§💚
Celebrating The Irish Heritage of The Georgia Steele Brothers 💚§
💚 St. Patrick’s Day 2018 💚
The Georgia Steeles Came To America from Ireland after
emigrating from England to Ireland in 1665. Many families migrated
to Ireland From England to escape
the controls of the British Crown and for religious and personal freedoms. This is not the case for the Steele Family. Robert Joseph Steele’s 2 X great grandfather, William Steele, was
born in 1610 at Sandbach, Cheshire England, educated at Cambridge, was called
to the Bar in 1644, became the Recorder
of London and appointed in
1665 Lord Chancellor of Ireland and Keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland.
💚The Steele Family moved to Ireland.
Four generations and 103 years later, on January 5, 1768, Robert
Joseph Steele, who was born in Northern Ireland in a Noble English-Irish
family, immigrated to America with his
family to Charleston, South Carolina aboard the Brigantine ship Chichester.
Review of Previous Posts at www.steelesofgeorgia.blogspot.com
Post No 26 dated January 30, 2017 is
the Butler Family History of Lucy
Ellender “Ellen” Butler, the Mother of the Steele Brothers of Georgia. The Butlers came from England to Boston in
1635. William Butler, for religious
freedom, famously joined other Puritans
to establish the city of Hartford, Connecticut.
The Butlers migrated south through North Carolina and then to Georgia
where Lucy Ellender Butler was born in Dooly County, Georgia in 1851.
Post No 25 dated May 29, 2016 documents
that Robert Joseph Steele and his family sailed from Belfast, Northern Ireland
to Charleston, South Carolina on January
5, 1768 on the Brigantine Chichester. He
participated in the Bounty Act and was awarded 350 acres in Fairfield County,
South Carolina. His son James Steele is
the father of William Steele who became a wealthy lumber merchant in Charleston, SC and built a
4,000 sq ft mansion at 89 Beaufain Street .
About 1835 Charleston, SC and William Steele suffered financial distress. His wife, Martha Steele, migrated to Henry County, Georgia in 1835 with her 5 children to begin
the Legacy of the Steeles of Georgia.
The Georgia
Steele’s Original English Homeland
The first record found of this Steele family in England was
in Sandbach Cheshire County, England,
a sandy agricultural valley. It is an ancient parish market town dating back to
1086, 158 miles northwest of London near Manchester and Liverpool. The
inhabitants converted to 🙏 Christianity in the 7th century and 2 Saxon
Crosses were built to commemorate
the advent of Christianity. Sandbach is a thriving small city that has preserved its history.
 |
| Beeston Castle Sandbach, Cheshire |
Captain Thomas Steele, Governor of Beeston Castle, was shot to death on January 29, 1643 for
surrendering it to the Royalist during the War of three Kingdoms when the
Scottish Army attacked the area but were defeated. It sits on an isolated sandstone rock, 366
feet high, was built as a fortress. In 1228
it became a garrison between Henry III and his barons with 328 people. The Steele family lived in "Giddy" Hall a “moated house” in
Sandbach.
 |
Gidea "Giddy" Hall in Romford c 1930 before demolition in 1930 now Gidea Park Lawn Tennis Club The Steele Family Ancestral manor home "Giddy" of the Steeles of Sandbach lived here when it had a moat. Birth place of William Steele (1610-1680) The Lord Chancellor of Gidea "Giddy" Hall in Romford c 1930 before demolition in 1930 now Ireland and whose grandson was Sir Richard Steele (1672–1729) the famous writer. Park Lawn
Tennis Club. Gidea Hall is reported to be the ancestral manor home “Giddy”
of the Steeles of Sandbach. Giddy Manor
had a moat and the birthplace of William
Steele (1610-1680), son of Richard Steele of Sandbach (1560-1645),
1768 – January 5 Robert Joseph Steele age 48, arrived in
Charleston, South Carolina aboard the Brigantine Ship Chichester that sailed
from Belfast, Northern Ireland. He
immigrated under the Bounty Act of South
Carolina for which he was awarded 350 acres
in Fairfield County, S C just north of Columbia, SC. He died
there Jan 5, 1794.
His family was also aboard
this ship:
- wife Margaret - age
38
- daughter Nelly – age
13
- son James -
age 7 *** Georgia Steele’s **Direct ancestor
(Father of William Steele in Charleston)
- son Henry -
age 4
- daughter
Elizabeth – age 3
Also on board – John
Steel born 1740; William Steele, merchant from Cork who purchased land in West
NJ in 1684.
