By Jared L. Olar
September 2019
The Steelman family in the United States of America is descended from colonists of New Sweden, which was established in cooperation with the Dutch in 1638 at the future site of Wilmington, Delaware. Although New Sweden only existed as a self-governing colony until 1655 (when the Dutch annexed it to their colony of New Netherland), the Swedish, Danish, and Finnish families of New Sweden remained both under Dutch and English rule. In the 1600s most Swedes did not have family surnames, but instead used patronyms that identified a person's father (a practice still used by many Swedes today, and used exclusively in Iceland). Living under English rule in North America, however, the people of New Sweden soon adopted English-style family surnames. The surname of "Steelman" was invented by the sons of Hans Månsson and Ella Olofsdotter Stille -- "Stille" + "Måns" became "Stilleman" or "Steelman." Most of what is known of Hans and Ella is due to the research of the late historian and genealogist Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, who devoted many years to the study of the history of New Sweden and its families. The following account of our Steelman genealogy relies chiefly on Craig's published articles and books.
Skara in Skaraborgs län, Västrägötland, Sweden, appears in the center of this detail of the London Geographical Institute's 1920 The People's Atlas. Our ancestor Hans Månsson, a Swedish colonist who settled in Delaware in 1641, came from Hanaskede near Skara.
1. PERS ("Peter"), a Swede, born circa 1550 in Sweden. The Swedish name "Pers" is a Christian name signifying that St. Peter the Apostle is the person's patron saint -- the name is a Swedish form of "Petrus," and is comparable to the French form of Peter, "Pierre," and the English versions of Pierre, "Piers" and "Pierce." Pers was born and lived during the latter part of the reign of Gustav I Vasa (1523-1560), who had destroyed the Catholic Church in Sweden and forcibly converted his kingdom to Lutheranism. Thus, our knowledge of the Steelman genealogy does not reach back prior to the introduction of Lutheranism in Sweden. Pers also lived under Gustav's sons and successors, during which time Sweden was involved in several wars and at one point even sank into periods of civil war. Of Pers himself, nothing is known beyond the fact that he had a son also named Pers, and that he probably was from Östergötland.
2. PERS PERSSON, born circa 1575 in Sweden.
2. PERS PERSSON ("Peter"), son of Pers, born circa 1575 in Sweden. Pers Persson was born during the reign of Gustav I Vasa's son Johan III Vasa (1568-1592), who attempted to repair his father's breach with the Catholic Church. Unfortunately we know nothing of Pers Persson beyond his name and patronymic, the likelihood that he came from Östergötland, and the fact that he had a son named Måns.
3. MANS PERSSON, born 1595 in Sweden.
3. MANS PERSSON, son of Pers, born 1595 in Sweden, died 17 March 1637 in Sonnenburg, Thuringia, Germany. The Swedish name "Måns" is a form of the Scandinavian given name "Magnus," which first appeared in A.D. 1024 when St. Olaf II, King of Norway, had a son who was baptised with that name in honor of Charlemagne ("Karla-Magnus"), first Holy Roman Emperor. Måns was born during the reign of Sigismund Vasa (1592-1599), the last Swedish king to reign as a Catholic (for which reason he was deposed). Måns married a woman named BRITA MARIEN LILLIEBIELKIE, born circa 1595 in Sweden, by whom he had a son named Hans (John). Måns was killed in 1637 in a battle at Sonnenburg in Thuringia (today called Słońsk in western Poland) that was part of a Swedish Lutheran military campaign during the Thirty Years War, a religious conflict in which the Protestant and Catholic states of Northern Europe were embroiled in a bitter struggle for dominance. The battle at Sonnenburg took place during the reign of Queen Christina (1632-1654), last monarch of the House of Vasa, who abdicated partly out of her desire to become a Catholic. It was also in 1637 that Queen Christina granted permission for a colony called "New Sweden" to be founded on the lower Delaware River in North America -- the colony was founded in 1638 and its first colonial fort -- at the future site of Wilmimgton, Delaware -- was named Fort Christina in her honor, as was the Christina River in northern Delaware.
