Montour-Lackawanna County PA Archives Biographies.....STEANS, William I. unknown - living in 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com July 2, 2005, 2:22 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. REV. WILLIAM I. STEANS, pastor of the Mahoning Presbyterian Church of Danville, Pa., is an earnest and conscientious laborer in the vineyard of the Master and is held in high estimation by his parishioners. The church of which our subject is now pastor dates back to 1778 or 1779, when Gen. William Montgomery raised enough money by subscription to have a minister journey to and preach in the old log-house which stood where the Grove Church now stands. In 1786 a congregation was organized and two sermons were preached every Sunday, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. There was neither stove nor fireplace in the old log church, and, as there was a pit in the center of the church, a charcoal fire was built to heat it; the noon-hour was spent in lunching and late in the afternoon the second sermon was preached. The ground upon which this log church stood consisted of three and seven-tenths acres and was purchased September 8, 1775, at a cost of £5. In 1826 the church was torn down and a brick building erected. The following ministers had charge of this church from 1826 to 1850: Rev. Hugh Morrison, Rev. John Bryson, Rev. Asa Dunham, Rev. John B. Patterson, Rev. David M. Holliday, and Rev. John W. Yeomans, all of whom were local preachers. In 1850 the congregation of this church numbered 325, and, being so large, its members decided to abandon the old church and erect a new one. Accordingly, in 1853, the old church was sold and the present one erected, and it was dedicated November 16, 1854, and sermons were preached by Rev. William Plumer, Rev. Sinonton, and Rev. David M. Holliday. A few of the members, who resided near the old site, organized a new congregation which is still in existence and is called the Grove Presbyterian Church. The Mahoning Presbyterian Church is located on Ferry street and is a handsome structure. The society has the largest congregation of any church in Danville. Since 1865 the following ministers have successively been pastor of this church: Rev. Dr. Yeomans; Rev. William E. I. Ijames; [sic] Rev. Alexander B. Jackson; Rev. Thomas R. Beeber; Rev. R. L. Stewart; and the present pastor, W. I. Steans. The ruling elders are: Josiah Reed, James Oglesby, H. M. Hinckley, R. B. Voris, David Shelhart, Samuel Bailey H. B. Schultz and H. H. Furman. Our subject was born March 20, 1854, and is a son of William Steans and a grandson of John Steans, who came from Leicestershire, Eng., to this country while a young man; he located in Buffalo Valley, Northampton County, Pa., and was one of the prominent farmers of his day. He died at the age of seventy-eight years. His wife was Agnes Bovard and they were the parents of six children, namely: William, the father of our subject; Catherine; Jane; Hannah; Nancy; and Sarah. William Steans followed the vocation of an agriculturist all his life on the old homestead. He married Caroline Irwin, a daughter of William Irwin, a native of North Ireland. Four children blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Steans, namely: John C, a practicing physician of Mifflinburg, Pa.; William I., our subject; Jennie R.; and Ralph, also a physician. Rev. William I. Steans acquired a good education in the Columbia Seminary, was then graduated from Lafayette College in 1879, and later entered the Theological Seminary of Princeton, and was graduated with the class of 1882. He immediately began his service for God and humanity in his first field of labor, the Washburn Street Presbyterian Church at Scranton, Pa. On June 1, 1891, he took charge of his present pastorate, in which he has been very successful, and his zealous efforts for the good and betterment of the community have been crowned with the best of results. His labors are well planned and he is able to get through with a large amount of work because of the several years of experience he has had in the religious field. Broad in his views, sincere and outspoken in his attitude on living questions that concern the lives and welfare of the people, and zealous and earnest in all that he sets his hand and his heart to, Rev. Mr. Steans is a man whose influence is felt on all sides, one who will leave a lasting impression on the community in which he so zealously labors. Our subject, some time ago, was united in marriage to Jennie Wells, a daughter of C. H. Wells of Scranton, Pa. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899) This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 5.0 Kb