Let us look at the family at the time of the 1871 census. They are living at 62 William Street, Dundee with Mary Stevens, Mina’s mother, as the head of the family, giving her occupation as teacher of wax flowers. Mary’s parents, John Walker, Chelsea Pensioner Sergeant 79th Cameron Highlander, and Mary Walker, are living there. Six of Mary’s children are living in that home: Robert Nicholson Stevens, a merchants clerk; Mary Anderson Stevens, a teacher of music; John Maule Stevens, a mechanic fitter; Williamina Paton Stevens, a scholar; Joanna Crighton Stevens, a scholar; and Charles James Stevens, also a scholar.

Mina’s crushed ankle was not her only major health problem as she grew up for, when she was ten years old, she was diagnosed with a weak heart and spent a year in a children’s hospital. Once out of hospital she was able to continue with her schooling. When she reached the age of fourteen, she became a student teacher. She taught for six years, for one of those in schools in Dundee and for the remaining five years in schools in Broughty Ferry. Although Dundee was a very poor city with many men unemployed while their wives worked in extremely difficult conditions in jute and jam factories, Broughty Ferry was the small adjacent town where the owners of the factories lived. It is said by some that Broughty Ferry was the richest town in Britain at this time.

Five of the six Stevens children would emigrate to the United States, the first being the eldest Robert Nicholson Stevens who arrived in New York on 22 November 1876. He went to Cambridge, Mᴀssachusetts where he met Annie Florence Emerson (1854–1939); they married on 3 April 1879. Mina and James Fleming left Scotland and sailed to New York arriving on 3 December 1878. We know events that happened over the following months but, as we shall explain, the timing of these is not known. Let us first give what appears the most likely series of events. We know that Mina became pregnant in January 1879. Her husband leaves her alone in New York, without financial support, so she goes to Boston to her brother Robert. She is at the wedding of her brother in Boston in April 1879; by coincidence both Mina and her sister-in-law are three months pregnant at this time. Mina needs to support herself and she is employed by Edward Charles Pickering, the head of Harvard College Observatory, as a housemaid. She returned to Scotland for the birth of her son who was born in Dundee on 6 October 1879. The birth certificate gives the name of her son as Edward Charles Pickering Fleming. Robert and Annie Stevens’ son Albert Emerson Stevens was born on 30 October 1879 in Cambridge, Mᴀssachusetts.

Mina Fleming was still in Dundee at the time of the 1881 census. The family were living at 35 Alexander Street, Dundee with the head of the family given as Mary Walker, Mina’s grandmother. Also living in the house are: Mary Stevens, Mina’s mother, whose occupation is given as dressmaker; Mina Fleming, whose occupation is also given as dressmaker; Charles James Stevens, Mina’s younger brother who is a cloth lapper; Edward Charles Pickering Fleming, Mina’s son; and Margaret Lindsay, a boarder who is an apprentice dressmaker. Shortly after the 1881 census was taken, in April 1881 Mina sailed back from Glasgow to Boston and once again worked for Pickering at the Harvard Observatory. She left her son with her mother in Dundee.

We mentioned above that there are other somewhat different theories as to events between Mina arriving in the United States on 3 December 1878 and returning to Dundee for the birth of her son. The fact that the full name of the astronomer Edward Charles Pickering is the given name of Mina’s son have led some to wonder if Pickering was the father of her son. Let us note that Pickering had married Lizzie Wadsworth Sparks in 1874 but they never had children. Supporting this theory is the fact that Pickering must have paid for Mina’s fares to Scotland and then back to the United States. Also if Pickering was the father of the child, then one might understand why her husband might choose to leave her. We must say, however, that we find this theory highly unlikely; there just does not seem to be enough time between Mina arriving in New York and her becoming pregnant. It is probable that she gave her son Pickering’s name because he had been so supportive of her when she was in great difficulty without a husband to support her.