Stephen Noble b. 1769 – wives Sarah Kemp and Sarah Fielder
Source: ID: 544
Title: Notes and references on Stephen Noble/s life – eaglequestpro.com/share (Searchy)
Research Notes from different people that we are trying to prove or disprove with records
Info from Suzanne Brown:
STEPHEN NOBLE, son of William and (illegible) Noble, was born August 12, 1769. (Bible record copied by Susie Mullins in:1934
from old Bible owned by Anna Asenath Freeman Henry at Arlington, Texas) The place of his birth is not known, but it was
probably in Virginia or the Carolinas. (A
family record written in 1909 by Cornelia
Barnes Tillman Mullins, wife of Seth
Granberry Mullins, says William Noble' s
wife was named Dorcas). Stephen Noble
was married 1st on April 16, 1789, to Sarah
Kemp, daughter of Wiillam and Lucy Kemp,
and by her had 6 children. She died Oct 9
probably 1798 and he married again on April
2, 1799 to Sarah Fielder daughter of William
and Betsy Fielder.
These pictures are from Ancestry.com.
Joann Smalley a Georgia Archives Professional Researcher
thought this was very likely true from her research on the
Nobles family that William Nobles Sr was the father of William
Nobles Jr. as well as Stephen, Jonathan and perhaps others. I
will post her records (mostly land records that show a very
close association of these families and the John W. Ray md to
Elizabeth Nobles family in another set of records. For years
they lived very close together and helped each other in many
court appearances. We found the will of William Nobles Jr and
will is posted as a source on his FamilySearch Family Tree
person’s page along with many other records of his
descendants. Is there an actual record that shows exact
relationships of Wm Sr and Jr and Jr’s siblings? Not yet, but
there is a lot of records that leads one to believe it is most
likely true.
The 1850 Census for Henderson, Henderson County, Texas shows Levi the second child of Stephen Noble is b. about 1792,
(really Aug 1791). This would likely put the father born about 23 years or so earlier, or about 1769. This matches with what
others have for Stephen Nobles (who md Sarah Kemp), for his birth year.
Census is from FamilySearch.org. Wm Nobles Jr (marred 2ndly to Lidia Bishop). Wm Jr. would then be the right age for a
brother to Stephen Nobles, but not his father.
So these records point us to the conclusion that Stephen Nobles was the brother to William Nobles Jr (as well as a
brother to Jonathan Nobles) and their parents were William Nobles (sometimes spelled Noble) and Dorcas.
From the book “History and genealogy of the family of Thomas Noble of Westfield, Massachusetts…” page 750-751.
https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE105507
Author: Lucius M. Boltwood
Here is our Stephen with his two
wives and children. This needs to
be verified.
On page 706 the author begins his
Appendix A by stating:
GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF
OTHER FAMILIES BY THE
NAME OF NOBLE, NOT
TRACED TO THOMAS
NOBLE OF WESTFIELD,
MASS.
So the author is saying that he has
not found a link from our Stephen
Nobles family to the Nobles of
Westfield, Massachusetts. But it
looks like he did find evidence
that they existed.
Note: It appears that Sarah Kemp
died in 1799 and marriage date
for Stephen Noble and Sarah
Fielder was 1799. Elizabeth
shown here as #7068 grave stone
in Nacogdoches Co., TX shows her
as Mary Elizabeth Noble Bullock
and daughter of Sarah Kemp. Her
birth was 26 Dec 1798 which fits
with her mother as Sarah Kemp.
There are many land records that show Stephen buying and
selling land (often with his brothers Jonathan and William
Jr. as well as his father William Sr.) as he changes from
Hancock to Warren to Jackson to Clarke to Baldwin and to
Morgan counties in Georgia. Some of these changes were
due to county boundary changes rather than actual moves.
Stephen was first a County surveyor and then a judge
before resigning in 1811 and moving to Mississippi.
These pictures are from
Ancestry.com.
Frank Butcher email: [email protected] :
He found a record relating to Stephen Noble in the Georgia Land Grants in 1785, in Warren County. He sold this
land in 1795 for 100 pounds. He also owned 200 acres of land in Wilkes County, Georgia in 1793. In addition to
being a land owner and planter, Stephen was apparently highly regarded and well educated enough to be appointed
or elected to a number of judicial positions. In March, 1798 he was Justice of the Peace in Jackson County Georgia;
In 1805, Stephen was a Justice of the Inferior Court of Baldwin County, Georgia; and was Justice of the Inferior
Court of Morgan County, Georgia from 1807 to 1811, at which time he resigned.
