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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Lanarkshire => Topic started by: sage on Friday 22 April 11 02:45 BST (UK)

Title: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: sage on Friday 22 April 11 02:45 BST (UK)
Hi All,
Wm Steele was born 12 Jun 1871 in Wishaw to parents Thomas Steele (Registrar of Births, Deaths, Marriages) and Agnes Scobbie.

Wm married Agnes Gibb 28 Feb 1895 in Wishaw and in 1901 Agnes Steele (described as married) was living with her mother Annie Gibb in Wishaw and by this time she has two daughters, Annie b 21 Apr 1896 & Winifred b 23 Jun 1900...but where's Wm?  He was a coal salesman but I wasn't sure if that meant he travelled or not.  I didn't find him on a 1901 census and thought perhaps I might find the family reunited in 1911.

...but alas! NO Wm and NO Agnes either...just Annie and Winifred with their grandmother, Annie Gibb.  I've checked S/P for deaths of Wm Steele b 1871/1 in all districts...no match! I've checked for Agnes remarrying in Cambusnethan btwn 1901 & 1911...1 match but not the correct one! I've searched for marriages for the daughters, Annie and Winifred to no avail and I've searched for Wm S Steele on Anc. for likely matches and I don't seem to be having any success in any direction.

Does anyone have any pointers or knowledge of this family that could bring me some insight please?

Cheers, Sage.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: bleckie on Friday 22 April 11 07:50 BST (UK)
Hi Sage

May be nothing I tried a search on www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk for a Death for a William Steel* born 1871 +/- 2 years in
Lanark All Districts between 1899 and 1901 you only get 1 hit.

Have you seen this one

Yours Aye
BruceL
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Friday 22 April 11 08:44 BST (UK)
No sign of them in the Cambusnethan burial records up to 1916 (although 1902 - 1905 are missing).
They had a stillborn male child who was buried 7th March 1899, (parents William S. Steele and Agnes Gibb, abode Wishaw). Interred in Section A14. This is one of the oldest parts of the cemetery and there would probably have been other internments before that date.
The only other occupant of A14 that I could find is -
JOHN SOMMERVILLE, schoolteacher, Motherwell, aged 38 years, married.
Parents - John Sommerville and Margaret Marshall.
Interred in A14 on 3rd June 1916.

Perhaps he could have been a son-in-law?

Lodger.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: sage on Friday 22 April 11 12:37 BST (UK)
Bruce, I'll follow up your lead...thankyou.

Lodger, thanks also for your efforts...John Sommerville was the husband of Agnes Gibb's younger sister, Annie so thanks for the heads-up on that one.

Any other suggestions welcomed!

Sage.

Further digging has revealed a list of passengers arriving back in Britain...Wm, Agnes and Dorothy Steele arrived in Southampton, Eng. on board the 'Ceramic' 12 Dec 1928 and the proposed address in the UK was 'Ainslea', Belhaven Tce, Wishaw, Sct.

They were returning from South Africa.

This is them folks!  The address above is that of Agnes' mother, Annie Gibb at which she died in 1931. 

Thanks all,
Sage.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Friday 22 April 11 18:09 BST (UK)
Sage,

Many of those old villas are still there on Bellhaven Terrace, Mrs Annie Gibb, Ainslea, 32 Bellhaven Terr; is the householder in the 1925 Wishaw directory.
If you don't live in the area I can check it out for you.

Lodger
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: lud on Friday 22 April 11 18:56 BST (UK)
Hello All
I have a copy of the death certificate for William Steel from Scotlandspeople.gov (as my 3x grandfather is also on it) and here is the info, if it helps,
Parish of Carluke County of Lanark May 27 1875 Stewart St Carluke
William Steel Quarryman single Pauper age 52, Father John Steel carter deceased, Mother Ann Steel m/s Hamilton deceased, informant James Steel brother Stewart Street Carluke.
Cheers
Lud
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Friday 22 April 11 20:04 BST (UK)
Lud,

This can't be the same William Steel. The one Sage is looking for was still alive (and married) in 1899. The one she is looking for wasn't born until 1871, the one you list died aged 52 in 1875! probably a connection though, as they all seem to descend from the Steels of Summerside.

