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ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON MYSTERY: WAS THERE A SAMOAN DAUGHTER?

This story has all the requisites of a mystery, which could make a great movie. There’s a famous literary person, an unconfirmed timeline of dates and the possibility that Samoa may have even closer ties to a man who chose to live out his last years in a country he loved.

 

That man is none other than the famous author, Robert Louis Stevenson.

 

But it’s not just his life that is under the microscope. The life of one Teuane Tibbo has brought her great, great, grandson, Blas Robles, to Samoa in search of the truth about her.

 

Mr. Robles was accompanied to Samoa by David Lomas, the Producer of a New Zealand TV Show ‘Missing Pieces.’ The show focuses on reuniting people with a past they may have lost.

 

In Samoa, they are trying to verify if Mr Robles’s great, great, grandmother, Teuane Tibbo, is indeed the daughter of the late author, Robert Louis Stevenson.

 

So for the past few days, Mr. Robles, David Lomas and cameraman Graham Ritchie have been at Robert Louis Stevenson Museum looking for clues.

 

“Blas has come with us as the family representative and what we are trying to do is to find the answer to the question; could Robert Louis Stevenson have had a child because he had no children at all prior to this.”

 

Working from a birth certificate, Mr. Lomas has found there is a strong possibility that Mrs. Tibbo could be the late writer’s daughter.

 

“The birth certificate which people had relied on until now to say that it was impossible, is inaccurate.” said Mr. Lomas.

 

The birth certificate stated that Teuane Anne Williams was born on 2 October 1895.

 

“The birth certificate was only registered here in Samoa in 1962 so sixty seven years after this woman was born, was the first time the birth was registered. So the date on the birth certificate means nothing, it was her uncle who registered the birth.”

 

Adding to the mystery is the fact that Teuane’s family have always celebrated her birthday in June, contrary to what the birth certificate says.

 

“If it was June 8, then Robert Louis Stevenson would have been alive when Teuane’s mother became pregnant and was born just after he had died.”

 

“If it was October 2, he couldn’t have been alive and therefore Teuane would not be his daughter.”

 

“By finding that the birth certificate is not accurate, we have opened up the possibility that yes, Teuane could be Robert Louis Stevenson’s daughter.”

 

For Mr. Robles, finding out whether he could be a descendant of the famous writer was more for his mother and grandmother than for him.

 

Read more at Samoa Observer