Mary (Steele) Rankin (1688 - 1747)

Born 1688 in Raphoe, County Donegal, Ulster, Ireland

Wife of James Alexander — married about 1706 in New Castle Co, Delaware

Wife of Adam Rankin — married before 28 Sep 1724 in Cecil Co, Province of Maryland

Descendants

Died 4 May 1747 at about age 59 in Somerset, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Mary (Steele) Rankin was born in Ireland.

Mary (Steele) Rankin migrated from Northern Ireland to American Colonies.

1690 Birth and Parents

Mary Steele was born about 1690 ^[1]

She was the daughter of John Steele. ^[1]

The 1724 estate settlement also declares Mary Steele to be a daughter of John Steele, yeoman, of New Castle, Delaware. ^[2] As he immigrated in 1700, she must have been born in Raphoe, Ireland, where he lived before emigrating to Pennsylvania & Delaware.

1711 First Marriage to James Alexander

About 1711, probably in Cecil County, Maryland, she married first James Alexander, b. 1 Jan 1685 in Annamessex, Somerset County, Maryland. ^[1]

Alex Kin P 210 and Deeds "The Widow Alexander refers to Mary Steele widow of James the carpenter/farmer who died in 1717 and was son of Samuel." Wills NC 1717 "Book C V.1p.103 July 12 1717 New Castle DE."

1722 Second Marriage to Adam Rankin

About 1722, probably in Maryland, she married Adam Rankin, born 16 July 1688 in Scotland. ^[1]

1724 Settlement of James Alexander Estate

In 1724 the estate of James Alexander, comprised primarily of 316 acres, was settled. ^[2]

Mary is declared "ye late widow" of James Alexander, carpenter, and is "now married to Adam Rankin of this county," ^[2]

1747 Death

She died after 21 September 1747. ^[1]

Children

Most Rankin family researchers have Adam Rankin and his second wife, Mary Steele, as the parents of four children: James Rankin, William Rankin, Jeremiah Rankin, and Esther Rankin. As noted earlier, two grandsons of Mary Steele Alexander Rankin were Oliver Alexander and Jeremiah Alexander. It would appear Jeremiah Alexander was named after his half uncle, Jeremiah Rankin. Also, the youngest son of Oliver Alexander was named Adam Rankin Alexander. Adam Rankin Alexander (1781-1848) resided in west Tennessee and was twice elected to the United States Congress, before being defeated by Davy Crockett. ^[3]

With sources

1. Joseph Alexander, born Annemessex 1708. Joseph Alexander, born about 1712 in probably Cecil County, Maryland Has children ^[1]
2. John Alexander, born Somerset 1713 John Alexander, born about 1713 in probably Cecil County, Maryland Has children ^[1]
3. Francis ALEXANDER b: Abt 1716 in probably Cecil County, Maryland Has children. ^[1]
4. Jeremiah Rankin, born Hagerstown or Lancaster Pa, 1720.
5. Jeremiah RANKIN, born after 1722 ^[1]
6. William RANKIN, born after 1722 ^[1]
7. Esther RANKIN, born after 1722 ^[1]

Without Sources

1. Mary Margaret (Alexander) Steele, born Annemessex 1710

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10} Floyd Owsley. My Family Database. https://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=owslfl&id=I10924 Mary Steele] Updated Dec 21, 2017. Accessed 3/11/2019 jhd
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Widows and Orphans Portion, Estate of James Alexander. Cecil County Circuit Court, Maryland, September 28th 1724
3. ↑ Floyd L. Owsley The Ancestry of William Alexander (1749-1838) Updated July 25, 2018. Accessed November 12, 2018 jhd

See also:

• Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls Note: APID: 1,2204::0

Acknowledgements

• This person was created through the import of Purchase_Smith Family Tree.ged on 10 April 2011.
• WikiTree profile Steele-1439 created through the import of Alexander Family Tree.ged on Jul 16, 2012 by Rod Alexander. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?
• This person was created through the import of Jim Walker gedcom 4 Wikitree may 22 2011.ged on 24 May 2011. The following data was included in the gedcom. You may wish to edit it for readability.
• WikiTree profile Steele-1350 created through the import of McKnight.ged on Apr 21, 2012 by Curtis Baldwin. See the [http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:NetworkFeed&who=Steele-1350