Tag: family reunion

Follow-Up to 52W Mark III – Week 26: Family Gathering

Two years ago I advised to save  July 25, 2026 for the Steeves Family Reunion in Steveston, British Columbia. It seems like that time flew by!

If your surname is Steeves, it is pretty much guaranteed that you’re a descendant of Johann Stief and Rachel Stahleker. Originally from Münsingen, Baden-Württemberg, the emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1749. In 1766, the relocated to what is now New Brunswick in 1766. Johann and Rachel had ten children, but their descendants are primarily through seven sons they had who were born in North America.

My wife’s great x 3 grandmother was a Steeves, through Johann and Rachel’s sons Christian and Frederick. (Hello pedigree collapse!) By the sheer twists and turns of life, we’ve ended up living in Steveston, a former fishing village that is now a suburb of Richmond, British Columbia. The village was founded by Manoah Steves, who dropped one of the Es from his surname when he moved west from the Maritimes.

Some notable Steeves Descendants
(Top Row): Manoah and Martha Steves; William Steeves, Father of Confederation; Jack Layton, former Leader of the Opposition in Canada; Alex Steeves, Boston Bruins forward.
(Bottom Row): Harold Steves, former Member of the Legislative Assembly in BC and former Richmond city councillor; Laurence Peter, educator and author; Janette Oke, author; John Steeves, former BC Supreme Court justice.

We attended the reunion, which took place at Garry Point Park in Steveston, only a few klicks from our house. We had been experiencing a heat wave the week of the reunion, but thankfully it abated for the day of the event. There was an impressive turnout, with a surprising number of attendees from out of town, including Ste(e)ves from other provinces and a few from the States. A lot of people seemed genuinely surprised to see we actually lived in Steveston, despite a good number of Ste(e)ves descendants who live in Richmond.

The event was pretty low-key. There were a few speeches, but for the most part people were left to socialize, check out a small selection of Steeves-related genealogy books, and partake in a fantastic cookout and potluck lunch. It was fun hearing people talk about how they were connected and which of the Stief sons from which they are descended. Of course, there was the obligatory group photo, but we are still awaiting our copy of the picture. As well, there was a celebratory cake!

For more information about the Steeves family history, check out the Steeves House Museum’s website, www.steeveshousemuseum.ca.

52W Mark III – Week 26: Family Gathering

Save the date – July 25, 2026 – for the Steeves Family Reunion in Steveston, British Columbia!

If you’re a “Steeves” in North America, odds are you’re a direct descendant of Heinrich Stief and Regina Stahleker. In 1749, they emigrated from Münsingen in the Duchy of Württemberg (now southwest Germany) and settled in Pennsylvania. There they had seven sons. 250 years ago, in 1766, under land grants arranged by Benjamin Franklin and others, they moved to what is now New Brunswick and were amongst the original settlers of Moncton. The family later settled in Hillsborough, New Brunswick and there they started multiplying.

Apparently there are over 200,000 direct descendants of Heinrich and Regina. Our kids are two of them! At a family reunion in New Brunswick in 2016, there was an attempt to set a Guinness World Record for largest gathering of individuals with the same last name. Unfortunately, the attempt fell short.

Notable Steeves descendants include the Hon. William H. Steeves (one of the “Fathers of Confederation” of Canada), Jack Layton (late Leader of the Opposition in Canada’s parliament), Laurence J. Peter (author of The Peter Principle), and Janette Oke (author). A few years ago, I gave a presentation on “Law and Genealogy”, using my sons’ Steeves connection as a research example. Through sheer serendipity, the presenter who spoke before me was also a Steeves descendant, John Steeves, a now-retired Justice of the B.C. Supreme Court. Right before the program started, I leaned over and quietly asked him if it was okay to incorporate him into my presentation.

Coincidentally enough, our Steeves connection does not end there. Several years ago we moved to Steveston, a fishing village that is now part of  Richmond, B.C. The village was founded by Manoah Steeves, who left New Brunswick with his wife Martha Taylor, dropped an “e” from his surname, bought land in the southwestern corner of Lulu Island in 1877, and established a dairy farm.

Manoah and Martha Steves

Nearly all of Lulu Island is now part of Richmond. In 1880, Manoah’s son William Herbert obtained a crown grant of the land that became the townsite of Steveston.

The streets in our neighbourhood share the names of Steeves relatives and places in New Brunswick. Manoah’s descendants still operate a farm on the land he originally purchased.

One of the houses on the property was built in 1917. Harold Steves, Manoah’s great grandson, lives there. Harold served one term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia and many terms as a Richmond city councillor. He is also a life-long farmer and an active conservationist – he was a driving force behind the creation of the Agricultural Land Reserve in British Columbia.

Harold has turned part of the house into a private museum. In addition to artifacts reflecting all aspects of his and the Steves family history of farming, politics, and conservation activism, Harold has turned part of the home into a recreation of the Hong Wo Store, a general store that had been established in 1895. Beside the Hong Wo store, Harold has recreated the canteen his parents operated during World War II, serving the soldiers stationed at a base beside the farm.

Manoah Steeves Elementary School.

Harold opened up his museum to the general public earlier this year as part of “Doors Open Richmond”, a city-wide festival of culture and community operated by the Richmond Museum. Needless to say, we couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I could have spent days in there. His bookshelves alone could keep me occupied for weeks. Plus it was a chance for the boys to meet their fourth cousin three times removed! 😉

Steveston, B.C., or as you might recognize it from television, Storybrooke, Maine.