by Steer, William G.

See previous entry: Little Home Histories, Part 82 -- Anecdotes Written by William G. Steer: James Frame.

While my wife, Louisa D. Steer, and I were living in Southern California from 1866 to 1887, one day as I was driving in Los Angeles, I saw on a sign the name Vacy Steer. On making inquiry I found she was an English woman, who later on gave me the following information;

In the 10th or 11th Century, when the Normans first attempted to invade England, they found it difficult to make a landing on the stern and rockbound coast of Cornwall. After several unsuccessful attempts, a safe landing was made and the man who guided the boat was given the name of Steer.

She also informed us that in a little town in Cornwall, the family history had been kept for five hundred years. The first record of the name was found in the period from 1660 to 1665. From that time to the present, we have a complete line of records.

See next entry: Little Home Histories, Part 84 -- Anecdotes Written by William G. Steer: Three Accidents.

For the table of contents and first entry in this series, please see: Little Home Histories, Part 01 -- Table of Contents and Introduction