The Stansells & Featherlys
In May of 1789, a group of twelve people from the Mohawk Valley region of New York State arrived near the present site of Lyons to start a new life in the "West". The group consisted of William Stansell; his son, Nicholas, daughter-in-law, Margaret and their six children; John Featherly, his wife, Mary, and, perhaps, their son Frederick. William was about 64 years old and could be considered old for such an adventure. In fact, William is thought to have died in 1791 and buried without a tombstone in what was then the wilderness of Wayne County.
Nicholas Stansell had served in the American Revolution, and it is possible that he was part of the force which traveled through western New York Trying to destroy the Indians who sided with the British. Nicholas must have liked what he saw, because ten years later, he led his family west to their new home. About 1811, Nicholas moved his family to land near the present village of Newark where he died in 1819. His wife, Margaret, may have died about 1814, but there is no official record of her death. The children and grandchildren of Nicholas and Margaret Stansell continued to exhibit the pioneering spirit with some moving to Michigan, Ohio and Canada in the 1820s and 1830s.
John Featherly, the brother of Margaret Stansell, had also served in the American Revolution and may have been with Nicholas on the campaign against the Indians. He took up land near Alloway and lived there until after 1830. Sometime between 1830 and 1840, John Featherly and his wife moved to Rose, He died in 1843, and she died in 1840. They are both buried in York Cemetery in the town of Huron.
