SHADRACK "SHADE" AND CHRISTINA "CRISSY" (DESKINS) STEELE

From original research of Dodie E. Browning

Copyright-1997- all rights reserved

The above pictures of Bear Wallow Ridge in Buchanan County VA, are through the courtesy of Johnnie Louise (Pruitt) Rexrode, a newly found descendant of Shade and Christina. Johnnie descends through their daughter, Eleanor "Nellie" Steele, who married James Harvey Pruitt. Thank you, Johnnie Louise-This makes their story complete!

Shade Steele was the sixth son and sixth child of George and Rosannah (Fannin) Steele. He was born in Tazewell County, Virginia, 13 July, 1811. When he was twenty one years old, he married Christina "Crissy" Deskins, the daughter of Daniel and Margaret "Peggy" (Francisco) Deskins in Tazewell County on 2 September, 1832.

The young couple first lived on land that was deeded to Shade by his parents, George and Rosannah. This was sixty acres where they built their first home, and what is now a part of Route 19. It was here that their eight children were born, seven daughters and one son. Shade’s property was near the present site of Southwest Virginia Community College. The property is just to the south of the driveway that leads to the college.

All of the Census records show that Shade was a farmer. What the records did not show, was that he was also a blacksmith and a gunsmith. Family tradition dictates that Shade made guns for the Confederacy during the War Between The States. Proof of Shade’s excellent skills as a craftsman are evidenced in the hand crafted rifle that is still in existence today.

The stock of the rifle is hand carved of bird’s eye maple and cherry wood, with very delicate brass in-lay. There is also a hand tooled leather pouch that still contains some of the black gun powder and other paraphernalia that was used to make the gun functional. The old powder horn is still attached to the hand made leather pouch. The powder horn is an animal horn. There is also a tiny carved scrimshaw powder cup, which is even more intricately carved than the rest of the set. The design on the powder cup appears to be an Indian design, and it is made of ivory. Each piece in the set is a separate work of art. It must have taken many long hours of practice and concentration to master this art. Each piece is still functional after nearly one and a half centuries. Even the old black powder still produces the intended affect, when tamped into the chamber. The rifle was probably made some time prior to 1854, because that is when Shade moved his family to what is present day Buchanan County, Virginia.

Their home in Buchanan County was located on Bearwallow Mountain. Apparently the mountain was named appropriately, because one Census taker wrote on the Federal Census report that he was startled to see a bear. Shade had sold the sixty acre farm in Tazewell County to his youngest brother, Rezin Ratcliff "Reese" Steele.

On 4 July, 1860 Shade had a survey for four hundred thirty two acres, "on the waters of the Louisa Fork of the Sandy River, on the Dividing Ridge, between Dismal and Clinch Waters." This is the ridge that divides Tazewell County and Buchanan Counties.

Shade received several land grants in what is present day Buchanan County. He sold a large portion of one grant to a cousin on his mother’s side of the family. At one point, he owned over two thousand acres in the coal rich mountains of Buchanan County.

One survey was for land that was granted to Shade by the State of Virginia. He received three grants on 1 September, 1862. (Land Office Treasury Warrants-#25018, #25584 and #25691.)

By 1860, Shade had acquired two thousand acres in present day Buchanan County and was paying tax on it. I have not been able to ascertain how he obtained all of his land, nor from whom. The County Court House burned and many valuable records were destroyed by fire.

On 30 May, 1868 Shade divided most of his land between his children, who were grown and had families of their own by this time. He deeded four hundred acres to his daughter, Ann Eliza, who had married Thomas Smith. (great grand parents of this writer.) He deeded one hundred acres to Elizabeth “Betsy” VanDyke, his daughter who had married John VanDyke, a cousin to Thomas Smith. Shade deeded another one hundred acres to daughter Julia, wife of Basil Elswick; another one hundred acres to daughter Margaret, wife of Isreal White; one hundred acres to Daughter Elenor "Nelly," wife of James Harvey Pruitt. In his will he left two hundred acres to daughter Virginia Belle, wife of Russell P. Fletcher. This two hundred acres was the "home place." It was the custom in the Steele family to leave the "home place" to the "baby" of the family. I have not found a record of how much land he left to his daughter Mary, wife of Harvey Lockhart, but she did share in the estate settlement of Shade and Christina, after their deaths.

Shade and Christina had but one son (George?) Paris, born in 1845. When Paris was just a teenager, the North and South went to war. At age seventeen and almost certainly against his parents wishes, Paris enlisted in the Confederate Army. His family owned no slaves and never had, but like most southerners, the family loyalty was with the Confederacy. As almost anyone born in the south will attest, Dixie is much more than just a song; it is a way of life; written in the heart.

