Samuel Steele (1626 - 1685)

Born 1626 in Fairsted, Essex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Boosey) Steele — married 1651 in Wetherfield, Hartford, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 14 Aug 1685 at about age 59 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut

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Samuel Steele migrated from England to America.

Biography

From New England Families:

Samuel, son of John and Mercy (Seymour) Steele, was born in England in 1626-27, and came with his parents to America. He was a leading citizen of Farmington, Connecticut; deputy to the general assembly in 1668-69-72-77; lieutenant of the Farmington train band in 1674. He had a grant of land from the general court, May 9, 1672, of two hundred acres. He married Mary, daughter of Hon. James and Alice Boosey; her father was a prominent citizen of Wethersfield. She was born September 10, 1635, died at Farmington, in 1702, Children: James, born August 31, 1644, mentioned below; Mary, December 5, 1652; Rachel, October 30, 1654, lived at Wethersfield, married Jonathan Smith; Sarah, baptized December 29, 1656, died unmarried; Samuel, born March 11, 1658-59, died young; John, baptized December 10, 1661, died unmarried; Hannah, born 1688; Ebenezer, August 13, 1661, married, February 15, 1705, Sarah Hart.

From Jana Ulrich Research:

Samuel STEELE born: @1626 probably in Fairstead, Essex England m. before 5 Dec 1652 Mary BOOSEY (Daughter of James BOOSEY and Alice; b. 10 Sep 1635 in Wethersfield CT; may have been the Mrs. Mary Steele who d. 16 Mar 1703 in Wethersfield CT) probably in Wethersfield CT; died: 14 Aug 1685 in Wethersfield CT; Son of John STEELE and Rachel TALCOTT

Children:

1. Mary b. 5 Dec 1652 (Farmington CT) m. 24 Oct 1670 John THOMSON (Farmington CT) -
2. Rachel b. 30 Oct 1654 (Farmington CT) Jonathan SMITH (of Farmington CT) -
3. Sarah bap. 29 Dec 1656 (Farmington CT) m. 8 Feb 1682 Samuel BOARDMAN (of Wethersfield CT) -
4. Samuel bap 20 Mar 1658 probably died young -
5. John bapt 10 Dec 1661 probably died young -
6. James b. "ye last of agust" 1662 (Farmington CT) bap 27 Aug 1664 m. 10 Jul 1687 Ann WELLES (Wethersfield CT) d. 15 May 1713 (Wethersfield CT) -
7. Hannah b. Aug 1668 (Farmington CT) m. (1) TREAT (2) 12 Apr 1694 John HART (of Farmington CT) - 8. Ebenezer b. "ye Last of aprill" 1671 (Farmington CT) m. 15 Feb 1704/5 Sarah HART (Farmingtion CT)

Samuel continued the pattern of public service and land ownership begun by his immigrant father. He ("Ensign Samll Steele") served on the 13 Apr 1670 committee to establish the boundary between Wethersfield and Farmington and in 1673 he ("Ensigne Samll Steele") and "Sargt Hugh Wells" located the boundary between Hartford and Windsor on the east side of the "great Riuer". He served as Deputy to the General Court from Farmington in sessions held in 1669 -1677 and served in that capacity from Wethersfield in 1681 where he had located about 1678 on land inherited from his father - in - law. In Oct 1670 he was appointed to a committee of eight to assist in the appraisal of plantations in Connecticutt and in1674 was appointed to help settle a plantation at "Mattatock".

The records refer to Samuel as "Ensign" up until October 1674 when the General Court promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant. On 25 Nov 1675 he ("Lnt Steele") and "Mr. Wadsworth" were designated to certify the Farmington men raised as part of a Hartford County militia ordered up for protection of the colony.

Samuel's land holdings exceeded those inherited from his father. The Jan 1655 records notes:

One psell on which his dwelling house Now Standeth. which is all that olld house yt was John wernors, with other out howses yeardes & orcherdes theare in being Contain by Estema Two acres be it more or Les Abutting on the Riuer on the west & on the high way on the East Y on Samwell Lomes his Land on the Sourth & on John Steels Land on the North".

In May 1672 he was granted 200 acres by the General Court and is noted as owning various other parcels including 18 acres in the "Great Meadow" and 3 acres, 1 rood and 13 perches in the "Third Meadow". In 1657 he bought 2 acres and a dwelling house from Thomas Judd "bounded north on land of John North, east on Steel's land, south on land of Thomas Judd, Junior, and west on the Town Highway." Farnsworth says that he also owned land "among the Pines, at Dirty Hole, Coxcrank, East Division, Indian Neck and elsewhere." In May 1687 he was posthumously granted 300 acres on the east side of the Connecticut River.

