William Dixon Steele (1778 - 1857)

Born 9 Jan 1778 in South Carolina, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 20 May 1857 at age 79 in Maury, Tennessee, United States

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Biography

William was the son of Isaac Steele and Grissel Dixon. He was born in South Carolina in 1778.

By 1820, William had relocated to Maury County, Tennessee, where he lived the rest of his life.^[1]

William passed away in 1857.

His will left bequests to:

wife, Mary Steele;

grandchildren, the heirs of daughter Ellen Howard [share after settling account charged against their father William Howard];

grandchildren, the five daughters of daughter Peggy Hill – Mary Bryant, Nancy Hill, Sally Bryant, Permela Hill, Betsy McKibben;

daughter Ester Denham;

daughter Sally Gresham;

heirs of Michael Steele;

heirs of Nancy Watt;

Elizabeth Park;

son George Steele

The executors were William's sons-in-law Benoni Gresham and John J. Park

WILL OF WILLIAM D STEELE

Maury county, Tennessee, Will Book F, Vol 1, Pages 120-121

William D. Steele Will

Proven April Term 1857

Know all men by these presents that I William D. Steele of the county of Maury and State of Tennessee being of sound mind and disposing memory do now make this my Last Will and Testament and by this act hereby revoke all other wills and testament by me heretofore made and do dispose of my property as follows:

Viz, Item 1st: It is my will that a sufficency of the stock, farming tools, household and kitchen furniture shall be set apart for the use and benefit of my wife Mary Steele. Then it shall be the duty of my Executors to sell the remainder publickly.

Item 2nd: It is my will that a line shall be started. Beginning at the north west corner of a tract or parcel of land entered by me supposed to contain fifty acres lying and being on the north boundary of my original tract of land running due west until it strikes the west boundary line of the Stone tract of land. The said land included on the north of said line to be added to the Sawyer tract and it is moreover my will that my Executors shall take the houses, outhouses, barns, stables, etc., from the Stone tract and place them on the Sawyer tract.

Item 3: It is will that so soon as the item 2nd is attended to then it shall be given to my wife Mary Steele for her use and benefit during her natural life and at her death said tract of land shall be sold publickly and divided as the other property.

Item 4th: It is my will that my negro woman Sylvia with her children and a negro man named Daniel be set apart for the use and benefit of my wife Mary Steele during her natural live and at her death to be sold publickly and divided as other property.

Item 5th: It is my will that my negro man named Ned shall not be sold publickly but shall have the power to choose his his own master and be sold privately, the proceeds to be divided as other property.

Item 6th: It is my will that my Executors shall have the power either to sell or hire out my negro man named Coleman to do with him as they shall deem best for my estate.

Item 7: It is my will that the bodily heirs of my daughter Ellen Howard shall receive that share of my property which otherwise would have been given to said daughter Ellen Howard in liew of a tract of land by me given to said daughter Ellen Howard and her bodily heirs assigned back by said Ellen Howard and the title decreed back to me by the Chancery Court of Maury County the children to receive their share individually as they arrive at the age of twenty one years. The intention of this item is that the bodily heirs of my daughter Ellen Howard shall receive a full and true share of my estate after settling what I have charged against their father William Howard.

Item 8: All the lands owned by me not already included in the disposition of this will and disposed of, it is my will that my Executors shall publickly sell and the proceeds to be divided as other property. It is also my will that my Executors shall not apply for a decree of sale but shall sell at any time or in any way that may believe to be for the interest of my estate.

Item 9: It is my will that when my lands are sold that my Executors shall pay to the five daughters of my daughter Peggy Hill by name Mary Bryant, Nancy Hill, Sally Bryant, Permela (Pamela?) Hill, and Betsy McKibben the amount of what fifteen acres of the whole brings this amount to be paid in equal shares to said daughters of said Peggy Hill.

Item 10th: It is my will that the proceeds of my property be equally divided between my daughter Ester Denham, Sally Gresham, the heirs of Michael Steele, the heirs of Nancy Watt, the bodily heirs of Ellen Howard, Elizabeth Park and my son George Steele according to the charges against each, made in a book by me kept and charge in the hand writing of my son in law Benwnie (Bennie?) Gresham. To my daughter Margaret Hill I have already given what I deem sufficient to be understood that no interest whatever is to be charged on the charges of said book of charges.

