Hello Steele searchers, I am seeking an elusive John Steele of Kentucky, a phantom who owned land by 1800 in Pendleton Co., KY, and died there in 1823. Our family has been searching [unsuccessfully] for over fifty years, and we could sure use some help. I'm hoping that one of the details in this lengthy post will trigger a link to his identity. If he is in the Steele archives, repositories, or websites, I missed him, sorry. Just point me in the right direction. Family Legend is John was "Scots", and that "he was emigrant 1779", "when Mary was two years old". Immigrant to colonies 1779 doesn't make sense, considering the revolution. Perhaps they came to KY 1779, as that was a big year for migration. Several Steeles do show in the earliest KY forts & stations. Perhaps John came from ???? to KY. John's wife was Eleanor. She would have a birthdate by 1760, and she d. bef. Apr 1837. It's possible she was a Ross, as two of the known grandchildren bear the middle name "ROSS", including one granddaughter named Eleanor Ross. Ross remains a family name to two gen past me. John Steele was on the 1800, 1810, 1820 Pendleton Co KY Census. Listed as 45+ at 1810. His dau. Mary Steele was b. 1777 and is believed to be the oldest. John was certainly born before 1760. Between 1800-1820, John was listed as a farmer, 100 ac, with no slaves. His wife Eleanor & son in law Wm. Griffing were exec of his 1823 will, incl 150 ac. John and Eleanor (?) Steele had these known Children, unknown birthplace of all, all of whom m. in northern Kentucky: 1. Mary 1777-1837, married 1803 Wm. GRIFFING (abt 1780 - 1853). Mary was well educated - we have some of her homework. William [The Elusive] Griffing was a KY Baptist minister, and may be connected to the descendants of Long Island Jasper Griffing. William was almost certainly a Freemason; with almost certainly true Legend of Welsh or Scots descent, also unproven [doubtful?] legend of "the Immigrant". On the 1850 KY census, William GRIFFING is listed as b. VA After their marriage, Mary Steele and William Griffing lived & died in now-Kenton Co., KY, (then-Pendleton/Campbell Counties -- in northern KY) Betw. 1806-1819, Mary Steele & William Griffing had: Rebecca Steele Griffing Sarah Curtis Griffing Elenor Steele Griffing Mary Jane Griffing Agnes Eloise Griffing William Steele Griffing Susan Martha Griffing Aaron Ross Griffing After Mary Steele Griffing's 1837 death, Wm. Griffing m.2 a Sarah MANN (possibly nee Harrod) & m3. widow Nancy TAYLOR YELTON. 2. Robert A. Steele (probably betw. 1781-1784 to ???) m. ???, had ??? children. Moved to Rush Co., Indiana ca.1830, with the Lightfoot clan [below]. "A." = ?? 1820 Pendleton Co. KY Census: Steel Robert 2 wm <10;1 wm 26-45;5 wf <10;1wf 26-45;1 in agr; no blacks About 1824 one Robert Steele m. Susannah Halstead in Pendleton Co. It may be our Robert, If so, it is apparently a 2d m. 3. Jane Steele (abt 1784 - bef. 1824) m. 1802 D'estaing LIGHTFOOT, (son of John B. Lightfoot & Lavinia Duncan, of Culpeper Co., VA). Jane & D'Estaing had Elizabeth, Mary, John, James Steele, and Eleanor Ross Lightfoot. Jane d., D'estaing remarried & moved to Rush Co., IN 4. Margaret Steele (abt 1785 - bef. 1832) m. 1809 William ERVIN (Erwin Irwine, etc), had at least Elizabeth, James, John, Mary, Martha, Nancy, and Andrew Ervin. 5. Elizabeth Steele (abt 1787 - abt 1826) m. 1807 Thomas RUSH (1787-1859) of Albermarle Co., VA; m. in Pendleton Co. KY, had John S., and a daughter. Thos Rush m.2 Margaret Dawson 1826. 6. Agnes "Nancy" Steele (bet 1790-1794 - aft 1832) m.1 1810 John T. HART (possibly of PA), and had John, Polly, Sarah, and William Hart. John T. Hart d. before 1830, and Agnes Nancy Steele Hart m2. in 1831, Charles (Van) BONAR, (son of John and Christian Inghram Bonar of Hartford Co., MD) as his 2d m. No known children of this 2d m. She was living on her father's property in 1830, & Bonar lived next door. There is an Agnes Steele & John Hart same timeframe m. that includes Kentucky, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, but if these are the identical couples, it must be quite a story hidden in there. Our Agnes' life & 2d m. to Bonar seems documented, but I'm open. 7. Martha Steele (bet. 1794-1804 - aft 1832) m. 1821 Stubin or Stebbin JENNIN/Jennings. NFI This is my John & his son Robert Steele: - are any of the names familiar? [Pendleton Co. KY Genweb: S.Jensen, B.Snow transcribers.] June 30, 1804 – Ward Mosby & Littleberrey Mosby by James Brown, their attorney in fact, to John Steele Proven by the oath of Thomas _ _dowsky [Sadowsky?] June 13, 1805 – Isaac Mize, agent for William Mize, to Robert A. Steele 1807: Steele, Robert – 400 acres, Campbell County, Stepstone Waters Steele, John – 100 acres, Main Licking ================== There are several Steele families in pre-1800 KY. There are Steele's of PA who came