USA > New York > Genealogical and family history of central New York : a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the building of a nation, Volume III > Part 68
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upon the manly and honest countenance that was now pale with death and said with a sweet and heavenly composure: "The archers have shot at the husband but they cannot reach the soul; it has escaped like a dove, far away and is at rest." David Steele was shot by one Chreichton, an officer under the command of Viscount Dundee, known in history as the "Bloody Claverhouse," who devastated Scot- land as a follower and supporter of the exiled Stuarts. David Steele was buried at Lesma- hagow in the same "God's acre" in which re- pose others of the family name and at Skelly- hill a monument commemorating his martyr- dom is erected. Sir Walter Scott gives an account of the event in "Chronicles of the Canongate," where he speaks of the victim, David Steele, as the famous Covenanter, and Dean Swift also gives a description of him as "Steele the Covenanter." Captain John Steele fought in the famous battles between the Covenanters and James. the Duke of Mon- mouth, at Drumclog and at Bothwell Bridge.
(1) John Steel, founder of the American branch of the family here dealt with, ap- pears to have been a native of England, prob- ably of the county of Essex, and of some town near London, "from whence," says he with others, "we had our transportation." Of his immediate connections there, as of the place of his nativity, we have no reliable in- formation. John Steel appears to have been educated for the duties of the magistracy, and his apparent rank in life seems to have been well calculated for advancement in that calling. His name appears first in connection with Dorchester, one of the earliest settle- ments of the colony of Massachusetts, in the year 1630, ten years only after the arrival of the Pilgrim company in the "Mayflower." Next he is found to have been one of the pro- prietors of Cambridge (first called Newtown) in 1632. Two others, George and Henry Steel, were also proprietors at the same time. Mr. John Steel, having been made freeman or elector by the court, in 1634, was elected a representative from Cambridge in 1635. Cambridge being designed to be the capital of the colony, as it was soon after the seat of the university. During this period the num- erous arrivals at Cambridge and the want of pasture lands in the vicinity induced a portion of the people, including a number of the chief men, with the Rev. Mr. Hooker, their pastor, to seek another location. Another inducement
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for their removal was the dislike of some regu- lations which were thought to circumscribe the rights of freemen. The proposed enterprise met with strong opposition bat at length its advocates obtained the consent of the major- ity, and Mr. John Steel, in the autumn of 1635. led the pioneer band through the wildler- ness to a new location on the Connecticut river. As leader and magistrate he appears to have conducted the expedition safely and wisely. On the margin of the river and near the head of the navigable waters they laid the foundations of a new town, afterwards called Hartford : and of a new colony ( Connecticut ). the third of the colonies of New England. During a period of twenty-three years John Steel, elected to the principal colony court. was present at eighty-eight at least of its ses- sions, and engaged in its legislation and judi- cial decisions, and was for four years its secretary or recorder. For nearly twenty years he was also secretary of the town of Hartford, and for a time recorder of the town of Farmington. During these years he was likewise called upon to act on various principal committees or agencies, civil, military and ecclesiastical, for determining the contested claims and boundaries of the colony, for the peaceful acquisition of additional territory and for raising troops for special expeditions among the hostile Indians. His closing years were passed at Farmington where he was a member of the church. His residence at Hart- ford was on the main street, just north of the present Atheneum. His will bears date, Jan- uary 30, 1663-64. Hle died November 25. 1665.
He married (first ) Rachel -, probably in England. She died 1653. He married ( second ) Mercy, widow of Richard Seamer, or Seymour, November 23, 1656. His chil- dren were: I. John, married Mercy Warner in 1645 : died before his father, 1653-54: after his decease his widow married Thomas Hill : she was the daughter of Andrew Warner, who came from Cambridge to Hartford in 1035- 36. 2. Lydia, married, March 31. 1657. James, son of Thomas and Mary Bird ; he died 1708 ; his father, Thomas Bird, settled in Hartford in 1645. 3. Mary, born March 31. 1657 ; mar- ried William, son of Thomas Judd; she died October 2, 1718. 4. Hannah, died 1655, prob- ably unmarried. 5. Sarah, born 1638; mar- ried. 1658, at Farmington, Lieutenant Thomas Judd : removed to Waterbury, Connecticut, in
1677 : die 1 May 22, 1695 : he was born 1638, died January 10, 1702: "he was a son of Thomas Judd, one of the earliest settlers of Hartford, who afterwards removed to Farm- ington, where his two sons. William and Thomas, married two daughters of John Steel. His name appears frequently on the records of Connecticut." 6. Samuel, of whom below. ( HI) Samuel, son of John Steel, was born 1627. He married Mary, daughter of Hon. James Boosey : he died August 15, 1685 : she was born September 10, 1635, died at Farm- ington. "He was deputy to the general as- sembly. 1668-69 and from 1672 to 1077. lle was appointed lieutenant of Farmington train band in 1674. The general court, held May 9. 1672, granted him two hundred acres of land for a farm." "Hon. James Boosey, the father of Mrs. Steel, was a very prominent man in Wethersfield." Children of Samuel Steel: 1. James, of whom below. 2. Mary, born December 5. 1652. 3. Rachel, baptized October 30, 1654; married Jonathan Smith; lived at Wethersfield. 4. Sarah, baptized De- cember 29. 1656, died unmarried. 5. Samuel, born March II. 1658-59. died young. 6. John, baptized December 10. 1661 : unmarried. 7. Hannah, born 1668; married - Hart. 8. Ebenezer, born August 13. 1671 ; married, February 15. 1705. Sarah Hart ; he died Oc- tober 6, 1722: she died February 26. 1751 ; resided at Farmington. "Ile inherited his father's large estate in Farmington 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."
