Kinship Genealogy Co.

Genealogical questions usually revolve around solving a particular type of problem, be it one of identity (eg. ‘Which John Smith was James’ Smith’s son?’), activity (eg. Did John James Smith of Wellington, NZ, serve in WW1?’) or relationship (eg. Who were the parents of….?’)

Purely by accident, while researching the ancestors of my third great-grandmother Mary Sarah Steven (1836-1886), I came to question the generally accepted parents (at least, as far as public Ancestry trees go) of John Steven (1805-1894), my fourth great-grandfather. All of the trees pointed to George Steven (1773-1852) and Elizabeth “Betty” Allan (1771-1813). However, as I examined the evidence and looked at the history of John’s supposed siblings, things just didn’t add up. Had I made one of the most common mistakes of a beginning genealogist – blindly accepting others’ research without analysing it for myself?

I resolved to determine, using sound genealogical analysis, who the parents were of John Steven, born 1805 in Cockpen Parish, Scotland and who died in Kaikora, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand in 1894. Were they George and Betty – the dominant couple featured in online trees – or another couple altogether?

John Steven was variously a wright, carpenter, and farmer. Not only a competent builder and architect, he also had significant engineering skills. In 1845, while employed at the St Leonard’s Railway Depot in Edinburgh, he exhibited a “model of a scew [sic – probably skew] bridge” to the Royal Scottish Society of Arts, for which he won three sovereigns for the “ingenuity displayed.”¹ In 1848, still at St Leonard’s Depot, he was awarded a silver medal (value seven sovereigns) for an “Improved Method of Hanging; Windows; whereby, at small expense, windows in common use can be so altered that the sashes can be taken out and cleaned, glazed, or painted, in the interior of the house….” by the same society² and in 1851, a silver medal (value five sovereigns) for his “Description, with Working Model, of a Railway Signal, constructed on a new principle; and intended to be useful in the prevention of Accidents, by shewing [sic] the precise time at which a previous Train had passed the point where it is erected.”³ In February 1853, he applied for Letters Patent for “An Improved Axle-Box for Railway Carriages and Waggons.”

John arrived in Hawke’s Bay by 1858, where he was listed in the electoral rolls as a carpenter at Carlyle St, Napier, qualifying as a householder and owner of freehold land at Port Napier.⁴

John’s son John Steven Jr (who married Mary Scrimgeour in Edinburgh in 1849) is also listed as an owner of property in the Napier District, farming at Eskbank, Petane.⁵

No passenger list has been discovered listing either John the elder and his family entering New Zealand. It is thought they came via Australia and arrived around 1855. Vessels on the Australian to New Zealand route were designated as coastal shipping and lists were less likely to be kept. Not all the family emigrated together, son Alexander Beaufies Steven came with wife Alison Cairns in 1861. John’s daughter Mary Sarah Steven was married in May 1855 in Geelong, Victoria, Australia to Samuel Lozell. It is possible that her parents attended that wedding then came on to New Zealand.

Born in 1805, John Steven Sr died in Kaikora, Hawke’s Bay in 1894. His wife Susan (Graham) Steven died some fourteen years previously, in 1880.⁶ John Sr left shares and money to his daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter Anne Mein, Edward and Susan Watts, five pounds sterling to son-in-law Samuel Lozell, the same amount each to granddaughters (daughters of Samuel Lozell) Susan Horne, Mary Grace Mudgway, Sarah Ann McKain and Alice Lozell, five pounds to daughter-in-law and son Mary and John Steven Jr, ten pounds to daughter-in-law and son Alice and Alexander Beaufies Steven, five pounds to granddaughter Flora Holland (daughter of Alexander B Steven), forty pounds to daughter Grace Clark, ten pounds to granddaughter Susan Clark and twenty pounds to son-in-law Charles Clark. He devised all his land “situate at Kaikora being portion of block numbered fifty on the plan of the Patangata District with all messuages and buildings thereon (being the premises whereupon I am now residing)” to John Steven Jr and son-in-law Charles Clark upon trust for his daughter Grace Clark, “her heirs and assigns absolutely.” In addition, grandson John Steven Lozell was granted “the said parcel of land…situate on the southwest of the Kaikora Bridge, his heirs and assigns forever.” The residue of the estate was granted to grandson John Clark.⁷

SEARCHING FOR CLUES in official documents

John Steven’s marriage to Susan Graham, a Lasswade farmer’s daughter, in 1830 in South Leith, provided no clues as to his parents.

