St Landry-St Martin County Louisiana Archives Biographies.....Steen, Hilaire Elias 1780 - July 15, 1859 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Toni Linn http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006041 February 16, 2012, 6:40 am Source: Linn Family Papers Author: Toni R. Linn Hilaire Elias Steen is my 4th great grandfather and my sister and I had been searching for this line for many years. Thanks to several people for sharing hints with us, we found him! Hilaire Elias Steen - or Elias as he was most often referred to - was born about 1780 in Pennsylvania and died “on or about” 15 July 1859 at his plantation on the Bayou Vermilion, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana. This is per his succession record #1646 filed in the court house of St. Martin Parish on 9 August 1859. It should be noted that Elias is said to have “been of Pennsylvania” and also “of Kentucke” [Kentucky] in the Southwest Louisiana Records book. This may mean that he was born in Pennsylvania, but his family moved to Kentucky when he was a small child and either Elias or his family then moved to Louisiana. Many people have Elias' death date as 9 August 1859 which was actually a date found on one of his succession (probate) records, but his succession records specifically indicates that he died “on or about July 15, 1859” at “his residence on the Bayou Vermilion”. He was the son of John Steen (c1760- ) and Eugenie 'Jenny' NEAL (c1762- ) – both of German descent as referenced in the Southwest Louisiana Records book which also indcated that Elias’ father, John, was supposed to “be of Pennsylvania” as was his wife, Jenny. Elias also had a brother that had moved to Louisiana - John Steen (c1781-1819). John Steen “Jr.” died on 13 June 1819 in Ouachita Parish, Louisiana (per John’s succession record). John actually had two brief successions – one in Ouachita Parish (no number but dated 23 December 1819) and one in St. Martin Parish (#492 dated 5 October 1823). The relationship between the two men is confirmed in various succession records including the succession of John Jr.’s daughter, Lucinda STEEN, which indicated her “nearest relatives” as the sons of Hilaire Elias Steen (his sons were named). Lucinda’s succession also indicated that her grandchildren were cousins of the children of Hilaire. In addition, there was only one family with the surname of Steen in the area of St. Landry and St. Martin Parishes during the time frame that Elias and John started to show up on various records (in the very early 1800's). There was a Stine family in the same area, but we know from records that this Stine family descended from a John Stine who came from Germany, stopped over in Pennsylvania and then came to Louisiana. However, we also believe that there may be a connection between the Steen and Stine families and that they are possibly the same family line but with a different spelling. Furthermore, Elias' name appears on a notice of public sale of John's plantation after John's death in 1819 as reads in part as follows: “The public is notified that on Wednesday, November 5, all the property dependent upon the succession of the deceased John Steen, as well as the community property between him and his widow, will be sold at Mr. Elias Steen’s residence on Bayou Fusilier to the highest bidder.” Elias married Catherine STELLY on 7 April 1809 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana – also of German descent [per the Southwest Louisiana Records]. Elias' name appears in Catherine's succession records after her death in October 1856 which further confirms their marriage. Catherine STELLY was born in 1793 in Opelousas, Louisiana and died on 11 October 1856 at their plantation residence on the Bayou Vermilion in Saint Martin Parish (per Catherine’s succession record #1545 dated 20 October 1856 and filed in the Saint Martin court house). She was the daughter of Jean Baptiste Stelly and Marie Magdaleine RITTER. Elias and Catherine had the following children: Lucille 'Lucy' (1810-1844), Augustine (1812-aft 1880), Marie Arsene 'Mary' (1814-1858), Emelie (1816-1817), Elaisa 'Eliza' (1818-1859), Elias (1821-1827), Catherine Minerva (1824-1923), Jean Baptiste 'John' (1827-1862), Felice 'Philise' (1830-bef 1856), Sidney (1832-1913) and Wesley (1832-aft 1900) – the last two children, Sidney and Wesley were twins. Elias and Catherine appeared on the following census records: 1810 - Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana 1820 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana 1830 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana 1840 - St. Martin Parish, Louisiana 1850 - Grand Pointe Twp, St. Martin Parish, Louisiana Elias grew sugar cane on his plantation which is apparent given that he appeared on the following Louisiana Sugar Census Indexes: 1850 - Bayou Teche R Side, St. Martin Parish 1851 - Bayou Fusilier, St. Martin Parish 1852 - Bayou Teche, St. Martin Parish 1854 - Bayou Teche R Side, St. Martin Parish 1856 - Bayou Teche, St. Martin Parish 1857 - Bayou Teche R Side, St. Martin Parish 1858 - Bayou Teche R Side, St. Martin Parish 1859 - Bayou Teche R Side, St. Martin Parish On 28 April 1808, Elias is mentioned in a lawsuit Miale ~vs~ Steen - "Calendar of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, Civil Records, Volume 1, 1803-1819" of case "MIALE (?) vs STEEN," [2] with mention of James Murphy. Elias was being sued for payment, yet he indicated he was owed money by the plaintiff. Again in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish on 2 