civic responsibilities. These decades were characterized by small-farm agriculture, local Presbyterian community life, and increasing pressure to seek affordable lands farther west — pressures that ultimately propelled the Stephensons toward Texas. Move to Texas and Fannin County Life By the late 1840s–1850s, Mary and Moses joined the wave of Tennessean settlers moving into North Texas following statehood in 1845. By 1860, census records list the family in Beat 1, Fannin County, Texas. Mary oversaw her household while Moses farmed and managed property. The family became part of a growing community of Tennessean migrants establishing farms, churches, and civic life on the Red River frontier. Local memory and newspaper accounts later cited the Stephensons as among the county's early and respected households. Later Years and Death Mary Frances Blanton Stephenson died bef. 1870 in Fannin County, Texas. Her death marked the closing of a life that spanned three American regions: the South Carolina backcountry, Tennessee's middle basin, and North Texas. She left a lasting legacy through her children and the extended Blanton-Stephenson family, whose presence in North Texas continued well into the 20th century. Historical Significance and Legacy Mary Frances Blanton exemplifies the life of Southern frontier women: managing households, supporting westward migration, and ensuring continuity of family across generations. Her life illustrates the resilience and mobility of 19th-century Southern families, connecting the Blanton and Stephenson lineages across multiple states while establishing a legacy remembered in local histories, newspapers, and family records. Primary Records & Sources U.S. Census entries (1850 Williamson County, TN; 1860 Fannin County, TX — Beat 1) Williamson County, TN – 1836 tax list (M.D. Stephenson entry) Maury County, TN – Deed Book C-2 (1848): participation in brother Samuel's estate FamilySearch / Ancestry compiled family trees (Stephenson–Blanton lineage) Bonham / Fannin County newspaper recollections (early 20th century) Cemetery compilations near Bonham, TX (Pace Cemetery / local family plots)
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Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
Children
- William Benjamin Stephenson 1824–1888
- Eliza Ann Stephenson Stephenson 1827–1853 FaG
- Calvin W. Stephenson 1830–1894
- Leonidas E Stephenson 1840–1914
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