Ralph A. was reportedly one of 11 children of George Steele, Jr. (1778-1856) & Rosannah Fannin (1779-1860). His brothers & sisters were: John, Louie, Richard, Samuel, Shadrack, Abednigo, Meshack, George Simpson, Charles, Rezin Ratcliff, Mary Horton "Polly," & Johnia.

George, Jr., in turn, was one of three sons of George Steele, Sr. (1745-1781) & Elizabeth (Ratcliff) Steele (1745-1814). Richard (1774-1839) and Ralph (1776-1846) were the others (to the purists, this was reported differently in the original printed edition, but has since been corrected).

RALPH A. STEELE... Ralph's wife Levisa (1802-1883), was the daughter of John & Nancy (Jackson) Ferrell, also from Russell Co. They, and John's brother Richard, were the first settlers of the Tug Fork of Sandy River. From their marriage on 6/28/1823 in Pike Co., KY, came at least 11 children; Hawkins, John, George, Samuel, Lewis, Ruth, Rebecca, Lorenzo Dow, William, Catherine Levisa, & Reason R. Some sources also show Charles & Nancy.

RALPH'S BOYS...
Hawkins (Ferrell) Steele (b.1821) married Catherine Ellis (b.1814), daughter of Evan & Mary or Margaret (Haine/Hines) Ellis. Evan and his brother, Phillip, had earlier settled at Island Creek in about 1811, and were descendants of the Evan Ellis who apparently emigrated from Wales in 1730 and settled in the James River Valley. An annotated 1850 U.S. Census Report shows their children as Ralph, Margaret, and Evan E. Steele (ages 7, 5, and 1 respectively). Hawkins' date of death is uncertain, but a Hawkins, age 73 (a widower), married a Matheny Guthrie in Kanawha Co. in 1895.

Samuel Steele (b.1832), according to some sources, was married to a Mary Johnson. One source even has him listed as Lemuel, but these names are easily confused in some of the older handwritings. I can find no trace of Samuel in succeeding Census reports for Logan Co., but the 1880 Cabell Co. report lists Samuel E. Steele, age 49, wife Mary L. and children Everett E. & Alma E. He is mentioned in Ralph A. Steele's will of 1886.

Lewis Steele (b.1833) was married on either 4/30/1854 or 9/3/1854 to Charlotte Smith, daughter of Ali & Sarah Smith, and the 1860 U.S. Census lists them without children. He was indicted for fraudulent voting in Lawrence Co., KY in 10/1865, and was living in the Chapmanville Dist. of Logan Co. in 1900.

Lorenzo Dow Steele (12/1839-2/14/1907), was a farmer who stood 6' tall with black hair & hazel eyes. He married Angelina Ellen Johnson (b.11/1845), and had a son, George B. (b.4/1866). George B. married S. Dora (b.8/1860 – children: Lorenzo Dow, b.2/1886; Mary A., b.4/1889; & Dora B., b.3/1894). At some point, the family moved to Putnam Co. (1900 U.S. Census), and he died in St. Albans, (Kanawha Co.) WV.

William A. Steele (b.1840) married Catherine (Kate) Spratt, daughter of Isaac & Kate (Buchanan) Spratt of Tazwell, and they had at least one child, Caroline A. (b.11/1/1873). He was a farmer, and had a fair complexion, brown hair and blue eyes.

John Steele (b.1825) married Martha Patsy Mounts, listed as his widow in an annotated 1870 U.S. Census Report, along with the following children: Harrison, 15; Perry, 12; Rebecca, 13; Levicy, 7; Eliza, 5; Rutha, 3; and Smith, 2.

Reason R. (1845-1856) obviously died as a young boy and nothing else is known of him. He was shown with the family in the 1850 Census.

Charles (1820-1821) apparently died as a baby, but I have thus far found no record of him.

RALPH'S GIRLS...
Ruth L. Steele (b.1836) married Thomas Harmon Duty, son of George & Mary Duty, on 10/30/56, and had at least one son, Leander. Also, a Thomas H. Duty appears, with granddaughter Rutha, on the 1900 U.S. Census for Cabell Co.

Rebecca M. Steele (b.1837) married Lewis Hinchman, son of Dr. Ulysses & Rebecca (McDonald) Hinchman, on 10/1/1857. Ulysses was a "practicing physician and held many offices of public trust, and was several times elected as a member of the West Virginia Legislature," according to G. T. Swain in his 1927 book, History of Logan County, West Virginia.

Catherine Levisa Steele (1841-1923) married Benjamin H. Justice, son of James & Jane Justice.

Nancy (1826-1830) apparently died as a young child, but, I have found no record of her.

GEORGE STEELE... George (1827-1897) was married twice, first to Sarah "Sally" Ellis (1823- 3/1/1876 – sister of Catherine Ellis, who married Hawkins), and this marriage produced 9 children: Thomas Leftridge (3/1848- 4/29/1873); Lucinda Jane (1852-1884); Sarah Ann (b.3/21/1854); Leander (b.1858); Ralph P. (b.5/1858); Henry U. (b.1859); George, Jr. (9/1862- 1911); Mary Margaret (b.1865); and Charles E. (b.1867).

