John Stephens (1772–1841), a Wesleyan Methodist, and brother of Edward and Samuel, both to achieve prominence in South Australia.
R. Stephens' – a Wesleyan minister imprisoned for 18 months on charges of sedition and unlawful assembly as a result of his association with the Chartist movement; George was a noted philologist, and for many years Professor of English Literature at Copenhagen University .
Thomas Blanshard in the Book-Room of the Wesleyan Methodists, he set up as a bookseller and publisher at 16 City Road, London,[a] publishing from January 1830 onwards the Christian Advocate, aiming to report the proceedings of all Christian societies, bestowing particular attention to "facts which relate more immediately to the interests of Wesleyan Methodism".
A large number of colonists published a letter of support for him in a supplement to The South Australian Register on 7 March 1850.
[16] He died at "Seacombe", the Brighton residence of his brother Edward, manager of the Bank of South Australia, on 28 November 1850.
A public meeting held at Mount Barker, chaired by John Dunn showed popular support among farmers for his independence and opposition to taxation without representation.
[32] He had two brothers who arrived in South Australia on 27 July 1836 on the Duke of York: banker Edward Stephens (1811–1861) who survived him and Samuel (1808–1840), who was the first Colonial Manager and died in a horse-riding accident.