From Suzanne Brown:
“Stephen Noble owned 200 acres of land in Wilks Co., Georgia, in 1793 (Tax record) March 15, 1798, he was
Justice of Peace in Jackson Co*, Ga, (His son, E., B. Noble was born April 16, 1805, in Oglethorp County, Ga.) He
was Justice of the Inferior Court of Baldwin Co, Ga,, on Dec, 7, 1805, and on Dec, 9, 1807, removed from that
county. Was Justice of the Inferior court of Morgan Co., Ga. from Dec, 9, 1807 to 181l when he resigned. On Sept.
16, 1811, he made application for a passport, issued by the Governor of Georgia, to travel through the Creek
Nation, for himself, his wife, 7 children and 17 negros.
Ancestry also has a Stephen paying taxes on a piece of ground just over the hill from John W. Ray (wife Elizabeth
Noble/s) and Joseph Ray (wife Anney) in Jackson County (later to be Clarke County, Georgia). This document spelled Ray
as Reigh [sometimes it is also spelled Wray or Rae]. John W. Ray’s father Joseph Ray would die in 1810. Shortly
thereafter Stephen Nobles and his family would move to Lawrence County, Mississippi …followed a few years later by
John W. Ray’s family also to live a short distance, once again, to Stephen Nobles’ family.
Notice Stephen Kemp as a neighbor too.
1798 Jackson County, Georgia Tax record showing Stephen Nobles, John W. Ray/Reigh and Joseph Ray/Reigh families.
Ancestry.com got this from family tree type info like group sheets (not the
best source).
Ancestry.com got this from family tree type info like group
sheets (not the best source).
Stephen Nobles was in Marion County that became Lawrence
County, Mississippi.
From Ancestry.com the Lawrence County, Mississippi 1820
Census matches pretty close to what we would expect .
Two parents Stephen and Sarah Fielder Nobles
1 Male <10= Abraham
2 Males 10 to 15= Stephen F., Edward
1 Male 16 to 25= William F.
2 Females <10= Annie, Letty
1 Female10 to 15= Asenith
Tabitha would have been 18 and possibly married and gone.
I am not too worried about Stephen (father) not showing in right
slot, and maybe Stephen wanted to appear closer in age to his
wife?... Sometimes they weren’t real accurate. Or maybe the
census taker just put him in the wrong age group because there
wasn’t a more correct place to put Stephen except to not list him.
Perhaps we can find more records about his birth year to find out
what that should be
Stephen Nobles w/wife and seven children. Jacob Carter, William Sparks, Henry Askue, Howell Holley, Jerimiah
Farlow, Minor
Johnson, Bird Smith,
Lodewick Henderson.
Location: Country:
USA, State: GA,
County: Morgan
Source:
Georgia
Passports - 1811
From Ancestry.com
In 1811 he moved to Mississippi.
On September 16, 1811, Stephen made application for a passport, issued by the Governor of Georgia, to travel
west through the Creek Indian Nation in what is now the state of Alabama. He made this application for himself, his
wife, seven children, and 17 negro slaves. To have such a large number of slaves suggests that Stephen was a
man of considerable means. On the same day, Henry Askew (husband of Stephen's daughter, Polly) also made an
application for a passport.
These families, and perhaps others, must have left almost immediately after acquiring their passports, because in
February of 1812, Stephen was granted a license to operate a ferry across the Pearl River in Marion County,
Mississippi, probably at the current location of the city of Columbia. Stephen is listed as the Justice of Quorum,
Lawrence County, Mississippi, in the first court organized in that county on March 6, 1815.
In Mississippi, Stephen planted cotton and may
have been a storekeeper, since the inventory of his
estate included a number of accounts due.
Interestingly, one of the due notes was in payment
for a barrel of whiskey, suggesting the possibility
that Stephen may have operated a still as one of his
entrepreneurial ventures. The inventory of
Stephen's estate also included '30 bound books',
certainly not the norm for a frontier region
household in 1823, and indicating that Stephen was
intelligent and placed great value on knowledge.
Beginnings of Lawrence County – Source: SLFH, 'The Heart of the South' by Dunbar Rowland, pages 769, 770
Lawrence County is one of the fourteen territorial counties represented in the constitutional convention of 1817. It
was created in December of 1814 from the older county of Marion.
Harmon M. Runnels- Chief Justice of the Quorum; Stephen Noble- J. Q., Benjamin Goodson- J. Q., James Stigler
- J. Q., Harmon M. Runnels- Clerk and Hardin D. Runnels- Sheriff, constituted the first court as organized March 6,
1815. Others listed as shown on supporting pictures.
The County was named in commemoration of James Lawrence, captain of the Chesapeake in the memorable battle
with the British on Lake Erie.
First settlers of Lawrence County would purchase land and have it recorded in St. Stephen's Land Office
Source: SLC FHL 976.1 R2ha, Old St. Stephen's Land Office Records 1768-1888 vol 1
The land offices like St. Stephens Land Office would keep track of land as it went from federal to private ownership.