THE SECOND SET... The second marriage, on 11/2/1876, was to Edith Jane Meadows (1863-1924), considerably younger that George, and daughter of John & Nancy (Sprouse ?) Meadows. There seems to be some uncertainty about Nancy's maiden name, as one source has it as Nancy Spencer Thacker Meadows. The children of this marriage were: Cora V.; Allis (b.1879); Sippie C. (6/4/1879- 1959); Alfred Farmer (8/15/1883- 4/1 /1963); Jonie Hamilton (5/30/1884- 6/6/1962); Millard Matthew (2/2/1886- 2/20/1963); Lorenzo Dow (3/17/1889- 5/16/1938); Bertha (b.10/1895); and Roma Pearl (b.9/1898). Also, some question about George's dates of birth & death, and the parentage of several of the children attributed to the marriage.

The 1900 U.S. Census lists Edith in the Cabin Creek District of Kanawha Co. with a new husband, Jones Ashwort (probably John Ashworth), and includes the 2 youngest children, Bertha M. and Roma Pearl as daughters, but C.C. (presumably Sippie C.), Jona H., Jeremy (possibly Jeremy Matthew who was really Millard Matthew), Lorenzo D. & Farmer are shown as stepchildren. Also, Frances (Steele) Miller, Farmer's daughter, thinks Farmer might have been the son of Lucinda Jane or another relative, raised by George & Edith). But, let's go on to what we know (or think we know)...

UNCLE SPECK... Alfred Farmer "Speck" Steele (8/15/1883- 4/10/1963) married Edna Rachel Cantley (1890-1963) on 11/30/1907 in Mucklow, WV. He was born in Logan Co., she in Boone Co. I have received my information on Speck from his daughter Frances, who lives in Russell, KY. There were 8 children: Duard Farmer (1909-abt.1909); Shirley Irene (1910-1972); Raymond Lorenzo (1913-1915); Helen Wilmoth (1916-1987); William Lee (1919-1980); Paul Hamilton (1921-1924); Frances Henrietta (b.1924); and Randolph Cantley (1926-1978).

Three of the children died young: Duard, Raymond, and Paul. Of those reaching maturity, Shirley Steele married 3 times: to Jacob William Fisher, Jr. (a daughter, Suzanne, b.1940); George Rowland Patterson; and Robert McGhee. Helen Steele married Thomas Hanshaw (1 son,Thomas Dean Hanshaw, b.1934). William Steele married Mary Jacqueline Waugh (b.1925 – 2 children, Marsha Ann, b.1956, and William Brock, b.1957).

Frances Henrietta Steele married Albert S. Miller (1917-1972), and they had 2 children: Sarah Ellen Miller (b.1951) who married Larry Joe Johnson (b.1949); and Joan Frances Miller (b.1952) who married Gregory Thomas Brennan (b.1955). They have a child, Kate Darby Miller Brennan (b.1994). Finally, Raldolph Steele married 3 times – first to Ruth Roberts (a son, James Randolph, b.1945); second to Ella ? (a daughter Anna Elin, b.1954, married Sigtryggur Jo'nsson, b 1949, and 2 children – Jon-Haukur Sigtryggsson Jo'nsson, b 1978 and Halldor-Emil Steele Jo'nsson, b 1982); and third, to Maria Conteras (one child, Chris Steele, b.abt 1962). Frances (Steele) Miller is a retired school teacher, and has been actively involved in genealogy for several years.

UNCLE MILLARD... Millard Matthew Steele (2/2/1886- 2/20/1963) was married twice – to Ethyl Swartz and to an Elizabeth (1908-1990) – and had at least 2 sons; George E. and William R., and 4 daughters; Doris, Mrs. Joe Kendall, Mrs. Jack Pauley, and Mrs. Irwin Herald. William R. might have been a stepson, as his last name was given in Millard's obituary as Sparks.

Millard was born in Logan Co., and died in Huntington, WV. He was retired from the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. after 47 years service. He had lived in Greenup, KY for 30 years, and is buried at Riverview Cemetery there. His son, George E. and wife, Marilyn, reside in Englewood, Florida.

UNCLE DOW... Lorenzo Dow Steele (3/17/1889- 5/16/1938) was born in Logan Co. and died in Huntington, WV of a cerebral hemorrhage with arteriosclerosis listed as a contributing factor. He was a retired Engineer with the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. (I would imagine on a medical, as he was so young), and had been living at 1231 8th Ave. He married Jessie Evelyn Morris on 12/18/1920 in Kanawha Co. He may have married a second time, as his death certificate shows his wife as Jessie Brewer.

AUNT SIPPIE... Sippie C. Steele (6/4/1879- 1959) was born in Switzer, WV, and married James E. Aliff. They had at least 2 children; Edith A. Aliff (7/15/1908- 5/18/1932) and James E. Aliff, Jr. (12/24/1910- 6/5/1954). All are buried at the Culloden Cemetery.

CORA, ALLIS (ALICE?), BERTHA, & ROMA PEARL... To date, I've found no trace of Cora, and nothing other than a listing on the 1880 U.S. Census for Allis (just before going to press, both Cora and Alice were located on the microfilm for Logan Co. wills, but there has not been sufficient time to check to see what's there). As to Bertha & Roma Pearl, nothing since their listing on the 1900 Census indicating they were Ashworths. And that brings us to the last of George & Edith's children, Jonie... and we'll take a look at him next time.