My Genealogy Hound

ISAAC H. STEELE, superintendent of the Cummington Co-operative Creamery, was born in Cummington, November 28, 1843, son of Hiram and Rebecca (Witherell) Steele.

Mr. Steele’s grandparents were Stephen and Chloe (Hubbard) Steele. Stephen Steele was born in Tolland County, Connecticut, from which State he went to Weathersfield, Vt., and later to Windsor, where he became a prosperous farmer. His death occurred in middle life. His wife, Chloe Hubbard before marriage, lived to an advanced age, and was the mother of ten children: Stephen, Lucius, Eliakin, Hiram, Charles, Chloe, Gratia, Emily, Mary J., and Hiram. Mr. Steele’s father was born in Weathersfield, Vt., January 5, 1799. When a young man, he went to Watertown, Mass., where he learned the trade of finishing broadcloth, becoming an expert in that occupation. He later worked in Leeds, Mass.; and in 1838 he came to Cummington, where he purchased the Melvin farm, consisting of one hundred and fifty acres. He built a new barn, and remodelled the other buildings, and was a well-to-do farmer when he died in Cummington, at the age of ninety-two years. He was a Republican in politics, a member of the House of Representatives in 1846 and 1847, and a member of the Methodist church. His wife was a native of Chesterfield, Mass., daughter of Elisha Witherell. They had three children, as follows: Lucius; Mary J., who married for her first husband P. A. Bryant, and for her second J. D. Stall; and Isaac H., the subject of this sketch. The mother died at the age of eighty-two. Isaac H. Steele attended the district and select schools of Cummington. At the age of nineteen years he went to Northampton, where he worked upon guns in the Bay State shops. He later entered the hoop factory in Chesterfield, where he remained for nine years, and then, in company with Joseph Cudworth, his wife’s father, purchased two hundred acres of land. They carried on farming for eleven years, keeping graded Durham cows and making a specialty of raising, matching, and breaking steer. Mr. Steele returned to the shops in Chesterfield for three years, and in 1886 came to Cummington. Here he assisted in finishing the new creamery, after which he was appointed superintendent. The association started with twenty-five dairies, and now disposes of the products of one hundred and forty-five. It markets upward of twenty thousand pounds of butter per month, chiefly in the surrounding towns and cities. A portion reaches New York and Boston, where it has secured a high reputation. The Cummington Creamery is noted for the superior quality of its commodities — a fact to be largely credited to Mr. Steele’s management. Their supply of water is obtained from a constant spring, and the machinery is run by a twelve-horse power engine. The grounds are neatly laid out and covered with shade trees.

On December 24, 1868, Mr. Steele was united in marriage to Alice A. Cudworth, daughter of Joseph and Arelia (Todd) Cudworth. They have two children, namely: George W., born June 21, 1873; and Frank D., born February 3, 1879. Mr. Steele is a Republican in politics, and liberal in his religious views.