The Stevens Family Story

Our current records trace our Stevens roots back to George and Elizabeth (Halter) Stevens. Very little is known about these long-ago relations, so our story begins a little on the light side.

Farmer Perrin

Eldest child, Perrin Stevens, worked as a farmer. At some point before 1838, he married a woman named Mary Ann. Together they would have five children: Elizabeth M. Stevens (b. 1838), Robert J. have five children Stevens 1842), George Stevens (b.1844), Frederick J. Stevens (b.1846), Franklin D. Stevens (b. Jan. 12, 1849), and Maryann Stevens (b. 1858). The family was raised in, or very near, to the town of Bostwick, Ontario. Little is known currently about the lives and deaths of the children--except for the youngest son, Franklin. He lived to the age of 13, and was buried at Bostwick Cemetery in Ontario. Perrin passed away at the age of 57 in 1871 in Brooke, Ontario. The fate of Marry Ann is currently unknown.

Early Canadian Residents

George Stevens (b. 1786) and Elizabeth (Halter) Stevens (b. 1794) were early residents of Canada, likely in residence there from at least the early 1810s onward. On March 10, 1814, 28 year-old Elizabeth gave birth to her first (known) child, Perrin Stevens. A second son, Porter Stevens, followed in January, 1816. Elizabeth then went on to have (at least) four daughters, Jane (b. 1822), Ann (b. 1825), Clarissa (b. 1827), and Elizabeth (b. 1833).

Elizabeth lived until age 67, when she passed on March 12, 1861. She was buried in London, Ontario with a gravestone marking "Elizabeth, wife of George Stevens". George lived for three years beyond his wife, and passed on September 28, 1864. He is presumably also buried in London, Ontario, though his gravestone remains undiscovered.

Porter and Hannah would have four children together--not counting Rufus among them. The first born was Charles Stevens (b. 1840). Then Lorenzo "Ron" Winchester Stevens (b. March 20, 1843). Then Mary Jane Stevens (b. 1845). Their final child was Lizzie "Eliza" Stevens (b. 1849).

On October 4, 1863, Porter passed away from causes unknown at the early age of 47. He was buried in the Bostwick/Westminster/Nilestown Cemetery. At the time of his passing his children ranged in age from 14 to 27.

The Next Generation Starts Their Own Families

By 1871, both girls were married. Lizzie Stevens wed Joseph McDougall on November 16, 1870, and the couple remained in the London, Ontario area. Presumably,Charles was also married and living in his own household by that point. Lorenzo and Rufus, however, still bachelors, maintained a residence with their mother Hannah in 1871. Sometime shortly after that, sometime between 1873 and 1882, Rufus--now a grown man working as a farmer--married a woman named Jane "Jennie" Stites (b. 1855). Together they had a son named Freddie Eldridge (b. October 22, 1882). Lorenzo, however remained a bachelor at home.

Porter Marries into a Shoe Family

Much like his older brother, Porter worked as a farmer throughout his life, living and working in Westminster, Ontario. Porter married Hannah (Tibbets) Eldridge-Stevens (b. 1814, Quebec) on May 13, 1839. The two were married by Rev. William Clarke, and it was noted to be one of

the earliest marriages recorded by a minister in that part of Canada. Hannah was born a Tibbets, and likely came from the Tibbets family of shoemakers that lived in close proximity to the Stevens family in 1831. We can also reasonably assume that Hannah had been previously married to man with the surname Eldridge, and that one child survived the union--Rufus Eldridge (b. 1836). The three year-old would join his mother and stepfather at their home in Westminster, and would historically be referred to alternately as Rufus Eldridge and Rufus Stevens.

Mary Jane's Adventurous Spouse

Mary Jane Stevens wed George W. "Ace" McCarty in Westminster, Ontario on September 19, 1867. By 1871, George was working as a hotel keeper in Westminster, and continued as such until the early 1880s, when they moved to Alma, Michigan, where George owned and operated The McCarty House hotel. By that point, the couple had several children, including:

Minnie McCarty (b. 1869)

Carrie Theresa McCarty (b. 1870)

Fred McCarty (b. 1873)

George McCarty (b. 1881)

Joel E. McCarty (b. 1883)

Bert McCarty

Daughter Carrie was known to work at the hotel as a waitress by 1887. Sadly, she passed away from unknown causes on July 20, 1887. By 1895, George had sold the McCarty House and had big plans to open a music shop in Alma, called McCarty's Music Store. Daughter Minnie supported his venture by displaying instruments at the Gratiot County Fair. The music store was not long for the world though, as it was closed by February, 1899. It is fairly understandable that this venture failed, however, given that George and his sons Joel, Fred, and Bert were venturing across the Klondike in search of gold. The men were gone for many months at a time, returning to Alma in August, 1899 with several souvenirs and curiosities, including two live monkeys.The wanderlust has faded, apparently, by 1901, when George opened a restaurant in Alma, Michigan.

