Melchior Steiner, Printer and Soldier of the Revolution

Melchior Steiner, Printer and Soldier of the Revolution

Melchior Steiner was a printer in Philadelphia during the Revolution who printed in German translation "The American Crisis" and "The Declaration of Independence." This copy of the Declaration was the first published in America by Steiner & Cist on 6 July 1776 and beat the English translation publication by a few hours. Thus, Melchior Steiner, and his partner Charles Cist (or Carl Cist whose last name is an abbreviation for his real Russian name), published the Declaration before anyone else in America. Melchior Steiner is the son of Reverend John Conrad Steiner who was pastor of the Reformed Church of Philadelphia. William McCullough says both Rev. Steiner and his son Melchior Steiner were born in Switzerland. Since I have baptismal records for Rev. Steiner's other two children, Dorothea (who died as an infant) and Henry Steiner, but cannot find baptismal records for Melchior, I strongly suspect this means that Melchior was born in Switzerland before 1749 since ship manifests show that Rev. Steiner came over in 1749 with his wife Regula Hegner. Melchior Steiner and his wife Susanna (no maiden name known but marriage record shows they married 4 September 1789). Also, Melchior Steiner was a private in the Army during the Revolution. Melchior Steiner and Susanna had two sons, Rev John Conrad Steiner (Jr), who went by "Conrad," and Henry M. Steiner, both of whom signed up for the War of 1812. While Henry M. Steiner was a rifleman (probably means a sharpshooter) and later a Councilman and a pillar of the community, John C. Steiner worked in the Treasury Department and had a side hobby as a private librarian. Both sons were born in Philadelphia but lived and died in Washington, DC. They were among the earliest inhabitants after it was built. Melchior Steiner also died in Washington, DC. While Cist was the official printer under President Adams after the Steiner & Cist partnership dissolved in a bitter business dispute with Cist having very unkind things to say about Melchior Steiner, Melchior continued to print a German newspaper in DC, many of whose news article were translated and published in English newspapers, which was unusual because it was typically the other way around. Anyway, John C. Steiner (1779 -- 21 July 1828), a Treasury Department officer and private librarian in DC (I'd love to know what books and documents he handled), married Jane C. "Jennet" Brumley (1786 in Trenton, New Jersey -- 22 March 1855 in Washington, DC), and they had several children, the youngest of whom was Mary Elizabeth Steiner (7 February 1821 -- 7 August 1904), born and died in Washington, DC, married William Matthias Becker (6 October 1819 in Washington, DC -- 30 June 1887 in Washington, DC). They had several children the youngest of whom was Mary Elizabeth "May" Becker (1 January 1867 in Washington, DC -- 1 October 1931 in Washington, DC) who married Clarence Anderson Miller (24 November 1861 in Washington, DC -- 11 October 1932 in Washington, DC). They had several children including Marcus Attridge Miller (27 July 1896 in Washington, DC -- 2 August 1973 in Roanoke, Virginia) who married Marguerite Marie Daly (25 January 1899 in Washington, DC -- 17 January 1983 in Salem, Virginia). They had several children including Robert Arnold Miller (10 February 1932 in Syracuse, New York -- 12 August 2006 in Tucker, Georgia) who married Joy Aycock (15 July 1928 in Millen, Georgia -- 6 December 2006 in Gwinnett county, Georgia). They had two children the youngest of whom is Cynthia Anne Miller (11 June 1963 -- still living) -- yours truly -- who married Charles Thomas Smith Jr. (24 February 1959 in Hendersonville, North Carolina -- 15 March 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia).