Manuscript Group 170, Samuel Steward (1760-1833), Blacksmith Records, 1809-1823
Archives
Documents, Manuscripts, Maps, & Photographs
Manuscript Group 170, Samuel Steward (1760-1833), Blacksmith
Records, 1809-1823, 0.2 linear feet / 1 volume
Call Number: MG 170
Financial records kept by Samuel Steward
(1760-1833), a blacksmith in Shelltown (now Ellisdale), Upper Freehold Township,
Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Purchase, 1928.
The parentage of Samuel Steward (1760-1833) is unclear.
It is believed he was a
grandson of Josiah Steward (d. 1751), and possibly the son of Joseph Steward (fl.
1712-1760) and Martha Down of Burlington County, who were married in 1956.
Josiah
Stewards youngest brother, Joseph Steward (1712-1780) was a blacksmith in Shelltown
who in 1759 willed his shop and tools to one of his sons, Abner. In 1780, Abner Steward
(fl.1749-1789) sold the business to Samuel Steward. By the age of twenty, Samuel Steward
was a blacksmith in Shelltown (now Ellisdale), Upper Freehold Township, Monmouth County.
He married Lydia Steward (1762-1794) and they had two children together: Elizabeth
(1790-1861) and John (1792-1871). Soon after, Lydia died at the age of thirty three,
and Samuel
married Rebecca Herbert (1775-1857) with whom he had six more children: Thomas (1793-1837),
Jesse (b. 1795), Lydia (b. 1800), Hannah (1802-1861), Arminta (b. 1806), George H. (b.
1812).
Sources:
Stewart, Elwood S. The Steward Family of New Jersey. Allen, Lane & Scott:
Philadelphia, 1907.
The ledger was purchased by The New Jersey Historical Society in 1928 and was assigned
the accession number M2307.
The records consist of a ledger detailing Stewards business transactions
including the repair of wagon parts, forging of tools, and shoeing of horses.
The ledger
is indexed and appears to be one book in a multi-volume set as there are references to
other numbered folios. The names “George Steward” and “Ann Robbins”
are written, along with Samuel Stewards own name, on the first page of the ledger.
Ann Robbins (fl.1767-1815) was the wife of Joseph Steward (1746-1813), who was a brother
of Abner Steward (fl.1749-1789).
See other blacksmith’s
records/papers.
Processed by Jeff McMillan, August 2000 as part of the “Farm to
City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission.
Submit a request to copy part of this collection
