This brief history was first published in Families of Steel(e) Volume III, number I, pp. 209, 210, 212, 213, 214, & 215. The sketch has been condensed and revised for this website, but all relevant information is included here. John Steele, the father of "Rafe" Steele was a first cousin of my Great Grand Mother, Ann Eliza Steele, the wife of Thomas A. Smith. This would mean that Rafe and "Lizy" were first cousins, once removed.

Ralph (pronounced "Rafe") Steele was the great grand son of George and Rosannah (Fannin) Steele. I did not do a complete history on his family, since I was concentrating on my own direct line of Steeles. I do have some interesting information on him though, which I am publishing here, due to several requests for information from some of his descendants.

"Rafe" was the son of John and Martha "Patsy" (Patsy was a Mounts, according to tradition.) Ralph was born between 1845 -1846 in Virginia, the part that later became what is present day Logan County, West Virginia. His grandfather was Ralph A. Steele, the first Steele settler of what is present day Logan County, West Virginia.For Rafe's ancestry, see sections
John Steele
Ralph A. Steele
George Steele,
Generations I, II, and III on this website.

The family "tradition" of John Steele, Rafe's father is most interesting, and probably has some truth like all "family traditions", but may not be completely accurate. Tradition dictates that John Steele, Rafe's father enlisted in the Confederate Army, while his son Rafe fought for the Union Army. More in-depth research proved this to be true. Ralph (Rafe) did serve as a private in the Union Army. He was in Company C of the 39th Kentucky Mounted Infantry Volunteer Regiment , United States Army. Private Michael "Mounce" (Mounts) was in the same company, as was Sergeant William Smith. Private Andrew J. McCoy, was in the same company, all names that later were associated with the infamous Hatfield McCoy "Feud.".

When I first published the sketch on Ralph Steele, I had doubts about him serving in the Union Army due to the fact that he was so closely involved with Anderson " Devil Anse" Hatfield in the years following the War Between the States.

For many years after General Robert E. Lee surrendered, and the Union Army was officially declared the "winners" of the War, the old wounds never did really heal with staunch believer's of the Confederate cause. It was a known fact that often times, brothers served against brothers in the conflict between the states. Apparently this was true of Rafe Steele and his father John. How sad that they never saw each other again.

Many people believe, mistakenly that the nick name "Devil Anse" was a result of Anderson Hatfield being the leader of the Hatfield Clan in the infamous Hatfield- McCoy feud. In reality, "Anse" Hatfield obtained this nick -name from his fearlessness in battle against the Union Soldiers. This is what was told to my husband Ron and me by Ron's grandfather, Minos Browning, who knew Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield personally and went bear hunting with him occasionally when he (Grandpa Browning) was a boy.

Apparently Devil Anse didn't hold grudges to the extent that he has been accused, because he remained closely associated with Rafe Steele after the War Between the States.

As stated earlier, I have not traced the activities of Rafe Steele in detail, but from deed records and other public records, I do have a somewhat sketchy history of this interesting man.

We can ascertain from public records that Ralph Steele was closely associated with Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield. They were in fact, business partners. As is typical with most business partners, they did have their problems. These problems were usually settled privately, but on one occasion, Devil Anse was so angry with Ralph that he filed suit against him in court. The suit was later dropped by Anse.

Ralph Steele was a partner in a logging business with Devil Anse. It would certainly be no surprise to this writer to find that "moonshining" was a sideline business. Making and selling whiskey was a matter of economics and a way of supporting families, who might otherwise have gone hungry.

Anderson Hatfield was in court on charges of making illegal whiskey, but nothing was proved. From "tradition" (or folklore) passed down through the family of this writer, there was more going on in "them thar hills" than ever became part of the public records. According to "tradition' my great grand father, Thomas A. Smith was closely associated with the "feudists" but was never identified publicly as having any connection to them.

One important point to remember when reading published accounts of the "feud" is that people in that part of the country had a strong bond to their 'kin" Whether by blood or through marriage. Even though they might argue and even fight among themselves, they usually stuck together when strangers came "pokin' their noses into somethin' that ain't none of their business." This attitude is probably why a complete and accurate history has never been written about these families.

Ralph Steele was quite a large land holder in Pike County, Kentucky and in what is present day Mingo County, West Virginia. All that separated the two states/counties was the Tug River. Ralph Steele married his first wife, Louisa "Vicy" (probably Mounts) around 1865-1866. Vicy was the mother of Ralph's children who were:
1. Missouri K Steele, b. ca. 1867
2. Mitchell "Mitch" Steele b, ca. 1869
3. David "Dave" Steele, b.ca. 1872
4. Elbert Steele, b. ca.1876
5. Mary Steele, b.June 1880, married Harrison Chapman
I have not traced the children.

Vicy apparently died sometime between 1880 and 1890, because Ralph married Sarah Ann (Hatfield) Mahon, who had been the wife of "Dock" Mahon, who was convicted and sent to prison for his part in the killing of some of the McCoys in the (in) famous feud.

