Richard Stephens.

About Richard Stephens

Captain Richard Stephens was a merchant and described "painter-stainer". Stephens arrived to Colony of Virginia as an unmarried man of means, with two to four servants, on February 16 1624 [O.S. February 1623] aboard the George. Stephens was an experienced military man and quickly began to establish himself in the colony by acquiring land, and was soon named burgess in the colony. After building a blockhouse and receiving a patent on the same, the captain was issued the first English land grant in the colony as incentive for other landowners to follow his example and build gardens within their property holdings. Captain Stephens amassed nearly 2000 acres.