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Meek Steely |
47. Dr. Meek Steely (Married 1st: Martha (Patsy) McCutcheon (McCutchen) (#48) on 2 November 1824, 1 November 1824; Married 2nd: Rachel Hickenlooper on 2 April 1846. (Source: of blue date: E-mail on December 8, 2002 from Mary Hammersmith, a descendent of Martha McCutcheon's sister (Nancy), to Susan Leach Snyder (#2), a McCutchen family Bible in Mary's possession states the wedding was 2 November 1824.) Pickaway County, Ohio, Marriage Records 1810-1862 p. 45 states that Meek married Martha McCutcheon on 1 November 1824 and Rachel Hickenlooper on 2 April 1846.
Born: 1798 in Pennsylvania [Note: He was probably born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. That is where the 1790 and 1800 censuses list Gabriel's family] of Gabriel Steely (#93) & Mary Meek Stewart (#94).
Died: 23 April 1865. He is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Kingston, Ohio. (This has been confirmed by visits to the grave site by Susan Leach Snyder (#2). (GPS: 39° 27.750' N, 82° 55.792' W). A photograph of his tombstone is at the bottom of this web page.
According to History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio, published by Williams Bros.,1880, p. 268, Steely is spelled both as Steely and Steeley. This book claims that Meek had six siblings. This is verified on a plaque on the tombstone of Gabriel Steely, his father, at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Kingston, Ohio.
[His siblings were:
a) John Steely: (Married: Margaret Emerson (Emmerson) on 30 September 1808; She died July 1847 at age 60 years and 19 days and is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Kingston, Ohio next to John) (This has been confirmed by visits to the grave site by Susan Leach Snyder (#2). Born: 17 October 1785 in Pennsylvania, [Note: He was likely born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. That is where the 1790 and 1800 lists Gabriel's family] Died: 6 August 1842, aged 56 years, 9 months, and 19 days and is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Kingston, Ohio (Source of his birth and his death are his tombstone.) [Note: One of John's children, Nancy Steely, married Anthony Rice's (#23) brother, James. One of Meek's children, Susanna Steely (#24), married Anthony Rice (#23). This means that first cousins Susanna and Nancy married brothers James and Anthony.]
b) George Steely: (Married: (Betsey) Elizabeth Emerson 22 October 1811 in Pickaway County, Ohio.) Born: (20 May 1788 according to both April Pott and Richard Shelby), [Note: He was likely born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. That is where the 1790 and 1800 lists Gabriel's family] Died: 26 February 1848, Buried 2 miles north of Covington, Indiana. Miscellaneous: Military Service: War of 1812.; moved to Troy Township, Fountain County, Indiana in 1823-24; George laid out and donated the land for a cemetery for the Bend Community. At that time George was the largest landowner in Troy Township of Fountain County, Indiana. Buried in Steely (now Bend) Cemetery, 4 miles north of Covington, IN.
c) Sarah Margaret Steely ("Sally"): (Married: Joseph Shelby on 18 June 1811); Born: 25 November 1793 in Union County, Pennsylvania (25 November 1793..Sarah, 1813 Sally), [Note: She was likely born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. That is where the 1790 and 1800 lists Gabriel's family. Also, Union County did not form until 1813.] Died: 22 May 1860 in Fountain County, Indiana. Buried at Bend Cemetery, Fountain County, Indiana. Buried in Steely (now Bend) Cemetery, 4 miles north of Covington, IN; Miscellaneous: moved to Troy Township, Fountain County, Indiana in 1823-24;
d) Isabella (Isabell) (Isabel) Steely: (Married: Thomas K. Duncan, Kingston Ohio in 1823. T. K. Duncan died 2 April 1837, aged 46 years, 9 months, and 9 days) Born: 10 March 1800 [Note: Isabella was likely born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. That is where the 1790 and 1800 lists Gabriel's family. Died: 29 January 1849 at age 48 yrs, 10 months and 19 days. She and her husband are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery (Photographs by Susan Leach Snyder (#2) of their tombstones are shown at this link.) Miscellaneous: According to correspondence in January 2019 with Dave Duncan, Isabella's G-G-G-G Grandson, Isabella's husband Thomas K. Duncan bought George Brown's mercantile store in Kingston in 1819. At some point after their marriage in 1823, Thomas and Isabella moved their mercantile operation to the larger community of Chillicothe. Thomas K and Isabella had two boys, Benjamin Franklin and James Ritchey. Thomas died 1837 without a will, so there are a number of court records regarding the boys and the estate. Meek Steely was a guarantor for the estate.
e) Reuben (Rueben) Steely: (Married: Elizabeth Raub on 22 March 1827 in Pickaway County, Ohio) Born: 1802 (at Kingston, Ohio) [Note: If he was born in 1802, he was likely born in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania. That is where the 1790 and 1800 lists Gabriel's family. Gabriel moved to Pickaway County, Ohio ~1805 according to land purchases). (1807 in Pennsylvania) The biographical sketch of John N. Steely, son of Reuben, states "his father [Reuben] was born in Pennsylvania in 1807." (Source: Biographical Record and Portrait Album of Tippecanoe County, Indiana (Lewis Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1888), pages 592, 595.)[Note: If Reuben was born in 1807, it would likely have been in Ohio since his father owned property in Ohio and had likely moved the family there ~1805.]. Died: 13 January 1868 at West Point, Indiana. Buried at West Point Cemetery, West Point, Indiana. Miscellaneous: Military service: 1861, Civil War-Union-member of the Tenth Infantry, Company G.; disability discharge December 1862 as result of an injury to the left side of his chest from a fall October 5th, 1861. [Note: "Reuben" is the spelling of his name in an old family Bible in the possession of Marsha Somerville, his direct descendant. "Reuben" is also the spelling on Gabriel's tombstone erected by H.M. Steely. "Rueben" is the spelling of his name in a letter that H.M. Steely wrote in 1915 to Frank R. Steely (Reuben's grandson)].
f) Eliza (Elizabeth) B. Steely: (Married #1:George Ray; Married #2: Benjamin Davis 30 December 1813 [Note: This date cannot be correct if Eliza was born in 1811]., Married #3?:James Williams 6 October 1868..source "Steely Marriages in Pickaway County, Ohio"... a document provided by Robert Steely) Born: 1 August 1811 (1811) at Kingston, Ohio. Died: 17 April 1880. Miscellaneous: Eliza B. Ray had a son, Rueben B. Ray, named after Eliza's brother Reuben (Rueben) (Source: A letter written in 1915 from H. M. Steely to Frank R. Steely). ]
Sources for above: Additions in green were made as a result of e-mail correspondence in September 2001 with April Potts, another Steely family researcher. Additions in purple were made as a result of e-mail correspondence in August and October 2005 with Richard V. Shelby, another Steely family researcher. Additions in light brown color were made as a result of e-mail and snail mail correspondence in April 2007 with Robert Steely, another Steely family researcher).
Miscellaneous: Meek was a doctor and a farmer according to census reports.
According to the Ohio 1830 Federal Census Index, page 19, Meek was living in Pickaway County in Pickaway Township. His ID # is OHS3a1760714. Living in his house were 6 people including himself, one male under 5 years of age, 2 males of 20 and under 30, one female under 5 years of age, one female of 10 and under 15, and one female of 20 and under 30. It is unknown who the younger males and females were, but one of the older males had to be Meek, and the female of 20 and under 30 was likely Martha. The census record must be incorrect as recording Meek's age as 20 to 29. Meek would have been 32 in 1830 if he was 67 in 1865, as recorded on his tombstone. In 1830, his wife, Martha, would have been 26, according to her tombstone information.
The 1840 Census for Pickaway Township in Pickaway County, Ohio shows Meek listed as a doctor. Living in his house are 9 persons including himself. The census shows 1 male 5 and under 10, 1 male 15 and under 20, 1 male 30 and under 40, 2 females under 5, 1 female 5 and under 10, 2 females 10 and under 15, and 1 female 20 and under 30. Meek would have been 42, according to his tombstone. Martha would have been 36. The information for both Meek and Martha appear to be incorrectly recorded on the census. The female under 5 may have been Susanna Rebecca Steely (#24). Susanna was reported as born November 1839 in the 1870, 1880, and 1900 census. She was born on 29 November 1837 according to her Certificate of Death. [Note: above Meek's family in this census is that of his older brother, John Steely. John was 55 at the time and his age is correctly documented on the census as 50 and under 60.]
[Note: It is unclear how Meek received the title of doctor, but he is referred to as Dr. Meek Steely in the 1840 Census for Pickaway Township in Pickaway County, a newspaper article titled, “Family History of Early Settlers Recalled" and on a plaque on his father’s (Gabriel’s) tombstone. He must have been a medical doctor, as well as a farmer. If so, he likely worked his farm and also carried out his practice in private homes. As a doctor, he would have traveled by foot or horseback to a patients’ homes. The number of tools and drugs he could use would be limited to those that fit in a hand-held case or saddlebag. Charges likely depended the distance traveled, whether the patient was a child or an adult, and the type of medicine administered. It is likely that he was often not paid in cash, but rather “in kind” with produce, services, or goods available to the patient. (Source of this information about doctors of the 1800s: “19th century doctors in the US." posted March 11, 2009 by Cassie Nespor," and “Dr. Manning’s 1834 daybook”, posted October 24, 2016 by Cassie Nespor on the Melnick Medical Museum website.)]
