Monday, May 13, 2013

Walter Simeon Steele & Lucy Ellender"Ellen" Butler Steele



Walter Simeon Steele 
and
 Lucy Ellender Butler Steele

Mr. and Mrs. Walter Simeon Steele and her dog “Doodie”
Celebrating their 64th Wedding Anniversary c. 1933
Mrs. Steele is quoted in the newspaper article
 “The secret to a long happy married life is choosing a good man who is congenial”.



Pa and Granny Steele” 
Married February 18, 1869 at Molena, Georgia

Walter Simeon Steele  B. August 19, 1850, Henry County, GA.   D.  December 5, 1939, Clayton Co, GA

Lucy Ellender “Ellen” Butler  B. October 3, 1851 on a plantation on the Flint River, Molena, GA.  D.  May 6, 1937.  They are buried at Berea Church Cemetery, Hampton, GA.

[The 1860 and 1870 Census are in the Robert Roy Steele Section.]

The 1880 Census of the Johnson District #775, Henry County, GA shows Walter Steele head of household # 213-314 M, W, age 29, farmer, temporarily unable to work due to an abscess.
Household members:  Ellen, W, F, age 29;   Dora, W, F, age 8 daughter;   Butler, W, M, age 6, son; Claudie, W, F, age 2 months. 

              (The 1890 Census was destroyed by fire January 1921 at the Commerce Dept, Washington, DC.  Only the Muscogee County, Columbus, Georgia Census partially survived.)

During this time is apparently when Walter and Ellen Steele moved to Luella, Henry County,  GA and live there for 40 years.  They were active in the Luella Baptist Church.  In 1937 they moved to 3 miles south of Jonesboro, Clayton County, with the help of their youngest son, Tom Steele, where they celebrated their 67th Wedding Anniversary.  

Shown below are the remains of the cotton gin, general store and a blacksmith shop operated by Mr. Steele.   Farmers purchased items from the store on time during the year and settled up when their cotton crop was brought in to be ginned and shipped to market. Mr. Steele kept records in Journal Ledgers.  One of these is pictured below.





 The Ledger from that store is pictured below and is in the possession of Jean Steele Williams.  Copies of the transcript of the customer lists from the general store and gin have been donated to the Genealogical Society of Henry & Clayton County, McDonough, GA.
The beautiful penmanship and writing in this Ledger is outstanding.
   





Walter Simeon Steele and Lucy Ellender "Ellen" Butler Steele are both buried
 at the Berea Church Cemetery, Hampton, Georgia in Section 4 Row 11 Lot 89.





Walter Simeon Steele


                                             Lucy Ellender Butler Steele






The original Berea Christian Church congregation moved to a new site at
 37 Woolsey Road, Hampton, GA.  A new congregation currently worship in the original Berea Church building



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