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The youngest child of Edward and Phebe Stephens, Chilion was born in New York in 1831. He took over the farm his father had purchased in Southfield Township on the corner of 10 Mile and Evergreen. He died on December 22, 1877, after being thrown from a horse. At some point he met Margaret Olivia Fiero of Mt. Clemens and they were married December 10, 1861, in that city. Margaret was born in Woodstock, New York, on October 23, 1841, and died in Detroit on January 1, 1926. After Chilion’s death, she probably got help from Jonathan Stephens to continue farming until Henry was old enough to take over, or she rented the farm and moved the family to Detroit. It is know that she lived in Detroit on Myrtle Street and then lived with her daughter, Alice. Chilion and Margaret had seven children, two of whom never lived to adulthood. Alfred married Zillah and they had two children. Russell Stephens continued his practice as a physician right up until his death in 1998 in Birmingham. His sister Frances married Ree Berry. Russell had a set of twins, one passed at the age of two, and had three other children by another marriage, but Frances did not have children. Alfred and his brother Charles ran the Arctic Ice Cream Co. in Detroit. The Detroit Creamery later bought out this company. Alfred built a large home on Woodward Avenue, just north of Birmingham in Bloomfield Hills. He built up a large fortune but lost much of it at the beginning of the Great Depression. A Mr. & Mrs. Roeper turned the home into a school for gifted children and today it is quite a prestigious place of education. |
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Name: STEPHENS, Chilion Birth: NY, 8 Dec. 1831 Death: Southfield, 22 Dec. 1877, thrown from horse Burial: Southfield Pioneer Cemetery Parents: Edward and Phebe (Tuthill) Stephens Marriage: Mt. Clemens, 10 Dec. 1861 Notes: Farmed at Evergreen and 10 Mile Rd. * * * * * * * * *
Wife's Name: Margaret Olivia Fiero Birth: Woodstock, NY, 23 Oct. 1841 [Baptized Apr. 1842, Woodstock Reformed Church] Death: Southfield, 1 Jan. 1926 Parents: John Gillsepy Fiero, M.D. and Mary E. (Hall) Fiero Notes: Purchased house on Myrtle St., Detroit, later lived with dau. Alice Bishop;
CHILDREN 1.: Lillian E. Stephens, b. 18 Sept.1862, m. 19 Dec. ?, Parker VanDeusen, removed to NY. 2.: Henry R. Stephens (b. Southfield Twp., 4 Aug. 1864, d. Birmingham, 4 Nov. 1956) m. 12 Apr. 1892, Ellen Elisa Courliss (1873-1955) d/o Clark and Susan (Gibbs) Courliss 3.: George Grovier Stephens (27 May, 1867-25 Aug. 1882, ae 15y, 3m, 2d [spinal meningitis]) 4.: Alfred Foster Stephens (15 Sept. 1869-3 Mar. 1947) m. 15/18 Sept. 1908, Zillah Violetta Perkins [son Russell became D.O., practiced in Birmingham for 65 years.] 5.: Alice M. Stephens, b. 11 Aug. 1871, m. 25 Mar. 1891, John Bishop (b. S. Bulter, NY, 7 Oct. 1868, d. 27 Apr. 1942), s/o Benjamin and Lucy Bishop [resided Detroit] 6.: Charles E. Stephens (5 Nov. 1874-1960) m. 25 July 1900 Anna Hill (1891-1969) [dau. Margaret E., b. 9 June 1915, m. Foster Bowdle] 7.: Willie [William Chilion] Stephens (12 Sept.1877-21 Dec. 1885)
Alfred, the executive, and Charles ran the Artic Ice Cream Co. in Detroit which was later bought out by the Detroit Creamery. |