April 1810, Elias once again found himself involved in yet another court case. This time it was Benjamin Smith ~vs~ Elias Steen - in "Calendar of St. Landry Parish, Louisia, Civil Records, Volume 1, 1803-1819" of case "Benjamin SMITH vs Elias STEEN, Accounts, petition and order to St. Landry Parish Sheriff to demand judgment from STEEN." [13] owed $63.75. On 15 February 1811 in St. Landry Parish, Elias decided to go after Benjamin Smith for payment. Elias told the court that Benjamin Smith owed him $478 for “sundry work done on Smith's home” including framing, windows, etc. A summons was given to Smith in February 1811 requesting payment (several requests were made). On 23 April 1811, the Orleans Court demanded payment from Elias to Benjamin Smith. Benjamin Smith had apparently won his 1810 court case against Elias and the Commonwealth of Orleans court ordered the sheriff of St. Landry to demand payment of Elias of $21.37 which covered attorney, taxes & ??. The sheriff was told to take Elias' personal effects, except slaves, if Elias didn't pay. Elias extended his payment just a bit, but did pay up on 28 April 1811. In 1812, Elias joined and served in the War of 1812 as a Corporal in the 16th Regiment of Thompson's Militia, Louisiana. Years later – in 1855 - Elias was rewarded for his service in the War of 1812 and given 162 acres of land in Vermilion Parish in Section 19 of Township 12 South, Range 3 East via a land bounty deed. This property was later mentioned in his wife's succession papers as part of their community property. His land bounty record is found on the Bureau of Land Management (certificate dated 10 September 1850, #41763). On 15 Feb 1817, Elias purchased 698 superficial arpents (approximately 590 acres) from Seth Lewis and William Turner in St. Martin Parish. The land was located on the east side of the Vermilion with the property's southern border being on the St. Martin/Lafayette Parish lines. This land purchase is found in the Conveyance Records of Attakapas County, 1804-1818. The property was located in Section 38, Township 8 South, Range 5 East and had been previously owned by Patrick Morgan and Daniel Clark. However, the property had originally been owned by Gabrielle de la Fusilier who had purchased it from the Attakapas Indians in November 1766. The property just south of Elias’ land was owned by Louis Richard, Sr. and Louis Richard, Jr. – father and son. Their property was in present-day Lafayette Parish. After the death of his father-in-law, Jean Baptiste Stelly in 1813, Elias sold to his brother-in-law, Jean Baptiste Stelly, Jr. the land that his wife, Catherine STELLY, had inherited from her father, Jean Baptiste Sr. who had actually allowed his adult children to take possession of the land prior to his death. In his succession, Jean Baptiste had indicated that the children were given the land and “had been settled upon it and made improvements.” This land was located in Township 7 South, Range 4 East in Grand Coteau, Saint Landry Parish on the north side of the Bayou Bourbeau (now spelled as Bourbeux). Catherine had also inherited an equal interest in property that was held in community by all of the heirs of Jean Baptiste Stelly, Sr. On 1 March 1817, Elias sold both the land Catherine had inherited and her interest in the community property to her brother, Jean Baptiste Stelly, Jr. for a total of $1,800.00. This could have been in preparation for their move to the property he had purchased in February 1817 in Saint Martin Parish on the Bayou Vermilion. All together, the various Stelly family members owned a minimum of 1,382.27 arpents in the area of Grand Coteau. In addition, Jean Baptiste Stelly Sr.’s brothers also owned large plantations in the area. Catherine’s father had received a Spanish Land Grant on 23 June 1781 for 800 arpents of land in the area of Opelousas, Louisiana. His property was next to his brother, Francois Stelly, who had received a grant for 240 arpents. Their brother, Jean George Stelly, had received a grant for 1,600 arpents on the Vermilion River in Attakapas. On 2 October 1820, Elias found himself back in court, but this time I believe he was a witness as follows: “The St. Landry Parish: Court Records Minutes, Monday 2 Oct 1820, The court met Present George King Esquire Judge page 81 #932 Knox vs Provost: Final judgment against the defendant for the sum of $130, with 5% interest from 14th Jun 1820 and costs of suit. (Elius Steen sworn).” Although Elias had purchased property in St. Martin Parish on the Bayou Vermilion, it appears that as of 5 October 1823, he was still living on property that bordered the Bayou Fusilier (which was approximately 13 miles due north from his plantation/land on the Bayou Vermilion). Residence on the Bayou Fusilier was based on the record mentioned above for his brother John Steen per the succession papers of John Steen]. Three years after John died, a notice to the public was issued on 5 October 1823 that indicated there would be a public sale of John's plantation. The notice, which is in French, stated that 'Elias Steen' had a 'dwelling' on the Bayou Fusilier. The year 1827 gives us a clue to the name of Elias' plantation which I believe was Oak Hill Plantation. This is based on a letter that Elias wrote to John Close in 1827 in which he wrote “Oak Hill” and the date at the top of his letter. I believe that meant he was sending it from his plantation (Oak Hill) to John Close’s plantation which was named Petit Bois Plantation which was northeast of Elias’ plantation on the Vermilion. Elias' letter is in a