(III ) James, eldest son of Samuel Steel, was born August 31, 1644, died May 15. 1713. He married. July 19. 1687. Anna, born 1668, (laughter of Captain Samuel Welles. She mar- ried (second ) James Judson, of Stratford. November 20, 1718; he (Judson) died Feb- ruary 25. 1721, aged seventy-one ; she died at Wethersfield, 1739, aged seventy-one. "He was for many years a merchant at Wethers- field and was captain of the train band at that place. Captain Samuel Welles, father of Mrs. Steel, was made a commissioner and magis- trate : he was son of Governor Thomas Wel- les." Children of James Steel: 1. Samuel, born October 1, 1688: married, June 23. 1713, Anna, daughter of Jacob Williams, of Weth- ersfield: he died 1761 ; she died 1749; no is-
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sue. 2. Dr. Joseph, of whom below. 3. Pru- dence, born January 17. 1093 ; married. De- cember 8. 1714, Josiah Deming, of Wethers- field: they had children. 4. Hannah, born March 18, 1697 ; married. July 10, 1715. Eph- raim Goodrich. 5. Anna, born October 28, 1702; married, 1724, William looker; she died 1727 : he was born in Farmington, 1695, died July 20, 1782 ; she was the second of his four wives : they had children. 6. David, born June 8. 1706 ; married Sarah . of Weth- ersfield ; he was brought up by his Uncle Eben- ezer.
( IV) Dr. Joseph Steel, second son of Cap- tain James Steel, was born September 27. 1690. Ile marrie.1. February 16, 1715, Eliza- beth, daughter of John Hollister Jr .. of Glas- tenbury : die 1 1750; she was born March 30, 1678; they had five sons and five daughters ; resided in the part of Farmington now called Berlin : Mrs. Steel's father, John Ilollister, was one of the first settlers of Wethersfield.
Children of Dr. Joseph Steel: I. Elizabeth. 2. Sarah. 3. James, born May 18, 1719 ; mar- ried Mercy Cowles ; he died July 27, 1775 ; she died July 22. 1800: lived at Berlin, Connecti- cut. "She was a grandchild of Joseph Wood- ford, who came from England to Farmington, Connecticut, at the age of seventeen, about the year 1664." She had eight children. 4. Abigail. 5. Dr. Samuel. 6. Ebenezer, of whom below. 7. Anna. 8. Jonathan, married Bethia Stone. "It was related of him that he was very strong and on one occasion lifting salt on a wager, he was tickled by some one present, which caused him to spit blood. from which he lived but a short time." (. Elizar. IO. Lucy.
(V) Ebenezer, third son of Dr. Joseph Steel, was born May 18. 1727, died January 21, 1821. He married Sarah Middleton ; she died March 16, 1823. aged ninety-four; re- sided at Wethersfield and New Britain, Con- necticut. "His wife lived in the married state seventy-five years, was the mother of thir- teen children, from whom she had seventy grandchildren : a hundred and seventy-one great-grandchildren ; in all two hundred and seventy-eight descendants." Among their chil- dren were: Ebenezer, William, Mary or Polly, Saralı, Josiah, of whom below, Charles, Allen, Selah, Huldah, Rebecca, Salmon.
(VI) Josiah, third son of Ebenezer Steel, was born 1758, died 1825. He married Susan Lewis. Children: Josiah, Allyn, of whom be-
low, Levi, George, Cynthia, Sybil. Arnon, Avery. Susan, Sabra.
