----- Original Message ----- From: "steele" <loanbiz@aol.com> To: <STEELE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2001 1:30 PM Subject: [STEELE-L] Nationality > Posted on: STEELE Biographies > Reply Here: http://genconnect.rootsweb.com/gc/surnames/s/t/STEELE/biographies/10011 > > Surname: Steele > ------------------------- > > What nationality is Steele? Many Americans named Steele can trace their ancestry back to Germany and such surnames as Stiel and Stahl. But most American Steeles are British in origin. Although the name is widespread in the British Isles, its locus is in the border areas of Scotland and England. Many border people emigrated to northern Ireland in Elizabethan and Commonwealth times and then emigrated again to America beginning around 1730. These are known as the Scots-Irish. Many American Steeles come from these peoples. The northern counties of England, especially Cumberland, have many Steeles and the name is extremely common there. My own Steeles come from there, having owned the manor of Acrewalls in St. Bees, outside of Whitehaven, at least as early as the mid-1500's. Henry Steele, my gggg grandfather, settled in Dorchester County, Maryland, in the 1740's. The most famous British Steele, Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729), the essayist and writer, was born in Dublin, Ireland, of Anglo-Irish stock. John Steele, one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut, in the 1630's, is also ancestral to many, many Americans named Steele. I don't know from where he came in England. The locus of Puritan emigration was East Anglia, the area to the north and east of London, but many Puritans came from elsewhere, including the north of England. John Steele Gordon

JOhn: This is what I have on the birth and such of John Steele of Hartford. ----------------------------------------------- Steele, John b.1591,Fairstead,Essex,England chr.Dec 1591, Fairstead,Essex,England d.27 Feb 1644/1645 Farmington,Hartford,Connecticut bur.Ancients Cemetery,Hartford, Connecticut md. Rachel Talcott 10 Oct 1622, Braintree, Essex, Eng. Children: John STEELE-702 1591 ----- Fairstead,Essex,England --SPOUSE-- MRIN:671 Rachel TALCOTT-696 1602 Braintree,Essex,England (There are other marriages) --CHILDREN-- 1-John Jr STEELE-1160 2Samuel STEELE-705 3-Daniel STEELE 4-Rachel STEELE 5-Lydia STEELE 6-Mary STEELE 7-Hannah STEELE 8-Sarah STEELE 9-Daniel STEELE These are the notes I have on him, and on other Steele's: !Taken from Savages "Settlers of New England" STEELE, EBENEZER, Farmington, youngest ch. of Samuel of the same, m. 15 Feb. 1705, Sarah Hart, prob. d. of the sec. Stephen of the same, had Mary, b. 15 June 1706; and Sarah, 15 May 1708; and d. 6 [[180]] Oct. 1722. His wid. d. 26 Feb. 1751. * GEORGE, Cambridge 1632 or 3, freem. 14 May 1634, rem. with Hooker to Hartford, had Richard, wh. d. bef. his. f. unm. and he d. 1664. He was of gr. serv. one of the commiss. from Mass. to gov. the first colonists at Conn. and rep. almost every yr. fr. 1537 to 59 inclus. By first w. Rachel, wh. d. 1653, he had John, and Samuel, b. prob. in Eng. But his w. and childr. are by Cothren, it is thot. borrow, from John, his br. He will of 24 May 1663, ment. s. James, to wh. most of his est. was giv. and Elizabeth w. of Thomas Watts. Perhaps he had ano. d. b. 1640, wh. m. and had d. Martha; but the fam. geneal. is very obscure. HENRY, Cambridge, nam. in Holmes's Hist. as of that town 1632, 1 Mass. Hist. Coll. VII. p. 10; but as the name never appears again, I think he d. soon, or perhaps went home. JAMES, Hartford 1657, s. of George, but prob. b. in Eng. m. late in life, perhaps as sec. w. Bethia, d. of John Hopkins, wid. of Samuel Stocking; but by former w. m. 18 Oct. 1651, had s. James, b. a. 1654; and John, a. 1660, wh. d. bef. his f. beside ds. Sarah, a. 1656; Mary, the eldest; Elizabeth; and Rachel; their mo. perhaps was Ann, d. of John Bishop. He was commissa. for all Conn. forces in Philip's war. JAMES, Wethersfield, s. of Samuel of the same, was a capt. m. 19 July 1687, Ann d. of the first Samuel Welles, had Samuel, b. 1 Oct. 1688; Joseph, 27 Sept. 1690; Prudence, 17 Jan. 1693; Hannah, 18 Mar. 1697; Ann, 28 oct. 1702; and David, 8 June 1706; and d. 15 May 1713. His wid. m. 20 Nov. 1718, James Judson of Stratford, whose first w. was her cous. JAMES, Hartford, s. of James of the same, m. Sarah Barnard, d. of Bartholomew, had a ch. bapt. 1691; James; Jonathan, b. 1693; Stephen, 1696, Y. C. 1718; Sarah; Elizabeth; and Mary; and d. 1712. * JOHN, Cambridge 1632 or 3, by Farmer call. of Dorchester 1630, but without any high authority, was br. of George, freem. 14 May 1634, rep. in Mar. foll. and two next Cts. and in 1636, appoint. with Ludlow, Pynchon and others to admin. governm over the gr. Exodus to Conn. (wh. was contin. 