How Did Our Steeles Get To South Carolina and Georgia?

How Did Our Steeles Get To South Carolina and Georgia?

Update May 30, 2016 -- Please refer to most recent Post 25 and 26 for details.  Further research has revealed how the Steeles got to South Carolina and Georgia.  

On January 5, 1768 Robert Steele (Steil) and his family arrived in Charleston, SC aboard the Brigantine Chichester after sailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland.  They came under the SC Bounty Act, a scheme whereby Protestants were solicited to immigrate and create settlements at least 100 miles or more inland from Charleston.  They particularly desired Scott-Irish people who were Christians, hard workers and would establish a barrier between Indian territory and the British settlements along the coast.

Robert Steele's family consisted of himself born in 1740, his wife Margaret born 1729, Nelly born 1754, James born in 1760, Henry born in 1763 and Elizabeth born in 1764.

They were awarded 350 acres and about 18 pounds Sterling in Fairfield County, SC near Winnsboro on a tributary of the Little River.

Robert Steele's son, James Steele and his wife Elizabeth Ann Carr Steele had 6 children.  Their son, William Steele, is the ancestor of the Steele's of Georgia.  He was born Oct 12, 1796 and died May 15, 1832 at age 36 in Charleston, SC.

Please refer to the most recent posts to learn about Robert Steele's journey to the United States and the lives of James Steele's family.  
And the rest is history . . . . 

Most likely, they entered the port of Philadelphia and came down one of the routes shown on the map below.  A long and extensive, exhaustive research has not been able to answer either of these questions precisely.  A summation can be gleaned from the pattern of Scotch-Irish and English who immigrated to the New World.  The reasons for immigration are many, primarily because of the many hardships, struggles and religious differences of the people in the old country.  They knew of free land and a new life in a new country.  As areas got crowded and the farm land got worn out, they kept moving south. 

One thing that is almost certain:

The Steele's are Scotch-Irish! For which we can be proud! 

A few of many Migration Routes of settlers to The New World

Our Scotch-Irish ancestors probably originated in England and Scotland or near the border of those two countries, where many remain today, but many were sent or moved to Northern Ireland because of their political and religious differences and not being willing to pledge to the Crown.  They did not like working for a King or Lord and did not believe in building big palaces for a house of worship.  Most were what we know today as Presbyterians but as they merged into the American life, some changed to other Christian denominations. 

Some 100 years or so prior to finding a George Steele living in Lexington County, Columbia, South Carolina, the 1608 - 1620 Census of County Cavan in the Ulster Plantation Ireland  reveals that in the Precinct of Castlerain, now Barony of Castlerahan, granted to Servitors and natives precinct of Clanchie/Clanchy, now Barony of Clankee, granted to Scottish Undertakers one of which is the following:
As Undertaker,  STEELE, George, wife, Eliza and his daughter Mary

An Undertaker is defined as a man, often of aristocracy, who was granted one or more proportions of land, each of a thousand acres or more which it was his duty to settle people, develop and defend in the manner prescribed by the Crown.  The Undertaker often lived some distance from the property, sometimes as far as England or Scotland.  Some came and took residence.

County Cavan, Ulster Plantation, is actually in the country of what is today is Ireland, not Northern Ireland.  It is located on the border of the two countries.  It is known as the Lakes and Rivers district.  This was farm country like they had left in Lowland Scotland.  There was a thriving business of linen, flax, hog, cattle and dairy farming.

The Lowland or Border area of Scotland and England from where they had come is Ayrshire, Scotland.  It was and still is a farming area and the breadbasket of the British Isles.

There were many reasons these Scots were forced to leave Ayrshire , Scotland  and establish settlements in Ireland.  They refused to pledge to the Crown, the Catholic church or the Church of England.  They had a bad reputation of being cattle and sheep rustlers and became in disfavor to Royalty and the aristocrats.  The Crown wanted the land they occupied to enlarge their farms and land holdings.  So these Scots were commanded to go to Ireland.  From Ireland they were ask to bring with them as many head of cattle as they could steal.    They were promised land in large proportions categorized as follows:
      A Pole = 24 acres
      A Pottle = 1/4 of a pole or 6 acres
      Great Proportion = 2,000 acres
     Middle Proportion = 1,500 acres
      Small Proportion = 1,000 acres

This research indicates that most likely our Steele’s were apart of these settlers in Ulster  Plantation Ireland and sailed from Belfast, Northern Ireland entering at the port of Philadelphia.    They moved west to the rich farm land of Pennsylvania.

When that area became crowed with more immigrants primarily from Germany the majority began to move south down through Virginia, North and South Carolina and into Georgia by way of or a combination of the known routes.

Martha Steele was born in South Carolina in 1800, so her family and that of her husband, William Steele, born in Virginia would have arrived in the New World by the late 1700's.  This means they were already settled in America when the Great Potato Famine blight between 1845 - 1849 took place.  Records show the Winter of 1847 was particularly noted for the high levels of deaths in County Cavan caused by disease such as typhus and cholera.

The Shenandoah Valley of Virginia has many indications that the Steele’s were in there.  In Staunton, Augusta County, Lexington, Steele’s Tavern, VA and at the Tinkling Springs Presbyterian Church, there are many old Steele graves in cemeteries but very few Steele’s listed in the phone books.  Staunton, VA was the center of the original Augusta Plantation where many settlers moved to after moving south from Pennsylvania .  

Farms in Ireland were called “plantations” and immigrants continued that practice in the New World.  The 1830 Census of William Steele in Charleston indicated he was born in Virginia, but we may never know where.  

Some Steele’s came through the port of Charleston, SC.  A family link to our Steele’s could not be documented.

                                     

 New Scotch-Irish immigrants arrived by the thousands during the 12 years preceding the American Revolution and by the time of the Revolution there were 600,000 Scots-Irish in America.  They were tired of the constant rent increases in Ulster and had heard of the cheap or free land in the new world. 

During the French and Indian War, immigration practically stopped; it started up again in the late 1760’s and by 1770’s it was a flood tide.   Maybe our Steele’s arrived in at the port of Philadelphia, PA, traveled through Pennsylvania, Virginia, and North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia by the late 1700’s.  Thirty or forty ships were constantly crossing the Atlantic bringing immigrants to the eastern ports. Ship Captains were assigned the duty to advertise in the Irish newspapers for immigrants to go to the new land.  The Captains were paid for each immigrant family they brought to the new land. 

States like South Carolina needed and wanted more settlements toward the west and promised the Scotch-Irish 300 acres of land, 20 Shillings and supplies to establish settlements inland.  Actually, the truth was, they wanted the strong and hardy Scotch-Irish to settle between the Indians and the British settlements along the coast.  They knew the strong and hardy Scotch-Irish would fight the Indians and protect their settlements.

By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed there were 500 Scotch-Irish communities in American and all had a Presbyterian Church.  Seven of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were Scotch-Irish.   Nine of the governors of the original 13 colonies were Scotch-Irish.  They were patriots and fought for our freedom and for the establishment of America.

For that:

We, Steeles can all be very proud

 and forever thankful for our ancestors.