Benjamin Franklin Stevens (February 19, 1833March 5, 1902), was a

bibliographer Bibliography (from and ), as a discipline, is traditionally the academic study of books as physical, cultural objects; in this sense, it is also known as bibliology (from ). English author and bibliographer John Carter describes ''bibliography ...

and for about thirty years before his death was the US despatch agent at London.

Biography

Benjamin Franklin Stevens like his brother Henry Stevens a bibliographer, was born at

Barnet, Vermont Barnet is a town in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,663 at the 2020 census. Barnet contains the locations of Barnet Center, East Barnet, McIndoe Falls, Mosquitoville, Passumpsic and West Barnet. The main settlement ...

, and was educated at the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the United ...

, where he was a member of the

Sigma Phi The Sigma Phi Society () was founded on the Fourth of March in the year 1827, on the campus of Union College as a part of the Union Triad in Schenectady, New York. It is the second Greek fraternal organization founded in the United States.

society. In the 1840s he followed his brother to London in the book export business. He formed his own company with Henry J. Brown in 1864, forming the Literary and Fine Arts Agents, B. F. Stevens & Brown, continued by Ralph A. Brown. For about thirty years he was engaged in preparing a chronological list and alphabetical index of American state papers in English, French, Dutch and Spanish archives, covering the period from 1763 to 1784, and he prepared more than 2000 facsimiles of important American historical manuscripts found in European archives and relating to the period between 1773 and 1783. Stevens was elected a member of the

American Antiquarian Society The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), located in Worcester, Massachusetts, is both a learned society and a national research library of pre-twentieth-century American history and culture. Founded in 1812, it is the oldest historical society in ...

in 1896. He also acted as purchasing agent for various American libraries, and for about thirty years before his death was US despatch agent at London and had charge of the mail intended for the vessels of the United States navy serving in Atlantic or European stations. He died at

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it h ...

, Surbiton, Surrey, England, on the 5 March 1902. He is buried at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of Queens Park in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, it was founded by the barrister George Frederic ...

, London.

Publications

His principal publications include: *''Campaign in Virginia, 1781: an Exact Reprint of Six Rare Pamphlets on the Clinton-Cornwallis Controversy, with ... Manuscript Notes by Sir Henry Clinton'' *a ''Supplement containing Extracts from the Journals of the House of Lords'' (1888) *''Facsimiles of Manuscripts in European Archives Relating to America, 1773–1783, with Descriptions, References and Translations'' (25 vols, 1889–1898) *''General Sir William Howe's Orderly Book at Charlestown, Boston and Halifax'' (1890) *''Columbus: His Own Book of Privileges'' (1893) *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Benjamin 1833 births 1902 deaths American bibliographers Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery People from Barnet, Vermont Members of the American Antiquarian Society