Not much is known about George McCarty's fate after his return to Alma. We do not even know when he perished. What we do know is that his bride, Mary Jane (Stevens) McCarty opted to move from Alma, Michigan to Woodinville, Washington in May, 1902 to live with her daughter Minnie, whom had just wed Clarence Kennedy the year before. Mary Jane lived in Washington until her passing on March 8, 1926.

Lizzie (Stevens) McDougall, c. 1880s

Mary (Stevens) McCarty, c. 1890s

The Great Bar Fight Tragedy of 1884

Then, in 1884, tragedy and scandal struck the family. Rufus Eldridge, half-brother of Lorenzo, was stabbed and killed during a fight. The following is an account of the story pieced together from court records and newspaper articles.

On the afternoon of September 16, 1884, Rufus and Lorenzo (aka "Ron"), both farmers living on adjoining properties in London, Ontario, drove their horse-drawn wagon to Nilestown, Ontario to purchase "domestic supplies". During the visit, the two brothers settled in at the Nilestown Hotel to have some drinks. There, they met up with strangers John Richards, William Butt, Edward Noulty, and Henry L'Ansette, among others.

The group was carousing well into the evening, when sometime after 10pm an argument broke out between Rufus and Edward Noulty about which man was the better man--especially which man could "draw brick" better. Rufus began to brag that he could "lick" any man in the room, pressing his hand onto Noulty's shoulder he exclaimed "I can draw more brick than you , or I can lick you either". Noulty turned to L'Ansette and suggested "Here's a man can 'lick' you." Jeremiah McRoberts, proprietor of the hotel came over, grabbed Noulty by the shoulders and took him to the corner of the room to reprimand him not to cause a fight. Noulty relented and agreed, but as soon as he returned a scuffle broke out between him and Rufus.

The dispute, which began at the Nilestown Hotel soon shifted just down the street to the Byers Hotel. At the new location, "Rufe" threw Noulty to the ground and began choking him, prompting the hotel-keeper to pull him off. At the same time, Ron had started brawling with L'Ansette. The latter hit Ron, knocking him down to the ground. Witnesses differ on whether Ron crawled or ran behind the bar, but all agree that then, with L'Ansette reaching for him over he bartop, Ron grabbed a liquor bottle and broke it over his attacker's head. As blood ran down the Frenchman's head, Ron reached for more bottles to start throwing, when he was grabbed by a witness and pulled to a hallway at the back of the bar. Rufus was escorted back there as well. Noulty and L'Ansette were ejected out the front door.

After much protest by Noulty and L'Ansette, they were shortly allowed back in and L'Ansette was said to be quite worked up, holding his bleeding head and muttering that "a man that would do that would kill his own brother." The aggravated Frenchman was about 27 years old, and was said to be stout and powerful in appearance, with a "bulldog"-like head and an aggressive countenance. He was well known around the neighborhood as a fighter with a bad temper--a trait that was on full display as he paced, threatened, and ranted, hoping to get revenge against the older men (Rufus was 48 and Ron was 41). He was heard shouting "Rufe, you -----, I can lick you, and I will!"

By that point, Ron and Rufus had moved into the kitchen, where a witness told them to sit tight for a while before leaving. Rufus pulled out a knife saying that no one was going to prevent him from going home. He handed the knife to his brother telling him it was all he would have to defend himself with. The two then went out back--Rufus went to the wagon on the road, while Ron went to the stables to retrieve the horses. As Ron hitched the horses up successfully, Rufe took a seat in the wagon. Ron joined him shortly and the two attempted to get the wagon turned around.

Meanwhile, back inside Byers Hotel, someone heard the wagon moving and alerted the room to the fact that the two brothers were leaving. L'Ansette and Noulty headed out right away and caught up with the Stevens men before the wagon was turned completely. Noulty went to one side and caught Ron by his coat, pulling him out of the wagon seat and hit him in the face. Ron struck back with the knife--his own testimony suggested the threat of the knife was enough to hold off his attacker, but other sources cite that Noulty suffered several cuts and stabs--at least seven, though he was said to be resting comfortably by the next day. Ron took a few more hits to the nose.

Over on the other side of the wagon, L'Ansette had gone after Rufus. The Frenchman was allegedly clubbed in the head with something heavy, and shortly after that he produced a knife and stabbed Rufus in the heart. Rufus was carried to one of the nearby hotels, where he died before medical help could arrive.

Lorenzo, L'Ansette, and Noulty were all arrested and remained in custody for, at minimum, a few days. L'Ansette was later charged with manslaughter and faced trial. If Lorenzo was ever charged with anything, no record has been found, though police were certain to search his posessions and confiscate his knife and gun.

L'Ansette's trial was held within in the ensuing two months. Several witnesses corroborated Lorenzo's account of the incident. The defense asserted that while Rufus had clubbed L'Ansette, it was Lorenzo who had opened his knife and began flailing and stabbing wildly. This matches the various stab wounds on Noulty. Both Noulty and L'Ansette testified that it was Lorenzo who accidentally stabbed Rufus, with the victim shouting "Oh my god, it's me you struck!" Some witnesses agreed that L'Ansette had staggered back into the bar during the brawl shouting that he had been clubbed in the head, and upon hearing word of the stabbing, immediately pulled out his knife to show witnesses it wasn't him and that his knife was clean.

