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Maybe this is him in 1881? He is a widower so perhaps that is why the children were sent home to the grandparents and he met Sarah Williams nee Rowe and married her? She was born in New York.


John Stevenson

in the 1880 United States Federal Census


Name John Stevenson
Age 48
Birth Date Abt 1832
Birthplace England
Home in 1880 San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
Street Fourth Park
House Number 357
Dwelling Number 54
Race White
Gender Male
Marital Status Widower
Father's Birthplace England
Mother's Birthplace England
Occupation Engineer



Name John Stevenson engineer
Age 49
Birth Year abt 1835
Birth Place England
Residence Year 1884
Residence Place San Mateo, California, USA



Sarah Williams

in the 1880 United States Federal Census

Name Sarah Williams
Age 34
Birth Date Abt 1846
Birthplace New York
Home in 1880 Belmont, San Mateo, California, USA
Dwelling Number 233
Race White
Gender Female
Relation to Head of House Sister
Marital Status Widowed
Father's Birthplace New York
Mother's Birthplace New York
Occupation Housekeeper
Neighbors
Household Members (Name) Age Relationship
William Rowe 48 Self (Head)
Sarah Williams 34 Sister
Floyd Williams 12 Nephew

This is the John who died in 1904. He was 68 and 8 months and died of cancer.

John Stevenson
Gender Female
Birth Date Jun 1834
Birth Place Liverpool, Metropolitan Borough of Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Death Date 4 Feb 1904
Death Place Livermore, Alameda County, California, United States of America
Cemetery San Francisco Columbarium
Burial or Cremation Place San Francisco, San Francisco County, California, United States of America
Has Bio? N
Spouse
Sarah Stevenson
Children
Floyd D Williams
URL
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/61954799/john-stevenson




Name John Stevenson
Gender Male
Race White
Death Age 68
Event Type Death
Birth Date abt 1836
Birth Place England
Death Date 4 Feb 1904
Death Place Near Lwermore, California, USA


and in 1870?

John Stevenson

in the 1870 United States Federal Census


Name John Stevenson
Age in 1870 37
Birth Date abt 1833
Birthplace England
Dwelling Number 388
Home in 1870 San Francisco Ward 9, San Francisco, California
Race White
Gender Male
Post Office San Francisco
Occupation Engineer River & Ship
Father of Foreign Birth Yes
Mother of Foreign Birth Yes
Male Citizen Over 21 Yes

Possible death of Elizabeth :

Deaths Sep 1946
Collins Elizabeth 82 Stourbridge 9d 165

Stourbridge RD includes Halesowen.

Her age/YOB varies from one record to another:

in 1939: 1862.
In 1921: 1862
In 1917 (marriage): age 50, therefore 1867 (unless a lie, or registrar's mistake)
In 1901: 1864
In 1891: 1864
In 1871: c1863

Great , thanks for last posts

Also, so much of is down to the person writing things down eg clerks and enummerators.

Yes, that's what I meant - French pronunciation sounding posher.

Hyacinth Bucket/Bouquet syndrome.

:-D

I was thinking more like a French way sounding like Le Chay, or Spanish, isn’t Leche a Spanish word for milk?

I sometimes try saying a name in different regional accents, if the family have moved, to see if I can make sense of different spellings.

Judging by the 1841 and 1851 censuses for the Leche family, posted on 22 Oct, at 16:41,
the name seems to have originally been pronounced like "leech".

Maybe John Stevenson (or somebody) thought Le Che sounded posher than Leech.

I can understand Leche being written the way it is said - Le Che, but seems odd to keep it that way.

There is an article about Stevensons and Leches in the papers. IN CHANCERY pertaining to a will of James Pearson. This is free to read if you are subscribed to fmp, if not you can access this by googling William Leche Stevenson and it is in THE LONDON GAZETTE, JUNE 15, 1860.