2 or 3 yrs. in that state of pupilage) rep. very oft. from the first assemb. 1639 to 57; was town clk. of H. until he rem. to Farmington 1645; by w. Rachel, wh. d. 1653, had John, wh. d. bef. his f. and Samuel, b. in Eng. and ds. Lydia, wh. m. 31 Mar. 1657, James Bird; and Mary, m. (not b.) as fam. geneal. pr. p. 7, gives it) the same day, William Judd; beside Daniel, b. 29 Apr. 1645, wh. d. next yr.; and Hannah, wh. d. 1655, prob. unm.; beside Sarah, a. 1639 wh. m. Thomas Judd. He took sec. w. 22 or 23 Nov. 1655 or 6, Mercy, wid. fo Richard Seymour; and d. not (as the vol. of fam. geneal. says) two days aft. the m. but 1664 or 5. His will of 30 Jan. 1664 names w. Mary, or Mercy, s. Samuel, two s.-in-law, William and Thomas Judd, and the three ch. of the dec. s. and Rachel, d. of Samuel. By fam. tradit. he is deriv. from Co. Essex, and this seems prob. eno. [[181]] JOHN, Farmington, s. of the preced. b. in Eng. m. 22 Jan. 1646, Mary, or Mercy, d. of Andrew Warner, had Mary, b. 20 Nov. foll.; John, 1650; Samuel, 15 Mar. 1652; and Benoni; and was ens. of the milit. 1651, but d. 1653. His wid. m. William Hills, and d. Mary m. 24 Oct. 1670, John Thompson. JOHN, Farmington, s. of the preced. freem. 1677, m. Ruth, d. of deac. Thomas Judd, had Mary, Elizabeth bapt. 28 Mar. 1680, not 1678, as print. in Geneal. Reg. XII. 38, wh. was Thursday; Sarah, 25 Nov. 1683; John, 6 Mar. 1687, and 7 Mar. 1686, as print. in fam. geneal.; Rachel, not 2, as print. in fam. geneal. p. 22, wh. was Monday, but prob. 22 June 1689; Ruth; and Ebenezer, 1697, wh. d. young; and d. 26 Aug. 1637 or 8, NICHOLAS, Taunton 1654, then witness to a will, but perhaps not an inhab. as Baylies does not name, him. * SAMUEL, Farmington, s. of John the first, m. Mary, d. of James Boosey, had Mary, b. 5 Dec. 1652; Rachel, 30 Oct. 1654; Sarah, bapt. 28 Dec. 1656, but both these have wrong dates of bapt. in fam. geneal.; Samuel, b. 1659, prob. d. young; John bapt. perhaps 1, certain. not (as pring. in Geneal. Reg. XI. 327) 10 Dec. 1661, wh. was Tuesday; James, 1662, or 4, not as pr. in fam. geneal. 31 Aug. 1664, when his mo. was less than nine yrs. old; Hannah, 1668; and Ebenezer, 13 or 30 Aug. 1671 (in fam. geneal. mispr. 1701, wh. was 56 yrs. later than his f.'s m. and many aft. his d.), and d. at Wethersfield, 14 Aug. 1686. His will was 10 June preced.; and his wid. d. 1702. He serv. as rep. 1669-73, ens. 1668, and lieut. 1674. SAMUEL, Hartford, s. of the sec. John, m. 16 Sept. 1680, Mercy, or Mary, d. of Lieut. Gov. William Bradford, had Thomas, b. 9 Sept. 1681; Samuel, and Jerusha, tw. 15 Feb. 1685; William, 20 Fehb. 1687; Abiel, 8 Oct. 1693; Daniel, 3 Apr. 1697; and Eliphalet, 23 June 1700; and d. 1710. His wid. d. 1720. Ten of this name, half without final e, had, in 1847, been gr. at Yale, sev. at other N. E. coll. if Farmer be right, wh. I doubt, and two at Harv. of wh. one has double l. The Will of John Steele: It is in Word doc He EXCERTS FROM THE BOOK 'STEELE FAMILY' BY DANIEL STEELE DURRIE, Librarian of Wisconsin State H istorical Society. Puplished by Munsell & Rowland, 78 State Street, Albany, NY in 1859 Mr. John Steele was a native of England, probably of the county of Exxes. Mr. John Steele' s name appears first in connection with Dorchester, one of the earlest settlements of the col ony of Massachusetts, in the year 1630+ ten years only after the arrival of the pilgrim compa ny in the Mayflower. Next, he is found to have been one of the proprietors of Cambridge (fir st called Newtown), in 1632. Mr. Steele having been made freeman or elector by the court, i n 1634, was elected a representative from Cambridge in 1635; Cambridge being designed to be t he capital of the colony, as it was soon after the seat of the university. Mr. John Steele, in the autumn of 1635, led the pioneer band through the rugged, pathless wil derness, to a new location on the Connecticut river. As Leader and Magistrate, he appears t o have conducted the expedition safely and wisely. Arriving late in the season, they had t o endure all the hardships and trials of a severe winter, with the labors of clearing the for est, constructing their rude dwellings, securing food, and of protecting themselves against c old and wet, the ravages of wild beasts, and the warlike savage. Bravely persevering, whil e other expeditions during the same season failed, and many perished, they succeeded. And i n the ensuing summer came the main portion of their company--men, women and children, with thnear the head of its navigable waters, and through much toi l, patient endurance, and trust in an Almighty arm for success, they laid the foundations o f a new town, afterwards named Hartford; and of a new colony (Connecticut), the third of th e colonies of New England. His will bears date, January 30, 1663. He