Following is the obituary of Thomas L. Steele, contributed by his great grand daughter, Kathy. There is no date on the clipping that Kathy has, but judging from his age, it would have been circa 1937-1939, depending on which birth year the family used when his death was reported..

Thos. L. Steele
Dies at Switzer
Funeral Saturday
Venerable Citizen Succumbs to
Infirmities of Old Age;
Leaves Large Number of Mourning Relatives

Logan county lost one of it's oldest citizens when Thomas L. Steele, 89 year-old resident of Switzer, died at his home Wednesday evening at 6 o'clock. Funeral services will be held at the home of Hugh Steele in Switzer, Saturday morning at 10 o'clock.

Mr. Steele will be buried in the family cemetery at Switzer. Rev. J.G. McNeeley, assisted by Reverend A.J. Coffey of the Christian Church and Dr. Robert Yoak, will conduct the funeral services.

Mr. Steele is survived by his widow, Minnie Totten Steele and seven children. They are Laura Hall, Brook Browning, J.E. Steele and W.H. Steele, Switzer; Ellen E. Duty and B.M. Steele, Logan; and Lois J. Clark, Pittsburgh. He has one sister living, Mrs. Sarah Ellis, Switzer. His brothers are Charles Steele, Omar; George Steele, Monaville; Millard Steele, Russell, KY; Dow Steele, Huntington; and Janos Steele, Kelly Creek, W. Va. Mr. Steele had 39 grandchildren and 49 great-grandchildren.

Uncle Tom Steele would have been ninety years old come next March. He was the son of George Steele, born at the Steele home near Switzer. Uncle Tom was pretty much of a "homebody" up to 1931 having made only one trip to Logan in 15 years.

He was a true mountaineer, disliking dress clothes, Sunday rides and pajamas which he termed "them durn flab dabs." On the day of his marriage to Minnie Totten, daughter of John Totten, he killed three deer. His wife killed a deer with a fence rail during that same year. Uncle Tom had only $111 and a couple of rifles when married, but through "senging." trapping and trading, he at one time owned 1300 acres of land.

He was good friend of "Devil Anse" Hatfield who was the first cousin of George Steele.
( note- this was a mistake, either by the newspaper or the person who reported the death. Geoge Steele was not a first cousin of "Devil Anse" Hatfield, but it is known that the families were closely connected.)

Thomas L. Steele (also had a second middle name, which was either a W. or an M.?), was the first born son and first child of George Steele. (George was born 23 February 1827- from family Bible of George and Rosannah Steele and he died in 1897.) Thomas was the son of George and his first wife, Sarah "Sally" (Ellis) Steele. His mother, Sarah was born circa 1823 and died in Logan County, 1 March, 1876. The paternal grand parents of Thomas Steele were Ralph A. and Levicy (Ferrell) Steele. Of Island Creek in Logan County, formerly of Tazewell County Virginia, where his father George was born. His maternal grand parents were Evan and Margaret Ellis.

Thomas, was born March 1850. The 1900 census shows his birth year as 1848, but that is more than likely an error, because he was four months old when the 1850 census was taken. He married Minerva "Minnie" Totten in Logan County 29 April 1873. "Minnie" was born September 1854 (according to the 1900 census). She was the daughter of John and Judith Totten (according to research of Janet Hager and David Turner.) The 1900 census shows that they had sixteen children, eleven of whom were still living in 1900. I have only been able to account for nine of the children.
The children of Thomas L. and Minerva were:
1. Laura Steele, born circa 1869, married a Hall
2. Sarah Brook Steele, born circa 1875, married A.B. Browning, 23 March 1894
3. Loyd E. (Elbert?) Steele born circa 1877, married 21 December 1895, Elsie Vance
4. John Edward Steele , born November 1878, married 19 July 1900, Sally Dingess. John died 5 June, 1968, Logan County, WV.
5. Annie ( Eliza?) Steele , born May 1884
6. James Steele , born May 1886
7. Willie H. Steele , born February 1888
8. (B.?) Moss Steele, born November, 1893, died in St. Louis, Mo, according to research of his grand daughter, Kathy Rynkiewicz.
9. Hazel Steele born October, 1899 ( I have not researched the Steele Census records later than 1900, but they are readily available on microfilm, for 1910 and 1920. Note that some of the children who survived him were apparently born after the 1900 census was taken, or there was an error in names in the obituary. )