J. E. Stevens was born March 12, 1835 in Milan, Ohio, to Jacob and Mary Merry Stevens.  Thomas A. Edison was also born and grew up in Milan and, although J. E. was a bit older, they were friends.  On October 25, 1865, J. E. secured a pass in New Orleans from Provost Marshall General Sherman to enter the port of Galveston.  He went directly to Belleville to see his father's sister.  He opened a general hardware store in Kenny.  In 1869 he married Ann Frances Campbell of Travis.  Her father was Cyrus Campbell, one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence (see Christian-Walker-Rich).  He also made the leg irons that were placed on Santa Anna when he was captured.  Three children were born to Ann Frances and J. E. in Travis - William James, Mary Alice, and Thomas Lewis.  In 1883 the family moved to De Leon.  A year later their youngest son, Frank Ebenezer, was born.  After six years in De Leon, J. E. heard of the progressive community in Coleman.  He and Fannie drove to Coleman and liked what they saw.  He bought out a business here and moved in 1890.  The older boys were in school in Weatherford.  Their mother wrote them describing Coleman as a town situated in a valley with a creek that would never run dry for the water was up to the hub of the buggy and that it would be a good place to fish.  There was a good school in Coleman, to which their young son, Frank, could go.  Later they sent their daughter, Mary Alice, to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in Ohio.  She was an accomplished musician and taught piano.  Will and Tom went to Granbury College.  There it was that Will met his future wife who was attending Add Ran College in Thorp Springs.

     William James (Will) and Sarah Lenora Miller were married in February, 1897, in Dublin, the daughter of W. T. Miller, who built the Grist Mill in Dublin which bears a historical marker.  Will and Nora lived first in Moody where Will had opened a store.  Their first child, William James Jr. was born there.  Will soon moved his family to Coleman and built a home across the street from his mother and father.  They had five more children after moving to Coleman: Mary Alice, Frances, Joseph Campbell, Salome Beaumont and Sarah Lu.  J. E. Stevens passed away January 29, 1916.  He was a man esteemed by his church peers, respected by community leaders, and a devoted family man.  After his death, Fannie asked Will and Nora with their six children to move from across the street into her home to live with her.  Ann Frances (Campbell) Stevens passed away October 15, 1925 after a long illness.  Will and Nora managed to send all their children to college.

     (1) Mary Alice graduated from Southern Methodist University and married Frank M. Stringer of Hamilton in 1931. Frank died in May, 1971.  Mary Alice still lives in Coleman and is very active in the church and serves on the Holiday Hill Board.

     (2) Frances T. graduated from what is now Texas Womens University in Denton and married Thomas M. Dibrell in October, 1948.  Less than a year later Tom passed away suddenly (see Joseph Burton Dibrell).  Frances ran the Furniture Department of the store for many years.  She is retired now and living in the Stevens' home place.

     (3) Joe C. went to Southwestern University in Georgetown and later to Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.  He married (1) Mary Jane Caton of Lufkin in September, 1930. Mary Jane died in December 1961.  They had one daughter, Mary Frances, who married Don Johnson, an attorney-accountant in Coleman (see Delma Bryan Johnson).  Joe married (2) Melba (Read) Draper in September 1963.  Joe died suddenly in November, 1976.  He was an active member of the Holiday Hill Board, Central Colorado River Authority, First United Methodist Church, serving as Chairman of the Building Committee in erecting its present building.  Joe served on the Coleman City Council and was honored as Man of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 1974.  Melba still lives in Coleman.

     (4) Salome Beaumont graduated from what is now TWU in Denton and married Curtis McHorse of Coleman in June 1934.  They have three children:

       (4a) Dr. Thomas Stevens McHorse married Kay McKay of Amarillo.  Tom practices medicine in Austin.  They have three sons: Edward Stevens, Paul Christopher and Kevin James;

       (4b) Susan Gail married William E. Hester III of Jackson, Mississippi; have two daughters: Amanda Stevens and Sarah Kathryn.  Bill Hester is a practicing attorney in New Orleans;

       (4c) Mary Lynn is a Theraputic Dietition at Scott and White Hospital in Temple. 

     Curtis died in August 1980, in Jackson, Mississippi, where he and his family had lived since 1948.  Salome now lives in Coleman.

     (5) Sarah Lu graduated from Texas Tech and married Jim Gardner of Winters in June 1942.  They have one son, William Jackson, who married Susan Wood Ellsworth of Longview.  They have three children: Laura Kathryn, Emily Stevens and James Scott.  Bill is a practicing attorney in Longview.

     J. E. Stevens became the U.S. Weather Observer for Coleman in 1910.  Will continued this job after his father's death.  In 1960, Will received special recognition of 50 years service by one family to the National Weather Service.  In the early days, before radio in Coleman, the amount of rain received here was posted on the J. E. Stevens Company window and many would come by to learn how much rain we had received.  Will also served on the Board of Central Colorado River Authority, was very supportive of the Methodist Church, and was a member of the Coleman School Board for many years, serving during the time the high school on Neches Street was built.  Nora (Miller) Stevens died September 26, 1959 and Will in January 1963 at the age of 93 years.

     In February 1900, Mary Alice Stevens married Dr. J. G. Pope.  The wedding was performed in the First Methodist Church in Coleman. Tragedy struck the Stevens family though in November 1901, when both Mary Alice and her infant son died.

     On June 16, 1901, Thomas L. Stevens married Salome Beaumont, a daughter of Dr. G. B. Beaumont of Coleman (see Beaumont Family).  They had no children but reared a niece, Ruth Beaumont.  Thomas L. died December 12, 1936 after a lengthy illness.  He was a director in the First Coleman National Bank and a Trustee in the Methodist Church.  His widow, Salome, lived until October 11, 1967.  Lomie was a long-time teacher in the church and very active in all the church activities.

     Frank E. Stevens married Sarah Lee Reed in May 1915.  They reared a niece of hers, Frances Vivian Hendricks.

     Ninety three years have passed since J. E. Stevens brought his family to Coleman.  Some of the third, fifth and sixth generations are still living here.  They have much love and appreciation for the fine people who live in our town and county.