Harper's Encyclopedia of United States History
Benson Lossing, Ed.

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Stevens, Benjamin Franklin 1833-

Bibliographer; born in Barnet, Vt., Feb. 19, 1833; son of Henry Stevens; educated in the University of Vermont; later became United States despatch agent in London and also agent to purchase books for American libraries. He spent more than thirty years drawing up manuscript alphabetical and chronological catalogue indexes of American historical matter, from 1763 to 1784, contained in numerous archives in England, Holland, France, and Spain. He also made 2,107 fac-similes of valuable historical papers found in European archives relating to the United States during 1773-83. He edited and published The campaign in, Virginia in 1787, in which is given the Cornwallis-Clinton controversy; and photographic fac-similes of Columbus's His own book of privileges, 1502, with English translation, etc.; General Sir William Howe's orderly book from June 17, 1775, to May 26, 1776, with Precis of the correspondence between the British government and General Howe.