Sophie Mary STEVENSON

1872 - 1954  (82 years)

• Name	Sophie Mary STEVENSON
  Birth	19 Aug 1872	Chazy, Clinton, NY   [1]
  Gender	Female
  Census	7 Feb 1920	Manhattan, New York, NY   [2]
  	1920 census at Manhattan, New York, NY shows: Sophie Stetson, 41, widow, b. NY, parents b. NY/NY, school teacher; Allyn, 21, b. ID; Raymond, 20, b. WA; Francis, 13, b. NY.
  Note	Sophia (went by Sophie) Mary Stevenson was born Aug 19, 1872 in Chazy, Clinton, New York. Her parents were John and Sophia (Kennon) Stevenson. She seems to have spent a lot of her lifegoing between New York City and Clinton County, New York, either Chazy or Plattsburgh. In 1880, her mother Sophia took Sophie and her two brothers, Albert and Pierre, out to Chicago,Cook, Illinois. It seemed more like a trip rather than a permanent move as during this time at least her brother Albert was visiting their uncle Albert Kennon in Nodaway, Adams, Iowa. Sophie's mother died in 1889 when Sophie was 17. Her father passed away a few months later in 1890. Her mother's half-sister, Mary E. (Luther) North, died in 1892 and in her will of Apr 16, 1892 left Sophie the following: 'After all my lawful debts are paid and discharged, I give and bequeath to Sophia M. Stevenson all the contents of my dwelling house,except two plaid blankets, two flannel sheets, one Rose blanket, one feather bed and pillows, one looking glass with gilt frame, one bed room set, six silver teaspoons, two silver dessert spoons, one what not, one small stand, one white quill, one small stand, one coal stove.' On June 20, 1892, Sophie Stevenson married Frederic Thomas Stetson (1868-1919) in Brooklyn, New York. Fred Stetson had just graduated from the West Point Military Academy a week or two earlier and had been commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, 4th US Army. During the next several years, Sophie went with her husband out west. Their eldest child, Allyn Fillmore Stetson,was born June 1893 in Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai, Idaho. Their second son, Raymond Reed Stetson, was born November 1894 in Lincoln, Spokane, Washington. Sophie and the boys then moved back to Champlain, Clinton, New York and lived with Fred Stetson's uncle and guardian, Thomas Stetson. Fred remained in the service being stationed in various places, serving in the Spanish American war and the Phillipine Insurrection until he resigned in 1900 at the rank of 1st Lieutenant, 3rd US Army. Fred then went to law school in Albany, New York and began practising. In February 1907, Sophie and Fred had their third child Francis Lynde Stetson (known as Stet) while they were living in the Bronx, New York at Montgomery Av. and 177th Street. Stet was named after a cousin of Fred Stetson who was a prominent lawyer in New York City. As family stories go, Sophie was a bit of a schemer and hoped that by naming her child after the wealthy relative, there might be some benefit after the namesake died. (As it turned out, Francis L. Stetson, the younger, was able to go to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduating 1928). In 1910, Sophie and Fred with Francis were back north in Champlain, Clinton, New York. From pension application records, it appears that Fred seems to have become more and more mentally unstable after retiring from the army in 1910. After 1910 until his death in 1919, Fred Stetson seems to have spent the majority of his time in hospitals. During this time, Sophie got training to become a school teacher in the New York City Schools and worked to pay bills. Both her sons, Allyn and Raymond, went to Williams College and both fought in the first World War. About 1913, Sophie applied for admission into the Daughters of the American Revolution based on her ancestor Josiah Goldsmith(1744-1816), who in 1777, was in Captain Christopher Webber's company, Col. Benjamin Bellow's regiment, New Hampshire militia, which marched to reinforce the garrison at Ticonderoga. He was born in Wenham, Massachusetts. She was noted to have purchased an insignia and bar in 1914. Once times got really tough, after Fred Stetson's death and his pension stopping, Sophie resigned her membership in April 1921. Sophie applied for a widow's pension from the US Military but it took several years and lots of paperwork before $12 a month was granted to her. Resided:1880, 94 Walnut Street, Chicago, Cook, Illinois 1892, New York City, Manhattan, New York1900, Champlain, Clinton, New York 1907, Montgomery Av. and 177th Str., Bronx, New York 1913, 158 Brinkerhoff St., Plattsburgh, Clinton, New York BET. AUG 1919 - APR 1920, 851 West End Ave., New York, New York Dec 1920, 97 West 163rd St., New York, New York BET. 21 MAY 1921 - MAY 1922, 311 West 95th St., New York, NewYorkMar 1940, 250 Riverside Dr., New York, New Yor kBET. JUN 1941 - OCT 1954, 227 Riverside Dr., New York, New YorkJul 1941 - Aug 1947 RFD 2, Plattsburgh, New York. Sophie remarried April 10, 1926 William Grant Thompson (ca.1866-1940) in Plattsburgh, Clinton, New York. They lived in NewYork City. In 1940, William died having commited suicide. Sophie died October 21, 1954. Sophie's son Stet married Mildred Drucquer November 1931 in NewYork City. As another family story went, Sophie was vain about her age and didn't want it known that she was old enough to have children 13 or 14 years older than Stet. Mildred didn't learn that Stet had two older brothers until their wedding. Previously they had been introduced as cousins. Also Stet didn't call Sophie 'Mother' or 'Mom' but rather Sophie. Her grandchild, Joyce Stetson, knew her grandmother as 'Aunt Sophie'. In the 1920 census, Sophie was a widow and cut six years off her age and of her two eldest sons. Joyce Stetson's recollection of her grandmother was that she was quite attractive and had beautiful auburn hair. 23 Dec 1999 AT Source: Sophie M. Stetson's application to the DAR 'I was born in the village of Chazy, County of Clinton, State of New York and am the daughter of John Stevenson of New York born 1840, died 1890 and his wife Sophia Kennon of Chazy, N.Y. born 1843, died 1889, married 1861.'
  Occupation	Teacher in New York City High Schools
  Death	21 Oct 1954	Manhattan, New York, NY
  Burial	23 Oct 1954	Joseph T. Kennedy Funeral Chapel, New York, New York, NY
  Person ID	I5382	MM
  Last Modified	10 Apr 2017

  
  

  Father	John STEVENSON,   b. 24 Jul 1840, Chazy, Clinton, NY d. 9 Jan 1890 (Age 49 years)
  Mother	Sophia A. KENNON,   b. 1841, NY d. 13 Oct 1889, Manhattan, New York, NY (Age 48 years)
  Family ID	F1795	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Frederic Thomas STETSON,   b. 18 Nov 1868, Albert Lea, Freeborn, MN d. 9 Jul 1919, Ogdensburg, St. Lawrence, NY (Age 50 years)
  Marriage	20 Jun 1892	Brooklyn, Kings, NY
  	State of NY Certificate and Record of Marriage #2569
  Family ID	F1792	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	23 Jul 2023

  
  

• Event Map

  Birth - 19 Aug 1872 - Chazy, Clinton, NY Marriage - 20 Jun 1892 - Brooklyn, Kings, NY Census - 7 Feb 1920 - Manhattan, New York, NY Death - 21 Oct 1954 - Manhattan, New York, NY Burial - 23 Oct 1954 - Joseph T. Kennedy Funeral Chapel, New York, New York, NY  = Link to Google Earth

  
  

• Sources

  [S1900] 1900 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1900), 1900. [S1920] 1920 United States Federal Census, (National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D. C., 1920), 1920.