WILLIAM SKEELS, I b. ABT. 1745 England d. AFT. 1786: Forney & Clark Genealogy Pages

1745 - 1786 (~ 42 years)

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Name	WILLIAM SKEELS
Suffix	I
Birth	ABT. 1745	England
Gender	Male
Death	AFT. 1786
Person ID	I0527	forneyclark
Last Modified	12 Apr 2024

Family ANNA UNKNOWN, b. BEF. 1753, England d. AFT. 1786 (Age > 35 years)

Marriage BEF. 1769 England

Children

	1. William Skeels, II, b. Maryland d. 1824
	2. Mary Skeels, b. ABT. 1769, MD d. 21 May 1854, Roxford, Tuscarawas Co., OH; burial: Roxford M.E. Cem., Tuscarawas Co., OH (Age ~ 85 years)
	3. Nicholas Skeels, b. ABT. 1780, MD d. Aug 1865 (Age ~ 85 years)
	4. Isaac W. Skeeles, b. 2 Jun 1786, Howard Co., MD d. 7 May 1866, Carroll Co., OH; Grandview Cem., Center Twp., Carroll Co., OH (Age 79 years)
	5. Catherine Skeels, b. UNKNOWN

Family ID F0012 Group Sheet | Family Chart

Last Modified 12 Apr 2024

Notes

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Source:
Donna Forney Clark:
I've estimated the birthdates of both William Skeels and his wife Anna Unknown Skeels.
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Source:
Information (and copy of the book) came from Richard E. Skeels:
Skeels Family History 1720-1980 (which includes the text of a hard back bound book, compiled and printed by George W. Roof in 1903 in Albion, IN). Important contributors to Section II of the above text were: Hazel Brown McCollough & Mrs. J. Harry Kidwell & Mrs. Edmund Schafer & Col. Mortimer Bennet. Kenton M. Kidd organized and compiled the combined three book edition of Skeels Family History 1720-1980. Part of the earlier books were set in type at South Side Press by Wayne Favinger, aged 15 yrs:
Birth place & marriage place
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Source:
Skeels Family History 1720-1980 (which includes the text of a hard back bound book, compiled and printed by George W. Roof in 1903 in Albion, IN). Important contributors to Section II of the above text were: Hazel Brown McCollough & Mrs. J. Harry Kidwell & Mrs. Edmund Schafer & Col. Mortimer Bennet. Kenton M. Kidd organized and compiled the combined three book edition of Skeels Family History 1720-1980. Part of the earlier books were set in type at South Side Press by Wayne Favinger, aged 15 yrs:
An inconsistency:
1. The Skeels Family History (1720-1980) has an estimated birth of both William Skeels I and Anna Unknown Skeels as 1720 which would have made both parents in their 50's and 60's at the births of some of their children.

Two unsubstantiated statements:
2. In the Skeels Family History 1720-1980, Roof states that he has gleaned " that William Skeels, the First, was drafted into the English army to come to America to fight the struggling colonists during the Revolutionary War. When he arrived, and as soon as an opportunity offered, he deserted the English and joined the army of [General] Washington; and afterward helped to fight the battles of the Revolution for the achievement of the freedom we now enjoy." Roof also states that William Skeels and Anna Unknown Skeels were married before emigrating to this America. Both the army and marriage statements have not been substantiated.
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Source:
SEE LAURIE PUITE'S SITE FOR COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION AND REFERENCES:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/u/i/Laurie-L-Puite/GENE5-0001.html
Hannen/Piechowski/Skeel/Trulock/Puite/TenBrink/Dalziel/Sharp
Laurie Puite:
In 1812, the entire Skeels family, consisting of the old people and young Sam Ryan, and the Richard Herron family, and the Nicolas Aldridge family, and the three sons William, Isaac, and Nicholas Skeels emigrated from outside Baltimore, MD., over the Allegany Mts. in Conistoga wagons to the new state of Ohio and settled on Short Creed in Harrison Co., and Conotton Creek near Sherrodsville, Ohio. Later some Skeels moved to Indiana. Info from a letter from J.T. Ryan, dated June 4, 1946, in Bowerston, OH.
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Source:
SEE LAURIE PUITE'S SITE FOR COMPREHENSIVE INFORMATION AND REFERENCES:
http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/p/u/i/Laurie-L-Puite/GENE5-0001.html
Hannen/Piechowski/Skeel/Trulock/Puite/TenBrink/Dalziel/Sharp
Laurie Puite:
1. WILLIAM1 SKEELS died Unknown. He married ANN ?. She died Unknown.
Children of WILLIAM SKEELS and ANN ? are:
i. CATHERINE2 SKEELS, d. Unknown.
ii.MARY SKEELS, d. Unknown.
iii.WILLAM SKEELS, d. Unknown.
iv.NICHOLAS SKEELS, b. Abt. 1783, Maryland; d. Unknown.
v. ISAAC SKEELS, b. 06 April 1799, Baltimore Co., Maryland; d. 04 March 1879, Wayne Twp., Jefferson, Ohio.
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Source:
Donna Forney Clark (clarification of the history our William Skeels was suggested by Shawn Coomer):
I DON'T THINK THAT THE FELON WILLIAM SKEELS REFERENCED BELOW BY RICHARD E. SKEELS IS OUR WILLIAM SKEELS I. THE DATE OF OFFENSE, TRANSPORT, AND WHAT I WOULD THINK WOULD BE A PERIOD OF INDENTURE SEEMINGLY DO NOT LINE UP WITH THE BIRTH OF THE CHILDREN OF OUR WILLIAM SKEELS AND ANNA UNKNOWN SKEELS. NEVERTHELESS, THE REFERENCE IS INTERESTING, MAY SOMEHOW APPLY TO OUR SKEELS, AND MAY PROVIDE INFO FOR OTHER SKEELS RESEARCHERS.
Richard E. Skeels:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/skeels/messages/95.html
Concerning William Skeels passage to America:
"[William Skeels was a] ...felon transported from London on the ship Thornton, Capt. Christopher Reed, in May 1767, arriving at Elk Ridge Landing, Maryland in July 1767. See the book The King's Passengers to Maryland and Virginia by Peter Wilson Coldham, pages 196 & 197. "