with Millers to early Bourbon Co., KY; There are descendants of Ninian Steele (of Chester Co.,PA) who came to early Fayette Co., KY, via NC; there are descendants of a John Steele of Augusta Co., VA; and at _least_ one more Steele line in early Kentucky. I wonder about the WVA Steeles, but know nothing. Not to mention all the other Steeles in pre-1800 America.... I can't keep them all straight. I have not been able to connect John Steele of Pendleton County to any of these Steeles, or to find "where" he came into Kentucky from... However, I don't _think_ that he is connected to the Augusta Co. VA Steeles. They are so well documented in Chalkley's, and all the John's I followed, seemed a dead-end. Since our John named his only known son Robert, in the late 1700s, it is fairly logical to consider that Robert was a "family-line" name. There is a Robert Steele who was a schoolteacher in old Rowan Co., NC, bef. 1762, and living near families who later ended up as neighbors to John Steele in Pendleton /Campbell /Kenton Co's., KY. There is a Robert Steele in old Rowan NC, listed as a scout, Feb. 11, 1760 and one on tax lists 1772, 1778, 1784, 1793. One Ninian until 1795. In the Rowan Co., NC 1768 Tax list of John Brandon are Andrew & William Steele, one Erwin, and a Ross, as well as Hamptons, Wasons, Bakers. There is no John Steele until 1787, and I believe he is otherwise accounted for, another dead-end. However, this John Steele is in Fayette Co., KY, 1787, and I wonder who he is: Steele, John - Fayette Co., KY - 5 Sep 1787 1871a. on Fork Lick Creek a branch of the south side of Licking Adjoining John Morrison. -- Is he of the PA>Bourbon Co KY line? The naming patterns of John & Eleanor's children: I wonder if Agnes & Martha are paternal or maternal line names? Surely the surname Ross is connected somehow, and I believe fairly closely. John's son: Since we don't know Robert A.'s middle name, it could be Andrew, Alexander, Aaron, or ??. (In our line, we think "Aaron" was a Griffing name.) As I said, John allowed his daughter Mary Steele a good education: her ca.1795 homework includes math story problems i.e. "if a field grows X amount of hay per acre, a horse eats X amount of hay a day, and you put the horse on a tether of X length, how long until you have to move the tether?". One of the things that seems pertinent in "Mary's Book" is the fact that there are inspirational quotations scattered throughout: Biblical, patriotic, and even homilies/verse from the Koran. In 1795, who knew quotes from the Koran? Or allowed their daughter to do so??? I have seen the name (Moses) CHERRY in Ky, in connection with apparently related (to us) Griffings, & also with a Richard Steele. Is he a clue? He may be from PA. Our Steeles also seemed to know the Taylors of Prince Wm. Co., VA. There are these John Steeles as well: http://www.sixranch.com/help/washtriva.html WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA - MILITIA 1770 - 1780 ENSIGNS: STEELE, John ==================== Chalkley's II p. 482, MILITARY SERVICE John Irvine's, or IRWIN, Declaration, December 1st, 1823: Age 64; enlisted in Augusta under Capt. John STEELE; Capt. Johnson's Company in the regiment commanded by Col. Hawes; Gen. Scott. ================== http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/ifetch2?/u1/data/ky+index+346841164981+F John STEELE of Augusta Co VA to James RUSH of same. Settlement made by field officers of 40th Regt of Militia in Cumberland Co - signed by Wilson COLE, R M & John RITCHEY, - claims for Robert STOCKTON, agt, Daniel LOWE, Samuel LOWE, Aron GRIFFEN, J W TAYLOR. DEEDS: Cumberland County, KY Deed Book B Abstracts 1810-1812 [I find this John Steele interesting because of the names Aron GRIFFEN & James RUSH] ========================================== On the 1795 KY census list: JOHN STEAL in both Clark & Logan Co. KY ADAM STEEL in Shelby Co KY ANDREW STEEL, RICHARD STEEL, ROBERT, THOMAS STEEL, ANDREW STEELE & ROBERT STEELE all in Fayette Co KY ADAM STEEL, JAMES STEEL both in Shelby Co KY JAMES STEEL, JOHN STEEL, JOSEPH STEEL, JOSEPH STEEL JR, WILLIAM STEEL, JR, & WILLIAM STEEL SR. all in Bourbon Co KY NINIAN STEEL in Mercer Co KY PAUL STEEL in Washington Co KY ROBERT STEEL in Clark Co KY WILLIAM STEEL in Scott co KY ANDREW STEELE, DAVID STEELE, JOHN STEELE, SAMUEL STEELE, JOHN STEELE JR, NATHANIEL STEELS, BETTY & OTHERS STEELE all in Woodford Co KY SAMUEL STEELE * others in Woodford Co KY WILLIAMS STEELE JR heirs in Woodford Co KY This has been such a brick wall, I am hoping someone has some clues, direction, or, better yet <g>, a family who's looking for their long-lost JOHN STEELE (bef 1760 - 1823) ... Even eliminating some of the John Steeles or Steele families above would surely help. Thanks very much for reading, and a million thanks in advance for any & all help, Kathryn Weiss