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The Stedman surname has been in England since the Crusades when a John le Stedeman accompanied King Richard the Lionheart back from the Holyland. Stedmans, by one or another of the spelling variations Stedman / Steadman / Steedman, have been in America since the early colonial days. Three families arrived in Massachusetts in the 1630s; another in Connecticut in the 1640s; others from Scotland settled Pennsylvania, Virginia, and South Carolina in the 1700s. See www.stedmanfamily.org to learn more of the history of the family and the family name.
This site is a knowledge base of Stedmans (by any spelling...) and their descendants and families that have allied with them. The research has focused on the Stedman families in America; however, we have begun to develop data on the families in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. (Contributions of data welcome!)
In the course of our research we have come to learn of many famous Stedmans:
* Dr. Thomas Lathrop Stedman and his famous Medical Dictionary
* Gen. Griffin Alexander Stedman for whom Fort Stedman of Civil War fame was named.
* Gen. James Blaire Steedman of Ohio.
* Congressman Charles Manley Stedman of North Carolina
* Poet Edmund Clarence Stedman of Connecticut
* Explorer Capt. John Gabriel Stedman of Scotland.
What may be less well known is that many famous people are Stedman descendants.
* President Calvin Coolidge is a descendant of Isaac Stedman of Massachusetts
* Poet James Russell Lowell is a descendant of John Stedman of Cambridge
* Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones had a grandmother who was a Stedman.
President George H. W. Bush was born in Massachusetts because his father was working for the Stedman Rubber Company in Boston at the time of his birth.
These are but a few of the many stories that have been shared with me over the past several years. I am sure you may even have more. Our story is far from complete. If you can add to the story or correct our mistakes or just have questions or comments about what you see, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you.
John Lisle, Nashua, New Hampshire
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