George Teel was born to George Sr. and Elizabeth Jessop Teal, probably in Baltimore County, Maryland, in 1784. He moved with his family to Dickson County, Tennessee, by 1804. He married (1) Nancy Caldwell and they had one child, Rachel, born 1816. They emigrated from Tennessee in about 1819, following the death of George Sr. They likely went to Missouri before going to Arkansas. There Nancy died near Little Rock in 1822.
George married (2) Rebecca Johnson who was born in Missouri to Edward and Deborah (St. Clair - Sinkler) Johnson. George and Rebecca joined Austin's Colony in Texas where they received land on the east bank of the San Bernard River in Ft. Bend County. Family lore says, because of the death of a child and the climate, they left and made their way to San Augustine County, Texas. They eventually settled six miles west of the town of San Augustine. They were active in religion, politics, and education. George fought in the Battle of Nacogdoches and was a trustee for San Augustine University.
The Teels had Methodist missionary meetings in their home. They also operated a wayside inn for travelers, including Sam Houston. Rebecca was involved in business, puchasing land in the town of Belgrade in Newton County. The Teels also had a cotton gin and shared a blacksmith shop with their neighbors, the Garretts. The Teels had five children: Lucette born 1827, married William Garrett; Wyatt born 1829, married Margaret Jane Polk; Eliza born 1832, married James Henry Sharp; Sarah, a child enumerated on the 1835 census who apparently died; and Olive "Ollie" born 1838, married (1) W. J. T. Slaughter and (2) I. D. Davis.
George and Rebecca, along with Wyatt and Jane, are buried in the family cemetery, Teel Family Burying Ground. It has been designated with a historical marker that was dedicated in 2009.
Obituaries
Teel Family Bible
1835 San Augustine Census Report
Two Centuries in East Texas by Dr George Crockett
Texas Land Records
William Jessop Will