3. HANS MANSSON, born 1612 in Skara, Västrägötland, Sweden.
4. HANS MANSSON, son of Måns Persson and Brita Marien Lilliebielkie, born circa 1612 in Skara, Västrägötland, Sweden, died 14 April 1691 in Pennsauken Creek, New Jersey. Hans, a Swedish cavalryman from Skara, Sweden, was one of the early settlers of New Sweden, arriving three years after the founding of Fort Christina. Hans is known to have married twice, but the identity of his first wife, by whom he had a son and probably a daughter, is unknown. His second wife, whom he married in July 1654 in Kingessing, Pennsylvania (now a part of Philadelphia), was a young widow named ELLA OLOFSDOTTER STILLE, born 1634 in Roslagen, Sweden, died 20 Jan. 1718 in Greenwich, Gloucester County, New Jersey, daughter of Olof Persson Stille, and widow of Peter Jochimsson. Hans and Ella had six sons, in addition to Hans' children from his late first wife and Ella's two children from her late first husband. After Hans' death, his sons adopted the surname of "Steelman," which they created by joining their mother's maiden name "Stille" with the name of their paternal grandfather "Måns."
In 1641, Hans Månsson was convicted of the crime of damaging six apple trees and two cherry trees in the Royal Garden at Varnhem Abbey, Varnhem, Sweden. For his crime he was sentenced to death by hanging, but was told his death sentence would be commuted if he agreed to be deported to New Sweden. In colonial records his name is spelled "Hance Mounson" or "Hance Monseur." That and other matters is mentioned in a summary account of Hans Månsson's life is included in the Descendants of Founders of New Jersey's biographical sketch of his son James (Jöns):
In 1641, Hans Månsson was arrested for damaging several apple and cherry trees in the Royal Garden in Varnhem, and was given the option of being sentenced to death or emigrating to New Sweden. Upon arrival to the New Sweden colony in November 1641, Hans served as an indentured laborer cultivating tobacco at the “Plantation at Upland” till 1648. Finally he was able to settle on the west side of the Schuykill at Aronameck, now West Philadelphia, PA. In 1654 he married Ella Stille, affectionately known as “Mrs. Ella” within the Swedish community. In 1667 Hans Månsson settled his family in present day Cinnaminson Twp., Burlington County, New Jersey, on 100 acres on the east side of Pennsauken Creek, where he was buried in 1691. Captain Hans Månsson is listed in the Burlington County Records of freeholders and inhabitants in the “ye Cort of Burlington” on 3 August 1680. Upon the death of Captain Hans Månsson, his children and “Mrs. Ella” took the last name Steelman (Stilleman), anglicizing their name while establishing their family lineage from Hans Månsson and Ella Stille.
To that account may be compared Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig's summary of Hans Månsson's life in Craig's book 1671 Census of the Delaware (1999), pages 18-19, which says:
Hans Månsson (#19), born in 1612 in Skaraborg County, Sweden, was a cavalryman in 1640 when he was arrested for cutting branches of fruit trees at the Royal Garden in Varnhem which he intended to use as mane combs. He was sentenced on 31 May 1641 to the choice of being hanged or going to New Sweden with his wife and family. He chose the latter, arriving in the colony in November 1641. After becoming a freeman, he settled at Aronameck, where his first wife died before 1654. In that year he married Ella Stille (see #7), widow of Peter Jochimsson, a former New Sweden soldier. On 14 May 1669, Governor Lovelace issued Hans Månsson a patent for his land, estimated at 100 acres, plus two smaller lots, about ten acres apiece, one bounded by Johan Gustafsson on the north and Jonas Nilsson on the south, and the other by Peter Andersson on the north and John Bowles on the south. In 1671 Hans Månsson was Captain of the Swedes' militia and lived at Aronameck with his wife Ella, his son Måns Hansson (by his first marriage), one stepson Peter Petersson Yocum (b. 1652), one stepdaughter Elisabeth Petersdotter (b. 1654), and several sons by his second marriage, including Johan (b. 1655), Jöns, and probably Christiern Hansson. After the death of Hans Månsson at Pennsauken Creek, New Jersey, about 1691, his widow and six surviving sons (Johan, Jöns, Christiern, Peter, Charles, and Eric Hansson) adopted the surname Steelman [Stille + Måns].