Death registrations are an important tool for determining the parents of an ancestor – but they are not always correct. Who was the informant? Was it a direct family member, an in-law, a doctor, the funeral director or some other official? How well would that person have known the deceased? How long after their death was the death registered?

John’s death certificate names his parents as William Steven and Grace (maiden name unknown).

William and Grace were not the couple mentioned in the online trees. The informant, Grace Clark, was John’s youngest daughter. Born in 1846, she would have left Scotland at about 8 years of age. If George Steven, who died in 1853, were John’s father, she might remember him. So why write William? Betty, on the other hand, died (according to trees) in 1813, so she would not have known her, except through family stories. I decided to keep an open mind.

In 1894, obituaries for John mentioned his approximate arrival year, activities in New Zealand, and his wide circle of family members but not his Scottish origins or relatives.

CANDIDATES FOR JOHN’S PARENTS

Examining census records, and birth registrations under a particular surname for a particular place and time can help to narrow focus when searching for candidates for a person’s parents. Unless you have an extraordinarily common set of names, often you can follow a family throughout their lifetime, eventually garnering enough clues to establish if they belong to your family or not.

John Steven in census records:

1841 Scottish Census:⁸

Name	Jas Steven [Jno Steven]
Age	35
Estimated Birth Year	abt 1806
Gender	Male
Where born	Midlothian, Scotland
Civil parish	Edinburgh St Cuthberts
County	Midlothian
Address	2 Brown St Lane9
Occupation	Wright
Parish Number	685/2
Other: Household Members: Susan Graham 35, John Steven 10, Alex Steven 8, Mary Steven 5, Thomas Steven 9 Mo.

We know this is the right family because John’s occupation, his wife (helpfully enumerated with her maiden name) and children match his known children: John Steven Jr born 1831, Alex (Alexander Beaufies Steven) b.1833, Mary (Mary Sarah Steven) b. 1836 and Thomas b. 1840. Thomas died in infancy.

1851 Scottish Census:¹⁰

Name	John Steven
Age	46
Estimated Birth Year	abt 1805
Relationship	Head
Spouse	Susan Steven
Gender	Male
Where born	Cockpen, Midlothian
Parish Number	685/2
Civil parish	Edinburgh St Cuthberts
County	Midlothian
Address	Railway Zopet [Railway Depot]
Occupation	Superintendent Of Ry Track Ropiars [Superintendent of Railway Truck Repairs]
ED	43
Page	9
Household schedule number	42
Line	12
Roll	CSSCT1851_183
Other Household Members: Susan Steven 45 Wife, Mary Steven 14 Daughter, Ann M Steven 8 Daughter, Grace Steven 4 Daughter. Additionally: James Keith Edwards 21 Lodger (Newspaper Reporter), Edward D Montgomery 24 Lodger (Student of Divinity), George Grant 26 Lodger (Student of Medicine).

Again, this is the right family. In 1848 John was at St Leonard’s Station when he proposed his “improved method of hanging windows.” Being employed by the railways matches perfectly the reason why he might have also invented an “improved railway signal” in 1851. All the names and ages of family members tally: John Jr (married in 1849) and Alex had left home. Daughter Mary Sarah Steven b. 1836 was at home attending school. The family had expanded slightly, with the addition of siblings Ann M (Ann Mein) Steven b. 1842 and Grace Steven b. 1846. We glean a little more information as to John’s parish of birth: Cockpen.

