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Fourteenth Generation


14908. Rowland STEBBINS12 was born in Oct 1592 in Bocking Parish, Essex County, England. He died on Dec 14, 1671 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts. He has Ancestral File Number FX6R-7C. The name "Stebbing" is derived from "steb" or "stib" (stump) plus "ing" (field): "stump field."
The Stebbings family is thought to have lived in Essex County, England. since at least 1199. It was probably associated with the town of Stebbing in Essex. The name Stebbing, however, appears over a hundred years earlier in the Doomsday Book (1080-1086), a "Great Survey of the Realm" (census of England) ordered by William the Conqueror. The Stebbins coat of arms indicates at least one Stebbings had been a crusader. This name is classed as a local name meaning it derives from a place or locality of the same name.
Introduced into England at the time of the Norman conquest 1066 the name was soon established as one of the Norman landowners hence Local "of Stebbing", a parish in Co. Essex. The earliest hereditary surnames in England are found shortly after the Norman Conquest, and are of Norman French origin rather then native English. Others of the Norman invaders took names from the estates in England which they had newly acquired.

Stebbings, etc., are genitive forms; simular to Brooks, Styles, Williams, Jones, etc.
It was first found registered under the spelling of RICHARD DE STEBING in 1273 naming him as the head of the family in that year.

Essex County had been a dangerous place to live until about 1100, having been successively raided, invaded, and occupied by the Saxons, the Danes (Vikings), and finally the Norman conquerors. (Remnants of a large pre-Conquest fortification are still visible near Stebbing.) A Stebbing family might have traced its blood lines to any or all of these groups. (A short description of the town of Stebbing appears in Country Towns and Villages of Britain, Irive Publication Ltd, 1985, p.174.)

Rowland was the STEBBINS who came to America, from who most of the STEBBINS in USA have descended. Baptized in St. Mary's Church, Bocking, Essex, England 30 Apr 1634. Because of his parentage. Rowland was considered a "person of quality." He is included in "Tile Original Lists of Persons of Quality" (Hotten's List of Em Emigrants) . The Stebbinses sailed from Ipswich as the nearest major seaport. Coming to the New World would have been an adventurous but not unusual undertaking in 1634. Although the Pilgrims had landed at Plymouth Rock only 14 years earlier, emigration to Massachusetts was already booming. From 1629 to 1640 nearly 10,000 people were transplanted into the
colony.

Rowland was a surveyor. His skills would have been very much in demand during this period when dozens of towns and thousands of farms were being carved out of the wilderness. Indeed, he and his immediate children were involved in at least six new settlements ("developments, " as we might call them): Roxbury, Springfield, Brimfield, Longmeadow, Northhampton, and Deerfield.

He sailed with his family from Ipswich, England, aboard the Francis (Frances?) of Ipswich, John Cutting, Captain, bound for Boston.
The passenger list included:
Rowland Stebbins, 40 years
Sarah Stebbins, 43
Thomas Stebbins, 14
Sarah Stebbins, 11
John Stebbins, 8
Elizabeth Stebbins, 6
The family lived for a time in Roxbury MA then moved to Springfield MA with William Pynchon to found a colony there. In 1656 he moved with his son John to Northhampton, MA as one of its first settlers. On 14 Dec 1671 he died in Northhampton, MA. Rowland's will named only the four children above who came with him from England.

Rowland STEBBINS and Sarah WHITING were married on Nov 30, 1618 in St. Mary's Church, Bocking, Essex County, England.

14909. Sarah WHITING12 was born on Nov 30, 1591 in Boston, Lincoln County, England. She died on Aug 4, 1649 in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts. She has Ancestral File Number FX6R-8J. Children were:

7424

i.

Thomas STEBBINS.

ii.

Sarah STEBBINS12 was born about 1623 in Bocking, Essex, England. She died on Sep 15, 1683 in Springfield, Hampden County, MA.

7454

iii.

John STEBBINS.

iv.

Elizabeth STEBBINS12 was born about 1628 in Bocking, Essex County, England. She died on Oct 28, 1700 in Springfield, Hampden County, MA.