Robert Joseph
Steele was born in Newton,
Northern Ireland in 1719 *** Ancestor
Newton, Northern Ireland is a settlement near present day Enniskillen, County Fermanagh. 1745 He married Margaret Ingrid Hubbard 1729 – 1768) at age 26 in N. Ireland, she died
in Camden, Kershaw, SC.
-1760 Son, James Steele, was born
in Northern Ireland in 1760 died 1826 in Fairfield County, SC ) *** Ancestor
James is the
Father of William Steele b. 1797
Fairfield Co, SC (Ancestor **) moved to Charleston SC, became a wealthy lumber
merchant and built a 4,000 sq ft mansion at 89 Beaufain Street which is
Charleston’s most historic Neo-Classical house and is on the National Register
of Historic Homes, Category 1 residence in America. The fully restored house is a private residence.
About 1835, William Steele’s health, the city
of Charleston and his lumber business all became very distressed. Things must not have been going well.
William’s wife Martha Smith Steele left
Charleston with her 5 children and moved
to Henry County Georgia where she had relatives and is the origin of the Steele’s of Georgia. William remarried and had a son but sadly all
three died ,leaving his Estate under the control of the Courts.
Robert Joseph
Steele’s Parents in Northern Ireland
1693 Father - William Steele (1693 – 1722)
Born and died in Ireland age 29 *** Ancestor
1695 Mother
- Eleanor (1695- 1722)
William and his wife Eleanor both died in 1722, leaving 3
young orphaned sons.
Children of
William and Eleanor Steele:
All 3 sons were born
in Newton, Northern Ireland
1718 – Richard
Thomas Steele (1718 – 1727
1719 – Robert Joseph Steele born in Ireland (1719 – 1794)
***
Direct Ancestor
1722 – Andrew
Steele (1722 – 1794) Married Ann Carr (1729 – 1777) one child was Brice Steele (1772 –
1856). His 2nd
marriage - Jane Steele (1731 – 1791) Children:
Jane 1757 -1806, John 1778, Margaret 1780, Elizabeth 1782, Annie 1786,
William 1788, Priscilla 1790. Andrew immigrated to Kentucky, 0n March 19, 1785 he received a Land Grant of
400 acres in Fayette Co, Lexington, KY on the south fork of the Elkhorn River.
William Steele’s
Parents in Northern Ireland
1670
- Sir Richard Steele (1670 -1729)
 |
| Sir Richard Steele Portrait by Godfrey Kneller c. 1712 National Portrait Gallery, London |
The Very Famous Writer, Poet and
Politician
He was born March 12, 1670 in St Bridgets, Dublin,
Ireland. Died 9-1-1729 at
Carmarthenshire, Wales. His father was English and his mother was Irish. When he was 5 years old,1709, he was devastated at the death of his
father. The following year 1710 his
mother, Elina died. He then lived with his
uncle Henry Gascoigne a member of the Protestant gentry and aunt Lady Katherine
Mildma. At a very young age Sir Richard
was sent off to Charterhouse School, where he met his writing partner,
Addison. He went on to Christ Church in
Oxford, Merton College, Oxford and then joined the Life Guards of the Household
Cavalry. He was commissioned in 1697 and
rose to Captain of the 34th Foot in 2 years. Disliking British Army life he left the army
in 1705. Sir Richard Steele became a well published
author, writer, poet, dramatist,
essayist, and publisher of the first true magazine in Britain.
1705 - 1st
marriage - Margaret Stretch, an elderly and propertied widow. She died in 1706, leaving to him her inherited
Estate in Barbados and an annual income
of 850 £ which he soon
sold. They had one child, Elizabeth who
married 3rd Baron John Trevor. At Margaret’s funeral he met his future wife
Mary Scurlock.
1707 2nd Marriage - Mary Scurlock (
9- 9-1707) - (died 12-26-1718) at
Westminster, London, England. Her
inherited annual income was 400£ and Sir
Richard’s income was 1025 £. Mary was from Llangunnor, Carmarthenshire
Wales. Mary was a talented poet and is
buried in Poets Corner at London's Westminster
Abbey.
Children of Sir
Richard and Mary Scurlock -
( The children were born at different locations due to his
travels. He was known to having a good
time which cause stress within their marriage.
The identity of some of his children is not known, however during his
retirement at his Wales estate he mentions the joy his beautiful young
daughters whom he is schooling and teaching.)