Beginning in 1655, Samuel was embroiled in a legal dispute involving the estate of his father - in - law, James Boosey who's will dictated that his estate be divided among his sons (after the death of his widow and provisions for his daughters) and that, if any of his legatees were to die, then their share was to be divided amongst the remaining children. The oldest son, Joseph Boosey, died in 1655 and his widow, Esther Ward Boosey (who had married Jehu Burr), claimed title to his entire estate, including the James Boosey property. Samuel and the other Booseys claimed that, since James' widow was still alive when Joseph died, Esther had no rights to the James Boosey property since Joseph had no rights to the property. To solidify his claims, Samuel moved onto the James Boosey homestead in Wethersfield by 1678.

The litigation continued for many years; meantime, Samuel began his life in Wethersfield. He was elected Townman 1679 and 1680 and "Mr. Samll Steel" was named to a committee to buy a new bell for the town. His was one of three houses where the town's supply of ammunition (powder, lead and bullets) was stored. In Dec 1681 he served on a committee "to treat wth Mr. Russell of Hadlai" (See discussion of Rev. Russell and his move to Hadley MA on the Rev. Henry Smith pages .. I love this Russell controversy as most of my CT ancestors were involved in it on one side or another!). He also was chosen to help enlarge the "burying place". Farnsworth has this to say about the death of Samuel and the distribution of his estate:

There is no known entry on any Town Records of the death of Samuel steele, but the inventory of his estate has this heading:

An Inventory of the estate of Lieut. Samll Steel

Deceased Aug. 14th: 1685: June 10, 1685, he made his will, which begins thus:

I Samuel Steele, Sometime inhabitant of ffarmington, now of ye towne of wethersfield, upon Connecticot in New England, beinge (through the mercy of god) wel composed in minde, but weake in body.

To his wife he gave £ 80 absolutely, one-halfe in household goods and one-half in live stock, also firewood cut ready for use to the amount of £ 12 annually, with the occupancy of "one fireroome wth the chamber over It," and a right t the cellar. She was given the liberty to reside in Wethersfield or Farmington as she might prefer and the house was to be kept in repair at the expense of his estate. If she should need additional support, the overseers were authorized to furnish it. In case she should marry again, she was to have the £ 80 absolutely, and firewood for four years; after that time her rights in the house were to terminate and her supply of firewood cease. The two sons, James and Ebenezer, were given the real estate in Wethersfield and Farmington subject to their mother's rights therein; that in Wethersfield to go to one son and that in Farmington to the other, James having his first choice. The testator's right in the saw mill was given to the two sons equally. To Hannah, who was at that date his only unmarried daughter, he gave £ 40 at 18 years of age or day of marriage, and to all four daughters £ 20 each, payable within four years after the decease of himself and his wife. The balance of the estate was given equally to his sons James and Ebenezer, they paying all the debts. If either son should die before reaching the age of twenty-one, his share was to be divided, one-half to the surviving brother, and the other half among his sisters equally. The execution of this my will I leave to my wife wth my Two sons James and Ebenezer, Requesting my much esteemed kinsmen mr. John Wadsworth of ffarmington and Captaine Samuel Talcot of Wethersfield to favour wth oversight:

The will was witnessed by John Wadsworth, Senior, and Samuel Hooker, Senior, and is evidently in the handwriting of the latter, and presumably signed in Farmington.

Three and a half weeks later, or July 5, 1685, a short codicil was drawn up for him by Eleazar Kimberly of Wethersfield and witnessed by the latter and John Welles.

It confirmed the will and gave instructions for replacing the two barns in Farmington destroyed by a storm since the execution of his will, with another of certain dimensions.

An inventory of his property in Farmington was taken September 2, 1685:

the real estate being valued at £ 431.00.00 and the personal property consisting of grain, farming tools, etc., at 26.05.00 making a total of £ 457.05.00

The inventory of his Wethersfield property bears no date except that of his death:

The real estate was appraised at 428.00.00. The personal property consisting of household goods, cattle, etc, was worth 297.07.10 making a total of 725.07.10 and giving a grand total of £ 1182.12.10 which reveals an unusually large estate for those days.

