Stevenson of Loughborough born 1803

[diddymiller]

according to the records - heathcote was already looking into opening a factory before the attacks in L'boro. he may have already got it going with Tiverton people but took his skilled workforce with him. i only quickly scanned through the dissertation but it looks really readable. i will get the full details for you.

Diddy

[vivijune]

Wonderful. Those details in the dissertation are fascinating. My husband and I were talking this weekend about what an influx it was and how the whole make up of the town must have changed dramatically, almost overnight. I was going to try to find the population of Tiverton in 1816 because 500 strangers with Leicestershire accents merging with the Devonians with theirs would have been interesting to behold and listen to. It's almost inevitable there was friction. However what shines through as time passes on, especially on the 1861 Tiverton census, was how the prosperity of the town went up.

I posted on the Devon board just now. Hopefully it's still possible to see if those Stevenson children are in the Loughborough baptism records for the Baptist Church. By the way, where was the letter kept you said Tiverton Baptists sent to Loughborough and what was the date?

Cheers.... Vivien

[diddymiller]

i need to look into that more thoroughly. the letter was mentioned in the dissertation as being sent from Tiverton to London so I'm hoping it might be in the Baptist records. i have looked at these before for someone else. they consist of about 5 books of minutes /records of the woodgate baptist church inl'boro. they include names of baptisms /deaths etc and details of important happenings within the church community. this is why i hope there might be some details. however i can't remember what date they go back to - hope its far enough.

you might be interested in this site of local leics sayings!! - I'm sure we don't all speak like this (i certainly don't as my parents were Geordies from Tyneside!) but most of us do say ay up (me duck) for hello!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/around_leicester/2002/11/leicester_dialect_collins_english_dictionary.shtml

Diddy 

[vivijune]

My Bedfordshire relatives used to say "my duck" too. When I was a kid I used to keep them talking hoping they'd say it as in "Thankyou, my duck."

Those Baptist records sound intriguing. Fingers crossed they go back to 1800 or somewhere close.

I noticed on the Tiverton census of 1851 it says of William (who we know may or may not be their brother) born in Loughton Leicestershire. Is that near Loughborough?

[diddymiller]

the only laughton in Leics i think is in Harborough district which is right in the south as opposed to Loughborough in the North west. see:

http://www.leicestershirevillages.com/

Diddy

[diddymiller]

it seems the Stevenson family were BIG in the L'boro baptist world. in fact at the time of the Luddite attack the president of the L'bro baptist church was a Thomas Stevenson - who had several children who also were well known as revds.

there is no original list of all the people who went to Tiverton - one of the pamphlets in the industry box has  a letter by some else hunting members of his family. the letter from the Tiverton museum says clearly that there is no complete list. the extended list containing people in the 1851 Tiverton census born L'boro contains William Stevenson age 46 b . Loughborough.

the baptist letter is not in the files but the entry in the minutes book of the church feb 23 1817 says:

'a letter from brother william powell of Tiverton read stating that the brothers there have prayer meetings on sunday evenings and their hearers increase. They think they want only a minister to establish a cause among them and wish for the advise of the church.
The church is happy to hear of their success & recommend that they have two opportunities of worship instead of one onthe Lords day, and let us know of their ? success.
Agreed that this committee propose the cases of the candidates and bring them forward.'

writing is tiny so hope that is right!  I looked either side of the june 1816 date but couldn't see any mention of the leaving of members.

have 2 pages of an article to attach but won't let me here.

Diddy

[diddymiller]

sent PM..

Diddy

[vivijune]

Excellent work, honestly, thanks so much for looking in those records.

So Thomas Stevenson was president of the Loughborough Baptist Church at the time of the Luddite attack. You say he had several children and were well known as revds. Does that mean preachers. Just wondering about their names. Which ones stayed in Loughborough and which ones ended up in Tiverton.

Do you think that Thomas (married to Elizabeth) was the father of Elizabeth and John + the William Stevenson listed on that 1851 Tiverton census. His wife was listed as a widow living with her daughter in 1841. I'm very curious about what he did for a living. If he was President of the Baptist Church in Leicestershire he might have been one of Heathcoat's core people especially since his son John became superintendant of machinery at the new factory by the 1850/60's. He could have followed in his father's footsteps.

You say there isn't any mention of people going south but I wonder if Thomas simply disappears from the Loughborough records? Did you happen to notice that? By the way I did get a reply on the Devon board with a link to the Baptist Church in Tiverton, I've been gone so I'll take a look at that today.

I'm also wondering if there's a record of a Thomas and Elizabeth marriage in Loughborough Baptist records probably around 1791? Elizabeth would have been 20 at the time because I have her birth date as 1771. If he married an Elizabeth it would be an indication that we have the right person at last! What do you think?

[diddymiller]

sorry to disappoint - but there no way Thomas is our man - he was born 1779 in Notts and married Ann Hall of leake. he moved to L'boro 1811 and they had
about 7 children i think. have dates of some of them - john 1807 - 1878 was a pastor too in Derby /notts/Ilkeston; william Rawson stevenson 1823 -1889; Edward 1812 - 1896;  thomas 1805 -1887 died in leics.

however i think it does mean that our stevensons were prob baptists, related in some way and that Eliz may have ben bap Tiverton.

maybe Mike can search the N/C records in leic record office.

Diddy