Editing George Stephenson (section)

===Personal life===

George first courted Elizabeth (Betty) Hindmarsh, a farmer's daughter from Black Callerton, whom he met secretly in her orchard. Her father refused marriage because of Stephenson's lowly status as a miner.<ref>Samuel Smiles disputes this account, saying that Miss Hindmarsh's brother assured him that she didn't meet him before 1818 or 1819. See ''Lives of the Engineers'' 1862 vol 3. p116 (footnote).
</ref> George next paid attention to Anne Henderson where he lodged with her family, but she rejected him and he transferred his attentions to her sister Frances (Fanny), who was nine years his senior. George and Fanny married at [[Newburn]] Church on 28 November 1802. They had two children Robert (1803) and Fanny (1805) but the latter died within months. George's wife died, probably of tuberculosis, the year after. While George was working in Scotland, Robert was brought up by a succession of neighbours and then by George's unmarried sister Eleanor (Nelly), who lived with them in Killingworth on George's return.

On 29 March 1820, George (now considerably wealthier) married Betty Hindmarsh at Newburn. The marriage seems to have been happy, but there were no children and Betty died on 3 August 1845.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/who/Stephenson_G/stephensonGeorge8.asp|title=Engineering Timelines – George Stephenson|website=engineering-timelines.com}}</ref>

On 11 January 1848,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Engineering Timelines – George Stephenson|url=http://www.engineering-timelines.com/who/Stephenson_G/stephensonGeorge8.asp|access-date=2021-08-04|website=engineering-timelines.com}}</ref> at St Chad's Church in [[Shrewsbury]], Shropshire,<ref>{{cite news |title=Marriages |newspaper=Leicester Journal |date=21 January 1848 |page=2 |via=British Newspaper Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJNG-FV3 |title=George Stephenson, 11 January 1848, St Chad, Shrewsbury, in  ''England Marriages, 1538-1973,'' database |date=13 March 2020 |via=FamilySearch |access-date=17 September 2024}}</ref> George married for the third time, to Ellen Gregory, another farmer's daughter originally from [[Bakewell]] in Derbyshire, who had been his housekeeper. Seven months after his wedding, George contracted [[pleurisy]] and died, aged 67, at noon on Saturday 12 August 1848 at [[Tapton House]] in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. He was buried at [[Holy Trinity Church, Chesterfield]], alongside his second wife.<ref name="Davies"/>

Described by Rolt as a generous man, Stephenson financially supported the wives and families of several who had died in his employment, due to accident or misadventure, some within his family, and some not. He was also a keen gardener throughout his life; during his last years at Tapton House, he built hothouses in the estate gardens, growing exotic fruits and vegetables in a 'not too friendly' rivalry with [[Joseph Paxton]], head gardener at nearby [[Chatsworth House]], twice beating the master of the craft.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}

====Descendants====
George Stephenson had two children. His son [[Robert Stephenson|Robert]] was born on 16 October 1803. Robert married Frances Sanderson, daughter of a City of London professional John Sanderson, on 17 June 1829. Robert died in 1859 having no children. Robert Stephenson expanded on the work of his father and became a major railway engineer himself. Abroad, Robert was involved in the Alexandria–Cairo railway that later connected with the [[Suez Canal]]. George Stephenson's daughter was born in 1805 but died within weeks of her birth. Descendants of the wider Stephenson family continue to live in Wylam (Stephenson's birthplace) today. Also relatives connected by his marriage live in Derbyshire. Some descendants later emigrated to [[Perth]], Australia, and [[Minnesota]], with later generations remaining to this day.

This Stephenson engineering family is not to be confused with the lighthouse-building engineering family of [[Robert Stevenson (civil engineer)|Robert Stevenson]], which was active in the same era.  Note the spelling difference.