The widow made oath to the inventory ont he 5th of September, before Samuel Talcott of Wethersfield, one of the Assistants.

The Court Records do not clearly indicate the exact date when the will and inventory were presented to the County Court, but presumably on the same day as that on which the widow made oath to the inventory.

Most sources believe that the "Mrs. Mary Steele, age 69, born 10 Sep 1635" death recorded 16 Mar 1703/4 in the Wethersfield records is that of Samuel's widow, Mary Boosey Steele.

From Steele Family:

(8) 6. SAMUEL2 (31) b. 1626-7; m. Mary, dau. of Hon. James Boosey; he d. Aug. 15, 1685; she was b. Sept. 10, 1635, and d. 1702, at Farmington. "He was deputy to the General Assembly 1668-9, and 1672 to 1677. He was appointed lieutenant of Farmington train band in 1674. The General Court, held May 9, 1672, granted him 200 acres of land for a farm."

"Hon. James Boosey, the father of Mrs. Steel, was a very prominent man in Weathersfield."

Children of SAMUEL2 (8) and Mary (Boosey) Steel.

(31) 1. JAMES3 (64) b. Aug. 31, 1644; m. July 19, 1687, Anna, dau. of Capt. Samuel Welles; he d. May 15, 1713; she was b. 1668, and d. at Wethersfield, 1739, aged 71; she m. 2d, James Judson of Stratford, Nov. 20, 1718; he (Judson) d. Feb. 25, 1721, aged 71. "He was for many years a merchant at Wethersfield, and was captain of the train band at that place. Capt. Samuel Wells, father of Mrs. Steel, was made a commissioner, and magistrate; he was son of Governor Thomas Welles." (32) 2. MARY3 b. Dec. 5, 1652. (33) 3. RACHEL3 bap. Oct. 30, 1654; m. Jonathan Smith; lived at Wethersfield. (34) 4. SARAH3 bap. Dec. 29, 1656; d. unmarried. (35) 5. SAMUEL3 b. March 11, 1658-9; d. young. (36) 6. JOHN3 bap. Dec. 10, 1661; unmarried. (37) 7. HANNAH3 b. 1688; m. (???) Hart. (38) 8. EBENEZER3 (70) b. Aug. 13, 1761; m. Feb. 15, 1705, Sarah Hart; he d. Oct. 6, 1722; she d. Feb. 26, 1751; resided at Farmington. "He inherited his father's large estate in F., and was a prominent man in the Litchfield Land Survey. In his will, he forbade his widow to marry Gersham Lewis, a dissipated physician, and she turned David Steel, his nephew, out of the house, though he was an heir to his property."

Will - Mainwaring 1:366

From New England Families:

Samuel, son of John and Mercy (Seymour) Steele, was born in England in 1626-27, and came with his parents to America. He was a leading citizen of Farmington, Connecticut; deputy to the general assembly in 1668-69-72-77; lieutenant of the Farmington train band in 1674. He had a grant of land from the general court, May 9, 1672, of two hundred acres. He married Mary, daughter of Hon. James and Alice Boosey; her father was a prominent citizen of Wethersfield. She was born September 10, 1635, died at Farmington, in 1702, Children: James, born August 31, 1644, mentioned below; Mary, December 5, 1652; Rachel, October 30, 1654, lived at Wethersfield, married Jonathan Smith; Sarah, baptized December 29, 1656, died unmarried; Samuel, born March 11, 1658-59, died young; John, baptized December 10, 1661, died unmarried; Hannah, born 1688; Ebenezer, August 13, 1661, married, February 15, 1705, Sarah Hart.

From Genealogy & Ecclesiastical History of Farmington, Connecticut:

Upon April the 2d 1654 ... Samuel Steele, and his daughter Mary Steele about the age of 16 months were joined to the Church.

From Steele Family - by Daniel Steele Durrie, 1862 "He was deputy to the General Assembly 1668-9, and 1672-1677. He was appointed lieutenant of Farmington train band in 1674. The General Court, held 5/9/1672, granted him 200 acres."

Sources

• Starr, Frank. Various Ancestral Lines of James Goodwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin of Hartford, Connecticut (Hartford, Conn., 1915) Vol. 1, Page 253

^[1]

• Steele Family -History of John & George Steele 1635-6 by Daniel Steele Durrie, 1862

1. ↑ Steele family : a genealogical history of John and George Steele, settlers of Hartford, Conn., 1635-6 and their descendants Page 8