Steer, Conrad

CONRAD STEER

Conrad shows up in both the 1800 and 1810 Mount Pleasant Township Census. In the 1810 census he lists a family of 11 members. Conrad''s family was written up in The Encyclopedia of Westmoreland County History as prominent citizens of Mount Pleasant Township. Conrad and his wife Catherine had eight children: John, Barbara, Elizabeth, Margaret, Jacob C., Nancy, and Samuel. Research of the Donegal and Mount Pleasant Townships census records shows that Conrad was the wellspring of probably all the Stairs families in the area, including Somerset County.
On November 11, 1814, Conrad entered into an agreement with his sons, Philip and John Steer, to sell them a 100-acre plantation in Mount Pleasant Township. In return, Phillip and John would care for Conrad, his wife Catherine and his father Jacob during their natural lives. Conrad apparently retained 79 acres for himself because his widow, Catherine, pays taxes on 79 acres in 1839. These farms are shown next to the Donegal Township boundary in the Westmoreland County Atlas published in 1867.
It is a little difficult to reconcile with the above information, but the Pennsylvania Archives says a land warrant of 77 acres was issued to a Conrad Stair, April 10, 1838.
The property of Conrad Steer must never have been recorded properly, because the family submitted a petition to the court defining a 170-acre property having originally belonged to Conrad and asking permission to distribute the property and/or proceeds between his sons and daughters.