John Miles Stevenson was the sixth of twelve known children of Robert Montgomery Young Stevenson (1772-1835) and Maria Rebecca Steele (1775-1839), who married c1795 in presumably North Carolina. The family moved to Kentucky in c1809 and then to present day Washington County, Missouri in c1810.

John married first to Elizabeth Walters (1818-1847) on 26 Sep 1839 in Missouri (presumably Wayne County). John and Elizabeth were the parents of three known children, namely:

1. Henry Harrison Stevenson (1840-1912)
2. name unknown Stevenson (1842-1847)
3. Rebecca Jane Stevenson Sloan (1843-1881)

After Elizabeth died, John remarried to the widow Martha French Tarwater (1838-1903) on 19 Nov 1865 at Black Rier Township, Wayne County, Missouri. John and Martha were the parents of three known children, namely:

4. Robert Montgomery Stevenson (1866-1955)
5. Laura Flinn Stevenson (c1866-c1869)
6. Clara Belle Stevenson Cook (1868-1957)

Martha was the widow of Adam Tarwater (1832-1863), who died serving the Confederacy at the Battle of Vicksburg. They married on 14 Aug 1855 at Stock Creek, Knox County, Tennessee. Martha and Adam were the parents of two known children:

7. William Patton Tarwater (1859-1954)
8. Peter Findley Tarwater (1861-1915)

After his first wife Elizabeth and eldest daughter (name unknown) died in the Winter of 1847, John sent his two surviving children, Henry and Rebecca, to live with his brother Henry S. Stevenson. In 1860 John was living in Wayne County, Missouri with a Jacob Walters (age 19), possibly a nephew of his first wife. It is said that John rode horseback from Williamsville, Wayne County, Missouri to Nashville, Tennessee to attend Law School. John was an educated practical surveyor, and was said to have ran the lines to locate Poplar Bluff, county seat of Butler County, Missouri. He went to California in 1850 and returned in 1857 to lead another wagon train back to California. He returned before 1860. JOHN's son, Henry said that his dad was known widely as "Judge Stevenson" and another account said that John was at times a lawyer. John was Judge of the Butler County, Missouri Court from 1849 to 1850 when he resigned and went to California. The son Henry fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War.

After John married Martha he bought some land in southern Wayne County, Missouri near Taskee and the Black River. His land was on both sides of Otter Creek, with his house on one side and his flour mill on the other. Robert, Clara and Laura were all born there. John was buried there too. Clara made two trips back to the old family farm looking for a grave but was never able to find one. During the Civil War the Confederates raided his homestead and forced him to grind flour for bread for them. In 1870 John, Martha, John's step-children, William and Peter Tarwater, and Robert and Clara were living at Black River Township, Wayne County, Missouri.

After John died, Martha remarried to Fred (or William?) Elliott, and moved to Denton, Denton County, Texas. After Fred died (c1900?) Martha went to Atoka, Atoka County, Indiana Territory (now Oklahoma) to live with her son William Patton Tarwater in Oklahoma and then with her daughter Clara Stevenson Cook.

Links to John's parents, his second wife, four of his six known children and nine of his eleven known siblings are included below.