This was more than likely the way that young Paris felt when he enlisted as a private in Captain Otis Caldwell’s Company of Cavalry. Since the Steeles were all very tall and very lean, we can get a picture of this brave (and naive) young man, riding tall in the saddle as he rode off to fight for the South. He enlisted on 7 August 1862. Less than a month after he enlisted, Paris Steele was transferred to Captain Hankin’s Company. Paris was present for muster on that day. That is the last record we have of him being alive. His name never appeared on a Muster Roll after that date,, except to show that he was dead. (A cross on the Service Record is an indication that the soldier is dead.)

Like thousands of others, Shade and Crissy lost their beloved only son to the ravages of war and/or disease. It would appear that the family was heart broken for a long time, due to the loss of their beloved only son and brother. Several of the sisters named their next born sons in his honor. With the death of Paris Steele, there was no male heir to carry on the Steele name in the Shade Steele line of descent.

The given name of Paris was carried on for several generations through the sisters of Paris Steele. The name Paris was carried in the Ann Eliza Steele Smith line of descent up to 1908, when the name was passed on to my father, Paris Smith. With the death of my father in 1981, the name Paris would no longer be carried on through Ann Eliza‘s descendants.

Shade Steele lived to be seventy six years old, although his death record shows that he was seventy five. He died nine days after their fifty fifth wedding anniversary. His death date was 11 September, 1887. His death record in Richmond shows the cause of death as “Dropsy.” Heart conditions have been the major cause of death in the Steele family, as well as the leading cause of death in their descendants, including the Smith lines. The majority of the Steele descendants have lived to be in their seventies and eighties.

This the last Will and Testament of Shadrack Steele of the County of Buchanan, and the State of Virginia; In the name of God, Amen.

Firstly, I the said Shadrack Steele, being of sane mind and mental condition do hereby, by these presents, will to my daughter, Mrs. Virginia Belle Fletcher a certain tract or parcel of land lying in Buchanan County Virginia, on the waters of Dismal and Indian Creek, containing two hundred acres, more or less, being the same land on which I reside; and bounded by the heretofore land deeded by me to Julia Elswick, Margaret White, Nelly Pruett (Pruitt), and the land heretofore deeded by me to Ann Eliza Smith, and now owned by S.H. Laird; to have and to hold forever.

Secondly, I hereby will and bequeath unto the said Virginia Belle Fletcher and her husband, R. P. Fletcher, all my personal property of every description and kind.

Thirdly, I hereby reserve to myself the use and control of the above described tract of land and personal property during the term of my natural life; I also will and bequeath unto my wife, Christina Steele enough of the said personal property and use of so much land as to decently support and maintain the said Christina Steele during the term of her natural life, Given under my hand and seal this 29th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1887.

The will was witnessed by Zachariah Ward, Jr. The document was entered in Buchanan County Probate records on 11 October, 1887, exactly one month after Shade went to his final rest at his home in Virginia.

Christina (Deskins) Steele, Shade’s wife of fifty five years, died in 1889. I have not found a death record for her, so the cause of her death is not known for certain.

The final resting place for Shade and Crissy is in the family cemetery on the “home place” on Bearwallow Mountain in Buchanan County, Virginia. This was the land that was left to Virginia Belle Fletcher. The last time I visited there , the land was still owned by a descendant of “Belle” and Russell Pendelton Fletcher. I was never able to talk to the owner. The front of the current home faces the cemetery, which is literally a part of the front yard. There are a number of graves and stones, standing inside a chain link fence, which is just to the side of the main road. The cemetery is well maintained. The only stones visible for any of Shade’s family was the stone of Elenor, “Nelly” and her husband, James Harvey Pruitt. We were told by relatives that the old stones in the cemetery had been plowed under to make it easier to “mow the grass.”

Apparently Shade and Christina owned more land than Shade realized when he wrote his will. In 1860 he had owned two thousand acres. The aforementioned land transfers total one thousand four hundred thirty two acres. This leaves nearly six hundred acres that Shade did not transfer to someone else prior to his death. Shade was looking out for his and Crissy’s future when he reserved the timber (thus also mineral ) rights, when he deeded the land to his children. Apparently he was ill when he had his will made, and somehow neglected to dispose of the timber and mineral rights that he had reserved for his own use.

