Here is my oldest STEVENSON ancestor who settled in Bienville Parish. I am posting this information in case someone may be researching any of the following families.. My gg-grandfather: Benjamin F. Stevenson b. 1800 Wilson Co. Tn. Mar: 5 April 1825 Wilson Co. to Elizabeth Willis. Dtr. Of Edward Willis and Susana Willis. Benjamin F. was the son of Moore Stevenson from NC. & Sarah Perry, dtr of Josiah Perry & Elizabeth Twine.. Ch: William Moore, Mary W., John M. Christian, Charity, Ezra, Isaac Thomas "Tom" (my great grandfather), Ozia L., Sarah, and Josiah B. T. Stevenson. "There had been a large group of men and their families from the Mt. Juliet - Lebanon Tn. area who had moved from there about 1818-20. Many were members of Moore Stevenson's Little Cedar Lick Baptist Church. The first of these was John Murrell, who lived at Carthage Tn. He left Carthage with a flatboat, and floating down the Cumberland River, met up with others at Nashville. Using keelboats, they continued down the Cumberland to the Mississippi, and then to the mouth of the Red River. Going up the Red with great difficulty, they passed around the raft of logs blocking the river by going through Loggy Bayou and Lake Bistineau. In April they reached their destination of the Long Prairie area of Ark. They settled here, but so many became ill, they could not stay. Some returned to Tn., some went to the North La. hill country. Murrell settled between the present site of Minden La. and the present site of Homer, La. Around him grew what came to be known as the Flat Lick community. In this community are found Newt Drew, who had moved from Southampton Co. Va. (borders Northampton Co. NC) to Sumner and Wilson Co.s in TN. at the same time as Moore Stevenson. James Brinson, a Baptist minister from Lebanon Tn., the Koonce, McFarland, Nelson, Whitson, and Josiah Brinson families, all from Wilson Co. Tn . Rev. James Brinson and Newt Drew were original deacons of Moore's Cedar Lick church. Ben's first land in La. was "on the waters of Lake Bistineau" near Newt Drew. In 1845 Elizabeth sold land on Lake Bistineau (old Claiborne Parish). A patent in her name is on file for 80 acres dated 1849.(#3042) We do not know when Elizabeth died. She is in the 1850 census for Bienville Parish, There is no 1860 census for Bienville, and she is not in the 1870 census. Ben had sold his land on Bistineau and was in that part of Bienville Par. which became Red River Parish. An ad for a succession sale for John Lewis which was held at Ben's home describes it as "about 16 miles SW of Ringold." All of Ben's children except Clarinda moved to La. with him. She had remained with her Rutland grandparents after her mother's death and was raised by them. Markie