Matthew Stevenson
Matthew Stevenson, one of Ross Township's most respected citizens, who was born in County Derry, Ireland, October 12, 1825, owns a well improved farm of 108 acres which is situated in Ross Township, Jefferson County, Ohio. His father, David Stevenson, born in Ireland, there married Nancy Miller and they had eight children, namely: Fannie, Ellen, Matthew, Josiah, Eliza Jane, Ellen, John and Mary Ann. David Stevenson came to America with his family in August, 1836. He spent two years as a weaver in a factory at Steubenville, O., where his children also worked, but there his health broke down and he then moved to a farm in Lee Township, Carroll County, and there both he and his wife died. They were members of the Seceder Church which later became the United Presbyterian.
Matthew Stevenson was eleven years old and had already attended school when his parents brought him to America. He subsequently went to school for a short time in Carroll County. He was brought up to work and during all his active life was a very industrious man. He spent seven years as a farmer in Iowa, having a one-quarter section in Washington County, which he subsequently sold, coming then to his present farm, the larger part of which had already been cleared, and a coal bank being open on the place. He made many improvements, erecting substantial buildings and enriching his land and now has one of the most valuable farms in Ross Township.
Mr. Stevenson was married to Jane Walker, a daughter of Hanse Walker, of Jefferson County. She died in 1908, in her seventy-fifth year and was buried in the cemetery of the Mooretown United Presbyterian Church, of which she was a consistent member. Mr. Stevenson also belongs to this church. They had six children born to them: Nettie, Wade, Owen, Rush Leiper, Hadessa and Fannie. Mr. Stevenson upholds the principles of the Prohibition party.
20th Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio, by Joseph B. Doyle. Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., Chicago, 1910