William Hemming and Sisson Stephens Genealogy

Hemming / Heming Families in Stark and Carroll Counties of Ohio

Jul 30, 2009

William Hemming (also Heming) and Sisson Stephens were a prolific couple who began their family in Maryland and later settled in Northeastern Ohio.

When William Hemming stepped off the boat in the mid 1700's he would have no idea how abundantly he would populate a soon-to-be born United States with his descendents. Nearly 250 years later, thousands of people who bare the name Heming and Hemming acknowledge him as their immigrant ancestor.

Immigration to Maryland from England

To date, it is uncertain when exactly William immigrated to the United States from England. Presumably it was some time between his birth, debated between 1758 and 1763, and his marriage in 1782. One potential lead for immigration information is found in The King's Passengers to Maryland and Virginia by Peter Wilson Coldham (p. 238). In 1773 a William Hemming was a prisoner aboard a ship that arrived in Maryland.

Passengers aboard were men, women, and children whose punishment for a crime committed was indentured servitude. Though unconfirmed, it is feasible that this William Hemming and the William Hemming who would later settle in Carroll County, Ohio is one in the same. However, it may likely be that William's pre-American life will remain a mystery and source of speculation for centuries to come.

1782 Marriage to Sisson Stephens

Early Hemming/Heming Bibles note that in 1782, William married Sisson Stephens, born Christmas Day 1760, in Baltimore, Maryland. Variant spellings of her first name have been recorded as Cissen and Cisson. She brings to the Hemming family genealogy her own ancestral secrets, as her parentage similarly remains unknown.

Due to her very unusual first name, some genealogists have speculated that perhaps Sisson was the maiden name of her mother or a traditional family name that had been passed on to her. As the years would pass, Sisson would later be honored with two of her own namesake. Her sons Thomas and Henry would each have a daughter that bore her name, Cissen Catherine "Susan" Heming McFerren and Sisson Heming Wood, respectively.

Children

During nearly a 20 year span, William and Sisson welcomed at least 10 children into their family. Of those 10, it is known that at least 5 of them went on to have their own children. William and Sisson would delight in the joys of at least 34 grandchildren, quite possibly even more. William and Sisson's children included:

Hemming/Heming Census Records

The earliest census records that have been found for the William Hemming family places them in Salem, Jefferson County, Ohio in 1820. Records for decades previous have yet to be uncovered. All of William and Sisson's children are noted as having been born in Maryland. Reasonably, they settled in Ohio between the years of 1802 and 1820.

All of their children, save Thomas, relocated to Ohio with their parents. Thomas settled in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Having 15 children of his own with his wife Rachel Cessna, he also populated the area with bearers of the surname. However, most of the Pennsylvanian Hemming's dropped an "m" from the name. By 1830 William and Sisson had emptied their bountiful nest and were enjoying the last years of their lives together in Harrison Township, Stark County, Ohio.

Sisson passed away on 29 July 1838. Her headstone can be located at the Grandview Cemetery, Carrollton, Carroll County, Ohio. William died in 1840 and is thought to be buried at the same cemetery, though no headstone can be found for him. Many of their heirs have also been laid to rest there as well.

Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Kings Passengers to Maryland and Virginia. Westminister, MD: Family Line Publications, 1997.

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