(VII) AAllyn Steele, second son of Josiah Steel, was born November 3, 1779, died May, 1828. He married ( first ) Lucy Jerome Ilart ; she died November 24, 1820, aged forty-eight ; ( second ) Ruth Hinsdale. Children : Rev. Allyn, of whom below. Naboth Lewis, Ebene- zer Ilart, Lyman Jerome, Emily, Emeline.
(VIII ) Rev. Allyn (2) Steele, ekdlest son of Allyn ( 1) Steele, was born May 24, 1808. In the Steele genealogy the name of Allen or Allyn is found as early as 1757 and is re- peated eight times, the last to bear it being the Rev. Allyn Steele. This Allyn was early left motherless with the prospect of an un- certain fortune. The lad at thirteen joined the Methodist church and at twenty-one he received his first appointment. Ile married, November, 1833, Sabra, born September 13, 1816, daughter of Joel Dorman, of Jerusalem, Yates county. New York. She graduated from a New Haven Medical College; her mother, Olivia ( Lawrence ) Dorman, belonged to one of the oldest families in Yates county. The children of the Rev. Allyn Steele were: I. Joel Dorman, of whom below. 2. John Lansing, born January, 1842.
(IX) Joel Dorman, eldest son of the Rev. Allyn (2) Steele, was born May 14. 1836. He was fifteen when his mother died. "In November, 1851," he says, "I experienced the first great sorrow of my life in the death of my mother." "My father was called out of the pulpit in the midst of his sermon to come to my bedside to see me die." Powerful reme- dies administered by a daring physician proved successful and he was restored to health once more. He further says, "I taught my first school, a common country district school, in the summer of 1853. My wages were twenty shillings per week and I boarded around in the good old fashion. I taught according to my knowledge and honestly tried to do my duty by my pupils and patrons. But I was only seventeen years old and never having come myself under the training of a great and true teacher, 1 had no conception of the dignity of my calling, or the weight of its responsibilities. No tired pupil or bedraggle 1 ditch-digger ever watched more eagerly for the clock to mark the close of his day's labor than I did in the master's seat of that old red school house." When the harvest time came he went to swing the cradle and bind the
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wheat in his father's fields. In the spring of 1854 his father sold his farm and Joel D. joined him in New York where his father was pastor of the Heding Methodist Episcopal Church. After a thorough examination he be- came assistant bookkeeper in the Broadway Bank. He resigned this position to accept an offer of a clerkship in the Advocate office at the Methodist Book Concern, then 200 Mul- berry street. He then began a four years' course of study at Genesee College. He took an active part in the societies and soon became known as a leading spirit in the Lyceum-a debating organization in the Genesee Wes- levan Seminary, in which building he boarded. His father being unable to pay all his col- lege bills, after the second year he spent his vacations in farm work. During one sum- mer vacation he earned fifty dollars in the harvest field. In his junior year he taught a district school for three months.
After graduation from college he went to his father's farm at West Barre, Orleans coun- ty, New York, and, doffing the student, be- came the farmer. Accepting an invitation from Principal J. R. French, LL.D., offering him a place in the Mexico Academy, Mexico, Oswego county, New York, he succeeded Principal French at the end of the first year. Before he assumed his new responsibilities as principal he married Esther Baker. the teacher of music in the academy. He occu- pied the principalship of Mexico Academy un- til the autumn of 1861. At the breaking out of the civil war he resigned his place and offered his services to his country. He raised a company, was chosen captain and sent to the front. When the Eighty-first New York State Volunteers marched up Pennsylvania avenue at Washington he led Company K. On the field of Seven Pines he was badly wounded. Being the only commissioned officer present with the company. he remained in command for a week thereafter-a week of constant exposure and danger. They had lost all their camp equipage, and were stationed in the midst of swamps. Being seized with rheuma- tism consequent on the exposure he was finally taken to the hospital at City Point. Then he was sent on north from place to place until at Philadelphia he was furloughed to go home. as the hospitals en route were all filled to overflowing. In Penn Yan his wife was stay- ing at the residence of her uncle, William S. Briggs. His life was, however, long in
danger. Just as he was recovering an order from Washington was issued directing all fur- loughed convalescent officers to repair to a convalescent camp at Baltimore under pain of being held as deserters. He thereupon re- signed and was honorably mustered out of the service.
