NAMESAKE OR NOT!

Sheriff Osman Steele and the Anti-rent wars of Delaware County New York (1845)

In the mid-1800s, farmers in upstate New York rose up against the remnants of a feudal-style land lease system inherited from Dutch patroonship. Under this system, tenants paid rent—often in crops or labor—to wealthy landowners who controlled vast estates. By 1845, in Delaware County, tensions exploded into open revolt when sheriffs and taxmen came to enforce evictions.

Disguised as “Indians,” tenant farmers used masks, tomahawks, and guerrilla tactics to defy state power. It wasn’t just protest—it was costumed resistance against an unjust system.

One such state agent was Osman Steele, a proud and vocal enforcer of the law. He rode into Andes, NY, to collect rent and evict tenants—believing himself impervious, both morally and physically.

He declared:

“Lead can’t penetrate Steele!”

And then it did.

Council Note:

In the case of Osman Steele, our “Name-Sake? Believe IT—or Not!” panel is most definitely—

NOT!

(Though the irony hit dead center.)