historical collection of John Close's paperwork. After 1827, Elias' name appeared on various lawsuits, census and sugar index records, and slave schedules. When Elias’ wife, Catherine, died in October 1856, there were 50 slaves that were listed as 'community property' meaning 'property' owned by her and Elias together as a result of their marriage. Also mentioned in the succession record was the location of their plantation, the names of their children (with the exception of the three who died young), and other inventory belonging to the community property. To give an idea of how wealthy they were, we can first look at the size of their plantation which was listed as approximately 700 arpents. While there were other plantations that exceeded this size, many were much smaller (80 arpents or 160 arpents or a similar size) so a plantation measuring 700 arpents was a very good size plantation. When Catherine died, her estate was valued at $70,557.60, which in 2011 dollars would equal $1,743,478.30. Because of Louisiana's forced heirship laws (which mandate that half of the deceased's estate go to their children and the other half to the remaining spouse), Elias received half of the community property upon Catherine’s death and his children received the other half (equally divided). Since one of their adult married daughters was deceased when Catherine died (this was Lucille), Lucille’s minor children inherited her part in her mother’s estate. Having had to divide up his estate and give half of the community property to his children caused the value of Elias estate to be somewhat less than his wife’s when he died in July 1859. His estate was valued at $34,943.06 (after all debts had been paid), which in 2011 dollars would equal $863,443.01. Elias had apparently been sick for about two years prior to his death. At one point in 1857, he had sold his property to a couple of his sons, but for some reason, two months later, he had canceled the sale, given them back their money and took back the property. The court records indicate that he “was too ill to sign.” At the time of Elias’ death in July 1859, two more of his adult married daughters had died – Marie Arsene and Elaisa ‘Eliza’. Their share in their father’s estate went to their minor children as listed in Elias’ succession. After Elias' death his plantation was sold at a public estate sale in September 1859 to two of his son's-in-law, Sidney and Wesley Singleton – brothers who had married his daughters Lucille and Marie, respectively. Sidney and Wesley purchased Elias’ plantation at a probate sale on 1 September 1859 at a cost of $24,654.01. They were due to make three equal payments starting on the first of April 1860 and continuing each April 1st until the final payment in 1862. It was the sale of this plantation to the Singleton brothers that led to a court case that went all the way to the Louisiana Supreme Court in June 1871. After purchasing the plantation (which was located adjacent – north of - to the plantation owned by Sidney Singleton), the brothers wanted to pay their final payment to the heirs on 1 April 1862 in Confederate currency. However, given that Confederate currency was either not as stable as currency issued by the United States government or was losing value due to the Civil War, the heirs declined Confederate currency. Rather than make their final payment, the Singleton brothers dragged out payment until after the 1871 Supreme Court decision ruling against them. By the time of the court’s decision, Wesley Singleton had died on 9 December 1869 so payment fell solely to the responsibility of Sidney Singleton. Whether he ever made the payment is unknown as we cannot find any records after the Louisiana Supreme Court decision. According to the Louisiana Supreme Court, the heirs of Hilaire Elias Steen had the right to refuse payment in Confederate currency, which they did. Apparently Sidney and Wesley Singleton refused to make their final payment(s) and a court case ensued. We don't know the date of these initial court cases, but we do know that at least one of the cases was held in 1866 before the case finally ended up before the Louisiana State Supreme Court in 1871. That was one clue as to how we knew there was an earlier court case because in order to make it to the Louisiana Supreme Court, there had to have been at least one prior court case. What was also interesting about this court case was that it appeared that only the heirs of Elias’ deceased daughter, Elaisa ‘Eliza’ STEEN Jeansonne/Johnson Callis brought suit against the Singleton brothers. Does this mean that they had paid the other heirs their money and not Elaisa’s heirs? Or does this mean that the other heirs had accepted Confederate currency, while Elaisa’s had declined it? Her heirs were living in Tennessee during and after the Civil War – did that make a difference as to their refusal to accept Confederate currency? So while we cannot give specifics as to Elias' personality, his life, etc. we do know this - he must have been a hard worker and intelligent as he probably came to Louisiana without much, but when he died, he had amassed wealth and land and he provided for his children and grandchildren after his death. Additional Comments: This is a biography I wrote for our family on the descendants of Elias Laster whose wife, Mary War Nan JEANSONNE/JOHNSON Laster was the granddaughter of Hilaire Elias Steen and Catherine Stelly. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/stlandry/bios/steen173gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 16.9 Kb