Well, I guess I might be responsible for the ASSUMPTION that Jesse and Stephen's father was John Davidson Hosey. Many years ago (1979-1980), I ran across an old-timer Hosey who told that story from HIS grandfather to me and I passed it on to several other people who were researching our line but told them the origin.
I was never able to find ANY documented information on John Davidson Hosey and chalked it up to family lore (like the story of the Spanish ship sinking near Scotland and a survivor named Jose washing up on shore and starting the Hosey clan; another version was a Spanish ship sank off the coast of Louisiana and a sailor named Jose washed up and started the Hosey families found in Louisiana - both of these legends were found at the Mobile Public Library along with the story of Vikings coming to the Zetland Islands and starting the Hoseason Clan).
Also, the LDS (Mormons) have Jesse Hosey (b. 1759) as the father of Jesse Hosey (b. 1785), John Garrison Hosey (b. 1810) and James B. Hosey (b.1816).
There was a man in California that claimed the family descended from the Biblical Prophet Hosea and claimed that he had documentation of that but refused to share it with anyone. Upon his death, he left it to a lady in Texas who continued his refusal to share (actually,to even admit to the existance) any documentation of this claim or any other of the man's "research" findings. Anyway, I have not seen any evidence that any of the above has been documented except by handed down stories.
There were actually TWO stories related to Jo Alice that seemed to somehow have been merged into one story at your site (the ship-death and the Spanish connection).
Pam picked up the LDS version of the story (apparently, judging from the dates). I was never able to verify the ship death of the Hosey partiarch on the voyage to America nor the "adoption" of the two orpahned Hosey boys by the Autry (Awtry, Autrey) family on-board with them. Stephen had sons named Jesse and John and John Garrison had a son names Jesse and John. There were other Jesse's and John's around as well, so these appear to be common and favorite names.
Guess all we can do is go where the research leads and rely on the documentation (such as it is) to draw conclusions before assuming the "evidence" is a fact.
As to the REAL story, guess I have to quote Yul Brynner in "The King And I": tis a puzzlement. I keep hoping for a breakthrough but after 20 years I am no further along and no further back in the Hosey line...filled in some cousin gaps but the Big Man still stand alone at the top, without parents or documented origins. BUT at lease he was not as elusive as these dawg-gone Blizard's....man, these guys went out of their way not to leave any clues and I believe they are responsible for the burning of at least 14 courthouses to cover their tracks!
Ron B.