Lodger.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: HubbellGardiner on Friday 22 April 11 21:15 BST (UK)
Hi sage

I've had a look on Scotlands People and there is a death in 1956 in the county of Lanark for an Agnes Steel (no e on the end) with the other surname of Gibb. Have you seen it? If not it might be worth a look.

Hope this information helps. :)

Regards,
HubbellGardiner
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele? COMPLETED
Post by: sage on Friday 22 April 11 23:27 BST (UK)
Hi All,

Woke this morning to all these informative messages...thank you for all your input everyone!

Lodger, in 1911 Annie Gibb lived at 32 Belhaven Tce and you say she was still there in 1925. Perhaps the family named the property 'Ainslea' as that is the address given by Wm and Agnes Steele on their return to Wishaw and also on Annie's death record.  Anything further you could find on the family residence I would be most appreciative of...thank you.

I've studied the passenger record again and can confirm that to this question, 'Country of Intended Future Permanent Residence' he answered, 'Other Parts of the British Empire' which infers that the family were only visiting from South Africa and intended to return there.

I know nothing about researching South African records so if there are any folk out there who have Gibb family connections it would be great to hear from you.

Thanks again all,


Sage.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: aadilmulla on Saturday 23 March 13 22:53 GMT (UK)
Hi sage,
         I believe I have the right link. I was born and raised in africa and william steele was my great grandfather. My mum has read through your information and agrees with it. She however believes he had three daughters, not two. Annie, winifred and dorothy. He died on 24th january 1939 in the then southern rhodesia (zimbabwe) in a town called enkeldoorn. I am the grandchild of micheal steele william's child from an african woman. Micheal steele was raised and brought up by his father william steele. If you need any more information my mum would be happy to help.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: sage on Sunday 24 March 13 02:30 GMT (UK)
Hi aadilmulla and welcome to Rootschat,

Thanks so much for your reply as Wm Scobbie Steele has been a challenge for some time.  You'll notice in one of my earlier postings that I mentioned Dorothy as a 15 year old coming back into the U.K. with her parents on board 'Ceramic' in 1928 so I'm happy to say that yes, we did know of her existence but I know nothing else about the daughters of Wm and Agnes Steele. I don't even know if they ended up in South Africa or whether they remained in Scotland.

My research is based on my husband's connection to the Gibb family so I'm afraid I don't know so much about the Steele side of the family except that Wm's father, Thomas was the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages for many years in the Parish of Cambusnethan.

I've not found a death for Agnes Steele (nee Gibb) in my searches...did she die in South Africa too? I would love to learn some more about the family as I have baulked a bit at tackling South African records.  If your mum could help that would be wonderful.

Kindest regards,

Sage.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: aadilmulla on Sunday 24 March 13 12:06 GMT (UK)
Hi sage,
         Thomas steele was indeed a registrar of births and the father of wm steele. My grandfather micheal steele had a close relationship with his father but for obvious reasons not so with agnes steele, when wm steele died in 1939 they owned a hotel in enkeldoorn in zimbabwe. She was still alive with her three daughters(who were then married). After this my mother isn't sure what happened to agnus as my grandfather didn't have contact with them. She believes however that she remained running the hotel.
                                                                                                   
                                                                                                          Hope this helps!
                                                                                                                      Aadil                                                                     
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Sunday 24 March 13 13:49 GMT (UK)
This is a picture of an early headstone on the Steel(e) family plot. Thomas Steele & Agnes Scobie have the adjoining stone but I don't have a picture of that one, sorry.
The inscription reads - "1813 Erected by Thomas Steel and Margaret Haddow his spouse in memory of their children and is the intended burial place of them and their (heirs?)".

I assume these are the parents of the elder Thomas the registrar.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Sunday 24 March 13 13:53 GMT (UK)
The newer stone has the inscription (not necessarily in the order that it is written on the stone)

"Thomas Steele, registrar of Cambusnethan, died 30th November 1894 aged 60 years. His wife Agnes Scobie died 13th December 1878 aged 40 years. Their son Thomas, registrar of Cambusnethan, died 12th September 1936 and his wife Rachel Murie Hamilton died 3rd August 1966 aged 100 years".
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Sunday 24 March 13 14:52 GMT (UK)
I have now decided that the Steel/Haddow stone is for the grandparents of Thomas the registrar (the elder).

Extracted from the Plot book for the old churchyard of Cambusnethan.