Varnhem Abbey, at Varnhem, Västrägötland, Sweden, is about eight and a half miles east of Skara. Our ancestor Hans Månsson was deported to New Sweden (Delaware) because he chopped branches off several trees in the Royal Garden at Varnhem Abbey. Originally a Catholic monastery, Varnhem Abbey was founded by the Cistercian Order in A.D. 1148, and several medieval Swedish kings and rulers are interred there. Beginning in 1527, however, the abbey and all other ecclesiastical lands were stolen from the Catholic Church by King Gustav I Vasa, who had decided to replace Swedish Catholicism with a new religion entirely controlled by the king while enriching his treasury with stolen goods. -- Photograph by Harri Blomberg
A fuller account of Hans Mansson's life is told in "Hans Månsson and his Steelman Family," by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, was published in Swedish Colonial News, Vol. 1, No. 10 (Fall 1994). Here follows Craig's account of Hans' life:
Hans Månsson chose to go to New Sweden with alacrity. His alternative was death by hanging.
In the autumn of 1640, a young trooper called Hans Månsson from Hanaskede, Skaraborgs län, Sweden, entered the Crown's garden at the monastery in Varnhem "and there ruined six of the best apple trees and two of the best cherry trees in order to obtain material for some mane combs." At his sentencing on 31 May 1641 he was given the choice of being sent to New Sweden with his wife and children or of going to the gallows.
Born about 1612, Hans Månsson was not yet 30 years old when he departed from Göteborg on either the Kalmar Nyckel or the Charitas in July 1641. It is probable that his wife and children accompanied him, although no later reference to them has been found. Arriving in New Sweden in November, Hans served for at least five years as a convict laborer before gaining his freedom. He then settled on a tract of land on the west side of the Delaware known as Aronameck with Peter Jochimsson, a former Swedish soldier who married Ella Stille, daughter of Olof Stille.
In 1653 Hans Månsson joined Peter Jochimsson and 20 other freemen in signing a petition to Governor Printz raising objections to the harshness of his rule. Printz labeled the petition a "mutiny" and then abruptly returned to Sweden. When Governor Rising arrived in 1654 to assume command, both Hans and Peter joined other freemen in pledging their allegiance.
Peter Jochimsson then agreed to go to New Amsterdam to deliver a letter of friendship from Rising to Governor Stuyvesant and to bring back the Dutch governor's reply. However, Peter became ill in Manhattan and died there in the summer of 1654, leaving the young widow Ella and their two infant children, Peter and Elizabeth. Hans Månsson, then 42, married Ella Stille, then 20, and started his second family.
Hans Månsson became a respected leader of the up-river Swedes living within the jurisdiction of the "Swedish Nation," later known as the Upland Court. He succeeded Sven Skute as captain of the militia and served as spokesman for settlers in his area who in 1660 successfully opposed Stuyvesant's plan for them to move to a single, fortified village. His 1100-acre plantation fronted on the Schuylkill between present Woodlands Cemetery and about 60th Street and extended westward as far as Cobb's Creek.
In the mid-1670s, Hans Månsson also became the first white settler on Pennsauken Creek in present Burlington County. He moved permanently to this site by 1681 when he sold his Aronameck plantation to his stepson, Peter Petersson Yocum. Hans returned to Pennsylvania on occasion. On 25 June 1684, at the request of William Penn, Hans Månsson, aged "72 years or thereabouts," joined Peter Cock, 74, and Peter Rambo, 72, in signing an affidavit relating facts designed to show that Lord Baltimore recognized the right of New Sweden to occupy lands on the Delaware.
Hans Månsson died at Senamensing, Burlington County, about 1691. In the following year his property was taxed to "Widow Hance."
By 1693 Hans Månsson's widow and his six sons (known as Hansson, or sons of Hans) adopted the surname of Steelman, undoubtedly derived from her maiden name of Stille. Old Ella Steelman, born in Sweden, was buried in Gloucester County, N.J., 22 Jan. 1718, at the age of 83.
Ella's known children, all but the first two born to Hans Månsson, were:
1. Peter Petersson Yocum, born 1652, who married Judith Jonasdotter, daughter of Jonas Nilsson of Kingsessing, in 1676 and had ten children, seven of them sons, before his death at Aronameck in 1702.
2. Elizabeth Petersdotter, born 1654, who married John Ogle, an English soldier. They resided on White Clay Creek in New Castle County and had two sons before Ogle's death in 1684. She died in the early 1690s.
3. John Hansson Steelman, born 1655, moved to New Castle County by 1687 and married Maria, daughter of John Andersson Stalcop. Moving to Cecil County, MD, by 1693 he became an Indian trader and died in present Adams County, PA, in 1749. He had at least two sons, possibly more.
