Hi all VA Steeles, I have been in this group for a number of years and my only goal was to trace the Steeles of Steele's Tavern Augusta/Rockbridge Co's VA (in the Borden/Beverly Patents) to the immigrants. Below is the first clue I have seen and if the material is tied to original documents it is a major break through a brick wall for a lot of us. Bravo Robert and Carl Steele! Now, I think this issue was not properly researched because of the untrue rumor that our Steeles were descendants of the very famous author, Sir Richard Steele of Ireland, and everyone starting to work on this line accepted the rumor. It seemed that the original immigrant to Augusta was Sam. Steele (born 1709). However, a number of years ago I had an old family letter that said the Steele immigrants to Augusta were three brothers. Unfortunately, I lost the letter, but did not gthe the ive it creditability since it tied the brothers to Sir Richard Steele. It now seems to me that we have a plausible case, based upon the plot maps of the farms that there were at least two brothers, Andrew and Sam. Birth dates, Patent dates, family names (note that Andrew and Samuel were carried down through the generations by all of the Steeles from Augusta). I would like to have a copy of the Carl Steele's book. Robert - I will contact you directly. Carl may have completed unique and original research which is of great interest to we eccentric few who focus only on the Steeles of Steele's Tavern. Let me note that I have no information on the these Steeles as they moved west so can't help with any queries as to the later generations. Regards, Ernest Thompson Moss Beach, CA -----Original Message----- From: Robert Steele <samstee@tds.net> To: STEELE-L@rootsweb.com <STEELE-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Saturday, February 10, 2001 11:18 AM Subject: [Steele-L] Reuben Steele, Scotland?, Virginia, North Carolina 18th Century >I would like to find more information about Reuben Steele, and his >descendants. > >The genealogy of one of his sons, Robert Steele, has been published by Carl >Steele of Tulsa, OK in his book "Gathering of the Clan" but what happened to >the rest of Reuben's fourteen children has not been established. > >This what Carl Steele wrote about Reuben's family in his book: > >"Reuben Steele was probably born about 1720 in Argyll County, Scotland. >Legend purports him to be a son of Alexander Steele and his English wife, >Hanna. Alexander, born about 1680, lived in Glen Strae, Glen Orchy and Glen >Locky, Scotland. He was a famous leader of the McGregor clan, being >declared chief of the clan Gregor in July 1714. The wife of Reuben was a >Crockett. She appears to have descended from Gabriel Gustave de >Crocketagne' through his son, Antoine Desasur Pernonette de Crocketagne a >Huguenot and the father of three sons, one of whom likely was the father of >Reuben's wife. > >Whether they came directly from Scotland or via Ireland is unknown. They >landed in Philadelphia and went soon, perhaps at once, to the Shenandoah >Valley. There, in the present county of Rockbridge, Benjamin Borden was >granted a large tract of land by Virginia's Colonial Government in 1739. >Many settlers, and perhaps our Steele's, bought their land from the "Borden >Grant." > >When Borden died in 1743. There was considerable confusion in the >settlement of his estate, and many settlers were unable to obtain final >title to their land. They left their tracts and pushed on to new >settlements, leaving no trace in the public record of their stay in the >valley. > >River Valley which lay on the edge of the "great wilderness." This fertile >valley was a favorite hunting grounds for the Canawhay, Catabus, Cherokee, >Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot Indians. Many bloody and bitter battles were >fought among the various Indian tribe to protect their hunting rights. >Although no Indian tribe claimed the New River Valley as a permanent home, >the intrusion of the white settlers was generally resented. In those days, >only the Cherokee was regarded as friendly. They bartered and taught the >white man "home remedies" to cure his ills with herbs and animal fats. >Undoubtedly, our ancestors had many friendly encounters with the Indians and >learned techniques necessary to their survival in this new land. > >Hostility was abundant and brutal. During this period our pioneer ancestors >lived in constant fear of attack from any one of a number of Indian tribes >which frequented the area. The fears of these ancestors were intensified as >news of the massacre of a neighboring settlement at Draper's Meadow was >received. On the eighth of July 1755, every soul at Draper's Meadow was >killed, wounded, or captured. Hardly a settlement in the New River Valley >had escaped the frightful massacres that occurred in the latter half of the >175O's. Our Steele family once narrowly escaped death at the hands of >Indians which may have been a factor in their decision to leave the New >River Valley. > >New River Valley, the proclamation line of 1763 did. This line forbade the >purchase or settlement of Indian lands which extended westerly of a line >running through the heads of the rivers which fell into the Atlantic from >the west or northwest. By the early 1760's, Reuben had relocated his family >in a more settled area. Although he could have taken the family back into >the Shenandoah Valley or perhaps into North Carolina, it seems likely the >family found Prince Edward County a more desirable choice. Both Steeles and >Crocketts were living in Prince Edward County along the Buffalo River in a >Scotch-Irish settlement established some years earlier in 1735 learning to >live without the constant threat of Indian attack. There was time to renew >acquaintance with seldom seen relatives and time to develop new friendships. >Robert may well have met his wife-to-be, Mary, also known as Polly, Keeling >or Kelen, during this time. But their future seemed to lay in North >Carolina, and soon the family was on the move again. Tradition places them >in the "Forks of the Yadkin," a valley lying between the main Yadkin and >the South Yadkin River comprising present Davie and Yadkin counties. There, >Reuben reared the remainder of his fourteen children." > >Two of his sons, Robert and Samuel, moved back to the New River Valley >where they remained for the rest of their lives. What happened to the rest >of Reuben's fourteen children? > > > >First Generation >---------------------------------------- > >1. Reuben Steele. Born abt 1720 in Argyll, Scotland. Reuben died in At Sea. > > abt 1740 when Reuben was 20, he married __________ Crockett, in Scotland? >Born in Scotland. > >They had the following children: > 2 i. Robert (~1745-~1821) > ii. Samuel. > > iii. Margaret. > >Margaret married Walter Crockett. > > iv. Jennie. > >Jennie married John Crockett. > > v. Lettie. > >Lettie married Sam Crockett. > > > >Second Generation >---------------------------------------- > >2. Robert Steele. Born abt 1745 in VA. Buried abt 1821 in Wythe County, >VA. Robert died in Wythe County, VA abt May 1821, he was 76. > > abt 1771 when Robert was 26, he first married Mary "Polly" Keeling, in >Prince Edward County, VA. > >They had the following children: > i. James (~1773-) > ii. Samuel (~1775-1822) > iii. Edmond (1777-1850) > iv. William (1778-1857) > v. Jeffrey Oliver (~1782-) > vi. John (~1782-) > vii. Elizabeth (~1783-) > > abt 1785 when Robert was 40, he second married Rebecca Oury. > >They had the following children: > i. David (~1795-~1863) > ii. Reuben (1797-1866) > iii. Robert (~1798-) > iv. Catherine (~1800-) > v. Crockett (~1802-~1857) > vi. George (~1808->1880) > vii. Nancy (~1810-) > viii. Owry (1810-1863) > > > > > >==== STEELE Mailing List ==== >List address STEELE-L@rootsweb.com >Replies are set "reply to list" facilitating STEELE connections. >List Manager's address STEELE-admin@rootsweb.com > >============================== >Add as many as 10 Good Years To Your Life >If you know how to reduce these risks. >http://www.thirdage.com/health/wecare/hearthealth/index.html > >