Christina lived for about one and a half years after Shade died. Apparently Christina was frail and was still living in her home by herself. We can presume that her family was concerned about her being at least seventy five or seventy six years old and still trying to maintain her independence. There would have been wood to chop, water to carry from a well (or stream,) laundry to do by hand, livestock to feed , and all of the farm work that was usually shared by entire families. There must have been many discussions about "What do about Mother." There was probably begging and pleading by the "girls" for Mother to live with them. Christina may have been getting on in years, but she knew what she wanted and how to get it. Her mind was certainly clear when she made an arrangement with her grandson, E.S.W. (Elgin S. Witton) Elswick, sometime before her death in 1889. The arrangement stated that he could have "a certain parcel of land joining the other tracts..........." It seems obvious from her agreement with her grandson, that she did not want to live with any of her children. apparently she wanted to remain in her own home and maintain her independence as long as possible. The agreement stated that E.S.W. Elswick was to "decently maintain" Christina for the rest of her natural life, in her own residence. She made it very clear that this was the way it was to be. She also agreed that she would give him all of her personal property as payment. The personal property included: "1 roan mare, 1 white cow, household and kitchen furniture, farming implements and tools of all kinds; grain, bacon and all personal property and effects."

The document was written on 5 March, 1889, and entered into Buchanan County Court records on 30 March, 1889. Apparently Christina (Deskins) Steele died at home in 1889. The above gives us a glimpse of the strength and fierce independence and character of this beautiful lady, who was the great-great grandmother of this writer.

After Christina's death, there was a court action in Tazewell County against Julia and Basil (sometimes shown as Bazel) Elswick, regarding an old deed from Shade and Christina to Julia and " Baz." Some of Shade and Christina's property was in part of each county, as they lived right on the dividing line of Tazewell and Buchanan Counties. This was settled between the heirs at that time. Everyone except Harvey Lockhart signed the deed by mark of an "X." Neither Shade nor Christina could read nor write and neither could any of their children. Mary's husband, Harvey Lockhart was a school teacher.

Over fifty years after the death of Shade and Christina, no one had claimed the timber and mineral rights to some of the land in Buchanan County Virginia, and there was still some property that had not been sold nor disposed of legally. I first learned of this from my father, Paris Smith and my Aunt Amanda (Smith) Carter before they died in the 1980s. Both told me that they and all of the heirs of Tom and Ann Eliza (Steele) Smith had been contacted by an attorney from Virginia in the 1940s, asking them to sign papers of "some kind." The papers were for the purpose of selling the land and the mineral rights for the remainder of the estate of Shade and Christina Steele. I searched in both Tazewell and Buchanan Counties, but found no record of this. No person that anyone knew (for certain) ever got any monetary settlement of any kind from this land. One thing is certain - millions of tons of coal were taken out of the mountains of Buchanan County, and the mining companies made millions of dollars on the coal (mineral rights) that neither Shade nor his children ever sold in their lifetimes.

The children of Shade and Christina (Deskins) Steele were:

1. Julia Steele, b. 11 Nov. 1833; m. Wm. Basil Elswick on 15 June1851 in Tazewell County, Virginia. Julia d. 5 Feb. 1905. In 1872 Basil was a trustee for the Methodist Episcopal Church South, on the "Dividing Ridge"
The children of Julia Steele and Basil Elswick:
1(1) Marinda "Rinda" Elswick, b. Nov. 1852; d. between 1910 - 1920; m. 29 Mar. 1875 George Barrett- Lived Maiden Spring District of Tazewell County.
(2) William J. "Squire Bill" Elswick, b. 8 Feb. 1855; d. 5 Aug. 1932; m. 12 June 1873 to Mary Ann Christian
1(3) Arminda Elswick, b. 2 Dec. 1856 or 2 Nov. 1857 (records show both dates) m. 5 September 1872, to David K Christian (he b. 1849). they were married on her grandparent’s 40th wedding anniversary.
1(4) Lucinda, b. 1 Dec 1858; d. 1 Sept. 1860, of Flux
1(5) Elgin S. Witten Elswick, b 12 Dec. 1859; m. (1) 14 Dec. 1886 to Rhoda Mosley; m.(2) 20 Apr. 1893 to Rose Etta Watson; m. (3) 13 May, 1899 Nancy J. Payne
1(6) Eliza Jane Elswick, b. 2 Dec. 1860 (prob. died as infant.)
1(7) George C. Elswick, b. 27 Nov. 1863, prob. died young
1(8) David Patton Elswick, b. 30 Apr. 1866, m. 1) 29 July, 1886 to Lucinda Elswick (cousin) m. 2) Louisa D. Harmon; m. 3) Cosby (Day or Sanders ?) She m. after his death to a McGlothlin
1(9) Francis L. Elswick, b. 28 Mar. 1867; d. 9 Jul.1887 m. 4 Oct. 1883, Jennie Belle Johnson
1(10) Mary Elizabeth Elswick, b. 26 Sept. 1869; d.9 May 1916, Summers County, WV m. 9 Jan. 1900 to Floyd Phipps
1(11) Sarah Alice Elswick - died as infant
1(12) b. Nov. 1876 - living with her parents in 1900

