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93. Gabriel Steely (Married Mary Surat. She died in Ross County Ohio. Then he married Mary Meek (Mary Stewart) (94) about 1784 in Pennsylvania or Virginia; (according to communication with April Potts, e-mail address: <potts@home.ffni.com>; Gabriel and Mary Meek were married in Pickaway, Ohio.) (Confusion occurs because according to April's research, Mary Meek was the mother of Meek Steely (47), but on Gabriel's tombstone it is labeled that he married Mary Stewart and that she was Meek's mother. Is Mary Stewart... Mary Meek?)

Born: 19 August 1763 in Virginia or Pennsylvania according to LDS of Ulrich Steely (Stally) (185) & Anne ? (186). (In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania according to April Potts)

Died: 2 May 1830 in Pickaway County, Ohio. He is buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Kingston, Ohio. (This has been confirmed by visits to his gravesite by Susan Snyder (#2)) (GPS: 39° 27.751' N, 82° 55.794' W) (April Potts' reference Will book 2 pg. 121 states he died 3 May 1830)

 

[His siblings included:

Christina Steely (Married George Stroup) Born: 1759, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Died: before 1820 in Ross County, Ohio;

Sarah Steely (Married: William Frampton in 1770) Born: 1754, Trenton, Beaver County, New Jersey, Died: 1829;

Jacob Steely Born; 1756, Died: 1829. Jacob was a pioneer Dunkard preacher, who moved to Green Township in Pickaway County, Ohio in 1807 (Source of Jacob's occupation and time of arrival to Ohio is The County of Ross : A History of Ross County, Ohio, from the earliest days, with special chapters on the bench and medica bar,Chapter XIV, p. 235.;

Lazarus Steely (Married: Sarah Stroup) Born: 1768 Died: 1808;

Mary Steely (Married: John Stroup) Born: 1764, Died: 4 November 1835;

Henry Steely (Married Sarah Reed) Born: About 1766, Died: 1838]. All information in blue about Gabriel's siblings is from communication from April Potts to Susan Leach Snyder (#2).

 

Miscellaneous:

In 1763, when Gabriel was born, there were 13 British-governed colonies. Some of Pennsylvania and all of what would become Ohio were part of the Province of Quebec as is shown in the map North America After the French and Indian War 1763-1774.

Gabriel was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. When the war began in 1775, he was only 12 years old, but by 1783 when the war ended, he was 20.

 

Left: Gabriel's Revolutionary War Medallion at his gravesite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a Gabriel Steely living in Mifflin, Pennsylvania in 1790 according to the 1790 U.S. Census Search Results (Image 0318, Roll M637_9). See below for a copy of the census.

 

 

Left: 1790 United States census

The 1790 census instructed the marshals to identify, by age brackets, free white males sixteen years of age or older and those under sixteen. It was designed to determine the country’s industrial and military capabilities. Additionally, the first census was to count the number of free white females; all other free persons regardless of race or gender; and slaves. A twenty-dollar fine, to be split between the marshals’ assistants and the government, would be levied against anyone who refused to answer the enumerator’s questions. The first column is the number of free white males 16 or older; the second column is the number of free white males under 16; the third column is the number of free white females; the fourth are all other free persons; the last column is the number of slaves. At the time of this census, Gabriel would have been 27 years of age. He would have been married 6 years. His son, Meek (#47) would not have been born. Note: There are 3 other Steelys on this census page: Ulrich (Gabriel’s father) and Jacob and Henry. (Note: Gabriel had brothers named Jacob and Henry.)

In the 1790 Heads of Families First Census of the United States, George Meek (#187) is listed on page 125 as being head of his family and living in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania (see map). Listed on page 154 and living in the adjacent county, Mifflin were Urick, Jacob, Henry, and Gabriel Steely. Gabriel had married George's daughter, Mary. In Gabriel's house were 1 Free white male of 16 years and upward including heads of family, 2 Free white males under 16 years, and 2 Free white females including heads of families.

As shown below, in the 1800 Census for Mifflin, Pennsylvania, p. 496, he is also listed.

 

Below: Circled in red is Gabriel's name on the 1800 United States Census.

 

The History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Edited & Compiled by Hon. Aaron R. Van Cleaf, published by Biographical Publishing Company, Chicago, 1906, p. 161, states that Gabriel Steely came to Pickaway Township about 1807, but Ohio River Survey documents shown below prove that he came earlier than that.

Two Maps linked to this webpage show Ohio about the time that Gabriel arrived: Ohio Country 1787-1803 and 1806.

