Stevens family

The Stevens family was a prominent American family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the formation of the United States (especially New York City and New Jersey), in leading government and business in North America and served as leaders in business, military, politics, and engineering.

[1] Holding influence over American engineering for decades, designing steamboats, locomotives, railroad tracks and a host of other technical innovations that powered the early United States.

Along with his brother Edwin A. Stevens, Robert created America's first commercial railroad[2] presently operating as a large portion of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor.

[7] Edwin's will was executed by surviving wife, Martha Bayard Stevens, who would also serve as a lifetime Trustee of the institute that now bears the family's name.

Martha Stevens oversaw much of the family's philanthropy toward the City of Hoboken, including founding of the Church of the Holy Innocents as a free Episcopal church; a foundling hospital and birthing center at St Mary's Hospital; the Robert L. Stevens Fund for Municipal Research; manual training schools for both boys and young girls in Hoboken; the Hoboken Public Library and Manual Training School.