Person:Robert Stephens (4)

Listed in the 1860 Caddo Parish, Louisiana Census as Bob Stephens, age 8, born AR. With father, step-mother, brother, and half-siblings.

Listed in the 1870 Bossier Parish, Louisiana Census, Ward 1, page 138, enumerated August 3, Dwelling 309, Household 309 as Robert Stevens, age 18, born AR. With brother B.A., age 19, in a household with D. W. Jones, age 50, male, born SC. Next door is R.T.N. Stevens, age 32, male, born KY, and another Stevens family, head B. E. (maybe) age 37, born KY. Martha, age 57, is living with B.E. Possibly Thomas's mother? Handwriting is very light. Thomas is listed in Caddo Parish with family.

Listed in the 1900 Houston County, Texas Census, Justice Precinct 4, District 20, page 163A, enumerated June 7, Dwelling 97, Household 100 as Robert M. (I think-name written over) Stevens, born Dec. 1853, age 46, married for 19 years, born AR, father born KY, mother born AR, farmer, unemployed for 2 months, can read and write, rents a farm. With wife and children.

Listed in the 1910 Houston County, Texas Census, Precinct 4, Sheet #15B, dwelling and family #246, enumerated May 7, 1910, as Robert M. Stephen, age 57, married once for 27 years, born Arkansas, father born Kentucky, mother born North Carolina, working on own account, can read and write, owner of mortgaged farm, not a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy. Listed with wife and six children. Living between Walter W. and John R. Shaw, and near Alphonsus (?) Atkinson, as well as other Shaws and Parkers, and Lincoln McManners.

Not sure where I originally got the marriage date, but there are also records of a Robert Stephens marrying a Martha Dubose in Bossier Parish, Louisiana on the same date. Perhaps this is the wrong date?

There are records of an R. M. Stephens marrying a Mary E. Bell in Palo Pinto Co., TX on 3/9/1873

Double stone with Margaret. Birth and death dates listed on tombstone.

Family tree records show his death date as Feburary 9, 1933.

Robert Marion was an alcoholic, but was a happy drunk. During the winter, he'd work at the factory in Trinity. His co-workers would get Robert drunk after work and take his money, so once his sons got old enough, they would go into town on Robert's payday and escort him home.

Sometimes, Robert would start drinking when he left work, and would pass out in the buggy before he reached home. At the end of the family's property was a tree and a bridge, and this is usually about where Robert would pass out, so the horse would stop, just in view of the house. Daddy Joe would say, "well, I guess I'd better go get Pa," and go out and bring him the rest of the way home.

Robert had a cousin who was in law enforcement in Orange, Texas. One time, they both went to Louisiana, and ended up being quarantined because of a Yellow Fever outbreak. They stayed there and drank, and ended up being jailed for drunkenness. The jail had a wood floor, so they set fire to the floor and escaped through the floor.

Dixie remembered Robert, and said that he was double jointed, so he could bend his thumb completely back to touch the back of his hand. He used to tell Dixie, "Grandpa's tired, see? His thumbs have even laid down."