Copyright 1999 by Jimmie M. Steele- All rights reserved
Elihu John Steele, son of Ralph and Mary Griffitt Steele is the direct ancestor of Charles Gillespie Steele Jr, therefore more time has been spent on his family. Eli was born in 1827 and was killed in action in the Civil War in an area near Lynchburg, Virginia. His son said Appomatox but I have not been able to verify this.
Eli Steele was a Private in the 51st infantry during the Civil War . The Confererate Roster also has him listed as being a 2nd Lt. in the 188th Militia. According to Pendleton 's "History of Tazewell County and Southwest Virginia", Eli also served in the 22nd Cavalry and was killed in 1864. I have not found any evidence of this yet.
Eli is known to have written letters to the Adjudent General along with his brother James to keep a man out of the war so he could remain in Tazewell to work in the factory and make Army uniforms.
He married 26 Oct 1848 Virginia McGuire, born 1824, daughter of James and Elizabeth McGuire and had three children.
The eldest, George Robert was born 25 January 1849. George Robert married 20 Jan 1875 Rachel Ann Bausman. These records are according to Barry Litchfield, one of their descendants. According to Barry, this family settled in the western part of the country. The middle child, Ralph E was born 1851; The youngest child by his first wife Virginia, was Mary Elizabeth, born 10 Aug 1854, died 11 Oct 1897, married 11 Mar 1873 Moses Ferrell.
Eli married (2nd) 10 July 1856 Louisa Lockhart, the daughter of John and Sarah (McGuire) Lockhart and had three more children. Charles Winton was born 1857, died 1943 in the hospital in Abingdon, Va. There are conflicting records for his date of birth. Lewis P. Summers shows his birthdate as July 24, 1858, in the History of Southwest Virginia. According to the birth records of Tazewell Co The first page of 1857, line 1, has Charles Winton Steele born July 24. Charles Winton married 2 Sept 1875 Arkansas Rosalie P. Ferrell.
This couple is buried in Meadowview Cemetery at Blackwell's Chapel. The house is still standing across the street and is still occupied.
Charles Steele Jr has many pleasant memories visiting Uncle Charles and Aunt Canny. He was given the job of taking the corn to the mill to grind and would always throw in a red ear of corn much to the didtress of Aunt Canny. He remembers the team of horses that would wait to pull the Mailman's Model T out of the mud and finding the snake on top of the spring house after a flood; of being asked to help hold a lamb when the lamb was as big as he was. He also remembers sitting in Uncle Charles's living room and watching a three weight- 8 day- Cuckoo and Quail Clock. On the hour, the clock really got busy.
Uncle Charles (son of Eli) had two children , Edgar and Rosa . Edgar died young and Rosa married three times. There was a foster child who is Mary Hartswick who is living in Pennsylvania.(1999)
James McGuire Steele (son of Eli) was born 28 July 1859. He lived for awhile in Tazewell and then moved to Pennsylvania. I have letters from him dated 1912 and 1913.
Hamilton Wade Steele (son of Eli) was born 2 Mar 1861, died 6 Mar 1924 in Roanoke Va. married 20 Oct 1881 Mary Emerine Gillespie. daughter of Hugh Tiffany. They had two children:
Charles Gillespie was born 11 Aug 1883, died 26 Feb 1955. He and Mary are buried in the Jefferson Cemetery in Tazewell. The second child , Henry Milton was born 4 Aug 1889. He left to explore the country in 1912 and went west. It is believed that he returned and settled in Connecticut. Hamilton Wade Steele married (2) in 1896 Mary Cecil May. One child was born to this union. Louise was born 15 Oct 1905, died 15 June 1985 in Mahwah, N J. She married Howard Avery and had 4 children . Louise and Howard are buried in Roanoke Va in Evergreen Cemetery.
