Christopher Stihl ¹

  Noted events in his life were:

• Will. The final account of Christ Steel's estate by Charles Dorsey and John Grabell, acting executors.

STEEL, CHRISTOPHER Frederick City, MD - MD-11-2-275

• Religion: apparently Church of the Brethren (Dunkard) from indications in COB writings, Bef 1782, Frederick County, Maryland, USA. In the book "Church of the Singing Hills" the following is chronicled: "Between 1774 and 1785 many Brethren suffered injustices; some were imprisoned and a few were killed for their belief in the New Testament teachings.

Dunkers in Pennsylvania and Maryland suffered much for their stand against bearing arms. Many of them were taken to prisons near Charlottsville, Virginia, a Camp Crozier (near the present village of Crozier, VA) (Society of Germans, Vol 7-12, p. 142)

In Maryland the Brethren fared better than they did in Pennsylvania, for in a draft of a letter to the Committee of Observation dated July 6, 1776, the Convention, assembled at Annapolis, gave some freedom to the Mennonites and Dunkers who would not bear arms or go to the military camps for the drill and muster into the armed forces. The Convention lightened the Brethren's fines, etc. However those who were leaders were placed under very heavy fines.

Some of the Brethren who were arrested and fined are listed in the History of the Church of the Brethren in Maryland, by Dr. J.M. Henry are familiar to us: Schlieffer, Steel, Wine, Danner, Garver.

Christopher Steel of Pipe Creek, April 12, fined five and a half pounds reduced June 18 to five pounds.

John Schleiffer (Presiding and Founding Elder, with Elder Jacob Danner, Broad Run Church August 15, 1776) April 22, fined seven and a half pounds reduced August 6 to four pounds.

Michael Wine (Elder at Israel Creek) fined six and a half pounds, April 12, 1776, reduced to five and a half pounds, June 4. Farm and land confiscated; moved to Flat Rock, Virginia, 1782)

The pound was called "pound sterling" with an evaluation of $4.86, Continental Paper Money (dollars). That year, 1776, Continental money was almost worthless. It amounted to almost a barter value. If they could not pay by money they payed the balance with grain, flour, an animal or other commodities. To the Brethren, this was almost an impossibility. Those who could not pay their entire fee were placed in gaol (jail) in Frederick Town and held three weeks. The congregations took up offerings, money or animals or other commodities to make up the difference. Then if they could not pay, these men were taken all the way south to the barracks at Crozier, Virginia near Charlottesville. Some of the imprisoned were taken to the prisoner's camps, such as the Hessian Barracks at Frederick Town. Their first part of these barricks was built in 1773 and the second and third in 1778. Fines were reduced or remitted on the condition that they would serve in the camps or serve the wounded on a nursing basis or cleaning or maintenance jobs."

• Migrated: Christopher Stihl migrated to Maryland after the death of his first wife, After 1763, Frederick County, Maryland, USA. Christopher and Mary Slifer Stihl had one daughter; after his wife's untimely death, he left Barbara with her maternal grandmother and migrated down to Maryland. His brother-in-law, John Slifer, came to Maryland, too, at some point settling at Broad Run (now Burkittsville).

• Estate: Sale of 120 acres of land belonging to the estate of Christopher Steel, 17 Nov 1784, Frederick County, Maryland, USA. Document #165 - Final account of Christ Steel deceased. Charles Dorsey and John Grabell acting executors.