In December 3 1842, Meek made a purchase from Keturah Graham and wrote him a promissory note to pay twenty seven dollars and fifty cts on the seventh day of November 1843.
A map dated 1844 of Pickaway Township in Pickaway County shows that Meek owned land in Section 29.
In the 1850 Federal Census Index, page 249, there are two Meek Steeley’s listed as living in Pickaway County, Pickaway Township: ID# OHS6a2781242 and ID # OHS9a8927912. The 1850 Census lists Meek and 6 others. Meek is 52 and a farmer; his wife (Rachael) is 26. [Note: his first wife, Martha, died in 1842]. Children include William (21), a laborer, Eliza (13), Susan (11), Isabel (8), and Adel (3).
In Pickaway County, Ohio Probate Court Abstracts From Order Book 1 1852-1858, Weaver, 1994, Meek’s name is mentioned twice:
- p. 5: “John Creviston dec’d.
John D Sharp Exec. Sale of real estate to pay debts. William Raub, Henry
Bell, Meek Steely appraisers. Comfort Creviston widow. 2 Aug. 1852.”
- p. 91: “Mary Kendrick wid/o Samuel Kendrick declined administration, requested John Boggs Admr., Meek Steely, Moses Boggs, James T. Boggs appraisers. 27 Jun 1857.”
A map dated 1858 of Pickaway Township in Pickaway shows that Meek now owned 80 additional acres of land in section 20. Note that in 1805, Gabriel (Meek's father owned 480 acres in section 20 (80 of which Meek owned in 1858). The 1844 map shows that those 80 acres were owned by J. & M.J. Steely. "J" may have been Meek's brother, John. According to History of Franklin and Pickaway Counties, Ohio by Williams Bros 1880, page 268, "John [Meek's brother] resided where Abram Penn now lives, and Meek on the homestead."
Also note that the 1844 and 1858 maps show land owned by J. E. Rice in section 11. Meek's daughter (Susanna Rebecca Steely (#24)) would marry James E. Rice (#45)'s son (Anthony C. Rice (#23)) on 12 March 1861. Meek's land in 1844 and 1858 can be located on modern maps of Circleville, Ohio.
The 1860 census for Pickaway Township in Pickaway County, Ohio for the Post Office in Circleville shows Meek's household had 5 persons. Meek is 62 and a farmer with a real estate value of $12,000 and personal estate of $300. Rachel is 35, Ada is 14, Rosaltha K. is 9. Also living there is L. Thomas, a 19 year old laborer. Ada and Rosaltha are attending school.
Meek had 8 children: Six with his first wife, Martha, and two with his second wife, Rachel. His children with Martha included Susanna R. (#24), Elizabeth E., Eliza J., Mary, Isabella, and William M.; those with Rachael were Rosa and Adele.
Meek died 23 April 1865 and was buried at the family burying ground. His and his first wife's remains were later moved to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery at Kingston, Ohio by their great granddaughter Emma Deane of Chillicothe. This is documented in the article "Family History of Early Settlers Recalled".
The administrator of the Meek's estate was Josiah Reed. On July 3rd, 1865, Josiah paid $25.00 for a "coffin to attendance at funeral." The valuation of Meek's personal property was $794. On Dec 19th 1865, Josiah Reed paid personal property tax of $10.96 to the Treasurer's Office of Pickaway County. As part of his duties as administrator, Josiah Reed paid a bill to Dr. R. W. Shannon for $19.25, which was the medical bill for Meek's last sickness April 22nd, 1865. Josiah paid a variety of other bills that involved the estate, including one for $24.50 for a sale of land on December 24, 1866.
The property that went to his widow, Rachel Hickenlooper, was valued about $160.00. The Sale Bill of the estate of Meek lists items, values as inventoried, the name of the person who purchased the item, and the price. The word "do" on this list means "ditto."
Below: Meek's tombstone at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Kingston, Ohio. This photograph was taken on 11 September 2005 after Jim Snyder and Susan Leach Snyder (#2) uncovered and cleaned the stone. The stone is laying flat on the ground and slightly below ground level. It appears that at some time in the past, it was imbedded in cement. Below this photograph is its transcription:
Meek Steely
Died
April 23, 1865,
Aged 67 yrs.
My buried friends shall I forget
For shall the Grave eternal sever
They linger in my memory yet
And in my heart they live forever
Lifetime Events Summary for Meek Steely:
Contact person for this website is Susan Snyder: susanleachsnyder@gmail.com
