In a message dated 4/27/2003 10:57:22 PM Central Standard Time, [email protected] writes: > "Still, Exell [Heirs] 1734, 1760" > > Wonder if these are heirs of the Swedish Axille Still? I didn't realize he > had heirs or children. Any one know more? > > Thanks, > > That's a good question. The reigning expert on the early Delaware Swedes told me when I found a reference to Axel Still (no final 'e') living in MD that Axel had lived in MD but that he had returned to DE before his death and had no marriage or children. Since my grandmother and great-grandfather both always told us that we were descended from the Swedish Stille/Still family who had been among Delaware's first Swedish settlers, I had been searching for the connection between my g-g-grandfather and the Swedish Stilles. I wrote to him to ask him whether he thought that Axel Still of Maryland might be the possible progenitor of my Still family. He wrote: "Olof Stille and his brother Axel Stille arrived in New Sweden in 1641. Only Olof Stille had descendants, as Axel never married. The first several generations of Stille descendants are set forth in my pamphlet, "The Stille Family in America, 1641-1772," which I sell for $20 (postage and handling included). The surname of Stille has two syllables: "Still-E." The spelling generally evolved into Stilley. I am not familiar with any case where it was shortened to Still. In my opinion, your Still ancestors were not related. Dr. Peter S. Craig, F.A.S.G. 3406 Macomb St. N.W. Washington DC 20016" He certainly is correct about the original pronunciation of Still and, of course, it is possible that our Still clan is not from the Swedes. However, the Stills in lower Delaware did sometimes spell their name Stille and sometimes Still, but as far as I know always pronounced it with a single syllable. (There are gravestones in the Milford I.O.O.F. cemetery showing members of the same family sometimes spelling their names Stille.) There are also known members of that same family who now live in New Castle County (having had one of the family members move there in the 1920s) who spell their name Stille when all of the census lists and at least one church record spelled their family name Still. I have been told that some of the family members pronounced their name with one syllable and some pronounced it with two syllables as per Dr. Craig's observation. So, until I can match my Still with someone from somewhere, I do not faithfully accept Dr. Craig's assessment that my grandparents and great-grandparents either lied to us or had been lied to and had passed the information on. (I haven't yet seen a copy of his pamphlet, but I am sure it is in the Delaware Archives and perhaps in the Wilmington Historical Society collections.) Of course, we should note that the heirs of Axel Still's property (spelled with or without the final 'e'!) did not have to be his children. Someone would still have inherited his property. Has anyone seen the documents referred to in the reference to "Still, Exell [Heirs]" listed in the "Cecil Co., Debt Books, 1734-1766: Names, Tracts, Years" on page 117? Does anyone know what happened in 1734 and 1760 that precipated his being listed in the debt books? (What exactly IS a debt book?) I'd surely like to hear from anyone who is familiar with the origination of the events that got him listed in the MD references sent to us by Shirley! Karen Carter g-dau of Jennie Minerva Still (b. 1903) g-granddau of George Joseph Still (b. 1873) g-g-granddau of William H. Still (b. btw 1837 and 1841 - tombstone says 1841 but other records conflict) g.g.g.granddau of ????