William was a descendant of a Scotch Minister in Vow Antrim Province of Ulster, Ireland. His family cane to America to the British Colonies about 1755. They landed in New York and traveled to Lancaster Co Pennsylvania. William located permanently to the Union District South Carolina Where he met and married Nancy Lusk, about 1772, they brought up a family of 11 Children. William was a farmer by occupation and a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He was wounded and taken prisoner at the Battle of Kings Mountain, Oct 7, 1780. He was rescued from the British by a band of American soldiers, among whom was Jacob Neely, who's granddaughter Margaret married Williams grandson Carroll J. Steen, years later. When William Steen was wounded his wife and three of their children were in a fort for safety, sixty miles away. One of the children had just died. When Nancy heard of her husbands wounds, she procured a horse, leaving her dead child with friends. She rode all night and did not reach his side till after daylight the next day.
Several years after the close of the war William and his family left South Carolina heading for Mississippi. They stopped in Carroll County Tenn. to farm and restock for the last leg of the trip to Mississippi. William Steen took sick and died. (The legend says that he went to look for a lost mule and was ambushed and killed by Indians.)
Shortly after this time his wife Nancy and all of her children except 3 resumed their journey to Lawrence County Mississippi. The three who did not go to Mississippi are,
John who returned to South Carolina, Sarah who married Thompson Enochs and remained in Tennessee and Jane who married Levi Noble and moved to Texas.
Copied from The Rev. Moses Steen Book page 142
I have done extensive research over the past twenty years and wanted to send along some corrections for incorrect information you have included in the bio for William Steen. Per the will of John Steen and wife Jane Moore. Written in 1749 and executed in 1753(after the death of John) William was due to be born while John was already sick and about to die in 1749. A provision was included in the will for the unborn baby(which was William) to receive the sum of sixty pounds upon his eighteenth birthday. The Executor of the will was the oldest son James(my sixth Great Grandfather) and the next brother John was to receive the plantation in Chester County(not Lancaster County) Pennsylvania. Sisters, Sarah and Mary each received a sum of forty pounds upon the death of their father. The family did not arrive in America in 1755 because they had been here much longer. I imagine the family(at least the Steen side) came sometime before 1734(John Richard Steen and Jane Moore Steen were married on September 29, 1734 in Philadelphia.(I have a copy of this marriage record as well. Jane Moore's family was here at least as far back as the early 1700s. So that would make it physically impossible for them to have arrived 20 years after that date. So best estimate from established research would put the arrival of the Steen family at sometime in the 1720s or early 1730s(possibly much earlier) Also William was born in America (Pennsylvania) as were all of John and Jane Steen's children. John had been born at the Vow in Antrim Ireland, but through documented proof all the children were born here in America(lol before it was America) including James my ancestor. There is much disinformation on the internet about these facts and I am slowly trying to get around and let everyone know that the physical documents proving the dates exist and it would behoove all of us as factual researchers to try and be as close to absolutely correct in the details. Thanks so much for your attention to this matter. A cousin, Dallas Reese 38 West Morgan Ct. Hilton Head Island, SC 29926 cell: 336-509-8009 email: [email protected] Thanks in advance
Contributor: Dallas Reese (47162967) • [email protected]