2. Eleanor "Nelly" Steele, b. 26 June 1834 (tombstone says 1829, but this is incorrect, according to when she appeared on Census records.) d. 22 June, 1904, buried on Home Place; Her stone states: " SHE WAS THE SUNSHINE OF OUR HOME" She m. 21 Sept. 1854 to James Harvey Pruitt; b. 15 May, 1830, d. 18 May 1908. His stone states, "GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN” They are buried in the family cemetery of Nelly’s parents on Bearwallow Ridge. They have a double stone that shows: Father --- Mother
Children of Elenor Steele and James Harvey Pruitt:
2. (1) Joseph Pruitt, b. May, 1855, m. Levicy--- taken from the 1900 census, they had : Fanny E.. Wm. H., James A.,Joseph R., Margaret R., John O., Lillie R. and Bertha M.
2 (2) Shadrack Pruitt, b. 18 May, 1861, d. 15 August, 1941; m. Caroline---- their children on 1900 Census: Victory, Augustus, George E., James
2(3) Rebecca Pruitt, b. ca. 1866, m. a Hampton
2(4) James Harvey Pruitt, b. ca. 1867, m. Louise.........
2(5) Malcolm Pruitt, b. ca. 1869
2(6) Nancy E. (Lilly?) Pruitt b. ca. 1870
2(7) Margaret, "Margie" Pruitt b. ca, 1872

3. Mary Steele, b. June 1835, m. 31 December, 1856, Harvey Lockhart.
The children of Mary Steele and Harvey Lockhart;
3(1) Angeline Lockhart, b.ca. 1858, m. 2 April, 1877, John Chapman Green, s/o Henry and Ellen Green
3(2) Lilly (Louisa) Lockhart, b. 11 Apr. 1859, d.20 Dec. 1941 at Steelesburg, Tazewell County; m. 12 Feb. 1890, B.F. Mutter, s/o Nimrod and Lucinda Mutter
3(3) Sarah Lockhart , b. ca. 1862 (no farther information)
3(4) William Lockhart, b. ca. 1867, m 8 June, 1891, Mary E. Wingo, d/o James M.Wingo
3(5) John (Floyd?) Lockhart b. Aug. 1870, m. (i) Louanna Mitchell, 6 Feb. 1895, m (2) 1 Jan.,1899, Florence Mutter

4. Ann Eliza Steele

5. Elizabeth "Betsy" Steele, b. 1842, m. 28 Jan. 1862, John Van Dyke, s/o Isreal and Polly Van Dyke. John was a widower, with a daughter, Rebecca when he married Betsy Steele.
The Children of Betsy Steele and John VanDyke:
5 (1). Paris VanDyke, b.1862
5(2) (John?) Robert VanDyke, b. 1864
5(3) Anthony VanDyke, b. 1868
5(4). (David?) Shadrack VanDyke, b. 1868
5(5) Margaret VanDyke, . 1870
5(6) Sarah VanDyke, b. 1872
5(7) Minda (Arminda?) VanDyke b. 1874
All of the above names and dates for children are from various census records and ages are estimated from census records.

6. Paris Steele, b.1845, died 1862 in War Between the States, no issue

7. Margaret Steele, b. 1848 - 1849, married Israel White, They were living in Buchanan Co. in1891.
The children of Margaret Steele and Israel White:
7(1) Henry White
7(2) Elenor White
7(3) Shadrack White
7(4) Christina White
7(5) John White
7(6) Martin White
7(7) Mary White
7(8) Joseph White
7(9) Hastin(gs) White

8. Virginia Belle Steele, b. 15 July, 1850 (Tazewell birth records show 1856, but think this is a mis print.) "Belle" married Russell Pendleton Fletcher.
Partial issue of Virginia Belle Steele and R. P. Fletcher:
8(1) James Fletcher, b.ca. 1870
8(2) Rosa Belle Fletcher, b.ca. 1871
8(3) Eliza Fletcher b.ca. 1873
8(4) Thomas Fletcher, b. ca. 1874
8(5) Shadrack Fletcher, b. ca. 1875

Shade and Christina (Deskins) Steele have descendants scattered all over the United States, but many still live in the Tazewell-Buchanan County Virginia area.