John Langford Stevenson was born 23 July 1846 in Portsea, Hampshire, the son of William Stevenson R.N. and Charlotte Drew. John Langford Stevenson joined the Royal Navy in 1867 as Assistant Engineer at the age of 21. In the same year he married Clara Wells at Portsea Island, Hampshire. The 1881 British Census shows him as Engineer on the HMS Bacchante, on a world tour with the two royal princes, Albert and George, Prince of Wales, aboard. In 1881 John Langford Stevenson's wife, Clara, was living at 6 Stillman Street, St Pancras, London, Middlesex, with their four children. The children were John, born about 1867, William, born about 1873, Alice, born about 1876 and Ann born about 1879.
John Langford Stevenson's service record shows that, over a period of almost 40 years in the Royal Navy, he had served on the ships Asia, Lerapis, Euphrates, Avon, Bacchante, Crocodile, Belleicle, Woodlark, Excellent, Rupert, Indus, Orontes, Victory, Abyssinia and Magdala. He had spent little time ashore.
Fleet Engineer John Langford Stevenson died on 26 September 1906 at 11 Victoria Grove, Southsea, a few days after his retirement. He is buried at Highland Road Cemetery.
This photograph of the Stevenson family was taken in 1880, possibly in Portsea. Absent from the photo is John Langford Stevenson's brother, William Francis Stevenson, serving in the Chinese Imperial Maritime Customs, as Secretary of the Imperial Naval Yard, Taku, North China.
Standing:
John Langford Stevenson, Richard Thomas Stevenson
Seated: William Stevenson, Clara Stevenson, Ann
Stevenson, Charlotte Stevenson, Alice Stevenson, John
Stevenson
I would be grateful for any information about the Stevenson family. Please contact me at hodge@homemail.com.au