Stevens was born in Corydon, Indiana in 1839, He farmed in Illinois and later served as a private in the 102nd Regiment of the Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Stevens received an honorable discharge in 1865 and farmed again in Nebraska prior to relocating to Colorado. Stevens married Sarah E. Thornton in 1872. They had three children: Shirley, Walter N. and Theresa. Stevens died in 1921.
dying in 1921. Much of the collection provides some insight into and information on the Grand Army of the Republic and its activities.