Montour-Lackawanna County PA Archives Biographies.....STEANS, William I. unknown - living in 1899
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  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)
  
  
  
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