16 



THE STEPHENSON FAMILY. 



CHAP. II. 



wood-engraver, occupies the western gable. The author, 

 when engaged in tracing the early history of George 

 Stephenson, casually entered into conversation one day 

 with an old man near Dewley, a hamlet not far from 

 Walbottle. Mabel Stephenson, he said, had been his 

 mother's cousin ; and all their " forbears " belonged to 

 that neighbourhood. It appears that she was a woman 

 of somewhat delicate constitution, and troubled occasion- 

 ally, as her neighbours said, with " the vapours." But 

 those who remembered her concurred in describing her 

 as " a real canny body." And a woman of whom this 

 is said by general consent in the Newcastle district may 

 be pronounced a worthy person indeed ; for it is about 

 the highest praise of a woman which Northumbrians 

 can express. 



George Stephenson was the second of a family of six 

 children. The family Bible of Eobert and Mabel 

 Stephenson, which seems to have come into their pos- 

 session in November, 1790, contains the following 

 record of the births of these children, evidently written 

 by one hand and at one time : 



"A Kechester of the children belonging Eohert and Mabel 

 Stepheson 



" James Stepheson Was Born March the 4 day 1779 

 " George Stepheson Was Born June i) day 1781 

 "Elender Stepheson Was Born April the 16 day 1784 

 "Eobert Stepheson Was Born March the 10 day 1788 

 " John Stepheson Was Born November the 4 day 1789 

 " Ann Stepheson Was Born July the 19 day 1792." : 



It does not appear that the birth of any of these 

 children was registered in the parish books, the author 

 having made an unsuccessful search in the registers of 

 Ovingham and Heddon-on-the-Wall to ascertain the 



1 Of the two daughters, Eleanor 

 married Stephen Liddell, afterwards 

 employed in the Locomotive Factory 

 in Newcastle. Ann married John 

 Nixon, with whom she emigrated to 



the United States ; she died at Pitts- 

 burg, in I860. John Stephenson was 

 accidentally killed at the Locomotive 

 Factory in January, 1831. 