died Noverber 25, 1665. A DIGEST OF THE EARLY CONNECTICUT PROBATE RECORDS Compiled by Charles William Manwaring, Memb er Connecticut Historical Society, VOL. 1, HARTFORD DISTRICT, 1635-1700 PAGE 239. I don't know if this is any help, you may already have this information. This is the information I have on thte father of Rachel Talcot: !This family originated in Warwickshire England. This John was born in Colchester County, Essex , England,(son of John and ____ Wells, his wife of Colechester), who died in 1606. The Harolds Visitation of Essex in 1634 gives the pedigree and arms of this family. John, the emigrant was a minor when his father died in 1604, and not of age in 1606, when he is mentioned in the will of his grandfather who left him 40 pounds, to be paid when he reached the age of twenty one. He married Dorothy Mott, daughter of John Mott of Eyland and Wiston, Suffolk, England; and his wife Alice, daughter of Thomas Herrington. John Mott was son of Mark Mott of Braintree, and grandson of Thomas and Alice (Meade) Mott, of Bocking, Essex, England. Dorothy, wife of John Talcott is mentioned as "cousin," and "niece," in the will of Reverend Mark Mott D.D. (her fathers brother) rector of Rayne Parva, county of Essex, dated 18 Dec 1630. He gives her two porengers of china. John Talcott embarked for New England on the "Lyon" 22 June, 1632 at London, and arrived at Boston on the 16th of September following. He was one of the earliest settlers of Cambridge with Hooker, and others of the colonists who later came to Hartford. He was a large landholder, and a man of energy and influence. A "Freeman" on 6 Nov 1632, one of the first board of " selectmen" 1634/5, and a representative to the first "General Court", which administered deputys or commishioners as they were styled in 1634, and was reelected to the same office in 1635/6. In the latter year he removed with Hooker to Hartford, where his home had already been built for him, by Nicholas Clark. Here he became one of the leading men of the town, and of the Connecticut colony, and was styled "The worshipful Mr. Talcott." His home lot, in the distribution of 1639, was on the west side of Main street, and stood near the present corner of Main and Talcott streets. He was one of the committee who, for the first time, Sat with the " Court of Magistrates" in 1637, and deputy every following year until 1652, when he was chosen assisstant, also treasurer of the colony in 1654 to 1660; Commissioner of the United Colonies in 1656,7 and 8. He died in Hartford, March 1659/60. Hid widow Dorothy died February 1669/70. For his Wetherfield land holdings, see chapter VII vol I. History of Ancient Wethersfield.

----- Original Message ----- From: "Rose Adams" <rosebud@cctrap.com> To: <STEELE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2001 11:33 AM Subject: Re: [STEELE-L] Nationality > JOhn: > This is what I have on the birth and such of John Steele of Hartford. > ----------------------------------------------- > Steele, John > b.1591,Fairstead,Essex,England > chr.Dec 1591, Fairstead,Essex,England > d.27 Feb 1644/1645 > Farmington,Hartford,Connecticut > bur.Ancients Cemetery,Hartford, Connecticut > md. Rachel Talcott 10 Oct 1622, Braintree, Essex, Eng. Ah, then he came from the Puritan heartland, Essex being northeast of London. Richard Lyman, also a founder of Hartford and an ancestor of mine (and about seven zillion other Americans), also came from Essex. I wonder if John Steele's earlier ancestry is known. I suspect not. JSG

I have read where the Scots were what we would call today, mercenaries, hired out to fight in different armies of the Kings of Europe. This would account for the name Steel and various spellings , being found all over Europe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wayne Steel waywix@core.com

----- Original Message ----- From: "Wayne Steel" <waywix@core.com> To: <STEELE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, June 08, 2001 8:39 AM Subject: Re: [STEELE-L] Nationality > I have read where the Scots were what we would call today, mercenaries, hired out to > fight in different armies of the Kings of Europe. This would account for the name > Steel and various spellings , being found all over Europe. I don't think so. While Scots often served in foreign armies and navies (often as individual officers and engineers, rather than as large numbers of enlisted men) and, doubtless, left the occasional offspring behind, I doubt they would have settled permanently all that often or left their surname behind. It is more likely, it seems to me, that Stahl and Stiel turned into Steele or Steel in the US than that Steele turned into Stiel of Stahl in central Europe. Have you any evidence for significant Scottish settlement in Europe, outside the British Isles? JSG