Person:Shadrick Steele (1)

"United States Census, 1870," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFLK-Z47 : 17 October 2014), Shadrick Steel, Virginia, United States; citing p. 17, family 109, NARA microfilm publication M593 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 553,136
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Household Role Sex Age Birthplace
Shadrick Steel M 58 Virginia
Christianon Steel F 58 Virginia
Virginia Steel F 14 Virginia

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[Note: next to household of dau Elizabeth (m John Vandike)]

[by Dodie Elizabeth (Smith) Browning]

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 #256 91.)

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 fr om 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 Sout h went to war. At age seventeen and almost certainly agains this 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 ha ve 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 Juli Elswick, Margaret White, Nelly Pruett (Pruitt), and the l and 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 d uring 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.