Item 11th: I appoint Benoni Gresham and John J. A. Park my sons in law to be the Executors of this my last will and testament and it is my will the court shall not charge them more than five percent on monies in their hands belonging to my estate. Given under my hand and seal this of September 13, Eighteen Hundred and Fifty Six.

William D Steele (his mark) (seal)

The words Hill in two places in the ninth item is erased and the words Bryant subsituted, done before signing.

Test G. ScMearton (seal)

John V. McKibben (seal)

Notes

Information from father's pension material

William's father Isaac Steele passed away in 1802.^[2] Isaac's will has bequests to:

wife, Grizzle

sons: Michael, William, John, Isaac Moses, James

daughters: Margaret, Ruth, Jenny

executors: wife, Grizzle and William Turner

Isaac's Pension Application packet shows Isaac's family on page 3:

Isaac Steele was born October 23rd in the year 1732

Grissel Steele was born June the 10th in the year 1750

James Steele born April 4th day 1771

Michael Steel was born April 2nd day 1773

Margret Steele was born June 28th 1775

William Steele was born January 9th, 1778

John Steele was born February 27th, 1780

Ruth Steele was born March 13th 1782

Isaac Steele was born July 18th 1786

Moses Steele was born May 18th 1788

Jane Steele was born September 22, 1790

In 1853, when the pension application was made, the only surviving children were

Margaret Turner

William Steele

Moses Steele

Jane Barnett

Isaac Steele

"only surviving children"

Sources

1. ↑ 1820 U.S. Census
2. ↑ Isaac Steele will

• South Carolina will transcripts, 1782-1868; Author: Brimelow, Judith M.; Probate Place: Anderson, South Carolina; South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980 on Ancestry.com [1]

Name Isaac Steele

Probate Date 15 Mar 1803

Probate Place Anderson, South Carolina, USA

Inferred Death Year Abt 1803

Inferred Death Place South Carolina, USA

Item Description Index and will, Vol 1, Books C, A, 1791-1834

• "United States Census, 1820," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLT-MKD : accessed 26 February 2021), ‘’William D Steel’’, Maury, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 90, NARA microfilm publication M33, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 124; FHL microfilm 193,686.

200110 || 12110 || 01 + 0’s

brother Michal {sic} Steel on same census page

• "United States Census, 1830," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHG2-KX5 : 20 February 2021), ‘’William D Steele, Maury, Tennessee, United State’’; citing 332, NARA microfilm publication M19, (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 177; FHL microfilm 24,535.

0011000100000 || 0211001000000; page 2: 1 enslaved boy or mage, age 10-24

• "United States Census, 1840," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHRY-YWK : 8 December 2020), ‘’William D Steele’’, Maury, Tennessee, United States; citing p. 293, NARA microfilm publication , (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll ; FHL microfilm .

0010000010000 || 1001000100000 || 020100 || 000000 (two enslaved young men age 10-24, 1 man age 36-55)

Listed adjacent to son-in-law William Howard

• U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 , database and images, Ancestry.com [2]

Name Isaac Steele

Application Year 1853

Application State South Carolina

Applicant Designation Rejected Pension Application File

Second Applicant Name Grissel Steele

Archive Publication Number M804

Archive Roll Number 2278

Total Pages in Packet 19

Page 3 of the Pension packet lists Isaac's family including William [3]

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33160254/william-dixon-steele

• Tennessee, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008: Maury: Wills, Vol F-G, 1851-1898, page 120; image 95. Available at Ancestry.com. Image

Will of WILLIAM D. STEELE, of Maury County, Tennessee

Signed 13 September 1856; Proven April term, 1857

Heirs: wife, Mary Steele; heirs of daughter Ellen Howard [share after settling account charged against their father William Howard]; five daughters of daughter Peggy Hill – Mary Bryant, Nancy Hill, Sally Bryant, Permela Hill, Betsy McKibben; daughter Ester Denham; daughter Sally Gresham; heirs of Michael Steele; heirs of Nancy Watt; Elizabeth Park; son George Steele

Executors: sons-in-law Benoni Gresham and John J. A. Park

Enslaved people named in will: woman named Sylvia and her [unnamed] children, and man named Daniel – left to wife. At Mary Steele’s death to be sold and money divided among heirs; man named Ned – not to “be sold publickly but shall have the power to choose his own master and be sold privately”; man named Coleman – to be sold or hired out at discretion of executor