After about thirty minutes of deliberation, the jury decided they did not believe L'Ansette's version of events, finding him guilty of manslaughter. The judge sentenced the Frenchman to four years in the penitentiary. It is not known what became of Noulty.

A Reformed Lorenzo

Family legend says that Lorenzo swore that very night to never touch another drop of alcohol again, and kept his promise until his dying day. Sometime in the next two years that followed, 44 year-old Lorenzo met and married 23 year-old "Annie" Maude (Bletcher) Stevens (b. May 12, 1864). Together they had two sons: Alva Porter Stevens (b. December 31, 1887) Oliver DeWitt Stevens (b. May 8, 1890). Oliver would sadly only live for a little more than 3 months.

Nine months before the birth of Alva, Lorenzo and his siblings lost their mother. Hannah died of heart disease on March 30, 1887, after living as a widow for 24 years. She was buried in the same cemetery as her husband, Porter.

Lorenzo and Annie Stevens, c. 1890s

Lorenzo and Lizzie at Victoria Hospital

Brother and sister Lorenzo and Lizzie both passed away in 1914--about two months apart, and both in the city of London, Ontario. Lorenzo's cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage, for which he had been treated at Victoria Hospital for two weeks leading up to his passing. Apparently, after his passing, the hospital staff waited multiple days to call his son and notify him, for which Alva always felt slighted.

Now, Victoria Hospital is the same place at which Lorenzo's eventual daughter-in-law (Alva's wife, Ada Helen Nash [b. 1887]) trained as a nurse pre-WWI. Upon learning the location and nature of Alva's father's passing, Ada herself supposed that she very well could have been a nurse who sat with him. Perhaps Alva even met Ada at the hospital without realizing it.

Alva Immigrates to America

In a move that his great-granddaughter would come to regret, Alva decided to cross the border to Detroit for work as a jeweller on April 2, 1920, not long before he was wedded to Ada Helen Nash on October 8, 1920. At the time of their marriage, Ada was still residing in London, and she left her nation of birth to be with Alva.

Alva's Wedding Suit

Alva took after his father in the sense that he was much older than was traditional for getting married. The 32 year-old bachelor was set to wed Ada, but unfortunately, even as a successful young jeweller, he had difficulty affording a new wedding suit. So the family story goes that he was far too proud to accept handouts. So his mother's husband, Mr. Leary, went out and bought a dapper new suit and then proclaimed loudly in front of the family that--wonder of wonders!--the suit did not fit him. Maybe it would fit Alva? Lo and behold, it was just Alva's size. This charade satisfied Alva's sensibilities adequately, and that is how he got his wedding suit. More important than his attire, though, is the recollection that his marriage to Ada was a very affectionate match.

Alva and Ada had two children: Grace Warrine Stevens (b.1922) and Robert Allan Stevens (b. 1925). Brother and sister were quite close, and the small family grew up in a very tigh-knit fashion, even through the Great Depression years.

Alva Stevens in 1922 at his home

Canadian Hearts

Funny enough, even as the years passed and both Ada and Alva remained in the U.S., both still really thought of themselves as Canadians. Every July 3rd, they would head to a family cottage at Cloverdale Beach on Lake Erie in Ontario to celebrate Dominion Day, hoisting the "Dominion of Canada" flag (an older version of the flag) up the flagpole at the peak of the

cottage's garage. This was apparently done with a fair amount of pomp and reverence.

Robert in World War 2

Ada and Alva's only son, Bob, graduated from Highland Park High School in 1943. As was expected, he enrolled in the army to join the effort in World War II. His job was a dangerous one, transporting mail, sometimes very close to frontline action. Bob made it through the

war without injury and returned home to Michigan, where he began attending The University of Michigan.

Shortly after that, Robert was introduced to his sister's roommate at Alma College in mid-Michigan, a beautiful and bright young woman named Mary Ellen Tomes. She later said that she liked him so much because he was someone she could really talk to. The two wed on February 4, 1950. They went on to have four children: Robert A. Stevens, Jr., Richard E. Stevens, William A. Stevens, and Karen M. Stevens, all of whom are still alive.

Bob Stevens (left), Nov. 28, 1945 in Germany, with Tom Beck and Stanton "Dempsey" Skinner

The Modern Generation

For privacy reasons, little will be said about the current generations of this Stevens family. While much of the family still remains headquartered in Michigan, some have departed for California, New York, and Virginia. Bob and Mary have had the opportunity to welcome eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, all of whom they both have doted on affectionately.

Robert A. Stevens passed away on May 7, 2014, at his home, surrounded by his family, including wife Mary, and some of his children and grandchildren, who love him very much. In his final days, the family gathered around to enjoy old homemade movies, slides, and even a musical--as the Stevens family has had an odd affection for The Music Man and 1776. Robert is remembered as a loving grandfather who loved to bake cookies. He was also a faithful genealogist and talented writer. His granddaughter misses him terribly.