In the autumn of 1862 he accepted the principalship of the Newark Union Free School and resumed his pedagogic work. He spent four years at Newark, settling down unreservedly to the work of schoolmaster. From the first he had done his best teaching in the sciences, especially in physics, chemistry, geology, the branches he was required to take charge of in schools. In 1866 he became prin- cipal of the academy at Elmira. The academy during the six years he was at its head gave him the opportunity of his career. His favor- ite classes still continued to be those of science and lie gave his whole time to them. He re- solved to write a Chemistry for Academies and High Schools alone. While engaged in this new work he received a call from Mr. Knapp, an agent of Messrs. A. S. Barnes & Com- pany, of New York. As he was an old ac- quaintance he told the representative what he was doing and he reported the fact to the firm. Not long after a correspondence was opened: then Mr. C. J. Barnes, a member of the house, called at his room, heard him read the chapter on oxygen, and took his manu- script to New York. Finally a contract was signed for its publication. The book appeared in the autumn of 1867. An edition of two thousand copies went at once and a second edition was printed immediately. His pub- lishers proposed that he should prepare other works in seience. This he did, but in 1871 he entered a new field. Hearing that his pub- lishers were getting out a new history of the United States, he suggested to them some ideas derived from his experience in superin- tending history classes. Messrs. Barnes then proposed that he should write the book him- self. The result was "Barnes' Brief History of the United States," a work in which he was greatly aided by his wife. The success of this history was almost immediate, and when it was concluded to complete this series, his wife gradually assumed more work, until in the "Popular History of the United States," the "History of France." and the "General History," she prepared a definite portion of the manuscript. Every reader of the Barnes
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Series of Brief Histories may recognize her chapters on manners and customs as generic. In getting up these various books they spared neither labor nor expense. They visited Eu- rope four times to gather material, attended lectures, and studied the newest methods, spending in all fourteen months in the sha- dow of the British Museum. He associated himself also with the best help he could find. Professor J. W. P. Jenks. A. M., of Brown University, who made zoology a lifelong study and who had achieved a phenomenal success in teaching the subject in academies, was prevailed upon to become jointly inter- ested in preparing the text. In botany he procured the valuable services of Professor Alphonso Wood. A. M., the veteran author. In chemistry he was greatly aided by Edward J. Hallock, of Columbia College, whose lengthy studies in German laboratories had furnished him with a fund of experience. His physics manuscript was carefully read by Pro- fessor Thomas HI. Core, A. M., of Owens Col- lege, Manchester, England, while many of his teacher friends, such as Professor Harper, of Maine. Dr. Armstrong, of New York, and Superintendent Jones, of Pennsylvania, ren- dered him excellent assistance. In July, 1884, Mr. Steele, at the Centennial Anniversary of the University of the State of New York, de- livered before the university convocation his last public address.
He died in 1886, shortly after his return from a winter spent in Florida. On the fine New England granite which marks his rest- ing place are these words, graven at the direc- tion of Mrs. Steele: "His true monument stands in the hearts of thousands of American youth, led by him to 'look through Nature up to Nature's God.' " He bequeathed fifty thousand dollars to Syracuse University to found a chair of Theistic Science. Syracuse University, as the development of Genesee Col- lege, was the alma mater of Dr. Steele. From 1870, the year of its transference, to the time of his death, he was one of the trustees, and as such annually aided in making up its defi- ciencies, usually giving five hundred dollars, a large sum in the first years of his success. The cornerstone of "Steele Memorial Library Building," in Elmira, was laid May 27, 1895, nine years to a day from the date of Dr. Steele's burial. In August. 1899, the library was formally opened to the public. The gift when turned over to the people of the city
represented the sum of sixty-five thousand dollars, curios and pictures included.
DEXTER The surname Dexter may pos- sibly be derived from the Latin, dexter, in the sense of lucky,
fortunate, the antithesis of sinister ; but it is more likely a contraction of De Exeter, after the Norman fashion, from the chief town in Devonshire. The name underwent a series of orthological changes as we find it spelled de Excester, Dexcestre, Dexcester, Dexetir, Dece- tir, de Exon, de Exonia, de Exeter, and finally Dexter. Richard de Excester was governor and chief justice in Ireland in 1269. The heraldic bearings were: Or a tree, pendant therefrom two weights. The leading Dexters in America have been Samuel Dexter, the colonial statesman; Franklin B. Dexter, the educator and author ; Rev. Dr. Henry M. Dex- ter : Henry Dexter, the sculptor.
