Families of Steel(e)

MESHACK STEELE & NANCY WOLFORD Generation IV-Child 8 of George & Rosannah

William Meshack Steele was the eighth son and eighth child of George and Rosannah (Fannin) Steele. He was born in Tazewell County, Virginia 24 February, 1815, according to his birth record entered in the family Bible, by his father.

"Shack" married Nancy Wolford 9 January 1839 in Tazewell, just a month short of his twenty fourth birthday. Nancy was the daughter of George Wolford, according to Tazewell County Will Book 1, page 357. On 17 September 1831 John Green(e) was appointed guardian for Nancy. Her mother's name was not mentioned in this record, and I did not research the Wolford family, so I do not have her mother's name. Apparently Nancy's mother had died before her father.

Meshack and Nancy had eight children according to Tazewell County Census records, birth records and marriage records. Their children were all born in Tazewell County, VA. They were:

1. Mary J., b. circa 1840, married (1) 28 Nov.1860 to Isaac B. Brown (Isaac, b. 1838, s/o Joseph C. and Elizabeth Brown) Isaac was killed or died in 1864 or 1865 Mary J and Isaac had one daughter, Nancy, b. ca. 1862, and one son, George M. ( Meshack? ) born circa 1865. Isaac died during the War Between the States and Mary J. married (2) Patton J. Brown, s/o Thomas and Rachel Brown on 27 December, 1865. According to the 1870 Census, she had another daughter, Rachel F., born 1868. I did not trace the family after the 1870 census.

2. Rebecca A. , b. circa 1844, married 5 August, 1863 to George Lockhart. George was a saddler (made saddles) and his parents were John M. and Sarah Lockhart. Rebecca Steele Lockhart died by 1867, because George remarried in Jan. 1868. Children of Rebecca Steele and George Lockhart:

2(1) Charles C. born circa 1864 2(2) Rebecca, b. ca. 1866

3. Elenor "Ellen", born circa 1845- apparently died young and unmarried because she was not shown as an heir when her parents died.

4. George S. (Simpson? Samuel?), born May, circa 1852, married Tabitha Ann Gibson on 16 January, 1873 in Pike County, KY at the home of Elijah Gibson. Shack and Tabitha lived in Pike County. KY on Upper Elkhorn Creek. The 1900 Census showed that they had four of seven children living in 1900 The children that I documented for them were:

4(1) Mary J. b. 1874, KY. married 10 Oct. 1891, Dickenson, Co. VA. to Thomas Thacker 4(2) Sadie E. , b circa 1875, KY, m.4 June, 1894, George McPeak in Dickenson County, Virginia 4(3)William Meshack, b. ca.1879, KY. married Millie_____.
( note: In a letter from Inez Brown, dated October, 20,1998, she noted that the fourth child of George S. and Tabitha was Creed Steele.- She also noted that her grandfather, William Meshack (son of George S. and Tabitha ) married Melvina (Mellie) Thacker, d/o Joseph and Elizabeth Robinson Thacker. Thank you for the additional information, Inez. I had her name as Millie from Census Records.)

5. William Meshack, born 27 April, 1854, married (1) Victoria (sorry I can't read my own notes) m. (2) Lizzie Meade- Victoria apparently died by 1880. They had one child, Myrtie, on the 1880 census, where she is shown as six months old. I did not trace this family after that.

6. Thomas Patton Steele, b. 18 March, 1860

7. John, born 1863, was shown as living with his uncle Rezin "Reese" on the 1880 census as age 17.

Both Meshack and Nancy were dead prior to August, 1868. Rezin Ratcliff Steele, Meshack's youngest brother is shown as the guardian of Meshack's infant children as of 1 January, 1969. (infant meaning under age 21) The children were: George S., John, William (Meshack) and Thomas P. Thomas P(atton). was in household of his sister Mary Brown's family in 1870.

Meshack was still living when his parents, George and Rosannah died and was appointed one of the administrators (along with his brother-in -law James Wysor.) There were numerous court cases involving the estate of George Steele, due to debts of Meshack's brother Samuel who was said to be in Indiana or Illinois.

Meshack had six children living when he died and all of them shared in the estate. Rebecca had apparently died before her parents, Meshack and Nancy. The children in the direct line of descent from Meshack, were Steeles, Browns and Lockharts. Both Meshack and Nancy are buried in Tazewell County. I was taken to the cemetery where they are buried but I do not remember where the cemetery was, as I was only trying to find my own direct line of ancestors when I visited the other Tazewell Cemeteries and did not keep comprehensive records at that time.