Sarah Ann's father was Valentine "Wall" Hatfield, who was also convicted and sent to prison for his part in the killings. If you look at the surnames in the above records, you will see a number of the same surnames in Ralph Steele's family that were connected to the "feud' in public records.

No marriage records are extant for either of "Rafe's" marriages, but they may have taken place in Logan County, WV, before Mingo became a separate county. Many valuable records were destroyed in two separate fires when the Logan County Court House burned (once during the War Between the States.)

Ralph Steele was a neighbor of Devil Anse Hatfield in the early days of the feud. The various court records and testimony given during the trials, mentioned that after the hanging of the McCoy boys by the Hatfields and their allies, that they met at the home of Ralph Steele. This was only a brief encounter and to my knowledge, the only time that Ralph was publicly connected to the 'feudist" relative to the feud itself. Studies of the families themselves and the court records which show that the feudists met at Ralph's home and that Ralph Steele was a business partner of Andreson Hatfield, certainly indicates that Ralph Steele, was in fact, a friend and ally of Devil Anse Hatfield.

Logan County Circuit Court Orders File 29, reveals that Anderson (Devil Anse) filed suit against Ralph Steele for cheating him in a business deal. Ralph Steele apparently delivered some rafts to Catlettsburg, Kentucky and sold them. Since the case never came to trial, we only know that Devil Anse believed that Ralph had received a total of $3,700.00 for the rafts, and that he (Anse) later found that Ralph had sold the rafts for a total of $5,200.00. Apparently Ralph and Anse settled their differences out of court, and we can only speculate as to why there was a $1,500.00 discrepancy in the amount of the raft sale. That was a large sum of money in those days, and must have involved a large number of rafts! Delivering a large number of rafts would have taken quite a few men to move the rafts from the Tug River section to Catlettsburg, unless Ralph made several trips. We do not know if Ralph went alone or if he had a crew. That information was not given. My own opinion is that it might have been tied in with the "moonshine" possibility, but that is pure speculation on the part of this writer.

We can ascertain they did in fact resolve their differences, because they were still doing business together some ten years later, when Ralph Steele purchased 1800 acres from Anderson Hatfield in 1894. I have not done a complete search, but this was probably the former residence of Devil Anse, because by this time Anse had moved to his final home and final resting place on Island Creek in Logan County, West Virginia.

"Anse" Hatfield is buried on a mountain near where he lived: Sarah Ann, West Virginia. There is a life sized Italian Marble statue of Anderson Hatfield that bears the names of all his children. Devil Anse was "immortalized" in stone and his statue looks over the mountains and valleys that he loved.

Ralph "Rafe" Steele lived on Peters Creek on the Kentucky side of the Tug River, and on the West Virginia side of the river in what is present day (I assume it still is) Edgerton, West Virginia, but what was formerly Delorme. His grave marker was still standing when this was written some years ago. He died Intestate (meaning that he left no will) in 1932. He was a 32nd Degree Mason. Martha "Patsy" (Mounts) Steele, the mother of Ralph is buried on Beech Creek. The graves of his two wives had not been found when this was written.

There is much more to this story and perhaps someday, someone will combine family histories and court records (not just names and dates) to write a more complete and accurate story of these often misunderstood mountain people.

On the other hand, perhaps their wishes would be to be left in peace, as "Cap" Hatfield, one of Anse Hatfield's sons requested in a letter to the Wayne County News (Wayne County, WV) in 1891. Historians, reporters, genealogists, sociologists and numerous others, well over a hundred years since these events took place, still have a strange fascination about these people and what they were really like. long after this story was written, Altina L. Waller published an excellent book called Feud, Hatfields, McCoys and Social Change in Appalachia, 1860-1900. After someone sent me an except from the book, I was afraid that I had written the article about the wrong man. I re checked my information and am happy to relate that my research was factual. Ms. Waller confused Ralph "Rafe" Steele with his grandfather, Ralph A. Steele, who died in 1886 in Logan County, West Virginia. Ms. Waller assumed it was the elder Ralph who was the business partner of Devil Anse Hatfield. It isn't likely that the elder Ralph would have been delivering rafts up and down the Sandy River at that period in his life, as he was well over eighty years old at that time. The elder Ralph (A) Steele was born 11 September, 1801 (from family Bible of his parents, George and Rosannah (Fannin) Steele, in the possession of this writer.) Ralph A. steele would have been eighty five years old when the raft dispute came to the attention of the court. I know that the Steeles were strong and remained active throughout their long life spans, but I still think the above sketch is accurate.

Perhaps the most important lesson that I have learned since I began genealogical research, is the same lesson that was instilled in me as a child growing up in Logan County, West Virginia. "If you don't want strangers pokin' their noses in your business, then you better keep your own nose clean." Since I became seriously interested in genealogy, I realize the true wisdom of mountain people, who I proudly call my "kin."