Stephen was an African American person who was born in Warwick County, Virginia and enslaved by several individuals throughout his lifetime. A boy in 1695, Stephen lived in Warwick County, Virginia, where he was enslaved by Daniel Akehurst and his wife Ann. When Daniel Akehurst died in about 1698, he did not mention Stephen in his will, though he bequeathed several other enslaved individuals to his daughter Philocrista Akehurst.

After Daniel Akehurst's death, the ownership of Stephen became disputed. According to the Cary family, Akehurst's widow Ann assumed ownership of Stephen after her husband's death and in about 1711 Ann sold Stephen to Miles Cary. However according to merchant James Tooke, Akehurst's daughter Philocrista assumed ownership of Stephen. In 1699 Philocrista married Joseph Jordan and the couple became residents of Pasquotank Precinct, North Carolina. The Jordans then owned Stephen for twelve years before selling him to James Tooke.

Due to the dispute, Miles Cary filed a lawsuit in 1713, claiming that Tooke was unlawfully detaining Stephen. Initially, the court of chancery sided with Cary and ordered that Tooke return Stephen to him. However, upon appeal, the court sided with Tooke and declared him to be the rightful owner of Stephen. Any further information regard this individual has not been located.