If one just goes to the index to look up a name it doesn't show as much as by searching the early entries of land
ownership in Lawrence area/East of Pearl River area. This is when you see the relationships of friends and family
that migrated together or near the same time frame to be grouped once again in a new land - the newly opened
lands of Mississippi.
pg 14, William Sparks - Marion Co, T. 7 N, R. 21 W., 3-24-1812
pg 14, William Fielder - Marion Co, T. 7 N, R. 21 W., 1-30-1812
pg 14, James Stewart - Marion Co, T. 1 N, R. 11 W., 6-1-1812
pg 18, Stephen Noble - Pearl River area, T. 6 N., R. 19 W., 12-6-1815
pg 19, William Foster - Clarke Co Alabama, T. 8 N., R. 2 W., 12-6-1815
pg 20, William C. Young, Washington Co Alabama, T. 11 N., R. 2 W., 2-14-1816
*pg 21, Levi Noble - Lawrence Co, T. 6 N., R. 20W, 2-29-1816
*pg 21, Harmon Runnells - Lawrence Co, T. 7 N., R. 20 W., 2-5-1816
*pg 21, Howell W. Runnells - Lawrence Co, T. 7 N., R. 21 W., 2-5-1816
*pg 21, James Buckley - Lawrence Co, T. 6 N., R. 19 W., 3-11-16
*pg 21, Edward Buckley - Lawrence Co, T. 6 N., R. 20 W., 3-11-1816
*pg 22, Richard Sparks - Lawrence Co, T. 7 N., R. 20 W., 3-11-1816
*pg 22, Richard Fielder - Lawrence Co, T. 7 N., R. 20 W., 3-11-1816
*pg 22, Randolf Traillor - Lawrence Co, T. 7 N., R. 20 W., 3-11-1816
*pg 22, Benjamin Goodson - Lawrence Co, T. 6 N., R. 20 W., 2-29-16
*pg 22, James Goodson - Lawrence Co, T. 6 N., R. 20 W., 4-1-1816
*pg 22, Robert Ray - Lawrence Co, T. 5 N., R. 19 W., 2-26-1816
pg 23, Howell W. Runnells - Lawrence Co, T. 9 N., R. 20 W., 9-29-1820
pg 23, Duncan Ray - Wayne Co, T. 6 N., R. 5 W., 8-11-211
Source for the following: BLM Eastern States Office – US Gov’t land sales to individuals
US to Stephen Noble 29 Feb 1816, T6N, R19W, Sec 27, NW
US to John Ray (wife Elizabeth Nobles) 13 Feb 1818, T6N, R19W, Sec9, W1/2NW, completed in 1828.
Since he died, John W. Ray’s will was included in Land papers sent by NARA Nat’l Archives
US to Nathan Hooker, 20 Sep 1816, T7N, R19W, Sec 6, NW
US to Fort Alford, 30 Dec 1818, T6N, R19W, Sec 34, W1/2SW
! US to John Ray 4 Sep 1820, T8N, R11E, part of Sec 17, (Not John W. Ray- different family. This John Ray’s wife
is Elizabeth Moore and this is the John Ray that is related to the Columbia County, GA Rays)
US to Wm Goodson 28 Mar 1821, T6N, R19W, Sec 27, SW
US to James Goodson 25 May 1825, T6N, R20W, Sec 15, SW
US to James Goodson 15 Nov 1825, T6N, R20W, Sec 11, E1/2NE
US to Benjamin Goodson 21 Aug 1821, T6N, R20W, Sec 1, SW
US to Levi Noble 1 Oct 1825, T7N, R19W, Sec 11, N1/2SE
US to Henry Askew and Wm Noble 22 Apr 1828, T4N, R16W, Sec 7, E1/2SE
US to Levi Noble 5 Jan 1831, T6N, R20W, Sec 5, E1/2NW
US to Benjamin Goodson 1 Jan 1849, T6N, R20W, Sec 1, SE
US to Wm Goodson 1 Dec 1831, T6N, R19W, Sec 28, E1/2SE
People living in Township 6 North, Range 19 or 20 West, were in close proximity to each other and were
family connected from Georgia.
Stephen Noble on 1823 Lawrence County,
Mississippi tax roll.
These found by Janis Wamsley
.
Found by Janis Wamsley
Robert Ray (son of Joseph Ray Sr. and Anne) marries Martha
[Patsy] Noble [daughter of Stephen and Sarah Kemp].
From Ancestry.com – not the best source for a marriage record
Ancestry.com
Source: Yazoo Co., MS 1830 Census
Shows Robert Ray who is very likely
the brother to our John W. Ray. He is
the Robert Ray in Lawrence Co. on
1820 Census. He is now living next
door to Elizabeth Bullock and Henry
Asque or sometimes spelled Henry
Askew.
Henry Askew’s family was one of the
families that moved from Georgia in
1811 with Stephen Noble’s family to
Mississippi. See other sources above.