Marriage already posted by ArgyllGran of John Stevenson and Elizabeth Leche. Leche appears to have mutated to Le Che in later years


First name(s) John
Spouse's age 23
Last name Stevenson
Spouse's marital status Spinster
Birth year 1836
Spouse's residence Prince Edwin St
Age 23
Father's first name(s) Daniel
Marital status Bachelor
Father's last name Stevenson
Occupation Engineer
Father's occupation Contractor
Residence 26 Richmond Row
Spouse's father's first name(s) William
Spouse's father's last name Leche
Spouse's father's occupation Gentleman
Marriage date 28 Feb 1859
Witness 1 Henry bullock
Denomination Church Of England
Witness 2 Mary Bullock
Description St Anne, Cazneau Street
Place Liverpool, St Anne, Cazneau Street
Archive reference 283-ANN-3-14
Diocese Liverpool
County Lancashire
Spouse's first name(s) Elizabeth
Spouse's last name Leche
Spouse's birth year 1836

An Elizabeth Collins, widow b.29 Oct. 1862 is living with John Le Che Stevenson and family in 1939 in Halesowen, Worcestershire
It says she is 'incapacitated'.

Death of Allan Collins:

COLLINS, ALLAN
69
mmn WYPER
M
1933
564 / 2 / 219
Greenock West


Don't know where/when Elizabeth died - not in Scotland, at least.

Stevenson/Collins marriage :

STEVENSON, ELIZABETH
COLLINS, ALLAN
1917
821 / 74
Dumfries

5th June 1917, at Marchmount, Dumfries.
Allan Collins, widower, linotype operator, 53.
Parents: Bernard Collins, deceased, contractor, and Janet Wyper Collins, nee Melrose, deceased.

Elizabeth Stevenson, spinster, confectioner, 50.
Parents: John Stevenson, 1st Officer, United States Navy, deceased.
Elizabeth Stevenson, nee Le-Che, deceased.

First name(s) William Le Che
Residence town Blackpool
Last name Stevenson
Linked persons William Thomas Evans
Death year 1938
Record set England & Wales Government Probate Death Index 1858-2019
Death date 04 Dec 1938
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Probate year 1939
Subcategory Civil Deaths & Burials
Probate date 02 Jan 1939
Collections from Great Britain, UK None
Probate registry London


Probate to Elizabeth Collins widow and William Thomas Evans clerk. Could Elizabeth be the E Collins mentioned in the 1921 census I posted above? 22 Oct 2025 12:48 maybe Elizabeth the sister?

A long shot for brother William for 1880, based solely on age and birth country


Name William Stevenson
Age 20
Birth Date Abt 1860
Birthplace England
Home in 1880 Youngstown, Mahoning, Ohio, USA
Dwelling Number 3
Race White
Gender Male
Marital Status Single
Father's Birthplace England
Mother's Birthplace England
Occupation Miner

Ditto for sister

Name Elizabeth Stevenson
Age 18
Birth Date Abt 1862
Birthplace England
Home in 1880 Normal, McLean, Illinois, USA
Street Between Ill Central Rr and Schoot Street
Dwelling Number 266
Race White
Gender Female
Marital Status Single
Father's Birthplace England
Mother's Birthplace England
Occupation Domestic servant

Probate for John snr (1958) was to Harriet Eleanor Le C Coley, wife of Arthur Leslie Coley

Marriages Dec 1940 (>99%)
Coley Arthur L Stevenson Stourbridge 6c 144
Stevenson Harriet E L Coley Stourbridge 6c 144

STEVENSON
JOHN BAILEY LE
BAILEY
M
1900
646 / 1 / 330
Plantation

First name(s) John Bailey Le Che
Residence -
Last name Stevenson
County Shropshire
Birth year 1900
Register type Baptism
Birth date 12 Apr 1900
Register date range 1838-1900
Baptism year 1900
Archive reference NM2533/124
Baptism date 19 Jul 1900
Page 83
Denomination Methodist
Record set Shropshire Baptisms
Place Lawley, Lawley Bank
Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records
Father's first name(s) John Le Che
Subcategory Parish Baptisms
Mother's first name(s) Harriett Eleanor

JOHN BAILEY LE C STEVENSON's record
Record Type Death
Registration Date Apr to Jun 1973
District Stourbridge
Volume 9D
Page Previous in Page446
Date of Birth 12AP1900

Many thanks for all the great info

This seems to be the man in the 1904 obituary:

John Stevenson
in the California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898
Name John Stevenson
Age 53
Birth Year abt 1835
Birth Place England
Residence Year 1888
Residence Place Alameda, California, USA
Naturalization Date 19 Jul 1869
Naturalization Place San Francisco, California

Address: Livermore.
Occupation: Engineer - a change from licensed victualler in 1861 ??
Naturalised 19 July 1869, San Francisco.


Also listed there in 1894.
Light complexion, hazel eyes, grey hair.

No wife listed with him.