Family/Spouse: Joseph STEVENS. Joseph was born about 1817; died in 1851 in Of Clerkenwall, Middlesex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

George Richard Stevens was likely to be the son of Joseph & Mary Stevens. This is because he was age 50 in the 1881 census records for co. Surrey, England. His place of birth was listed as Chelsea, co. Middlesex, ENG. According to I.G.I records, the only match for a George Richard Stevens is the son of Joseph and Mary Stevens who was christened the 17th of Oct., 1830 in Chelsea, St. Lukes's Parish, Chelsea, London, ENG. London was in co. Middlesex, England. This record gives his birth date. Whereas his birth date looks like Sep. 20, 1830 to me, the I.G.I files interpreted it as Sep. 28, 1830. I do not know which is correct.

In the 1851 census, George appears to be living on his own. He is the only George born in Chelsea and of the correct age. He was age 19 on Mar. 30, 1851 when the census was taken. He was listed as a salesman. He was employed by George Fitch who was a Power Broker. He lived in District 1, St. James Clerkenwall, Clerkenwall, Middlesex, England. His likely parents, Joseph and Mary, lived in the same place, had children born in Chelsea, but were only 13 or so years older than him. George named a son Joseph after his father. In the christening record for his son Joseph dated 1858, he is listed as a "Bookseller" by trade as he was also called in his marriage record dated 1854.

My father remembers that his great grandfather who lived in England owned a book stall (store) there. He sent his granddaughter, Maude Stevens Coate, a picture of the Roman Forum and a large sailing vessel which hung on the wall of my father's home while he was growing up. In the 1861 census, he and his family lived in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. He is listed as a book (dealer?) at age 30, his wife was age 29 and sons John and William were listed at ages 4 and 1 respectively. George Richard Stevens is listed as a Commercial Clerk in his son John Steven's wedding certificate in 1875. He is listed as a Commercial Clerk Book Seller in the 1881 census records for Lambeth, co. Surrey, ENG. They lived at 59 Stockwell Green in Lambeth at the time. (C-3, 1900, EL)

I've found some of the children I have for him by finding John's birth place in the 1881 English Census and then locating other children born in the same place to the same parents in Mormon I.G.I files and christening records. I found two more children when the 1881 census record for George R. Stevens was found that matched this family perfectly. In the 1891 census, George is listed as George R. Stevens, a booksellers assistant born in Chelsea, London, England. His wife is listed at age 69, also born the same place as him. This doesn't agree with the 1881 census as far as her birth place goes and is likely false. The address where they live looks something like 82 Eolm Poste Hotel. I have not been able to find George R. and his family in the 1871 census.

George married Annie TONKIN on 3 Sep 1854 in St. John The Baptist, Haxton, Shoreditch, London, Middlesex, ENG. Annie (daughter of John TONKIN and Isabella STRANGEWAYS) was born on 15 Sep 1832 in Finsbury, Middlesex, England; was christened on 11 Nov 1832 in City Road Chapel Wesleyan, Finsbury, Shoreditch Parish, London, ENG; died in 1910 in Of Lambeth, Surrey, ENG. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

James could be the James Stevens married to Mary who had a son named Charles Alfred on Sep. 13, 1874 in Rugby, Warwick, England where his brother George Richard had children the decade before. (C-2482)

Notes:

According to his obituary in the Dayton Journal dated Mar. 29, 1922, he was born in Manchester, England. Family tradition has been that he was born in London or in Lancaster, England (Death certificate). However, in the 1881 census record for England his birth place is listed as Rugby, Warwick, England. This is the only source that lists his birth place while he was alive. It was not the same as his wife's or children's place of birth. His birth date is listed as Nov. 25, 1853 or Nov. 25, 1857 (death certificate).

The 1881 census tells us that he was 24 years of age, making either 1856 or 1857 correct. His christening record took place in Aug. of 1857, so he was therefore likely born in Nov. of 1856. Fred Stevens gave the information on the death certificate that is often at variance with other sources. There is a John Stevens and Keturah Dimmock living in the Parish of Hackney, Co. of Middlesex in 1875 on Englefield Rd. that are probably them. (C-589) He was a superintendent of the mechanical department for the "ChatterBox". It was an English child's annual storybook.

In the 1881 census, John is listed as a printer and they lived at 161 Eversleigh Rd., Battersea, Surrey, England. In his christening record and 1881 census record, his name is listed as John Stevens. My father remembered his middle name being Charles, but that has not been verified. He (age 26) and his wife, "Katy" (age 27) and sons, Fred (age 7) and George (age 4) emigrated to the United States arriving in New York on November 1, 1883 on the Grecian Monarch. This was before Ellis Island was opened. They had departed from London, England. John was listed as a printer by profession. They came in Steerage with 3 pieces of luggage for the entire family. (C: Doc)

In his 1922 obituary, he was listed as having been in the U.S. for 35 years, but in reality it was around 39 years. They first moved to Wheeling, West Virginia where he worked as in Interior Decorator. They them moved to Dayton, Ohio in 1892 where he continued in the same trade and where he lived for the remainder of his days. He is listed as a painter living at 1916 E. Fifth Street in the Dayton, Ohio 1889 and 1890 directories. There are several Stevens in the Dayton, Montgomery Co., OH directory of 1887 that have similar names to his children, who could be his relatives that he followed to Ohio. They include an A.E. Stevens, an Alfred, a George W. (1845-1923) and a John Stevens. (C-1905, C-Doc) In the U.S. 1900 census, John is listed as a house painter who could read, write and speak English. They rented their home at 411 N. Main St, Dayton, Ohio. Both John's and Keturah's parents were born in England. (C-98) In his later years, John worked for a cookie factory called Greene and Greene as a painter and custodian.