• Land. From the Frederick County non-enrollers listing:
Christopher STEEL was fined 6.10 pounds on April 11, 1776 and this was reduced to 4.10 pounds on June 18, 1776.
Michael WINE was fined 6.10 pounds on April 12, 1776, and this was reduced to 5.10 pounds on September 3, 1776.
From Frederick county Maryland Land Records
Christopher Steel has a land record (811-813) dated 11/19/1766, where he buys a parcel of land from Jacob Danner called Choice, which is part of a tract called Spring Plains.
A Christopher Stuls is listed on the land record of Martin Garver (802-806)dated 12/19/1766. It also refers to Jacob Danner who sold him the tract of land called Limestone Rock, noting it is part of Spring Plains. It then notes that the sale does not include a stream of water that runs through the property, "which comes from Christopher Stuls, which water the said Danner>and his heirs to have the liberty of damming..." It calls this stream "Preston's Branch".
A Christopher Steels is listed on the land records of Michael Wine of York County, PA (815-817) dated 11/19/1766, which is also called Spring Plains, and is adjacent to land sold to Christopher Steel, and was purchased from Jacob Danner. Jacob Danner is in another land record (815-817) dated 11/19/1766, which is called Third Spring, being part of a tract called Woods Choice, and speaks >of a spring on the property that runs into Israel Creek.
John Garver is in another land record (515-516) dated 10/1/1768, where he purchases land from Jacob Danner that is a part of Spring Plains, which is part of a tract called Woods Good Luck.

• Land, 17 Nov 1784, Frederick County, Maryland, USA. In the Frederick County, Maryland Probate Administrative Accounts Libre GM #1 1777-1779; Frederick County. Christopher Stihl owned land which was sold after his death.

• Bio-sketch. Biographical Sketch (1985): "A second proof of Barbara Steele's ancestry was found in a document which George Baughman and his wife, Barbara Steele, made in 1785. In this document they gave power of attorney to George's brother, Jacob Bachman. The document, called a 'Letter of Money, George Bachman to Jacob Bachman,' was made in Northampton County. It is on file in the Courthouse in Easton. Unfortunately the document had been filmed so that the available copy has white lettering on a black background. It was impossible to get a photocopy. Two of us who are interested in the Bachman family have tried to obtain the original book with the original copy. Both of us have been unsuccessful. The document reads as follows:

"Know all men by these presents that George Bachman of Springfield Township in the County of Bucks in the state of Pennsylvania, Carpenter, and Barbara his wife late Barbara Stiehl being a daughter of Christopher Stiehl some time of the same place but late of Frederick County in the State of Maryland Farmer (or Tanner) deceased Have made and examined Constituted and appointed their trusty friend and brother, Jacob Bachman of the same county of Northampton in the state aforesaid Gentm. their true and lawful attorney for them and in their name and for their own proper use and benefit to ask demand recover and receive of and from the presenters of administrators of the said Christopher Stiehl deceased all such legacies, share, or shares divident or divident given or bequeathed unto them the said George Bachman and Barbara his wife of late Barbara Stiehl." Signed by George Bachman, X Barbara (her mark) 8 January 1785.

Barbara's father, Christopher Stiehl, evidently had left her in Springfield Township with her grandparents. He died in Frederick County, Maryland, but when he went there I was unable to ascertain. Christopher Stiehl made a will on 2 October 1782. It was recorded in Frederick County, Maryland, following his death on 16 October 1782.

From his will I learned the following about Christopher Stiehl. He was a farmer and a turner. A turner was a person who either worked in a sawmill, or in carpentry work — e.g. turning a lathe. He had married a second time to a woman named Catherine. By his second wife he had a son Abraham to whom he willed ' . . . all my Turning Tools and such other tools as am I obliged to make use of in my Turning Trade . . . ' He owned a Plantation on Spring Plains. His ten children, all by his second wife, were Elizabeth, Abraham, Catherine, Mary, Hannah, Susanna, Sarah, Eve, Solome, and Christopher.

In his will he did not provide for Barbara Stiehl, the only child by his first wife. At the time of her father's death, Barbara was twenty years old and had been married for one year. Whether or not Jacob Bachman, Barbara's designated attorney, was ever able to acquire any money or property for her from Christopher Stiehl's estate is not known."

Christopher married Mary Slifer, daughter of Johannes Schleiffer and Barbara, about 1761 in Frysburg, Northampton Co, (Now Coopersburg, Upper Saucon Twp, Lehigh Co), Pennsylvania. (Mary Slifer was born about 1741 in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA and died in 1763 in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, USA.)

Christopher next married Catherine Wine, daughter of Johann Georg Wein and Margaretha Horn, after 1763. (Catherine Wine was born on 25 Dec 1752 in Rapho Twp, Lancaster Co, Pennsylvania and died on 15 Mar 1814 in Fairfield County, Ohio, USA.)