What happened to Wm Scobbie Steele?

[aadilmulla]

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.

[sage]

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.

[aadilmulla]

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                                                                     

[Lodger]

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.

[Lodger]

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".

[Lodger]

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.

[Lodger]

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.

[sage]

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.   
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.

[suec45]

Hi Sage
Can you tell me where the name Scobbie comes into your family as I also havethat name in my tree