His sons (Alfred) George and Albert Edward were at one time both in the painting business with him. They lived through 7 floods in the United States. (C-2,4, 1899) These floods might account for the reason they moved often renting the following residences in Dayton, Ohio according to Dayton City Directories: 1900: 411N Main St., 1902: 67 E. Halena, 1908: 218 N. Linwood, 1914: 522 W. 3rd. In his death certificate, his son Fred gives his birth date as Nov. 25, 1857. However, both census records give his age matching a birth year of 1853. (C-226, C:Doc)

As for his death, this was a very sad event for his children. John had remarried and was quite ill. When my father's mother and her sisters wanted to visit their father on his death bed on Bolander Ave, their new mother-in-law wouldn't let them in. She got all of his belongings including all the family heirlooms and furniture from England. The daughters even suspected that he was poisoned by his wife. However, his death certificate says that he died of a cerebral hemorrhage compounded by pneumonia that he'd had for the last 7 days. He died at 9:30 on a Monday evening. The funeral was held at the home of his daughter, Keturah Ritter, at 2:00 p.m. on Mar. 30, 1922. (C:DOC, 2077, 2517)

John married Keturah (Kitty) DIMMACK on 2 Jun 1875 in Hackney, Middlesex, ENG. Keturah (daughter of Benjamin DIMMOCK and Martha AUSTIN) was born on 2 Jun 1855 in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, ENG; died on 11 Feb 1918 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA; was buried on 14 Feb 1918 in Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married UNKNOWN after Feb 1918 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA. died after Mar 1922. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Joseph likely died young. He was not in then 1861, 1871 or 1881 census for this family.

Notes:

He is listed as a Newsagent and Tobacconist by trade at age 16 in the 1881 census records. He is still living with his parents at the time. In the 1891 census for Brixton, Lambeth, ENG, he is still living with his parents. He is age 26, a carpenter, born in Rugby, Warwick, England.

Notes:

He had either died or was living on his own when the 1881 census was taken as he was not living with his family at that time. It is more likely that he died young.

Notes:

Annie was attending school at age 11 as she is listed as a "scholar" in the 1881 British Census records. In the 1891 census, she is still living at home, age 21, and a dressmaker by trade. Like her brother Thomas, her birth place is listed as Rugby, Warwick, England.

Notes:

Uncle Fred was about age 7 when his family came to the U.S. Fred was living at 2823 W. 3rd St. in Dayton, Ohio when he gave the info for his father, John Stevens death on Mar 27, 1922. He lived in the following residences in the Dayton City Directories: 1901-1902: Screwmaker, res. 167 N. Best (wife Effie), 1908: Toolmaker, 140 W. Holt St., (Effie), 1914: Stevens Mfg. Co. at 1119 W. 2nd (wife Effie M.). According to my father, his nephew, Fred moved to Longbeach, California. Dad stayed with him a few months as he went out on his own as a young man. (C-1900)

John married Effie Mae FRYE on 3 Feb 1896 in New Carlisle, Montgomery, OH, USA. Effie was born in in , Miami, OH, USA; died on 19 Jan 1965 in Longbeach, Los Angeles, CA; was buried on 22 Jan 1965 in Sunnyside Mausoleum, Longbeach, Los Angeles, CA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Alfred became known as A. George in the city directories by the time he married around 1902. My father knew him as Uncle George. He is listed as a paper hanger in the 1900 U.S. census. He is listed as living in the following addresses in the Dayton City Directories: 1900-1902: (painter living with father at 411 N. Main St.), and 1902-1908: Assembler having a home at 447 S. Quitman, (C-98). By 1914 he and his wife are missing from the directories. According to my father, his wife was German and he couldn't understand a word her family spoke. He eventually joined the First World War in Canada to fight the Germans. Afterwords, he basically left his wife and was living in Detroit, Michigan where he raised a second family.

Birth:
Event Description: Or Battersea, Surrey, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Alfred married Amelia UNKNOWN about 1902. Amelia was born about 1879 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA; died on 5 Oct 1938 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA; was buried in Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He never married. In 1900, he was a Telegraph Messenger. He lived in Chicago in 1922 at his father's death. Though Thomas lived his final years in Mexico, his gravestone is in Dayton, Ohio where his mother is also buried. He was not respected in the family. (C-44, 98)

Notes:

Our Albert E. Stevens was listed with the following occupations and residences in the Dayton City Directories: 1908: Mach. 218 N. Linwood at his father's residence, 1914: Painter, 234 S. Euclid Ave. married to Estella B., and 1921: Grinder, 133 S. Eagle (Estalla). According to my father he and his family moved to Healdsburg, CA in 1923 where they lived out their lives. He is listed in Redmond, California in his father's obituary of Mar. 1922. His wife, however, died back here in my Aunt Martha Steven's Schmidt home when on a return visit 20 to 30 years after their move to California. They moved out to California because of her asthma. This is probably what killed her on her return visit to Dayton, Ohio. (C-1899, 1900, 2077) There is another A.E. (Ansel Edmond) Stevens living at 1810 E. 3rd St. in Dayton, Ohio the year that this Albert Edward was born whom is from a Stevens' family who is the son of Edmond Stevens that hales through Massachusetts and is of no known relationship to this Stevens' family.

Albert married Estella B. LINK in 1908. Estella died before 1966 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Maud Stevens Coate was a true character. She is remembered by me as a great storyteller, chronic complainer, and the life of any party she attended. I really enjoyed how much fun she could be. The minute she attended a get-together, she'd be laughing and ready to do a jig. I remember her very expressive face as she scared the wits out of her grandchildren while telling them ghost stories around the campfire. I came to be a storyteller myself, partially due to her influence.

When I interviewed her, she related an interesting story about how she and her husband met. She had gone to visit her cousin Helen Lee. Helen's cousin was Albert Pickering Coate. He came to visit Helen at the same time. The three of them raided the chicken coop and cooked their catch on the day they met. Maud and Albert married 7 months later when she was almost 18. My father says that Maud's sister, Keturah, forged her mother's name on the parent consent form for their marriage. Maude remembers that she weighed 98 pounds at this event.

She had a very demanding life raising nine children through the depression years. She had to have a strong nature to make it through those years mastering the tasks of caring, cooking, and sewing for such a large crowd with absolutely minimal resources. Her husband died early in his fifties which meant she was alone to raise nine children. To her great credit, all of them graduated from High School. Four of them also completed several years of college. A fifth son, Richard, not only went to college but was likely the first Coate in our tree to achieve a degree, a B.A., majoring in theatre, minoring in American Literature and Art.

Most of her children had some involvement in the service and major wars of the 20th century. Warren and Bob served in the army in World War II. Ben served in the Air Force. Richard served in the Korean War. Shirley was in the U.S. Air Force from 1952 -1955 serving in Newfoundland. Maude was one of the original liberated women. My uncle Richard, relayed the story of when she and her husband had gotten a new horse and buggy. Albert P. had warned her not to go near the horse until he had broken him in, but Maude was a stubborn woman. She rigged him up to the buggy to go pick up her husband after work at Armco. Not only was she in for a wild ride, but she sure surprised her husband when she flew past him in the buggy where she was trying to pick him up.

She also was the first woman in Trenton to open her own business. She was an artist with her handmade afghans and crafts. Her craft store was apparently still open when I was very small. I have one memory of it. She had had the store for many years at that point in time. Her social security number, 301-30-0046 was issued in 1952, years after she had started her business.

She lived most of her life at 113 John St. in Trenton, Ohio, the yellow wood home where her children were raised. Her sons helped move her to Columbus, Ohio for her last few years to be near her family. (C-2108E) According to the newspaper clipping from the Columbus Dispatch, she was a member of the Mt. Olivet Presbyterian Church, the W.S.M. Sewing Club, the C.I.C. Sunday School class, and the D.A.R. in Trenton, Ohio. Upon her death, just shy of 90 years, she left 20 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren. (C-281, 282, 283, 285, 286) She and her husband are buried a couple of rows from her cousin, Albert Dimmack in section 19 of Woodside Cemetery in Middletown, Ohio, and a son, Bill, who is in section 20 of that cemetery. ( C: Doc)

Maud married Albert Pickering COATE, * on 2 May 1910 in Covington, Kenton, KY, USA. Albert (son of Warren C. COATE, * and Ida Jane HARB) was born on 12 Oct 1887 in Ludlow Falls, Miami, OH, USA; died on 2 Jun 1941 in Trenton, Butler, OH, USA; was buried on 4 Jun 1941 in Woodside Cemetery, Middletown, Butler, OH, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Keturah married Harry Edward RITTER about 1913. Harry was born on 1 Mar 1891; died on 24 May 1944. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Martha's birth record needs located as an unnamed infant to Martha's parents died 3 months after her funeral card said she was born. To me, this suggests that Martha's birth year is incorrect. If her birthdate proves to be true, then the infant child of John Stevens, who died in 1898 belonged to a different John Stevens in the area.

Martha married Godfrey SCHMIDT on 26 Feb 1920 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA. Godfrey (son of John SCHMIDT and Leona HYATT) was born on 13 Nov 1895 in Dayton, Montgomery, OH, USA; died on 8 Feb 1992 in Boynton Beach, Palm Beach, Florida, United States; was buried in Boynton Beach Memorial Park, Boyton Beach, Palm Beach, FL, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]