He was born at Edinburgh in 1850 in a prosperous and respectable Presbyterian family. He adopted a Bohemian life style. This led to clashes with his friends. He soon began to suffer respiratory illness and he travelled to the south of France. It was in France that Stevenson met Fanny Osbourne, and fell in love with her. He travelled to California to join her. He married her, and the couple returned to Scotland to achieve reconciliation with his parents.