A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland tells us that Cockpen is “a parish in the county of Edinburgh, 3 miles (S. by W.) from Dalkeith; containing the villages of Bonnyrigg, Dalhousie, Gowkshill, Hillhead, Hunterfield, Polton-Street, Prestonholme, Skiltiemuir, Stobhill-Engine, and Westmill.”

John Steven is mentioned in 1853, in conjunction with William Smith, locomotive superintendent at St Margaret’s Station on the North British Railway. St Margaret’s was where the Works and Locomotive Department was located. In early August 1853, Smith had dismissed, for “alleged insubordination, a St Margarets’ foreman, John Steven. Steven was a good conscientious worker. An appeal to the Board could not lead to Steven’s reinstatement, but it did assist with the removal of Smith whom the Board judged to be incompetent.”¹¹

steven families in midlothian, scotland

Searching at ScotlandsPeople for a John Steven born in the parish of Cockpen between 1800-1807 produced no result. Widening the search to all Midlothian parishes and allowing fuzzy logic for the spelling of Steven gave three possiblities, none of whom had the names William and Grace. Deciding that the William and Grace named on John’s death certificate were either a mistake/guesswork/mis-rememberance by Grace, I concentrated on the only three couples that might have been his parents:

• John Steven and Helen Anderson – had a John in St Cuthbert’s parish
• George Steven and Elizabeth ‘Betty’ Allan (the generally accepted parents) – had a John in Crichton parish
• John Stiven and Mary Paterson – had a John in Cockpen parish

John Steven and Helen Anderson were eliminated quickly. Helen Stephen could be found in 1851 living with her married son John, a Printer/Compositor at West Coates Lane, Edinburgh.¹² Not our John.

George Steven married Betty Allan in 1796 in Crichton, Midlothian. A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland describes Crichton parish as “in the county of Edinburgh; including the village of Pathhead, and part of Faladam, 2 miles (S.) from Ford.”

George could be found in the 1841 census, widowed and living in Pathhead, Crichton, his occupation, Grocer.¹³ He was living in the household of James and Mary Montgomery, both similar in age to George (mid-50s to mid-60s). James was an Agricultural Labourer. Also present were five other boarders. It seemed somewhat unusual to me that as an older man, George was not living with other Steven family members, but perhaps he was visiting that day, or lodging with the Montgomerys temporarily.

In the 1851 Census, George was still a Grocer in Pathhead,¹⁴ this time living with a daughter, Helen Steven, b.1811 (1821 is transcribed incorrectly). I was relieved to find a family member at last and set about finding all of George’s children. Surely, Helen was not the only one.

George and Betty’s children were:

• Isabel b.1797 – married James Henderson 1820 in Pencaitland
• Elizabeth b.1800
• Betty b.1802 – married Hugh Tait 1836 in Crichton
• John b.1805 – this is the John other trees said emigrated to Kaikora
• Katherine b.1807 – married Thomas Watson 1845 in Canongate
• Robert b.1809 – became a Grocer and married Isabella Thomson 1846 in Dalkeith, moving back to Edinburgh after marriage
• Helen b.1811 – never married and became a Grocer like her father in Crichton

SCOTTISH NAMING TRADITIONS

The names of George and Betty’s children gave me pause. None of the children of John Steven had been named Isabel, Betty, Katherine, Robert or Helen. Scottish naming traditions are strong, although not always followed. Usually, the first born son is named after the paternal grandfather, the second son after the maternal grandfather and the third son after the father. Similarly, for girls, the first daughter was named after her maternal grandmother, second daughter was named after the paternal grandmother and third after the mother. I could not see this with the family who emigrated to Kaikora. John should have called one of them George or perhaps Robert and Isabell (Betty’s parents names). And where on earth had John’s children’s unusual middle names come from – Beaufies and Mein?

JOHN STIVEN AND MARY PATERSON

John Stiven or Steven (spelling was still variable until the beginning of the 20th century), a Joiner by trade, married Mary Paterson in 1802 in Crichton, Midlothian. In 1841 both were living in Bonnyrigg with their children Elizabeth 20y, Alexander 20y Journeyman Joiner, Ebenezer 15y apprentice Joiner and Mary 4y, along with three apprentice Joiners and a servant. If John (of Kaikora) were their son, it made sense that he was not there, having married Susan Graham in 1830. Unfortunately, the 1841 census was not very specific with birthplaces and John and Mary were both said to be from Midlothian, Scotland, which is a rather large area.

As far as Scottish naming traditions go, this family looked more like the family in Kaikora. John Steven of Kaikora had a John Jr, Mary, Elizabeth and an Alexander. Who, then, were John Steven and Mary Paterson’s other children?

John and Mary (Paterson) Steven’s children were:

• Thomas Steven, b.1803 – became a Joiner and Carpenter and married Ann Mein 1836. After her death married Helen Cameron
• John Stiven a.k.a. Steven, b.1805 – John of Kaikora?
• Mary Steven, b.1807 – married Hector Stoddart, a Carpenter, in 1836
• William Steven, b.1808 – became a Mason and married Elizabeth Baillie Hutchison in 1834
• George Steven, b.1811 – became a Butcher and married Agnes Archibald in 1837
• Elizabeth Steven, b.1813 – married James Anderson Bell, a Smith and Ironmonger in 1851
• Alexander Steven, b.1818 – became a Carpenter and married Elizabeth Hogg in 1847. After her death married Mary Watson.
• Ebenezer Steven, b.1825 – became a Joiner and married Jessie Brown in 1849.

Wait – Thomas Steven married Ann Mein? Mein was one of the unusual middle names of John’s (b.1805) children. He also had Thomas and William (both died in infancy). The discovery of a wife with the surname Mein proved to be the turning point in my research.

Both John and his wife Mary Paterson were missing from the 1851 Census. It transpired that both had died within days of one another of dysentery in 1847 and were buried in the Cockpen and Carrington Parish Churchyard. Thomas Steven, their eldest son, was the informant for both their deaths.

Thankfully, a volunteer for Findagrave had photographed John and Mary’s headstone. The memorial had been commissioned by their son, Thomas Steven, Joiner, of Bonnyrigg:

The
Burying Ground of
Thos. Steven, Joiner, Bonnyrigg
In memory of
JOHN STEVEN,
Joiner, Bonnyrigg,
his father, who died 4th Oct’r 1847,
aged 77 years.
MARY PATERSON,
his mother, who died 14th Oct’r 1847,
aged 67 years.
AGNES STEVEN,
his first born, who died 5th Feb’y 1838,
aged 8 months.
ANN MEIN,
his wife who died 14th June 1860,
aged 49 years.
MARY STEVEN his second daughter
wife of ROBERT STORIE Glasgow
who died 14th Sep 1867 aged 28 years.

These had to be John of Kaikora’s parents. It made sense that John’s family was heavily involved in the building trade. After all, in Kaikora he worked as a Carpenter and his son Alexander was also a Carpenter. I also learned that, a few years after John was awarded the silver medal for his improved railway signal, a Thomas Steven, builder, Bonnyrigg had sent to the society a “Description of a New Invention for Shutting Doors”¹⁵; and an Alexander Steven, joiner, of Bonnyrigg had presented a working model of a “Hinge for Bank and Office Doors, acted on by Weights instead of Springs.”¹⁶ Likely these were his brothers and they were a family of clever and creative engineers, designers and builders.

MORE CLUES FALL INTO PLACE

Once I had determined John Steven and Mary Paterson to be the likely parents of John Steven, who emigrated to Kaikora, Hawke’s Bay, two more clues, which had previously confused me, fell into place:

• In 1869 Mr J. Steven of Kaikora presented a bell, “the gift of his sister-in-law, Mrs Thomas Steven, Bonnierigg [sic], Scotland, to the Presbyterian Congregation at Kaikora.”¹⁷ Mrs Thomas Steven, it was now clear, was Ann Mein, memorialised on the headstone at Cockpen and Carrington Parish Churchyard. Although she had died in 1860, her husband Thomas was still alive. Perhaps it was he that carried out her wishes by sending the bell. From what I can ascertain, it seems there was only a Presbyterian Church at Ahuriri prior to that, for which John and his son John Steven Jr donated funds in 1858).¹⁸

• In 1903, the Hawke’s Bay Herald reported:¹⁹ The ‘old lady’ it turned out, was Mary (Steven) Mill, the daughter of William Steven and Elizabeth Baillie Hutchinson, and niece of John Steven of Kaikora. Mary emigrated to New Zealand from Scotland after the death of her husband John Mill, bringing with her their son, David Steven Mill. Mrs C[harles] Clark was John Steven’s daughter Grace. Mary and she were first cousins, linking William and John definitively to one another and also to John Steven and Mary Paterson, their parents.

what of george steven and betty allan?

Further research proved that George Steven was the brother²⁰ of John Steven (of Bonnyrigg, father of John Steven who came to Kaikora) and brother-in-law to Mary Paterson. They WERE related to John Steven after all – albeit his Uncle and Aunt, not his parents!

a satisfying conclusion

Resolving the parents of John Steven (1805-1894) not only fixed a mistake in my tree, it resolved some of the questions i’d had about the family. Why would John have been a carpenter and engineer when his family were all grocers? Why did they live in Pathhead, which wasn’t in Cockpen? Why were no family names repeated? It was also a reminder that everyone is fallible and can make mistakes in their research. It also reminds us to question everything – William and Grace Steven were conclusively not John’s parents, despite being named in an official document by John’s daughter. It seems unthinkable that one day our descendants might not know what we take for granted! John knew who his parents were: but in one generation, that knowledge was lost.

John Steven, son of John Steven and Mary Paterson is buried with his wife Susan Graham at Kaikora North Cemetery in the Hawke’s Bay. The cemetery closed in 1903. Their headstone (complete with two different spellings of Steven and an incorrect death month for Susan!) has been relocated to Ōtāne Cemetery.

Sources:

1. Royal Scottish Society of the Arts. ‘Report of Prize Committee 1845-6’, Transactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts v.3 1851 Appendix F [e-book] HathiTrust, p.70 <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015063573011&seq=450&q1=john+steven : accessed 10 Mar 2024) ↩︎
2. Royal Scottish Society of the Arts. ‘Report of Prize Committee 1848-9’, Transactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts v.3 1851 Appendix U [e-book] HathiTrust, p.249 <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015063573011&seq=629&q1 : accessed 10 Mar 2024) ↩︎
3. Royal Scottish Society of the Arts. ‘Report of Prize Committee 1850-1’, Transactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts v.3 1851 Appendix F [e-book] HathiTrust, p.70 <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015063573003&seq=588&q1=john+steven : accessed 1 Apr 2024) ↩︎
4. “New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-2010,” Ancestry [database with images], Roll for 1858, Napier District, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand Gazette, showing entry for John Steven of Carlyle-st, owning household and freehold land at Port Napier, p.173 <https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/1836 : accessed 2 Apr 2024) ↩︎
5. “New Zealand, Electoral Rolls, 1853-2010,” Ancestry [database with images], Roll for 1858, Napier Country District, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand Gazette, showing entry for John Steven Jr of Eskdale, owning household and freehold land at Eskdale, Petani [sic], p.175 <https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/1836 : accessed 2 Apr 2024) ↩︎
6. New Zealand Dept of Internal Affairs, “Death Search,” database, Births, Deaths & Marriages Online (https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz : accessed 2 Apr 2024), death entry for Susan Stevens, 75Y; citing reg. no. 1880/3280. ↩︎
7. New Zealand, Archives New Zealand, “Collections Search,” (https://collections.archives.govt.nz : accessed 2 Apr 2024), Napier High Court > Napier probate files [first sequence] 1862-1919 Item ID R23216318, Box 760, Record 742/1894, probate file of John Steven, Widow, images 2,3 of 11 “Last Will and Testament…,” 26 Jun 1894; citing Archives New Zealand, Wellington Regional Office. ↩︎
8. “1841 Scotland Census,” Ancestry [database], Parish of Edinburgh St Cuthberts; Enumeration District 16, p7, line 540, entry for Jas [John] Steven, 2 Brown St Lane, Occ: Wright; General Register Office for Scotland, Reels 1-151. ↩︎
9. “1851 Scotland Census,” Ancestry [database], Parish of Edinburgh St Cuthberts, Enumeration District 43, p.9, Line 12, Roll: CSSCT1851_183; entry for John Steven, Railway Depot, Occ: Superintendent of Railway Truck Repairs; General Register Office for Scotland, Reels 1-217. ↩︎
10. Royal Scottish Society of the Arts. ‘Proceedings of the Royal Scottish Society of the Arts for Session 1853-54’, Transactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts v.4 1856 Appendix O [e-book] HathiTrust, p.200 <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015063573003&seq=777&q1 : accessed 1 Apr 2024) ↩︎
11. Jones, Kevin P. (ed.), ‘North British Railway: early locomotive superintendents,’ SteamIndex (https://steamindex.com/people/earlynbr.htm : last updated 20 Aug 2011) ↩︎
12. “1851 Scotland Census,” Ancestry [database], Parish of Edinburgh St Cuthberts, Enumeration District 3A, p.11, Line 4, Roll: Roll: CSSCT1851_184; entry for Helen Stephen, West Coates Lane, Occ: Annuitant in the household of John and Mary Stephen; General Register Office for Scotland, Reels 1-217. ↩︎
13. “1841 Scotland Census,” Ancestry [database], Parish of Crichton, Enumeration District 1, p4, line 1150, entry for George Steven, E Side Of The Village Of Pathhead, Occ: Caircer [Grocer]; General Register Office for Scotland, Reels 1-151. ↩︎
14. “1851 Scotland Census,” Ancestry [database], Parish of Crichton; Enumeration District 1, p22, line 6, Roll CSSCT1851_176, entry for George Steven, East Side, Pathhead, Occ: Grocer; General Register Office for Scotland, Reels 1-217. ↩︎
15. Royal Scottish Society of the Arts. ‘Proceedings of the Royal Scottish Society of the Arts for Session 1853-54’, Transactions of the Royal Scottish Society of Arts v.4 1856 Appendix O [e-book] HathiTrust, p.200 <https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015063573003&seq=777&q1 : accessed 1 Apr 2024). ↩︎
16. ‘Public Meeting at Kaikora,’ Hawke’s Bay Herald (Napier, Hawke’s Bay), Vol 13, Iss 1027, 2 Mar 1869, p2, PapersPast (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBH18690302.2.19 : accessed 10 Jun 2024). ↩︎
17. ‘Presbyterian Church in Ahuriri,’ Hawke’s Bay Herald, Vol 1, Iss 205, 6 Feb 1858, p4, PapersPast (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBH18580206.2.11.2 : accessed 11 Jun 2024). ↩︎
18. ‘Waipawa,’ Hawke’s Bay Herald, Vol XXXVIII, Iss 12471, 11 Jun 1903, p4, PapersPast (https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HBH19030611.2.21 : accessed 10 Jun 2024). ↩︎
19. George and John Steven’s parents were John Stiven a.k.a. Steven and Elizabeth Hair, who married in 1758 in Temple, a village in Midlothian, Scotland. ↩︎

Subscription databases: Ancestry, FindmyPast, ScotlandsPeople

Non-subscription databases: FamilySearch, Findagrave

Lewis, Samuel. A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland, (London, 1846), British History Online, (https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/scotland : accessed 11 Jun 2024)

Have you found any mistakes in your tree? Don't be afraid to go back and re-check your work! Are you a descendant of any of the Steven or Graham family? Please get in touch. I'd love to hear your stories -- Nicola