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Found this very interesting.
The Steel’s of Steele’s Tavern Virginia, by Mildred Goeler, 1974.
published in 1974. Samuel Steele, is mentioned as the son of
David and Janet Steele, born about 1724, and died 1796, he
married a Margaret (believed to be Campbell, dau of James
Campbell). According to her book Samuel and Margaret had two daughters Margaret
and Jannet, or Janny (Jane). She writes that it was daugther Mary who married
Richard Rankin and moved to Tennessee. They moved with son Samuel Steele
Rankin.
However the Will of Samuel Steele found in Augusta County, Court House Bk 8,
pg. 215 proved February 1796 reads: To my daughter Mary and grandson Samuel
Cunningham- To my daughter Janny and grandson Samuel Steele Rankin.
Cont’d
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By 1796 Jane Steele and her husband Richard Rankin had moved to Tennessee, and
had several children, the oldest was Samuel Steele Rankin according to records
born in Virginia.
BOOK: A History of Rockbridge County, Virginia by Oren F. Morton, 1979.
William and Mary College Quarterly Magazine, Vol 5 Serie 2, 1925.
BOOK: Early Settlers in Valley of Virginia, by Charles E. Kemper, pg. 259, 260.
BOOK: Volume 24 Penn. Archives, 3rd Series.
Samuel Steele patented 240 acres in Lancaster County, Penn. 22 Nov 1750 before
moving to Augusta County, Virginia.
Book: William and Mary Quarterly Vol 2, Series 2, pg. 280, 1922.
Wife of Samuel..Margaret Campbell. Daughter Jane married Richard Rankin..Their daughter, Jane…
John Rankin born 2-5-1793 in Jefferson co Tn. Ends up in Ky and then Ripley Ohio. This is the Rev. John Rankin well-known abolitionist. This is the same group of Rankin and Steele families listed with Gideon Blackburn (Cherokee missionary) that moved from Augusta co Va to Jefferson co Tn. There are also Steele’s from this group in NC.
I know some of you here have these surnames.
Saj
Ripley, Ohio is in Brown co Ohio. Rev. John Rankin was Presbyterian. What led me here was a letter, following that mentioned James McGuire Stott and his involvement in the Underground Railroad. This James is the son of Stephen and Sarah McGuire out of Ky. They died young and their brother, Richard raised the children who were orphaned. Richard is my direct line.
http://tibbets-history.com/JohnTibbetsLetter.php
Saj
These are two surnames I keep running into on my search. I have a Steele too, but it is in my grandfather’s line which does not have rumors of NA that I am aware of. They followed a path through Ohio via Gurnsey county.
Techteach
That was a very interesting journal, that gave a clear picture of what life was like, and the kind of people running the underground railroad and why they did it. I think I’m being slow on the uptake here, but I’m not clear how your ancestor connects with the guy doing the writing. It was your ancestor’s uncle who knew Rev. Rankin? Were there many stories in the family about these exploits?
Linda, I just copied a little of the letter.
We arrived at Mr. James Hamilton’s about twelve o’clock that night and found the family up, a good warm supper in waiting. The Reverend John Rankin of Ripley, Ohio, was there. He was an old friend of my father’s. I was very tired but a good warm supper and a good bed helped me very much. In the morning Mr. Stott and I started for home, but our cargo had been shipped on another train and went through safe. Before I reached my home I met my wife. She had got
At least from this I know they met. Maude Stott was my grandmother. This James Stott is the nephew of Richard who raised him. It is Richard who the line comes down from. In Vernon, Indiana (spelled Virnon) in the letter, was the Stott boarding house or hotel that an old relative who grew up in Vernon said was a stop on the underground railroad. I’ve been trying to research more. But this is a tie in. Saj
Techteach, maybe the Steele’s you’re running into were a liberal lot who would be open to people of color making some of them abolitionists, or folks apt to marry an Indian or mixed blood.
The Steeles I am connected to were originally Casteel, both names are found in the same county and are the same people…I have no idea, outside of a possible falling out, why they decided to have two surnames for one family. This family however traces back to the original surname of Castle, where I found they had Shawnee ancestry by marriage. Tracing back to Virginia, they could have married into other tribes as well.
Brenda Sampsel has Steeles. We discussed this; they followed the same route as my folks who I know were mixed. I just realized as I was checking my grandfather’s line that I am remembering this discussion and getting mixed up. She has lines of Mounts and Steels that interconnect. It is not Steels that I have but rather a Mount who is a direct ancestor on mine. I need to change my signature line.
Techteach
Thanks for the interesting post Saj, I have Rankins that married into my Cox’s. Below is a note about Mary Rankin Cox.:)
Mary Rankin Cox, a widow, came with sons John, David, and possibly another son Joshua; her husband is believed to be Joshua C. who died in Lancaster (now Franklin Co., PA) in the Cumberland Valley. A militia unit in Mont. Co. was headed by Capt. John Cox, with Lt. David Cox also listed. David Cox married Margaret Ann McGowan. The Coxes had land on New River and Bridle Creek (1815 list). James Cox filed for a Rev. War pension in Grayson, 1832 (Kegley, 133). See also Philips, Alice Cox. Our Cox Family (1988).
These are all new river families. Namely she died in Grayson Virginia. Wonder if they are related. Tari
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