The owners of this plot were registered as Thomas Steel & Margaret Haddow.
The Plot book only begins about 1876, before then the gravedigger kept the information in his head!

The plots were usually divided up into 3 lairs, quite often there were 6 lairs, depending on the size of the plots and the custom of the area.

This one has 3 lairs. (Not layers!) All dates are of burial.

In the South lair -
MARGARET HARRISON, aged 26 years, 28th December 1887.
In the Centre lair -
THOMAS STEEL, aged 60 years, 3rd December 1894.
In the North lair -
JOHN WYLIE, aged 44 years, 30th December 1881.
THOMAS HARRISON, aged 2 weeks, 14th September 1885.
THOMAS STEEL, aged 75 years, 14th September 1938.
ROBERT HARRISON, aged 2 months, 22nd October 1885.
RACHEL STEELE, aged 100 years, 5th August 1966.

I am guessing that Wylie and Harrison were married to Steele daughters.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: Lodger on Sunday 24 March 13 15:04 GMT (UK)
Although there wasn't a Plot book before 1876, when the "new" cemetery next to the churchyard was opened about 1861, a daily record of burials was kept. Luckily most of these books have survived. So the following 6 entries will all have been interred in the Steel family plot.

STILLBORN FEMALE WYLIE. Wishaw.
Parents - John Wylie & Ann Steel.
Old churchyard, 12th September 1862.

JOSEPH STEELE, Wishaw, aged 2 years & 6 months.
Parents - Thomas Steele & Agnes Scobie.
Old churchyard, 23rd October 1866.

JOHN WATSON STEELE, Wishaw, aged 2 weeks.
Parents - Thomas Steele & Agnes Scobie.
Old churchyard, 9th November 1872.

THOMAS STEELE, labourer, Wishaw, aged 66 years, married.
Parents - Thomas Steele & Margaret Haddow.
Old churchyard, 12th January 1874.

JOSEPH STEELE, Wishaw, aged 8 years.
Parents - Thomas Steele & Agnes Scobie.
Old churchyard, 28th August 1876.

AGNES STEELE, housewife, Wishaw, aged 40 years, married.
Parents - Joseph Scobie & Margaret Stewart.
Old churchyard, 16th December 1878.

Sage, if you are reading this (I know you will be!) Here is another burial in A14 of the new cemetery, I missed it before, just in case it is important to you.

ALEXANDER GIBB, bricklayer, Wishaw, aged 11 years.
Parents - John Gibb & Ann Aitchison.
6th February 1901.
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: sage on Monday 25 March 13 02:35 GMT (UK)
Aadil...thanks very much for giving me some insight into the Steele family.  Perhaps it wasn't such a happy union between Wm and Agnes but it sounds like Wm was very proud of his son and did the right thing by him.  Are you able to tell me what year Micheal was born?

If you have any information regarding the marriages of the 3 Steele daughters that would be appreciated also though I realise that the parties were not close after Wm's death.

It's interesting that Wm and Agnes were hotel keepers as Agnes' father, John Gibb was a Spirit Merchant so perhaps Agnes learned a thing or two about the trade whilst growing up.

Lodger, thanks to you also for all that wonderful information from the Cambusnethan Cemetery records.  That was a pre-emptive strike...you got in before I asked.  ;D 
I hope it's useful to you too Aadil...the cemetery records invariably lead to more family connections. Great there's a headstone to view too!

Worth noting also that Alexander Gibb (Agnes' younger bros) who died in 1901 of Typhoid Fever was aged 18 not 11.  Might have been wrongly transcribed?  :)

Thanks again...Sage.

Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: suec45 on Monday 01 April 13 20:38 BST (UK)
Hi Sage
Can you tell me where the name Scobbie comes into your family as I also havethat name in my tree
Title: Re: What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?
Post by: sage on Monday 01 April 13 22:07 BST (UK)
Hi Sue,

I haven't followed the Scobbie path...I'm researching the Gibb line. 

Agnes Gibb married William Scobbie Steele and he was the son of Thos Steele and Agnes Scobbie.  From Lodger's cemetery information it appears that Agnes Scobbie was the daug of Joseph Scobie & Margaret Stewart. 

That's the extent of my knowledge I'm afraid.  :(

Cheers, Sage.