James Stevens (1846 - 1920)

Born 9 Aug 1846 in Holborn, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Mary Ann (Blake) Stevens — married 29 Jul 1873 in Waverley, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 15 Apr 1920 at age 73 in Concord, New South Wales, Australia

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Heather Stevens [send private message]

Biography

James Stevens migrated from England to New South Wales.

James was born in 1846. He passed away in 1920.

Birth 9 August 1846 at the British Lying-in Hospital Brownlow Street, Holborn in London: His birth certificate has 'unnamed boy', parents John Stevens and Ann Stevens formerly Earle, father's occupation is porter; the informant was Margaret Simson Matron.^[1]

Baptism 6 September 1846 St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, Middlesex: James Stevens born 9 August, parents John and Ann Stevens, wine cooper of Princes Court.^[2]

1851 census: St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, Middlesex: Relationship: Son. At 7 Princes Court: John Stevens 43 wine cooper, with wife Ann 44, and children John G 15 porter, Frank 9 scholar, Mary 6 scholar, JAMES 4 scholar, and mother in law Mary Earle 70 widow. All born London Middlesex except Frank born Ramsgate.

14 January 1859 Death of mother Ann Stevens (nee Earle) in London (3 Broad Court, Drury Lane, Long Acre)

1861 census: St George in the East, Tower Hamlet, Middlesex: JAMES STEVENS 14, coal carrier, (born St Martin Middlesex), is brother of John Stevens head 25 greengrocer (keeping 1 boy) b. Middlesex London, and wife Mary 21 b. Kent Gravesend, and son John 1 b. St George in the East (there is a butcher next door).

28 December 1861 Death of father John Stevens, at St Martin in the Fields Workhouse (the workhouse was also the local hospital).

Arrival Sydney NSW Australia on 13 October 1868: James is a butcher, age 22 of London, part of the crew on the ship "Colonial Empire" 1305 tons of Aberdeen, captain James Bruce.^[3]

Residence: December 1870: Morpeth, New South Wales: James was employed as a general servant by Henry Geary, butcher, but they will have an altercation in February 1871 when James accidentally let a horse rush out of the stable.^[4] He had a brief stay in Maitland Gaol and the Description Book has the following: Birth Place: London, Age: 24, Arrival Year: 1868 'Colonial Empire', height 5ft 2.5in, medium build, fresh complexion, brown hair, blue eyes, he can read and write, occupation butcher, protestant religion.^[5] He sued Geary for wages in March 1871.^[6]

According to a family story, James worked on Military Road at Bondi, then as a butcher, and he met Mary Ann when he sold meat to her

Marriage to Mary Ann Blake 29 July 1873 St Charles, Waverley, NSW, Australia: Occupations butcher and house maid. Witnesses H Thiele, Ellen Thiele. The certificate is inaccurate in their birthplaces. The name of James's father is noted as James (but should be John ?!).^[7]

Newspaper announcement of marriage: 'STEVENS—BLAKE—July 29, by special license, at St. Charles's, Waverley, by the Rev. Father Garavel, James Stevens, son of the late James Stevens, of West End, London, to Mary Ann, daughter of James Blake, of Dural.' ^[8]

Children of James and Mary Ann:

• Francis George 1874-1951
• John 1876-1876
• William 1876-1876
• Charles 1877-1910
• Anne Mary (Annie) 1880-1972
• James Thomas 1882-1964
• Walter David 1885-1940

Residence and occupation: butcher of Surry Hills and Millers Point 1874-1877; By 1880 he was a laborer in Dural; by 1885 he was a farmer at Little Dural (Kenthurst). He bought forty acres next to the O’Hara grant and took up fruit growing.

Death 15 April 1920 Concord, New South Wales, Australia, Cause of death senility, chronic nephritis. Died 'Grandview', Patterson Street, the home of his son Francis George Stevens. Death certificate has place of birth the Strand, London, mother unknown, father James, (but father's name is incorrect - should be John).^[9]

Burial 16 April 1920 at Rookwood Necropolis. Family Graves of F G Stevens, Section E Rows 13 and 14:1370-1377.^[10]

Research Notes

According to James's death certificate, marriage certificate, and marriage announcement, his father's name should be James; however the best fit for facts we know (year of son James's birth, place of son James's birth Strand, and father in occupation to do with wine), and after an extensive search of birth records, James's father is most likely John Stevens (1808-1861), wine cooper. - Heather

Sources

1. ↑ Birth certificate from GRO website index: STEVENS, - EARLE GRO Reference: 1846 S Quarter in ST GILES IN THE FIELDS & ST GEORGE BLOOMSBURY Volume 01 Page 82 (Found by searching for name Earle)
2. ↑ Westminster, London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1919 for James Stevens, St Martin-In-The-Fields 1846-1856 https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/61866/images/61865_314054001181_18164-00012?pId=1728639
3. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Unassisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1826-1922, 1868 October Colonial Empire https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/1210/images/imaus1787_081052-0756?pId=2110835
4. ↑ 1871 'LOCAL NEWS.', The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), 16 February, p. 3. , viewed 15 Dec 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18751898
5. ↑ New South Wales, Australia, Gaol Description and Entrance Books, 1818-1930 for James Stevens, Description Book Maitland 1870-1873 https://www.ancestry.com.au/imageviewer/collections/1783/images/40799_294164-00572?pId=343664
6. ↑ 1871 'LOCAL NEWS.', The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), 2 March, p. 2. , viewed 15 Dec 2019, http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18752277
7. ↑ Marriage certificate NSW 1439/1873 STEVENS James BLAKE Mary Ann registered Paddington, NSW. The certificate is inaccurate in their birthplaces: James born in "Ireland" and Mary Ann born in "London". St Charles church register was also checked at St Mary Immaculate Waverley, and had the same information.
8. ↑ Newspaper announcement of marriage: SMH 1& 9 Aug, Sydney Mail 9 Aug 1873
9. ↑ Death Certificate NSW STEVENS JAMES 6989/1920
10. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150632902/james-stevens: accessed 9 September 2022), memorial page for James Stevens (1845–15 Apr 1920), Find a Grave Memorial ID 150632902, citing Rookwood Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria, Rookwood, Cumberland Council, New South Wales, Australia; Maintained by jlong (contributor 48741020) .

• Baptism, census records, ship's crew list from Ancestry.com