The Stewarts of Scotland (Teare Side)

John Teare's paternal grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Stewart. It is her line that I will be discussing today.

Our Stewart line hails from Scotland, where our immigrant ancestor John Stewart was born in 1719. He arrived in Pennsylvania as a child, probably in the 1720s, where he continued to live, marry, and raise a family in York.

In 1751 John married a born and bred Pennsylvanian, Elizabeth Schneider. Land records show that John owned 50 acres of land in York County. John and Elizabeth had 8 children. Our line continues through his third son, Matthias (or Matthew) Stewart.

While John and Elizabeth lived out their lives in Pennsylvania, Matthias and his two older brothers, John and Jacob, felt drawn just west of the border. The three brothers and their families settled in Columbiana County, Ohio in the late 1700s. Matthias and his wife Eva had a son, Samuel. Samuel and his wife Elisabeth had a son, John Wesley Stewart. And finally, John and his wife Susannah had a daughter, Mary Elizabeth- John Teare's paternal grandmother. All of this happened in Columbiana County, Ohio.

Now John and Susannah also felt drawn further west, and probably moved several times before finally settling in Allen County, Indiana. This explains how their daughter, an Ohio girl, wound up with a Michigan Man (Robert Teare)! John and Susannah have an impressive resting spot in the Eel River Cemetery in Indiana (pictured below).

John Wesley and Susan Stewart. 

I have no further information about the Stewart family in Scotland, but here is a standard Stewart family crest. There are many varieties based on the various Stewart lines, but all contain the blue and white checkered pattern seen below:

FAMILY LINE @ A GLANCE: Teare-->Stewart

WHERE TO GO:
The Eel River Cemetery in Allen County, Indiana (click for more info)
The York County PA Historical Society and Museum: http://www.yorkheritage.org/