Stephen A. Decatur (born 1813, died 1888 or 1889), born Stephen Decatur Bross and often referred to as Commodore Decatur, was one of the earliest settlers in

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. 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 The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Nebraska. The Nebrask ...

. For the rest of his life, he used the name "Stephen Decatur." He was the namesake and one of the incorporators of

Decatur, Nebraska Decatur is a village in Burt County, Nebraska, United States, adjacent to the upper Missouri River. The population was 481 at the 2010 census. This town is named after one of its incorporators, Stephen Decatur. It developed around a trading post ...

, the second-oldest European-American settlement in Nebraska. 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 The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

, 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 Sussex County () is the northernmost county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Its county seat is Newton. to Moses Bross and Jane (Winfield) Bross. He was counted as the second of eleven children, because his twin brother

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

was born a few minutes earlier. They both attended

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

during the 1830s, and roomed together. William also later went West, settling in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. He was later active in the Republican Party and elected as

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

. 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. He next surfaced in

, where he used the name Stephen Decatur. While on the Nebraska frontier, he served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. He arrived in what is now the Decatur area, on the upper Missouri River, from

Bellevue Bellevue means "beautiful view" in French. Bellevue or Belle Vue may refer to: Places Australia * Bellevue, Queensland * Bellevue, Western Australia * Bellevue Hill, New South Wales Canada * Bellevue, Alberta * Bellevue, Newfoundlan ...

in 1841. He first made his home with the

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

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. 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 American Fur Company (AFC) was a prominent American company that sold furs, skins, and buffalo robes. It was founded in 1808 by John Jacob Astor, a German Americans, German immigrant to the United States. During its heyday in the early 19th c ...

. 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 Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

, Naval hero of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

." The town of

, 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

to work in the gold fields, leaving behind his second wife and their child. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he enlisted in the 3rd Colorado Regiment. After the war he remained in Colorado, including a stint in Georgetown, where he published the Georgetown ''Miner''. Soon he moved to

Summit County, Colorado Summit County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 31,055. The county seat and largest town is Breckenridge, Colorado, Breckenridge. Summit County comprises the ...

, which he represented in the territorial legislature from 1866 to 1868. He died June 5, 1888, in

Rosita, Colorado Rosita was a silver mining town — now a ghost town — in Custer County, Colorado, United States. ''Rosita'' is Spanish for ''little rose''. Although the old town has almost entirely disappeared (the former post office building was for a ti ...

, a small camp in the

Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish language, Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost mountain range, subrange of the Rocky Mountains. They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States. The mountai ...

. His age at death was estimated to be 80. He is buried in Rosita Cemetery in

Custer County, Colorado Custer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,704. The county seat is Westcliffe. History Custer County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 9, 1877, out of the so ...

References

External links

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