Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 909
JOHN STEEN

John STEEN came to Harrison County, the latter part of March, 1856, and settled near Mondamin, and has been a resident of the county ever since. A man who has tilled the soil of Harrison County for twenty-six years is justly entitled to space in this connection for a biographical notice.

He was born in Pike County, Ohio, April 28, 1830, and is the son of William and Sarah (SAILOR) STEEN. His great-grandfather, William STEEN, was a native of Scotland and emigrated to our shores about 1758, settling at Lynchburg, Va., where he spent the remainder of his days. He reared four sons, among whom was John, the grandfather of our subject, who was born in Lynchburg in 1761, married and reared a family of four children -- Archibald, Robert, Sarah and William, the father of our subject, who was also born in Lynchburg, the date of his birth being October 24, 1804, and when eight years of age accompanies his parents to Ohio, settling on the Big Darby River, where they lived for some years and then removed to Jackson County, Ohio, where William, father of our subject, married Sarah SAILOR, of Pike County, about 1827. About 1835 John (the grandfather) removed to Chicago, took a claim and later removed to Vermillion County, Ill., where he remained until the date of his death, 1848. William STEEN, father of our subject, remained in Pike County, Ohio, after his marriage and worked at the carpenter trade until September, 1848, and then with horse teams emigrated to Polk County, Iowa, halted two years, then removed to Decatur County where he lived on a farm until his death in 1881, his wife dying April 11, 1889, aged eighty-two years; they were parents of ten children.

Our subject remained at home until twenty-two years of age, when he commenced working on the farm by the month, continued three years and then bought land in Decatur County, Iowa. In November, 1858, he was married to Jerusha A. BIRD, a native of Illinois, and the daughter of Robert M. and Isabel (CAMPBELL) BIRD, remained in her native State until she came to Harrison County. Mr. and Mrs. STEEN are the parents of the following children: Almeda, born November 4, 1859; Edwin, January 10, 1861; Willis, April 11, 1862; Joseph A., October 28, 1863; Amanda I., April 11, 1866; William E., April 22, 1869; Elintha A., May 15, 1870; Ada I., February 29, 1872; Serenus, January 4, 1877, Franklin B., July 4, 1880; and John, April 20, 1885.

Aleda married O. S. WADSWORTH and lives in Taylor Township; Willis married R. ARNOLD and lived in Magnolia Township; Amanda J. married John BAKER and lives in Calhoun Township; Elintha A. married John HILLIS and lives in Jackson Township; William E. married Leonora JEWELL.

Politically our subject affiliates with the Democratic party.

The first year Mr. STEEN lived in this couty he rented a farm of eighty acres which the same year he bought and lived upon three years, and then sold the same to F. M. BROOKS and removed to what is now known as the KELLOGG farm, remained there three years and bought sixty-three acres on section 19, Calhoun Township, upon which there was a three-room house and ten acres of breaking. After four years he sold this place for $1,000, rented land one year, and in the autumn of 1875 removed to Decatur, Iowa, remained over winter and then removed to Harrison County, Mo., where he raised one crop and in August of the same year returned to Calhoun Township, this county, rented land one year and in February, 1878, bought a farm in St. John's Township, north of Missouri Valley, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres of improved land. He was there two years and in March, 1880, sold and bought one hundred acres on which he lived, situated on section 30, of Calhoun Township. He paid $22 per acre for the land, which was under cultivation but without any other improvements. He fenced the farm, erected a commodious farmhouse and remained in the place ten years, when he moved to a one hundred and twenty-acre farm on section 18, which he had bought in June, 1886, and upon which he now lives. His place is well improved and has a good house and an orchard of one hundred and sixty trees and about twenty acres under the plow, and one hundred acres in pasture.

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