[PW] aeronaut Leo Stevens?/more

[swguardian-wombat at yahoo.com]

I would suggest that his mother Anna Stevens was not trying to "get him back" in 1875, but rather his older brother, Leo Stevens. You see the name of the balloonist was actually A. Leo   Stevens. I was not able to find out what the "A" stood for. 

As for his age, I don't think he even knew what it was exactly. I have seen two obits on him with one saying he was 67 when he died and the other, 70. In the 1920 US Census he lists his age as 41 (1879) and in the 1930 Census as 48 (1882). 

Let me know off list if you would like copies of these documents and newspaper stories. 

AllenAmet at aol.com wrote:  
In a message dated 1/31/2008 11:45:40 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
AllenAmet at aol.com writes:

In doing some research on famous balloonist Leo   Stevens, I see that his 
birthdate is not what it should be - i.e. exact. He  was  supposedly born in 
Cleveland, Ohio in  1876.



===========
more, but much curiouser...
 
  The balloonist died May 7-8, 1944, in New York State. He is buried  in Fly 
Creek, NY. The local obit says he was born on Sept 27, 1877. The engraved  
medal in his name however, given to modern parachutists, says '1876.'
 
  The NY Times obit has him dying in May 1944 at the age of 67. (so  born ca 
1877).
 
   Yet his mother Anna Stevens was noted in old newspapers  as trying to get 
him back (as a small child) from a failed apprenticeship  in Nov. 1875 
(Philadelphia).
 
   His early career was as a tightrope walker, and he moved up to  balloons 
and airplanes, and supposedly invented the backpack parachute in  1908.
 
   His correct birth-date, though, is still very  problematic. There may be 
more at Harper's Magazine, Jan 1876, pp. 93-94, but  one has to be a subscriber 
to see it (online).  Apparently there was a  big hub-bub at the time about 
such child performers and laws were soon passed,  etc.
 
Allen
 



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