4. Christiern Hansson Steelman followed his brother John to New Castle County. By 1708 he was the second husband of Mary Cann, a Quaker, widow of James Claypoole, Jr. Thereafter, until at least 1737, Christiern was an active communicant at Holy Trinity Church. Children, if any, are unknown.
5. James Hansson Steelman married Susannah Toy by 1690. In 1695 he acquired lands at Great Egg Harbor in the area of present Atlantic City. He died in 1734, survived by six sons and two daughters.
6. Peter Hansson Steelman, born c. 1674, married Gertrude Keen, daughter of Hans Keen, c. 1695. He, too, acquired lands in the Atlantic City area, where he died after 1737, survived by five sons and two known daughters.
7. Charles Hansson Steelman, born 1679, married Anna, daughter of Anthony Nilsson, c. 1702. He died six years later at Senamensing in Burlington County, N.J., survived by one son and two daughters, all of whom moved to New Castle County.
8. Eric Hansson Steelman, born 1681, married Brigitta [parents not identified] and acquired land in Gloucester County, N.J., from Gustaf Lock in 1715. He died of smallpox in 1731, survived by two sons and four daughters.
It is not unlikely that Ella Stille, who was bearing children for almost 30 years (1652-1681) had additional daughters who have not been identified.
A short genealogical essay entitled, "Hans Månsson in America," at SteelmanGenealogy.com, informs us that, "The only tangible reminder that we have of Hans Månsson and Ella Stille are the marks that Hans Månsson made on two affidavits given on January 11, 1683 and June 25, 1684. These statements were used by William Penn before the Lords of Trade, in London, England, in September of 1685 to successfully defend a claim on a portion of Pennsylvania by Lord Baltimore."
Hans Månsson's mark, circa 1683.
From SteelmanGenealogy.com
One of Hans' male-line American descendants, Sanford Steelman, traveled to Sweden in 2002 to see the places where Hans Månsson and his Stille ancestors lived. In the summary of his trip, Steelman wrote, ". . . The next day we made the long drive from Stockholm to Skara, in central Sweden. This is the area where Hans Månsson lived. We then travelled to Varnhem Abbey, where Hans Mansson cut down the fruit trees. For this crime, he was deported to America. This resulted in all of the Steelmans now living in America rather than in Europe. Through the efforts of our guide and the librarian at the Skara library, we were able to contact Colonel Mac Catoni, the present owner of Hanaskede. In the Court proceedings, Hans Månsson is referred to as 'Hans Månsson i Hanaskede.' Colonel Catoni graciously agreed to let us visit him, and took us around the farm. Colonel Catoni told us that portions of the current manor house date back to the early 1800s, long after Hans Månsson left for America. However, he indicated that the presenthouse was probably built upon the site of an earlier farmhouse."
The known and probable children of Hans Månsson by his two wives were:
-- MANS HANSSON, born in Västrägötland, Sweden.
-- GERTRUDE [HANSSON?] (probable daughter), born circa 1650 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, died 13 Oct. 1738 in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, married four times.
-- JOHAN HANSSON STEELMAN ("John"), born 1655 in New Sweden (Delaware), died 1749 in Adams County, Pennsylvania, married Maria Stalcop.
5. JÖNS HANSSON STEELMAN ("James"), born circa 1665 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey.
-- CHRISTIERN HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1670 in Grays Ferry, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, died 1739 in New Castle, Delaware, married Mary Cann Claypoole.
-- PETER HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1674 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died 1762 in Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Gertrude Keen.
-- CHARLES HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1679 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died 1708 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, married Anna Nelson (Nilsson).
-- ERIC HANSSON STEELMAN, born 1681 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died 10 May 1731 in Swedesboro, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Brita (NN).
5. JÖNS HANSSON STEELMAN ("James"), son of Hans Månsson and Ella Olofsdotter Stille, born circa 1665 in Senamensing, Burlington County, New Jersey, died before 4 Jan. 1735 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey. Jöns, known among his English-speaking neighbors as "James," is known to have married twice. His first wife, whom he married either in 1690 or by 1691 in Gloucester County, New Jersey, was a fellow New Sweden colonist named SUSANNAH TOY, born circa 1666 in Great Egg Harbor, Atlantic County, New Jersey, died between circa 1706 and 1708 in Great Egg Harbor, Atlantic County, New Jersey, daughter of Jan and Christina Toy. James and Susannah had five sons and two daughters. More than 20 years after Susannah's death, James remarried on 3 June 1730 in Gloucester County, New Jersey, to KATHERINE OUSTER, born circa 1680, by whom he had one child, a son.
