She was born in Indianapolis to Samuel and Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne. Robert Louis Stevenson's step-daughter. Her 1st marriage was to Joseph Dwight Strong, Jr. in 1879 in CA. Their 1st son, Joseph Austin Strong, was born 1881 in San Francisco. They joined the Stevensons on an extended voyage to the South Seas shortly after. They lived in Samoa and Hawaii where Joseph was commissioned by the Spreckels to paint scenes of the Islands. Their 2nd son, Hervey Stewart Strong, was born 1888 in Honolulu and died in 1889 in Maui. Joseph and Belle's marriage ended in divorce and her husband returned to San Francisco in 1895. Belle married Edward Salisbury "Ned" Field, Jr., a journalist, (six months after her mother's death) who was her mother's companion and secretary until her death in 1914. Field was only three years older than her son Austin. She was a noted author herself, publishing under the 'Strong' and 'Field' names. She wrote: Memories Of Vailima [1902], The Girl From Home [1905], Robert Louis Stevenson [1911], This Life I've Loved [1938], A Bit of My Life [1951], the latter two were autobiographies. Her 2nd husband struck oil and "Belle" ended her life as a millionairess. The Field home, a 300 acre estate, was in the Figueroa Mountains near Los Olivos, CA. It was a popular meeting place for writers and actors. The El Mirasol Hotel where "Belle" died was a small, very luxurious hotel which opened in 1914. It was demolished in the 1960s. It is now the location of Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. Obituary (condensed) FIELD-Isobel Osbourne, widow of Edward Salisbury Field, mother of the late Austin Strong and daughter of the late Mrs. Robert Louis Stevenson, died in Santa Barbara, Calif., June 26. Funeral 11 A.M. Monday, Welch and Ryce Chapel, Santa Barbara. Interment 3 P.M., Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Calif. Researched and written by cousin, Laura J. Stewart (#47412616)

Step-daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson