Stephen Decatur Bross - Revision history

imported>Pbritti: Per MOS:TIES

2025-11-17T02:08:32Z

← Previous revision		Revision as of 02:08, 17 November 2025
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	{{short description\|American politician}}		{{short description\|American politician}}
			{{Use American English\|date=November 2025}}
	{{Infobox person		{{Infobox person
	\| name = Stephen A. Decatur		\| name = Stephen A. Decatur
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	After having abandoned his wife and two children in New York in the 1840s, Bross moved west to [[Nebraska Territory]]. For the rest of his life, he used the name "Stephen Decatur." He was the namesake and one of the incorporators of [[Decatur, Nebraska]], the second-oldest European-American settlement in Nebraska.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.ci.decatur.ne.us/\|title=Decatur, Nebraska\|work=Decatur webpage\|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref> He gained his nickname of "Commodore Decatur" by claiming to be a nephew of the Naval hero of the War of 1812.		After having abandoned his wife and two children in New York in the 1840s, Bross moved west to [[Nebraska Territory]]. For the rest of his life, he used the name "Stephen Decatur." He was the namesake and one of the incorporators of [[Decatur, Nebraska]], the second-oldest European-American settlement in Nebraska.<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.ci.decatur.ne.us/\|title=Decatur, Nebraska\|work=Decatur webpage\|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref> He gained his nickname of "Commodore Decatur" by claiming to be a nephew of the Naval hero of the War of 1812.

	Decatur married again in Nebraska. In 1859 he abandoned his second wife and their child when he moved to [[Colorado Territory]], where he lived in various towns for the remainder of his life. He served a term in the territorial legislature from 1866 to 1868, after the American Civil War.		Decatur married again in Nebraska. In 1859 he abandoned his second wife and their child when he moved to [[Colorado Territory]], where he lived in various towns for the remainder of his life. He served a term in the [[Colorado Territorial Assembly\|Colorado territorial legislature]] from 1866 to 1868, after the American Civil War.

	==Biography==		==Biography==
	Decatur was born in [[Sussex County, New Jersey]],<ref name="Morton" /> to Moses Bross and Jane (Winfield) Bross. He was counted as the second of eleven children, because his twin brother [[William Bross\|William]] was born a few minutes earlier.<ref name=chicago>{{cite book\|title=Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago\|year=1868\|publisher=Wilson & St. Clair\|place=Chicago, IL\|pages=36–46}}</ref> They both attended [[Williams College]] during the 1830s, and roomed together. William also later went West, settling in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. He was later active in the [[Republican Party (United States)\|Republican Party]] and elected as [[List of lieutenant governors of Illinois\|lieutenant governor]].<ref name="letter">{{cite web\|url=http://sparedandshared.wordpress.com/letters/1836-william-stephen-decatur-bross-to-margaret-bross/\|title=1836: William & Stephen Decatur Bross to Margaret Bross\|work=Spared and Shared: Old letters spared from obscurity\|date=2 May 2012 \|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref>		Decatur was born in [[Sussex County, New Jersey]],<ref name="Morton" /> to Moses Bross and Jane (Winfield) Bross. He was counted as the second of eleven children, because his twin brother [[William Bross\|William]] was born a few minutes earlier.<ref name=chicago>{{cite book\|title=Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago\|year=1868\|publisher=Wilson & St. Clair\|place=Chicago, IL\|pages=36–46}}</ref> They both attended [[Williams College]] during the 1830s, and roomed together. William also later went West, settling in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. He was later active in the [[Republican Party (United States)\|Republican Party]] and elected as [[List of lieutenant governors of Illinois\|lieutenant governor]].<ref name="letter">{{cite web\|url=http://sparedandshared.wordpress.com/letters/1836-william-stephen-decatur-bross-to-margaret-bross/\|title=1836: William & Stephen Decatur Bross to Margaret Bross\|work=Spared and Shared: Old letters spared from obscurity\|date=2 May 2012 \|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref>

	Stephen became a schoolteacher under the name Stephen Decatur Bross in New Jersey and New York. In the early 1840s he suddenly disappeared, abandoning his wife and two children.<ref name="Bueler">{{cite book\|last=Bueler\|first=Gladys R.\|title=Colorado's Colorful Characters \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb0WAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Stephen+Decatur+Bross%22+Colorful \|~~origyear~~=1974\|year=1981\|publisher=Pruett Publishing Company\|location=Boulder, Colorado\|isbn=0-87108-595-X\|page=33}}</ref>		Stephen became a schoolteacher under the name Stephen Decatur Bross in New Jersey and New York. In the early 1840s he suddenly disappeared, abandoning his wife and two children.<ref name="Bueler">{{cite book\|last=Bueler\|first=Gladys R.\|title=Colorado's Colorful Characters \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb0WAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Stephen+Decatur+Bross%22+Colorful \|orig-date=1974\|year=1981\|publisher=Pruett Publishing Company\|location=Boulder, Colorado\|isbn=0-87108-595-X\|page=33}}</ref>

	He next surfaced in [[Nebraska Territory]], where he used the name '''Stephen Decatur'''. While on the Nebraska frontier, he served in the [[Mexican–American War]].<ref name="Morton" /> He arrived in what is now the Decatur area, on the upper Missouri River, from [[Bellevue, Nebraska\|Bellevue]] in 1841. He first made his home with the [[Omaha (tribe)\|Omaha]] tribe, which had long occupied this territory. He lived on a farm called "Decatur Springs," named for a spring of pure water found there that supplied water to the town for the next century.<ref name="history">{{cite web\|url=http://www.ci.decatur.ne.us/history.htm\|title=History \|work=Decatur, Nebraska\|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref>		He next surfaced in [[Nebraska Territory]], where he used the name '''Stephen Decatur'''. While on the Nebraska frontier, he served in the [[Mexican–American War]].<ref name="Morton" /> He arrived in what is now the Decatur area, on the upper Missouri River, from [[Bellevue, Nebraska\|Bellevue]] in 1841. He first made his home with the [[Omaha (tribe)\|Omaha]] tribe, which had long occupied this territory. He lived on a farm called "Decatur Springs," named for a spring of pure water found there that supplied water to the town for the next century.<ref name="history">{{cite web\|url=http://www.ci.decatur.ne.us/history.htm\|title=History \|work=Decatur, Nebraska\|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref>

imported>Johnpacklambert at 14:04, 8 April 2024

2024-04-08T14:04:10Z

New page

{{short description|American politician}}

{{Infobox person
| name = Stephen A. Decatur
| image = 
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = Stephen Decatur Bross
| birth_date = November 27, 1815
| birth_place =
| death_date = June 5, 1888
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| other_names =
| occupation =
| known_for = pioneer settler in [[Nebraska]] and [[Colorado]]
}}

'''Stephen A. Decatur''' (born 1813,<ref name = "letter" /> died 1888<ref name="Morton" /><ref name="find">{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Decatur&GSfn=Stephen&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=7&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=75726152&df=all&|title=Stephen "Commodore" Decatur|work=Find a Grave|accessdate=9 December 2013}}</ref> or 1889<ref name = "letter" />), born '''Stephen Decatur Bross''' and often referred to as '''Commodore Decatur''',<ref name="Morton">{{cite book|last1=Morton|first1=Julius Sterling|last2=Watkins|first2=Albert|last3=Miller|first3=George L.|title=Illustrated History of Nebraska|edition=3rd|volume=1|year=1911|publisher=Western Publishing and Engraving Company|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|page=184|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hHkUAAAAYAAJ&q=Stephen+Decatur+Bross+%22Illustrated+History+of+Nebraska%22&pg=PA184}}</ref> was one of the earliest settlers in [[Nebraska]]. He was born and educated in the East, where he became a school teacher and started a family.

After having abandoned his wife and two children in New York in the 1840s, Bross moved west to [[Nebraska Territory]]. For the rest of his life, he used the name "Stephen Decatur." He was the namesake and one of the incorporators of [[Decatur, Nebraska]], the second-oldest European-American settlement in Nebraska.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.decatur.ne.us/|title=Decatur, Nebraska|work=Decatur webpage|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref> He gained his nickname of "Commodore Decatur" by claiming to be a nephew of the Naval hero of the War of 1812.

Decatur married again in Nebraska. In 1859 he abandoned his second wife and their child when he moved to [[Colorado Territory]], where he lived in various towns for the remainder of his life. He served a term in the territorial legislature from 1866 to 1868, after the American Civil War.

==Biography==
Decatur was born in [[Sussex County, New Jersey]],<ref name="Morton" /> to Moses Bross and Jane (Winfield) Bross. He was counted as the second of eleven children, because his twin brother [[William Bross|William]] was born a few minutes earlier.<ref name=chicago>{{cite book|title=Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men of Chicago|year=1868|publisher=Wilson & St. Clair|place=Chicago, IL|pages=36–46}}</ref> They both attended [[Williams College]] during the 1830s, and roomed together. William also later went West, settling in [[Chicago, Illinois]]. He was later active in the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] and elected as [[List of lieutenant governors of Illinois|lieutenant governor]].<ref name="letter">{{cite web|url=http://sparedandshared.wordpress.com/letters/1836-william-stephen-decatur-bross-to-margaret-bross/|title=1836: William & Stephen Decatur Bross to Margaret Bross|work=Spared and Shared: Old letters spared from obscurity|date=2 May 2012 |access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref>

Stephen became a schoolteacher under the name Stephen Decatur Bross in New Jersey and New York. In the early 1840s he suddenly disappeared, abandoning his wife and two children.<ref name="Bueler">{{cite book|last=Bueler|first=Gladys R.|title=Colorado's Colorful Characters |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fb0WAQAAMAAJ&q=%22Stephen+Decatur+Bross%22+Colorful |origyear=1974|year=1981|publisher=Pruett Publishing Company|location=Boulder, Colorado|isbn=0-87108-595-X|page=33}}</ref>

He next surfaced in [[Nebraska Territory]], where he used the name '''Stephen Decatur'''. While on the Nebraska frontier, he served in the [[Mexican–American War]].<ref name="Morton" /> He arrived in what is now the Decatur area, on the upper Missouri River, from [[Bellevue, Nebraska|Bellevue]] in 1841. He first made his home with the [[Omaha (tribe)|Omaha]] tribe, which had long occupied this territory. He lived on a farm called "Decatur Springs," named for a spring of pure water found there that supplied water to the town for the next century.<ref name="history">{{cite web|url=http://www.ci.decatur.ne.us/history.htm|title=History |work=Decatur, Nebraska|access-date=31 July 2013}}</ref>

Later Decatur worked as a clerk at the trading post of Colonel [[Peter Sarpy]], who had numerous posts in Nebraska affiliated with the [[American Fur Company]]. The one in Decatur opened in 1854. Sarpy was also important to early Nebraska development, attracting residents and settlement near such posts. In 1854 Decatur was a candidate to serve in Nebraska's First Territorial Assembly, but he was not seated. He has been described as a "highly educated man who claimed he was a nephew of Commodore [[Stephen Decatur, Jr.|Stephen Decatur]], Naval hero of the [[War of 1812]]."<ref name="history" />

The town of [[Decatur, Nebraska]], was incorporated in 1856 under the name "The Decatur Townsite & Ferry Company." The other incorporators included Thomas Whiteacre, T. H. Hineman, George Mason, and Herman Glass. The patents for the town were granted by the legislatureon May 1, 1862.

In Nebraska Decatur married again. In 1859 he moved to the [[Colorado Territory]] to work in the gold fields, leaving behind his second wife and their child.<ref name="Bueler" /> During the [[American Civil War]], he enlisted in the [[3rd Colorado Regiment]]. After the war he remained in Colorado, including a stint in [[Georgetown, Colorado|Georgetown]], where he published the Georgetown ''Miner''.

Soon he moved to [[Summit County, Colorado]], which he represented in the territorial legislature from 1866 to 1868. He died June 5, 1888, in [[Rosita, Colorado]], a small camp in the [[Sangre de Cristo Mountains]]. His age at death was estimated to be 80.<ref name="Morton" /> He is buried in Rosita Cemetery in [[Custer County, Colorado]].

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*{{cite web|url=http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Decatur&GSfn=Stephen&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=7&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=75726152&df=all&|title=Stephen "Commodore" Decatur|work=Find a Grave|access-date=9 December 2013}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Decatur, Stephen}}
[[Category:Williams College alumni]]
[[Category:People from Decatur, Nebraska]]
[[Category:People from Sussex County, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Clear Creek County, Colorado]]
[[Category:People of Colorado in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Editors of Colorado newspapers]]
[[Category:Members of the Colorado Territorial Legislature]]
[[Category:1810s births]]
[[Category:1880s deaths]]