(1) The Rev. Gregory Dexter, the immi- grant founder of the American branch of the Dexter family here dealt with, was born at Olney, Northamptonshire, in 1610. He learned the printer's trade in London and with a printer of the name of Coleman kept a stationer's store. He was a Baptist preacher and the first transatlantic correspondent of Roger Williams of the Providence plantations. Gregory printed the first edition of "Roger's Diction- ary of the Indian Language" in 1643, a re- port of which is in the first volume of the Rhode Island Historical Society's reports. On Roger Williams second visit to America Greg- ory Dexter came with him. He was one of the parties named in the charter and an as- sistant under authority granted in the charter. He was town clerk. He was fourth pastor of the Baptist church and was very successful in this field of labor. He did not receive any salary for his services, but earned his living by the cultivation of his land and the sweat of his brow as the Bible enjoins. He was the best printer in New England though he did not regularly pursue this calling ; he never- theless assisted Mr. Samuel Greene in Bos- ton about some printing at the young college at Cambridge, Harvard. Mr. Dexter printed with his own hands the first almanac for Rhode Island. He was a very devout man, connecting everyday events with an over-ruling Providence, and was never known to laugh and rarely smiled. He was a good penman, had a fair knowledge of Latin and his services
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were much in demand in the young colony where mediocrity prevailed and few could write their own names. His advice was fre- quently sought in the stormy period of the struggling plantation. He attempted few things in which he did not succeed. His first house was built of logs and was destroyed by the Indians and the second one was near where William Rea afterwards lived. He died in 1700 and was interred a short dis- tance from the junction of North Main and Benefit streets on Constitution Hill. The name of his wife was Abigail. Their children were : Stephen, born 1647: James, mentioned below ; John. 1652; Abigail, 1655 ; Peleg, 1658.
( II) James, second son of the Rev. Greg- ory and Abigail Dexter, was born in Provi- dence, May 6, 1650. He settled on his father's land, married and had children. He filled sev- eral public positions and held some military commissions, but he died almost a quarter of a century before his father and thus untimely ended a promising career. He was if not the favorite at least the greatly beloved of his father who was exceedingly careful in mak- ing provision for the children James left be- hind. In 1695 the Rev. Gregory Dexter signed a paper in which he declared that he had provided for two children of his son, James Dexter, deceased, namely Peleg and Isabel Dexter and "whereas my said son James died when I was gone to Long Island and signified that his desires were that the said Peleg and Isabel might each of them have one of those two lots where he dwelt," etc., Greg- ory confirmed these lots to the children in accordance with his son's wishes and gave the lot where the house stood to Peleg and the other lot to Isabel. He provided that it should not be lawful to Peleg or Isabel to sell, change or let or give away the lands without the ad- vice of their uncles, Elisha Arnold and John Dexter. A reservation was made as to Isabel's lot that if Gregory or his wife died in Provi- dence "we may have room to be buried by her father." James married Esther, born Sep- tember 22, 1647, died in 1688, daughter of Stephen and Sarah (Smith) Arnold. She married ( second) William Andrews, October 30. 1680. and ( third) Edward Hawkins. James Dexter's estate was taxed 6d, July 16, 1680. Children of James and Esther (Arn- old) Dexter: Peleg, died 1708, unmarried ; Isabel, of whose birth or death there is no available date : James, mentioned below.
(III) James (2), son of James ( 1) Dexter. was born at Providence. He was a cord- wainer in business and was also styled a mer- chant. He took a very considerable part in the business of the town and filled a number of responsible positions. There is a record of his having in 1699 a deed of a piece of seventy acres of land for his grandfather, Stephen Arnold. In 1706 he was sergeant of the town. There is a record of some transac- tion in which he took part in 1708, all that is clear being that his grandmother, Sarah Arnold, gave him three pounds sterling in her will of twenty pounds sterling which he owed her. He continued for a number of years to be still prominent in public life. In 1711 he was town treasurer. For three years follow- ing on that he was deputy. He was a member of the town council during 1724-25-26. He died in 1732, in which year his will was proved. To his wife he gave the use of the whole es- tate until his son Philip was of age and then if not married she was to have the use of half the estate during the term of her natural life. To his son Philip he gave half the homestead at age and the other half at the death or mar- riage of his mother. To his son James he gave some land near Bennett's Hollow, while to his son Paul he bequeathed a hundred acres at Huckleberry Hill at age, he providing a maintenance for life to his brother Thomas with the help of his mother. He gave forty pounds sterling to his daughter Esther and a like legacy to his other daughters, Sarah, Priscilla and Mary, as soon as each had ar- rived at the age of eighteen. The inventory of his property at the time of his death amounted to seven hundred and fifty-one pounds sterling odd, consisting of store goods, law books, cattle, horses, bonds amounting to four hundred and thirty-one pounds odd. The name of his wife was Sarah but there is no record of her maiden surname. She died in the same year as her husband, 1732. They had nine children: James. Peleg, Esther, Philip, Paul, Thomas, Sarah, Priscilla, Mary.
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