Katharine (McDonald) Stevenson (1829 - 1913)

Born 6 Feb 1829 in Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 25 Nov 1913 at age 84 in Chester, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States

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Biography

Kate (McDonald) Stevenson is part of a Bahamian family.

Kate was born in 1829. Her children were Samuel Price (29 Oct 1854), Charles Edward (22 Feb 1857), Harry Bowman (10 Sep 1860), Oscar (1 Feb 1862), and Kate M. (4 Apr 1869).

Catharine married Samuel H Stevenson on 6 June 1850 in Monroe, Florida, United States. She was 22, born in the Bahamas, and he was 30, born in Pennsylvania.^[1] They were in Key West, Florida for the 1850 census.^[2]

No 1860 records have been found for Kate or Samuel, but their children were apparently born in Pennsylania between 1854 and 1869, so they would have been in the North during the Civil War.

The US census shows her with Samuel and children in 1870. Kate is listed as head of household, but Samuel is the last person on the previous page, so this is probably just a household numbering mistake.^[3] Four of the five children are still at home in 1880.^[4] Both records list her as born in Florida, and the 1880 census adds that her parents were born in Florida.

By 1900 Kate was a widow, now listed as born in England with parents from Scotland and England. 3 adult children are still with her, as well as 3 grandchildren.^[5]

The grandchildren are Oscar's.

She appears again in the 1910 census as Cantherine, this time born in Pennsylvania to parents from Scotland. There are many errors in this record, including the fact that she is listed as single and also as the wife of her son. She is also about 10 years too young. Her daughter Catherine is shown born in Florida, which is incorrect. but note that she is now with son Samuel (51) and daughters Catherine (41?) and Mary (56). In spite of these errors, this is the same family. They are at 303 West 7th in Chester, matching her death certificate three years later.

Kate passed away in 1895 according to a Stevenson genealogy^[6] but this report of her death was greatly exaggerated. Her death certificate shows the same birth date as the Stevenson book, but she died 25 Nov 1913. Her birthplace was listed as Nassau, Bahamas Islands. Her parents were John MacDonald from Scotland and Susan White Parker from Atlanta, Georgia. The informant was Katharine M. Stevenson.^[7]

Her headstone includes birth and death dates and her husband's name.^[8]

Research Notes

Kate is sometimes listed as Catharine, Katherine, or Katharine. Her birthplace is New Jersey in some records, Florida in the 1880 census, England in one place, and Nassau, Bahamas on the death certificates of two of her children. In the 1930 census two of her children list their mother's birthplace as Florida. I'm choosing the Bahamas for now, as it was an English possession, and Kate also lived in Florida in 1850, and perhaps before.

So far no records for her parents have been found, other than as parents of Kate in records from 1850 and later. Probably on an unsourced site, I have seen a birth year of 1803 for John and 1807 for Susannah. Even the "facts" with sources should be considered guesses, because the sources are inconsistent. I hope that someone can improve on this, and delete this note.

Sources

1. ↑ Marriage: "Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957"
   citing Marriage, Monroe, Florida, United States, Florida State Archives and various county clerks of courts; FHL microfilm .
   FamilySearch Record: QG1N-2R4G (accessed 28 June 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 3QS7-L9KN-TFFR Image number 00872
   Catharine McDonald marriage to Samuel H Stevenson on 6 Jun 1850 in Monroe, Florida, United States.
2. ↑ 1850 Census: "United States Census, 1850"
   citing Affiliate Publication Number: M432; Line: 30;
   FamilySearch Record: MFH6-HQH (accessed 28 June 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HY-DCJZ-FR
   Catherine Stevenson (22) in Monroe, Florida, United States. Born in Bahamas.
3. ↑ 1870 Census: "United States Census, 1870"
   citing Page: 26; Affiliate Publication Number: M593; Line: 1; FHL microfilm: 000552835; Record number: 15654;
   FamilySearch Record: MZGK-848 (accessed 28 June 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HY-6QM9-TYD Image number 00401
   Kate Stevenson (39) head of household in South Chester, Chester Township, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States. Born in Florida.
4. ↑ 1880 Census: "United States Census, 1880"
   citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
   FamilySearch Record: MWF7-TBJ (accessed 28 June 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-9YBV-9LWN Image number 00195
   Kate Stevenson (50), wife, Keeping House, in household of Samuel Stevenson (65) in South Chester, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States. Born in Florida, United States.
5. ↑ 1900 Census: "United States Census, 1900"
   citing Affiliate Publication Number: T623; Line: 34; FHL microfilm: 1241405; Record number: 134;
   FamilySearch Record: M3SZ-7Z6 (accessed 28 June 2023)
   FamilySearch Image: S3HT-6QRQ-YBF Image number 00007
   Kate Stevenson (71), widowed head of household in Chester, Delaware, Pennsylvania, United States. Born in England.
6. ↑ Stevenson, John R., A.M, M.D., Thomas Stevenson of London, England and His Descendants. pub. Hiram Edmund Deats, New Jersey, USA, 1902. p. 103.
7. ↑ Death: "Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1969"
   Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, Pa; Pennsylvania (State). Death Certificates, 1906-1968; Certificate Number Range: 106221-109660
   Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5164 #1051080 (accessed 12 March 2023)
   Katharine McDonald Stevenson death 25 Nov 1913 (born 6 Feb 1829), daughter of John Macdonald & Susan White Parker, in Chester, Delaware, Pennsylvania, USA.
8. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #192013078 (accessed 28 June 2023)
   Memorial page for Katharine M. Stevenson (6 Feb 1829-25 Nov 1913), citing Chester Rural Cemetery, Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, USA; Maintained by Crypt Tonight (contributor 48494116).