- William Steele 1693 – 1722
(Direct Ancestor **)
- Andrew Steele 1706-1764 – was a Captain in the
Revolutionary War in Kentucky
- David Adam Steele 6-8-1708 – 1747 – born in Derry, (Londonderry) Northern Ireland, died at August, VA
USA married Lydia, arrived in Maine, USA
in 1718 age 12, had 12 children:
Isabella, Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Samuel, Martha, Samuel, Robert, John,
Lydia, Rebecca, Jannet, Thomas.
- Samuel Steele 1709 – 1790 died in Waynesboro, Augusta, VA,
He and his sons James and Samuel served in Revolutionary War with the
Rockbridge Co Militia in 1778 - 1779. He is buried Old Providence ARP Church
cemetery
- Martha Steele 1711-1730
- Robert Steele 1717- 1800
- Elizabeth Steele 3-26-1709 Born at St Bridges, Dublin, Ireland -
daughter by Mary Scurlock
The Very Famous
Sir Richard SteeleSIR RICHARD STEELE -
Burial at St
Peter’s Church in Wales
 |
| St Peter's Church Carmarthen, Wales Sir Richard' Burial Place Built in the 13th Century |
The Consistory Court (or Bishop's Court) was used for
administering ecclesiastical law - it is the only one of its kind in Wales. On
one of its walls is a memorial to Sir Richard
Steele (born
in Dublin, 1671 and died in Carmarthen,
1729), dramatist, essayist, famous contributor to 'The Tatler',
'The
Spectator' and 'The Guardian' and first publisher of the modern
periodical - the magazine. Educated at Charterhouse and Oxford,
he was a friend of Joseph
Addison and the
poet Alexander
Pope.
He published hundreds of articles, books, poems,
plays, commissioner of stamps, Ensign Cold stream Guards, surveyor, royal stables at Hampton Court, supervisor, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and
commissioner for Forfeited Estates. His
publications were both political, entertaining and investigative.
Sir Richard's remains are buried in a tomb beneath the memorial. In October 2000, archaeologists, working in
the church during restoration work, found
within his tomb his skull perfectly preserved in a lead casket into
which it had been placed in 1876 when earlier work was being done to the
chancel and Consistory Court.
Sir
Richard was a man of un-dissembled and extensive benevolence, a friend to the
friendless, and, as far as his circumstances would permit, the father of every
orphan. He was a stranger to the most distant appearance of envy or
malevolence, never jealous of any man's growing reputation. His great fault was want of economy having
difficulty managing his finances. He was very agreeable and the most
innocent.
It has been said Dick Steele
stumbled and got up again; and got down and out again; and sinned and repented;
and loved and suffered; and lived and died, scores of years ago. Let us think gently of one who was so gentle
and exuberant with human kindness. The
great charm of Steele's writing is its naturalness.
He wrote so quickly and
carelessly, that he was forced to make the reader his confidant, and had not
the time to deceive him. He had a vast acquaintance with the world... Women
especially are bound to be grateful to Steele, as he was the first of our
writers who really seemed to admire and respect them.”
Sir
Richard was a news reporter, poet, writer and publisher. He traveled constantly seeking the next story such as late night
meetings in local pubs, back to Ireland, around England and to Scotland seeking
current political and personal stories of the day. He published the first
weekly magazine in England. They were “The Spectator”, “The Tatler” and “The Guardian” to name a few.
He wrote humorous and informative accounts
about politicians and the government that was gossip and information. He had a massive and widely published literary and political career. Arthur's Note: Sir Richard reminds me of our Mark Twain, Samuel Clemens, who before writing his famous books, traveled the country writing satire and stories about politicians.
He was Knighted as Sir Richard Steele in February 1715
when he re-entered Parliament representing
Borough Bridge in Yorkshire.
His
political and literary career kept him
absent from home and he wrote over 400 love letters to “Prue” Mary
almost on a daily basis which she kept and cherished, even though their
marriage was often stormy. The letters
are preserved in the British Museum and are celebrated as the first full
written account of a loving relationship.
Mary had a townhouse on Bury Street, St James
and a house in Carmarthen Wales. Sir
Richard bought a house for her at Hampton Court. Mary sometimes drove her own chariot with a
pair or four horses. Household servants
consisted of Richard the footman, Watts the gardener, Will the boy, a staff of
women and another boy who could speak Welsh when she went to her house in
Carmarthen, Wales.
Sir Richard was in London when he
began to suffer from gout and failing health.
Mary’s health too was failing while staying in Hampton Court. Mary died the day after Christmas 1718 and is
buried at Westminster Abbey in the Poet’s Corner.
After
Mary’s death Sir Richard traveled to Scotland where he was entertained by the
local people and he studied the Presbyterian religion. He came back to London where he wrote a
comedy play “Conscious Lovers” and built
the Drury Lane Theatre for the performance.
 |
| Sir Richard's House at Langunnor Near Camarthen, Wales that he receive from 2nd wife Mary, where he retried and where he died in 1729. It became the Ivy Bush Hotel, the principal Inn of the town at that time. |
Sir
Richard retired to Carmarthen Wales to the home he received from Mary. This
gave him great solitude amidst his failing health. He delighted in schooling and entertaining
his 2 young daughters. After 3 years of
retirement he died on Sept 1, 1729 at age 58 and is buried in the chancel of St
Peter’s Church in Caermarthen, Wales.
A
more appropriate burial would have been at Westminster Abby next to his beloved
Mary, but Dr. Hoadley, a very close friend of Sir Richard and Bishop of Bangor, Wales became the Executor of Sir
Richard’s estate and Guardian of Sir Richard’s children.
He decided that Sir Richard would be buried at the 13th Century St Peter’s Church
in the Scurlock family vault.
Note: Sir Richard Steele’s biography and publications
are widely
publicized in internet encyclopedias and many publications.
Sir Richard
Steele’s Parents:
Richard
Steele 1638 – 8-25-1709 (Direct Ancestor**) and Elina Symes 1653 – 1710
Richard
Steele was born in Yorkshire, England, was Baptized 5-2-1639 in Yorkshire
Carlton juxta Saith and died at Hatten
Garden, London, England. At age 32 in
1670 he married Elina Symes (1650
– 1710) in Dublin, Ireland. He died
Aug 25, 1709 at age 71 at Hatten Garden, London and is buried at St Andrew,
Holborn, London, England
Richard
Steele and Elina Symes 2 children:
- Katherine
Steele
- Sir
Richard Steele (1671 – 1729 (Direct
Ancestor **)
Yorkshire, England is a very historic Roman and Viking
county in northwest England. It is known
for its mining of minerals, industry, farming and home to the famous
“Yorkshire Pudding” which is a pastry with beef or lamb gravy and the cute
small dogs called “Yorkies” bred to dig for rodents.
Richard
Steele (1638) ‘s Parents:
William
Steele (1610 – 1680) *** Direct Ancestor
was born in the moated house
Giddy Hall at Sandbach, Cheshire, England and
Elizabeth Godfrey (1613 – 1729) whom he married 3-15-1638 at
Elmsted, Kent, England
1610 - William Steele (Aug 19, 1610 -1680) England– Ireland - Wales
William was born and
Baptized August 19, 1610 at Sandbach, Cheshire, England. William was removed by his father to Finchley
in Middlesex, where he resided in 1631, the year he was admitted to Gray’s
Inn a professional association
for barristers and judges in London. He
was educated at Caius College at the
University of Cambridge.
💚Lord Chancellor of Ireland William Steele’s Professional
Accomplishments 💚
June 23, 1637 he was called to the Bar
1639 -was returned
as Member of Parliament and was
appointed a member of the Committee for Martial Law
Aug 17, 1644 -1649 appointed by Parliament for the
execution of martial law and presided over many famous cases
Aug 25, 1649, Recorder
of London, England and took part in many trials
and made Sergeant-at-Law
Feb 9, 1653 Lord
Chief Baron of the Exchequer
June 1644 - William, being a lawyer of distinction, leased for 7 years or purchased the Bidston Estate in Cheshire from the Earl
of Derby, a freeholder and owner of
Newton’s Tenement.
Aug 26, 1654 M.P.
for the City of London
1655 – Made Lord
Chief Baron of the Exchequer and then
on . . .
May 28, 1655 appointed -
Lord
Chancellor of Ireland and Keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland
After the fall of Richard Cromwell, he was one of 5
Commissioners appointed in 1659 to govern Ireland. At the end of the year he returned to England but refused a
committee of safety position due to poor health. It is said he retired to Holland Ireland for short time, but returned to England.
He died Sept or Oct 1680 – at Hatten Garden, Middlesex, England.
