There are very few residents of Page county who can claim as Thomas STEVENSON does to have lived for forty-eight years upon one farm, for in the spring of 1861 he took up his abode with parents on the place on which he now resides on section 11, Harlan township. He was then a young man of twenty-one years and to the development and improvement of the property he has since bent his energies, his ability and enterprise winning him classification, with the leading agriculturists of southwestern Iowa.

A native of Ohio, his birth occurred in Muskingum county about twelve miles east of Zanesville , on the 21st of April, 1840 , and his youthful days were passed in the home of his parents, Samuel and Margaret (Wallace) STEVENSON. The father was a native of County Antrim, Ireland, and came to America with his parents when a lad of ten years. He was married in Ohio to Miss Margaret WALLACE, a native of Pennsylvania, and they began their domestic life in the Buckeye state [Ohio], where they continued to reside until 1860, when they sought a home in Iowa, settling first in Delaware county. In the spring of 1861 they came to the farm upon which Thomas STEVENSON now resides and both parents spent their remaining days here, the father departing this life in 1886 at the age of seventy-six years, while the mother was called to the home beyond in 1896 when eighty-four years of age. They were members of the Reformed Presbyterian church and in that faith reared their family, inculcating into the minds of their children the deep and abiding lessons of Christianity. Their sons and daughters are as follows: Robert, now living in Delaware county, Iowa; Thomas; Margaret, the deceased wife of James HUMPHREYS; Mary Elizabeth, who died at the age of eighteen years; Mrs. Isabell McDolwell TIPPIN, who is deceased; Agnes, the wife of Simon McCRORY, of Jackson county; and Amanda, who is living in Page county.

In taking up the personal history of Thomas STEVENSON, we present to our readers the life record of one who is widely and favorably known in this part of the state, where he has lived for almost a half century. His education was acquired in the common schools of Ohio and his business training was received under the direction of his father, who taught him the value of industry and economy and practical lessons concerning the cultivation of the crops. Since the family arrived in Page county in 1861. Mr. STEVENSON has lived continuously upon the farm which is now his home and which covers eighty acres of land on section 11, Harlan township. He also has another tract of eighty-seven acres on sections 10 and 11 and operates both farms. Neither of these are lacking in the equipments that go to make up the model farm but on the contrary present a neat and attractive appearance. The buildings upon the place are monuments to the thrift and enterprise of the owner, by whom they were erected. From the time of early spring planting until crops are harvested in the late autumn Mr. STEVENSON is busily employed in the work of the fields and his diligent efforts constitute the basis of the gratifying success which he has attained.

Mr. STEVENSON was married in 1870 to Miss Jane STEVENSON, who was born in Des Moines county, Iowa, February 27, 1852. Her parents were William and Permelia (DAUGHTERTY) STEVENSON, who were natives of Ohio and Kentucky respectively but were married in Bloomington, Indiana. Mrs. Permelia STEVENSON died in Des Moines county, Iowa, at the age of thirty-eight years, and her husband afterward married again. His death occurred February 1, 1906 , when he had attained the age of seventy-eight years. By his first marriage he had five children: George, who is now living at College Springs, Iowa; Thomas; Mrs. Jane STEVENSON, who came to Page county with her father in 1867; Emma, the wife of Champ BALLARD, of Redfield , Iowa; and Charles. By his second marriage Mr. STEVENSON had six children and by his third marriage he had three children.

The home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas STEVENSON has been blessed with five children: Permelia, now the wife of Elmer BLACK, of Mount Ayr, Iowa ; Maggie, who died at: the age of thirteen years; Etta, at home; James, living in Harlan township; and Elmer, at home. The family is widely and favorably known in every part of the county where they have many friends and where the hospitality of the best homes is freely accorded them. They are members of the Reformed Presbyterian church of Harlan township and high principles characterize their lives and actuate them in all of their relations with their friends and neighbors. Mr. STEVENSON can tell many interesting incidents of the early days when only here and there throughout the county had a settlement been made and when much of the land was still covered with the native prairie grasses and brush. It was an arduous task to transform this into cultivated fields, but a rich return was received by all who diligently and intelligently carried on farm work, and Mr. STEVENSON has received the reward of his labor in that he is now one of the most substantial farmers of Harlan township.

SOURCE:  KERSHAW, W. L. History of Page County Iowa   S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Chicago. 1909.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, December of 2008