William Stephenson was the first child of John Stephenson & Sarah Robinson born at Ruswarp & christened September 22nd, 1816 at Whitby, Yorks.
William married Ann Taylor, the daughter of James & Maria Taylor, who was born at Sandsend & christened May 15th 1818 in Lythe. They were married in July-September 1850 at Whitby.
In 1851 William & Ann were living at Sandsend Village, Lythe & William was a butcher.
In 1861 William was still a butcher & he & Ann continued to live at Sandsend Village. They had 4 children at home – Maria (8), Hannah (6), William (2) & Mary (under 1 month). With them at the time of the census was William’s widowed mother Sarah, aged 72. Also with them was nephew Thomas Harland (13), a butcher’s boy, the son of William’s sister Mary who had married John Harland. There was also a lodger John Webster, a 91 year old widower of independent means. They also had a nurse, Ruth Porritt, aged 54. Interestingly Ruth Porritt, (occupation school mistress) was living at Mickleby in the 1851 census as a neighbour of Mary & John Harland.
In 1871 William & Ann were still living at Sandsend Village & William continued to be a butcher. At home were Maria, a dressmaker, Hannah, William & Mary. With them at the time of the census was an unmarried relative Ann Taylor, an 83 year old annuitant.
By 1881 William & Ann had moved to Cottage House, Lythe, & William was still a butcher at the age of 64. Daughters Hannah & Mary were still at home, as was son William, a butcher, now married to Dinah Caroline Wick (26), who was born in Wells, Norfolk. Son William carried on in the butcher’s trade after the death of his father & was listed in Kelly’s Directory of North & East Ridings of Yorks 1893 as a butcher of Sandsend. Daughter Maria was visiting her widowed grandmother Maria Taylor at the time of the census. Grandmother Maria lived just a few doors from William & Ann, also at Cottage House.
On October 10th, 1882 daughter Maria married Thomas Breckon Lorains, a sail maker of West Bromwich, at Whitby but sadly she died in Oct-December 1885 at Whitby, aged just 32.
Ann died in 1889, aged 71, & was buried on September 6th at St Oswald’s, Lythe, Whitby.
In 1891 widowed William was still a butcher living at Sandsend Village with his daughter Hannah, who was his housekeeper. Daughter Mary was working as a servant for Frederick W Horne, a publisher & solicitor, & family at Bridge St, Whitby.
William died on May 28th, 1891, aged 74, at Sandsend, & was buried June 1st at St Oswald’s, Lythe, Whitby.
In the 1901 census daughter Hannah was living on her own at Alderside, Sandsend Village where she was now a shirt seamstress. She was living next door to her brother William & his family. In 1901 Daughter Mary was housekeeper for her cousin Annie Stephenson, a schoolmistress born in Mickleby, at 7 Langdale Terrace, Ruswarp, Whitby.
In 1911 Hannah was visiting Henry Temple Wellburn, a farmer, & his family at Low Farm, Pinchingthorpe, Great Ayton, N. Yorks. Her sister Mary was housekeeper for her cousin Ann Stephenson [s.7.5.2], now married to John William Lawson, a blacksmith, & their family at this time. They were at 19 Emerald St, Saltburn, N. Yorks.
The children of William Stephenson & Ann Taylor were:
s.7.1.1 Sarah Ann Stephenson born July-September 1851 at Whitby; died Jan-March 1852 at Whitby
s.7.1.2 Maria Stephenson born Jan-March 1853 at East Row, Sandsend,Whitby; died Oct-December 1885 at Whitby
s.7.1.3 Hannah Stephenson born July-September 1854 at East Row, Sandsend, Whitby; died Oct-December 1924 at Whitby
s.7.1.4 Ann Stephenson born July-September 1856 at Sandsend, Whitby; died Oct-December 1856 at Sandsend
s.7.1.5 William Stephenson born April-June1858 at Lythe; died November 29th at Ropery Walk, Whitby & buried December 1st, 1917 at St Oswald’s, Lythe
s.7.1.6 Mary Stephenson born April-June 1861 at Sandsend