 

 

Left: Survey of Range No 21 Township No 10 and Range No 22 Township No 3S, Pickaway Township, Pickaway Co, Ohio. Gabriel purchased land in sections 17 and 20 in 1805 and 1806. (Click on the image to enlarge.)

 

 

 

Below Left: Details of section 20 show that Gabriel purchased 160 acres on 29 July 1805, 160 acres of land on 31 July, 1805, and 160 acres on 26 October 1805. Below Right: Gabriel purchased 160 acres in the southeast quadrant of section 17 on 27 September 1806. The source of these maps is Section Maps with Entrymen on Lands East of the Scioto River in Pickaway, Ohio by L. Richard Kocher 1993. (Click on the images to enlarge.)

Gabriel's land in 1806 can be located on a modern map of Circleville, Ohio.

Gabriel and Mary had 7 children: Meek (47), John, Eliza, George, Isabella, Reuben, and Sarah.

Abstracts of Wills, Pickaway County, Ohio Books 1,2,3,4,5,6, (1808-1892) P. 18, states: “Gabriel Steely p. 121” mentions wife Mary, sons John, George, Meek and Ruben; dau’s Elizabeth, Sally, and Isabell. Exct. wife Mary, son John and son-in-law Thomas K. Duncan. Made Mar. 2, 1826. Wit’s John Scott and John Burns. Codicil mentions Margaret wife of Joseph Shelby, Sarah, wife of George Seely, Elizabeth wife of George Ray, Meek and wife Martha, Isabell wife of Thomas K. Duncan, Ruben and wife Eliza, and John and wife Margaret. Wit’s Jonathan Ellis, John Fryback, John Boggs, George Ray Jr., James Hunter and Joseph Stroup. Probated Oct. 30, 1830.” [Note: Sarah was the wife of Joseph Shelby and Margaret was the wife of George Steely according to April Potts.] [In an e-mail from Robert Steely to Susan Snyder on 13 April 2007, Robert explained that the Sarah ("Sally" mentioned in line 18 of Gabriel's will) married to Joseph Shelby was Sarah Margaret Steely. Elizabeth Emerson, sister of John Steely's wife, Margaret Emerson, married George Steely, brother of John and Meek Steely].

Click on the following link to read Gabriel's will in its entirety and a transcription of same: Gabriel's Will.

Gabriel died on May 2, 1830. On June 8, 1830, a judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Pickaway County wrote a letter to Lucas Nebecker in Indiana asking him to have John Scott and James Burns, witnesses to Gabriel’s signing of his will, swear to him that they had been witnesses. Scott and Burns had moved from Ohio and were now residents of Fountain County in Indiana. The Pickaway County judge wanted Nebecker to send him a certified document. By October of that year, the estate had not been settled. Family members and witnesses signed a document appointing John Steely as the executor of Gabriel’s estate. On November 27, 1830, John, Meek, & Reuben (all sons of Gabriel) signed a $2000 bond with Pickaway County for John to assume the duty of executor of Gabriel’s will.

John became executor and settled the estate. Click onto Estate Receipts to view receipts of money received by Mary, Gabriel's wife, and Meek, one of Gabriel's sons.

Below: Gabriel's burial site at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. The front and back of Gabriel's tombstone are shown. The front says "Revolutionary Soldier... Gabriel Steely...Born August 19, 1763...Died May 2, 1830...Aged 66 Yrs. 8 Mos. 13 Ds....Erected by his Great Grandson H. M. Steely of Danville, Illinois." These two pictures were taken on 11 September 11 2005.

 

Below: Close-up of the plaque on the east (back) side of the monument. It states: "Revolutionary Soldier...Gabriel Steely...Born Aug. 19, 1763 - Died May 2, 1830...Wife: Mary [Stewart] Steely...Parents of John Steely, Dr. Meek Steely and Isabella Duncan, of Kingston, Ohio. George Steely and Sarah Shelby of Covington, Indiana. Reuben Steely and Eliza B. Ray of West Point, Indiana. Remains removed from farm about 4 miles northwest to this place December 2nd 1914 by his Great Grandson, H.M. Steely of Danville, Ill." Click on the following link to read about the move of Gabriel's body to its present location: Removed Remains of Soldier of Revolution to Mt. Pleasant.

 

Below: The small stone shown here behind the back of the large monument may have been the original marker. Note: At the time this photograph was taken, the plaque had fallen out of the tombstone. It was glued back in place on 11 September 2005. All photos from the cemetery were taken on 5 September 2005 by Susan Leach Snyder unless otherwise indicated.