His Will dated Sept 17 and proved Oct
19, 1680 in London - was proved on 10-19-1680, left Mary his 2nd wife 4000£, jewels, furniture, and house in
Hatton Garden. His sons William and
Benjamin Steele were included. His
estate in Sandbach described on March
28, 1663 as having 5 cottages, 4 gardens, 4 orchards, 140 acres of land, 50
acres meadow, 160 acres pasture and 40 acres of moor and are now part of the
Crewe Estate. William Steele, Esq was
donor to Sandbach Grammar School and
articles to the church donated by Laurence Steele, his brother.
1st
Marriage – to Elizabeth Godfrey March 15, 1638 Elmstead Co, Kent,
daughter of Richard Godfrey of Wye Co, Kent
2nd
Marriage – to Mary Mellish, widow of Michael Harvey Mellish
-
she had 3 sons: Richard, William and Benjamin.
Child of William
Steele and Elizabeth Godfrey
- Richard Steele –
1638 – 1709 born in Yorkshire,
England (***Direct Ancestor)
and
father of Sir Richard Steele
Children of
William and Mary Steele
- William Steele 1680
- Benjamin Steele
died Sept 23, 1705 at Hatton Garden, London intestate - married Mary who
died Sept 27, 1705, buried at St
Andrews, Holborn, 10- 1, 170. One child Mary Steel, m. married John Johnson
and she died 7-19- 1757.
- Elizabeth Steele, buried at St Michan’s in Dublin,
Ireland on March 15, 1657
-The following children were born in Ireland but dates of birth
were not found:
- Ephraim Steele - James
Steele - John Steele - Joseph
Steele - Ninian Steele (settled in NC, USA) - Thomas Steele -
William Steele - Samuel Steele
William
Steele’s (1610) parents:
Richard
Steele (1580 – 1645) and Cecily Shaw (1589
– 1618)
Richard Steele of Sandbach, Cheshire England was born at Beeston Castle. He was Baptized on July 23, 1581 at Redmarley
D’Abitot, Worcestershire, England, an area near the Cotswall Hills with red
clay and a prominent Parish.
1st
Marriage -On Feb 10, 1601 Richard Steele married
Cicely
Shaw (1581 – Sep 2, 1618).
2nd
Marriage – Ann, widow of Smith – Will dated Feb 15, 1649.
The family vacated
the Castle when it was taken over in a battle with the Scottish Army on Dec
13, 1643 when his brother Thomas was shot. He then lived in a house with a moat called Giddy
Hall in Sandbach and in 1631 he was living at Finchley, Co Middlesex. Richard died June 2, 1645 in Sandbach,
Cheshire, England, at age 85.
Children of
Richard Steele and Cicely Shaw and/or Ann Smith
*** -Lord Chancellor
of Ireland William Steele
b. Aug 19, 1610 -1680, *** Direct Ancestor
-Anna Steele 1603 – 1603
-Isabella Steele Baptized Oct 14, 1604 - d. Sept 11, 1608
-Alice Steele Baptized Oct 11, 1607
-Cicely Steele Baptized Jan 20, 1612 d. April 12, 1613
-Lawrence Steele Baptized July 12, 1616.
Clerk of the 💚 Irish House of Commons 1662 –
1697
His daughter Mary Steele d 1673,
married George Boddington
(1646 – 1719), a director of the Bank of England
-Dorothy Steele Baptized Aug 30, 1618
Parents of
Richard Steele (1580)
1540 Thomas Steele (1540 – died 5-28-1607) England
He was born in Sandbach, Cheshire, England.
He married Alice Latham (1536-1561) in 1557
He died May 28, 1607
in England.
He was a Yeoman and lived in
Weston, Chester County.
1565 – His Mother was Alice Steele
(1536 – 1607) She died in Sandbach, Cheshire, England
Children of Thomas and Alice Steele
- Richard Steele 1580 – 1645) of Sandbach, Cheshire, England *** Direct Ancestor
- George
Steele (1561 – 1567)
- Captain Thomas Steele was the Governor of Beeston Castle and was
shot to death on January 29, 1643 for surrendering it to the Royalist during
the War of three Kingdoms when the Scottish Army swept into the area but were
defeated.
The parents of
Thomas Steele (1540)
John Steele 1520 –
1595 and Mary Brorcith 1520 –
John Steele and Mary Brorcith
had one son: Thomas 1540 – 1607 (**Direct Ancestor)
John Steele was born in England in 1520 and died at age 75 January
10, 1595 in Fairsted, Essex, England
a civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex northeast of London and a community of
farming hamlets, maybe the true origin
of so many future Steele generations becoming excellent farmers.
💚We Steeles are proud of our English and Irish Heritage 💚