This sketch of James Steelman's life is found at the Descendants of Founders of New Jersey website:
James Hansson Steelman (a.k.a. Jöns Hansson), the son of Captain Hans and “Ella” Månsson was born in Aronameck, PA, between 1660-1670. He married Susannah Toy in 1690 in Gloucester, New Jersey and was recorded living in Sinamensing (Cinnaminson Twp.), Burlington County, New Jersey, in 1693. On 12 June 1700, at the consecration of the Gloria Dei Church at Wicaco (present day Philadelphia), James Steelman and his wife along with several other church members represented the Sinamensing District (Pennsauken Creek area that included the Great & Little Egg Harbor). On 10 November 1695, James purchased several land parcels totaling 500 acres near Great Egg Harbor from Thomas Budd and moved his wife and family, along with his brother Peter and his wife Gertrude Keen, to this area. During James Steelman’s lifetime in what is now the present day Absecon Beach, Somers Point area, he and his wife had six sons and two daughters. [sic - the 6th son was born of James' 2nd wife] James became a prominent citizen and held various positions within the County of Gloucester. On 1 June 1696 he was elected “Overseer” of highway from Egg Harbor towards Gloucester, and again on 2 September 1700 “Overseer” of the road from Township Weymouth to a place called "Penny Post.” In 1718 James was appointed as one of the Trustees of Egg Harbor. From 1694 to 1734, James purchased and traded many large parcels of property around the Somers Point area, and upon his death he held over 600 acres and had an inventoried wealth of approximately £328 listed in his will.
The following research notes on James Steelman's life -- found at the "My Son Adam's Family" database -- are derived in part from the article, "Hans Månsson and his Steelman Family," by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, which was published in Swedish Colonial News, Vol. 1, No. 10 (Fall 1994):
James Hansson Steelman married Susannah Toy by 1690. In 1695 he acquired lands at Great Egg Harbor in the area of present Atlantic City. He died in 1734, survived by six sons and two daughters. He purchased 500 acres of land in Great Egg Harbor in 1695 from Thomas Budd. He also purchased 200 acres of land on Patconck Creek from James Adams and Judah Allen of Burlington Co., NJ, which was left to his youngest son Peter in his will. James also owned a considerable part of Absecon Beach (now Atlantic City). Among the list of charter members of the Gloria Dei Church were Ella Steelman, widow of Hans Månsson, Jöns Steelman and wife Susannah Toy, Peter Steelman and wife Gertrude Keen of Sinamensing District (Pennsauken Creek, NJ -- including Great and Little Egg Harbor) WILL: proved January 10, 1734/5, leaving home plantation to son Peter, which bounded Pattcunk's Creek, mentioned the 200 acres of land he bought from James Adams and Judah Allen, as well as swamps, beach and land bought of Peter Scull.
James' will also shows that he was a slave-owner, for he bequeathed his African slaves to his children. Craig's 1994 article also lists James' children by his two wives as well as his grandchildren. Another list of James' children is found in the final article Craig wrote before his death in 2009, "The Toy and King Families of Senamensing, New Jersey," published posthumously in Swedish Colonial News, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Summer 2010), pages 2, 4-5, 15. The list of James Steelman's children is found on page 15. The article concludes with a paragraph on James' will, which was written 2 Aug. 1734 and proved 4 Jan. 1735. "His personal estate was values at £322, included cattle and sheep valued at £122," Craig wrote.
The known children of James Hansson Steelman by his two wives were:
-- ANDREW STEELMAN, born 1691 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1737 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Judith (NN).
-- SUSANNAH STEELMAN, born 1693 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 9 Nov. 1753, married John Keen.
-- HANS STEELMAN ("Hance"), born circa 1697 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1760 in Greenwich Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Alice (Elsa) Jones.
-- JOHN STEELMAN, born circa 1699 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1762 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
6. JAMES STEELMAN JR., born circa 1701 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- ELIAS STEELMAN, born circa 1703 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1739 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Sarah Lake.
-- MARY STEELMAN, born circa 1706 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married twice.
-- PETER STEELMAN, born 13 June 1730 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1775 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Sarah (NN).
6. JAMES STEELMAN JR., son of James and Susannah Steelman, born circa 1701 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1784 in Great Egg Harbor, Gloucester County, New Jersey. James' wife was a woman named REBECCA JONES, daughter of John and Catharine Jones. They had two sons and five daughters. The late Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig, in his article, "The Toy and King Families of Senamensing, New Jersey," published posthumously in Swedish Colonial News, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Summer 2010), page 15, offers the following information on James and his family: "5. James Steelman, Jr., born c. 1701, married Rebecca Jones, sister of Hans Steelman's wife Elsa, they had sons James and John and five daughters -- Susannah, Catherine, Rebecca, Mary Ann and Sarah. He died at Great Egg Harbor in 1784."
Thus, the children of James and Rebecca Steelman were:
-- JAMES STEELMAN, born in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, married Katherine Kean.
-- JOHN STEELMAN, born in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- SUSANNAH STEELMAN, born in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- CATHERINE STEELMAN, born in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- REBECCA STEELMAN JR., born in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
7. MARYANN STEELMAN, born circa 1740 in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- SARAH STEELMAN, born in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
7. MARYANN STEELMAN ("Maryan," "Marion"), daughter of James and Rebecca Steelman, born circa 1740 in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1820 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. On 3 Jan. 1760 in Tanners Brook, Great Egg Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, Maryann married ISAAC SOMERS SR., born 15 Feb. 1736 in Great Egg Harbor Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 15 April 1813 in Burlington County, New Jersey, son of James and Abigail Somers. The date of Isaac's birth is noted in the 1693-1837 records of the Quakers' Great Egg Harbor Monthly Meeting, as follows: "Isaac Somers son of James Somers was born the 15 of the 2 month 1736." Maryann and Isaac had four sons and four daughters.
Isaac made his will in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, on 28 Dec. 1809. His will was proved the same day as his death, 15 April 1813. An abstract of Isaac's will may be found in Documents Relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey, XII, 350 --
"1809, Dec. 28. Somers, Isaac, of Galloway Twsp., Gloucester Co; will of. Wife, Maryan, residue of personal estate after debits are paid; also house and lot whereon I live at Tanner's Brook, during life. Two grandsons, Isaac and Enock (sons of my dec'd son, Enock). 1/4 part of land where I formerly lived, i.e., the part between my sons Isaac and Joseph's shares, and if either of them should die without issue, same to their three sisters, Silvey, Judith and Susanna. After death of my wife, house and lot to be sold and proceeds divided between Thomas Somers (son of my daughter, Milicent Somers, dec'd). James Risley (son of my daughter, Mary Given, late Mary Risley), and two daughters, Rebeckah Conover and Sarah Gandy. Executors -- son, James, and son-in-law Job Conover. Witnesses -- Matthews Collins, Alexander Hughs, John Doughty."
The children of Isaac and Maryann Somers were:
-- JAMES SOMERS, born in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- ENOCH SOMERS, born circa 1761 in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey.
-- JOSEPH SOMERS, born circa 1765 in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died 1859, married Rebecca Risley.
-- ISAAC SOMERS JR., born 20 Aug. 1767 in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died between 19 Aug. 1826 and 15 Feb. 1827 in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, md. Susanna Conover.
-- MILLICENT SOMERS, born in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, died before 28 Dec. 1809 in New Jersey, married (NN) Somers.
-- REBECCA SOMERS, born circa 1771 in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married Job Conover.
-- MARY SOMERS, born in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married 1st (NN) Risley, married 2nd (NN) Given.
-- SARAH SOMERS, born in Galloway Township, Gloucester County, New Jersey, married (NN) Gandy.
Steelman Genealogy Resources:
"Varnhems Klosterkyrka" A Brief History of New Sweden in America The Swedish Colonial Society The 1693 Census of the Swedes on the Delaware, Chapter 2: The Wicaco Congregation, by Dr. Peter Stebbins Craig. Steelman Genealogy Descendants of Founders of New Jersey: James Steelman (Jöns Mansson) WikiTree: Jöns Hansson Steelman, with information on and links to ancestors, wife, children, and grandchildren.