Becoming Jane Austen
The True Love Story That Inspired
the Classic Novels
by John Spence
Part of a continuing series.
The Deane family increased rapidly. The Austens' first child, a son, was born within a year of their marriage, and two more sons were born in the following two years. In January 1768 George's stepmother died and he at last came into his inheritance of about £1,000 ($1,953.51) from his father. By midsummer Steventon parsonage had been repaired and refurbished, and the family moved to the house that was to be their home until George Austen's retirement more than thirty years later. Cassandra's mother died only a few months after the move to Steventon, and before the end of the year her sister Jane married Edward Cooper, a rich clergyman whose family had lived near Harpsden and had been lifelong friends of the Leighs.
Jane Austen
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With Mrs. Leigh's death, Cassandra came into her inheritance and purchased £3,350 ($6,544.27) in South Sea Securities. The investment yielded a supplement to the family income. The only further increase they could now look forward to was George's becoming rector of Deane, the living his uncle Francis had bought for him at about the time of his marriage. Deane didn't fall vacant until 1773, but the Austens managed to keep afloat, living a quiet, frugal but busy country life. If they were inordinately worried about their three sons' futures, they gave not sign of it other than prudently choosing a rich godfather for each child.
Susannah Walter, the wife of George's half-brother, William Walter, visited Steventon in the early summer of 1770 with her nine-year-old daughter Philadelphia, named for her aunt Hancock. For a few months following her return to Kent, Susannah corresponded with the Austens and kept her letters, which give us our only real glimpse of George and Cassandra in the early years of their marriage.
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