Mr Sydney Frederick Stebbings was born at High Path in Edmonton, London, England on 29 September 1876.

He was the son of James Stebbings (1830-1888), a warehouseman, and Jane Elizabeth Moody (1834-1880). His father was a native of Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and his mother was from Bath, Somerset and they were married in Southwark on 6 May 1855.

The youngest of ten children, Sydney’s siblings were: Jane Rachel (b. 1856), Alice Edith (1858-1859), Louisa Rhoda (b. 1860), Lydia (1862-1862), James (1863-1863), Emma Rosina (1865-1939), Rhoda Eleanor (b. 1869), Charles James (1872-1926) and Amy Elizabeth (1875-1875).

Sydney's mother passed away in 1880 aged 46 and the following year, at the time of the 1881 census, the remaining family were living at 5 Prospect Place, Edmonton, with James Stebbings being described as an unemployed linen cutter. His father passed away in 1888, seemingly leaving Sydney's elder surviving sisters to raise him.

On the 1891 census Sydney, aged 14, is listed as a pupil at Chase Farm School in Enfield, Middlesex. His sister Jane is listed as a servant living at an address in Penge, London; she would marry a William Spencer in 1894 in Croydon and raise a family of her own.

When Sydney went to sea is not clear but he appears on crew records as early as June 1900 when he was serving as a steward aboard Cymric; his ship before that had been the Ionic and the address he gave around this time was 34 Crown Street.

Stebbings does not appear on the 1901 census, presumably at sea. He was married that year on 1 November in St Anne's Roman Catholic Church, Liverpool to Annie Maria Boucher (b. 28 July 1873), a native of that city.

The couple had three children: Thomas Joseph Boucher (b. 1 February 1903), Winifred Mary (b. 1907) and Sydney Frederick (b. 9 December 1909). At the time of the birth of his eldest child, he was living at 39 Plimsoll Street. The family resided in Liverpool until around 1908 before their move to Southampton where White Star Line's main dock had relocated. 

On the 1911 census, Sydney is absent, but his wife and children reside at 25 Richville Road, Shirley, Southampton.

Stebbings was on board the Titanic for her delivery trip from Belfast to Southampton. When he signed-on again in Southampton on 4 April 1912, he gave his address as 25 Richville Road, Southampton. His previous ship had been the Olympic and as chief boots, he received monthly wages of £4, 5s.

Sydney Stebbings died in the sinking and his body, if recovered, was never identified. The following death notice appeared in the Hampshire Advertiser (27 April 1912):

Stebbings--On the 15th inst., on the s.s. Titanic, Sydney Frederick Stebbings, 25 Richville road, Shirley, Southampton.

and this from the Southern Daily Echo (26 April 1912):

STEBBINGS--On April 15th, 1912, on the S.S. Titanic, Sydney Frederick, the dearly beloved husband of Annie Stebbings, 25 Richville road, Shirley, Southampton. Sadly missed by his wife and young children. A voice we loved is stilled. Liverpool papers please copy.

Sydney's widow Annie did not remarry and she relocated her family back to her native Liverpool. She later lived at 130 Devonfield Road, Walton and died in the Royal Southern Hospital on 14 December 1945, leaving an estate worth £746 13s 9d to her daughter Winifred.

Their son Thomas later became a shipping clerk and travelled back and forth across the Atlantic frequently; ships he travelled aboard included Queen Elizabeth, Majestic, Homeric and OIympic. He married Joan Laura Steven (1915-1977) and had two children, Sheila Ann and Peter Frederick. They settled in New York, also having spent some time living in Geneva. He died on 10 July 1948.

Sydney's daughter Winifred was married in 1927 to Francis Thomas Dumbleton (d. 1960) and they had three sons, including a set of twins, one of whom was named for his lost grandfather. Winifred died in Liverpool in 1967.

His son Sydney married Louisa McEvoy in 1939 but is not known to have had any children. He died in Wallasey, Cheshire on 15 December 1983.