Richard Howard Stevenson is said to have been a cousin of the writer Robert Louis Stevenson. http://www.robert-louis-stevenson.org/other-writing/166-rocords-of-family-engineers These Stevensons, however, are mostly from Scotland.

Our Richard Stevenson was from Northern Ireland. He married Elisabeth "Libbie" Derby whose parents were from Northern Ireland also. There are records of Stevenson and Derby families in Northern Ireland: in Belfast, County Antrim, Ulster and also County Down, Ulster.

Belfast blossomed as a commercial and industrial centre in the 18th and 19th centuries and became Ireland's pre-eminent industrial city. Industries thrived, including linen, rope-making, tobacco, heavy engineering and shipbuilding, and at the end of the 19th century, Belfast briefly overtook Dublin as the largest city in Ireland. The Harland and Wolff shipyards became one of the largest shipbuilders in the world, employing up to 35,000 workers.[28] In 1886 the city suffered intense riots over the issue of home rule, which had divided the city.

In 1920–22, Belfast became the capital of the new entity of Northern Ireland, UK as the island of Ireland was partitioned. The accompanying conflict (the Irish War of Independence) cost up to 500 lives in Belfast, the bloodiest sectarian strife in the city until the "Troubles" of the late 1960s onwards.[29]

The genealogy is unclear. Could any of these be him?

1911 census for Stevenson No 32 Matilda Street Co Antrim http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911 Head of the house is William in his 30's with a son Richard aged 12 The house has many lodgers inc an Andrew Stevenson aged 70, but not marked as a relative.

[http://www.geni.com/people/Richard-Stevenson/6000000014224103385?through=6000000014224151192 Richard Stevenson, Son of William Stevenson and Frances Stevenson (Lancaster) Brother of Cicely Stevenson; William Stevenson; John Stevenson; Henry Stevenson and Thomas Stevenson

Family Name History Stevenson The ruins of tall craggy towers and castles are still scattered along the Scottish/English border, home to this notable surname Stevenson. Their ancient history is closely woven into the rich fabric of the border chronicles. Through diligent research amongst some of the most ancient manuscripts such as the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, the Inquisitis, the Ragman Rolls, the Domesday Book, baptismals, parish records, tax records and cartularies, researchers found the first record of the name Stevenson in Northumberland, where they were seated from ancient times, some say before the Norman Conquest in 1066. The name Stevenson occurred in many references and from time to time, it was spelt Stevenson, Stevenston, Steenson, Stenson, Steinson, Stinson, and others. Scribes and church officials spelt the name as it sounded, and frequently the spelling changed even during the person?s own lifetime. The family name Stevenson is believed to have its antecedents amongst the Boernicians, an ancient founding race of the English/Scottish border dating from about the year 400 AD. The border was also home to Clans such as the Sturdy Armstrongs, the Gallant Grahams, the Saucy Scotts, the Angry Kerrs, the Bells, the Nixons, the Famous Dicksons, the Bold Rutherfords, and the Pudding Somervilles. From these war-like clans of the border the surname Stevenson was found in Northumberland, where they were anciently seated at Knaresdale Hall, and at Newcastle on Tyne. By 1150 they had moved north to Scotland in the parish of Newlands in Peebleshire, where Stevene Stevenson rendered homage, along with his kinsman John, to King Edward I of England on his brief conquest of Scotland in 1296. The name north and south of the border at this time was spelled 'ph' and 'v' alternatively. Branches of the name appeared in Scotland in Brechin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Irvine, and south of the border in Middlesex, Lincoln, Derbyshire, and Cumberland. Sir William Stevenson was Lord Mayor of London in 1764. George Stephenson, the inventor of the locomotive was of Scottish parentage, but the main stem of the family remained in the northeast of England and southern Scotland. In Scotland there was a small group in the Glasgow and Prestwick area which corrupted the name to Stenson and Steenson and Steinson, from about the year 1455 onwards. Their present family seats are at Bolton Old Hall, Westow, Hassop Hall, Park Grange, Playford Mount, and Braidwood. A notable family name during the early history was Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson, distinguished author, born in Edinburgh, whose works include 'Treasure Island', 'Kidnapped' and many more, 1850 - 1894. Clan feuds became so intense that in 1246 A D, six chiefs from the Scottish side and six from the English side met at Carlisle and created a set of laws acceptable to the border territory and its people. These were unlike any laws prevailing in England or Scotland or, for that matter, anywhere else in the world. For refusal of assistance when called, a person could be hanged on the instant, without a trial. While clans were on this 'hot trod' to recover stolen property, (from which we get the modern expression 'hot to trot'), they were protected from almost all eventualities. The surname most probably arrived in Ireland during the time of invasion of the 12th century or more recently, during the Plantation Periods. The Plantation Periods of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries were the result of the English incursions inflicted on the Irish population. When the Crowns of England and Scotland were united under James VI of Scotland in 1603 the Border Clans were dispersed to England, northern Scotland and to Ireland. Some were banished directly to the Colonies. In Ireland, they were granted lands previously held by the Catholic Irish. They signed an 'Undertaking' to remain Protestant and faithful to the Crown. In Ireland the name assumed the variance of Steenson and Stinson, and they settled in county Limerick, and were prominent patrons of Gaelic literature. In Ireland the surname is one of the more numerious recorded in Ulster.

The most ancient grant of a Coat of Arms was researched as: Red on a silver diagonal stripe three green leopard's faces. The Crest was: A gold wheat sheaf. The ancient family Motto for this distinguished name was: 'sub libertate quietum' peace in freedom.

                  (from the Library of the Hall of Names)

The arms described and shown in this book were granted to James Stevenson, Esq, of Killyleagh, County Down. His eldest daughter and co-heir Dorcas Stevenson became baroness Dufferin and married Sir John Blackwood in 1751.

The Name Stevenson

Though STEVENSON and STEPHENSON are found in other provinces of Ireland they are common only to Ulster and in particular in Counties Antrim, Armagh and Down. Steenson, Stinson and Steen are exclusive to Ulster and are most numerous in counties Antrim and Armagh. St Stephen, the first Christian martyr after Christ was a favourite among the Normads, who made it popular in Britain. In Scotland the name was spelt Steven and so, technically at least, Stephenson is more likely to be English and Stevenson Scottish. However, spellings are notoriously unreliable when trying to distinguish the origins of a particular family. Stevenson is much more common in Ulster. Steen and Stein as both surname and personal name, are forms of Steven found principally in Ayrshire, Fife, the Lothians and Roxburghshire. Steenson and Stinson in Ulster are variants of Stephenson. Around 1900 Stephenson was being used interchangeably with Steenson about Cootehill in County Cavan and Tandragee and County Armagh; with Steinson near Ballymena in County Antrim; with Stenson around Cootehill; and with Stinson in Blackwaterstown in Armagh and Templepatrick in Antrim. Stevenson has occasionally been used in Ireland as a synonym of Anglo-Norman name FitzStephen. (From the book of Ulster names by Robert Bell)