AND ALSO
For an online transcript of the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 18th February 1767, page 31, concerning the felon William Skeels:
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t17670218-46&div=t17670218-46&terms=william%20skeele#highlight [Richard E. Skeels suggests reading the April 2007 Smithsonian Magazine article DIGITIZING THE HANGING COURT, which, among other things, gives an account of crime and punishment in 18th century London.]

In addition, Donna Forney Clark references: http://footguards.tripod.com/08HISTORY/08_costofliving.htm
for the value of English money in the 1700's.

Donna Forney Clark:
William Sheele, age 18, was convicted of grand larcency at Old Bailey, on February 18th, 1767, for stealing a silk cloak, called a cardinal, valued at 12 shillings. At the time, 9 shillings was a week's salary for an unskilled laborer. William Sheele sold the cloak for 2 shillings. (Two shillings was the weekly rent of a furnished room for a tradesman. Two shillings could buy 2 pounds of Parmesan cheese or two dinners in a steak house.) William was described by defense witnesses as industrious, honest, careful, and civil. His punishment for grand larceny was Transportation to America.

Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 18th February 1767, page 31:
This image is reproduced by permission of Harvard University Library from the microfilm, "The Old Bailey Proceedings", (Harvester Microform, a former imprint of the Gale Group, 1983). Commercial use is prohibited without permission of the owner of the original.
William Sheele, Theft > grand larceny, 18th February 1767.
Reference Number: t17670218-46
Offence: Theft > grand larceny
Verdict: Guilty
Punishment: Transportation
180. (L.) William Sheele was indicted, together with William Martin not in custody, for stealing a silk cloak called a cardinal, value 12 s. the property of Timothy James , Jan. 29 . ++

"Timothy James. I am a shoemaker, and live in Barbican; my wife is a milliner; we carry on our business in the same house; she missed cardinal on the 29th of January, I was not at home at the time; after it was taken, one John Clark came the very night and asked me if I had no lost such a thing. I went with him to Clerkenwell, there we searched a room where was two girls; Mary Parsons the evidence was one of them, we found a bundle; I untied it, and in it found the cardinal; we asked Parsons where she had it; she said she did not know any thing about it; at last she said one William Skeele brought it there; that his partner, William Martin and he, set it at 4 s. and she gave 2 s. for it; I went home and fetched the young woman that made the croak. she said it was my property; after that we took the prisoner, the other ran down stairs, but was stopt and brought back; the prisoner said he found the cardinal in Barbican, or something like it; we took them both to Bridewell that night, and before the Justice the next day, there they both said they found it.

Mary Baldwin . This cardinal (holding one in her hand) is Mr. James's property, I made it; I was setting in the parlour with Mrs. James, at the time a pane of glass was broke in the shop window, on the 29th of January; we went out to see what was the matter, but could see nobody; then we went to see if any thing was lost, and missed nothing; but the next morning the uncle to one of the boys came, he asked if we had lost any thing; we said no; then he asked if we had lost a black silk cardinal; then we looked and missed it; then he said to Mr. James, if you will promise to prosecute, I can help you to it; he said, he had just saved his kinsman from being concerned with the other two; Mr. James went with him, and he came back about twelve, and said, I must go and look at a cloak that they had found, and see if I knew it. I went with him to Red-bull-yard, St. John's-street, there were two girls that they kept; one of them is called Martin's wife; I saw the cardinal, and proved it to be Mr. James's property: while we were talking about it, we heard somebody coming up stairs; Mr. Clark said they are coming, put the door too; they came up, the prisoner was first apprehended; Martin ran down stairs, but was soon apprehended and brought up: they were taken before Justice Girdler, he admitted the girl an evidence.

Mary Parsons . I lodge with William Skeele and William Martin: they brought a black silk cardinal in one night, tied up in a red handkerchief, and said they found it; Martin gave Skeele 2 s for his part, and gave the cardinal to me.

William Dickerson . I was with Martin and Skeele on the 29th of January; I was to have broke the window, only my aunt came by and catched me; we were all of us together in a room after that, and I asked them if they had got the cardinal, and they said they had.

Prisoner's defence.
We found the cardinal in Barbican; Martin gave me 2 s. for it, and gave it to Mary Parsons .

Q. to Baldwin. Where was the cardinal taken from?
Mary Baldwin. It was taken from off a line on the inside the window, just by the broken pans.
To his character.

Mrs. Cooper. I live at the Peacock in Whitecross-street; I have known the prisoner from his birth, I never heard a bad character of him till now.

John Dosset . I am a shoemaker, and live in Seacoal-lane; I have known him ever since he was born, he is an industrious honest lad as ever I knew, and can get a great deal of money at his business, he works with his father.
Q. How old is he?
Dosset. He is eighteen years of age.

Roger Tippet . I have known him about nine years, he was always a very careful lad, and behaved very honest and civil.

Elizabeth Cox . I go out a ironing; I have known the prisoner seven or eight years or upwards, I never heard no ill of him in my life.

Mary Cook . I have known him seven or eight years, I never knew any thing amiss of him.

Guilty . T .
See Dickerson (or properly Dickson) an evidence against Martin, No 146. in the first part."
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