Hi Bryan with a 'y'...my dad and son are Bryan's with a 'y' too...

Thank you sooo much for your detailed response.

I did come across this Wilfred Stephens bn in Oundle in 1852 but came to a dead spot with it...but you've revived that for me...thank you...

I was wrong in my other post about 1880, he went to Fiji in 1875, married in 1883 Fiji to a Fijian and had 3 children, Wilfred, Ellen (Nellie) and Henry Joseph Stephens. His wife died in child birth with their last child H.J. Stephens who is my great grandfather.

The fact you found a Wilfred Stevens in the 1871 census being a Sapper Royal Engineer is a major help. Are these all districts within Yorkshire?

It does seem though that he went to Ceylon, (India I'm presuming) serving some time there before going to Fiji as he was an expert in the dealings of Coffee and tea so I thought that this guy might not be him as I thought my Wilfred might have been older. He was quite young in becoming a Royal Engineer wasn't he?

I have been told that a portrait of Wilfred Stephens is hanging in a England museum somewhere, why I do not know.

thanks also for the information regarding the 1841 census and ppls ages being rounded down to the nearest "5" if older than 15...I didn't know that...Will have to look at some of my English records and rectify...lol

I'll go through your information again to get my head around it...just I don't see no resemblances of his children's names in his family from England for this Wilfred besides his own...

Again thank you...He is a hard man to find! I recently also found in a 1900 census another Stephens in Fiji listed with Wilfred with his name being A. J. Stephens - Athur J. He also served in Ceylon and wrote articles regarding The Tea production there.

Thanks again
Paula