My Genealogy Hound

MAJOR THOMAS CAPNER STEELE was born in Flemington, New Jersey, January 5, 1841. He is the son of John Dutton and Elizabeth (Capner) Steele. His father was a native of Pennsylvania and his mother of New Jersey. They had seven children, three sons and four daughters, four now living, as follows: Major Thomas Capner Steele; Elizabeth Capner, wife of Frank E. Brakett, of Cumberland, Maryland; Edith Dutton Steele, of Philadelphia; and John Hall Steele, of Philadelphia.

John Dutton Steele (father) was born in West Bradford township, Chester county, March 18, 1810, and died June 13, 1886, aged seventy-six years. He was a civil engineer all his business life, but was reared on a farm. He removed from Chester county to Pottstown in 1846 and lived there until his death. His wife was born April 2, 1809, and died April 24, 1882, at the age of seventy-three years. She was a Unitarian, as was also her husband. He was not a soldier but was very active in the war of the Rebellion as a consulting engineer for the government in keeping the railroads in repair.

John Dutton Steele (grandfather) was born in Cheshire, England, and came to America in 1795, locating at Whitemarsh, Montgomery county, but removing in 1805 to West Bradford, Chester county, where he died September 16, 1866, aged ninety-three years. His wife was Ann Exton, who was born in 1785 and died in 1859. They had nine children. He was one of the board of directors in the Germantown Turnpike Company as well as the founder of the Perkiomen Turnpike Company. He represented Chester county in the state legislature. His father was George Steele, born at Cheshire, England, in 1737.

Thomas Capner (maternal grandfather) was born at Temple Mills, Lancashire, England, and came to America about the time of the Revolution. He was a soldier in the war of 1812 and died soon after at Flemington, New Jersey. He was a farmer. The name was originally Capnerhurst, but on coming of age he dropped the last syllable. His wife was Mary Choyce, of Leicestershire, England. He died at the age of forty-five years and his wife survived him, living to be sixty years of age. They had six children.

Major Thomas C. Steele was reared in Chester county and in Pottstown, having spent most of his life in Pottstown since he was five years old. He attended the Pottstown schools and Haverford College in Delaware county, graduating in 1859. He entered the engineer corps of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, remaining in this position until 1862. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Seventy-fifth Pennsylvania Regiment, Twentieth Corps, and served principally in North Carolina. He afterwards commanded Company H and was in the battle of Newbern.

After the war he again entered the service of the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad and served with that company until 1876 when he went to Sterling, New York, and took charge of developing some iron-ore mines there. On his return he was chief assistant engineer in charge of the construction of Nesquehoning Valley Railroad and Nesquehoning tunnel in Carbon county and later was chief assistant engineer on the construction of the Berks County Railroad. After the completion of this road he entered the service of the United States government in exploring the extreme northwest, in light house and buoy duty on the northwest coast, where he lived three years. He returned to Pottstown and was engaged with the Pottstown Iron Company until 1893, since which time he has lived retired.

January 18, 1865, he married Lydia Manchester Hart, of Reading, daughter of Asa and Susan E. (Mayer) Hart. They had three children: John Dutton Steele, Asa Manchester Steele and Esther Clarkson Mayer Steele. John Dutton Steele married Edith Caldwell Williamson, on April 15, 1903. The other two children reside in Philadelphia. Mrs. Lydia M. Steele died February 14, 1887, at the age of forty-one years. She was a member of the Episcopal church.

October 21, 1891, Major Steele married (second wife) Ann Hunter Neide, daughter of Joseph Neide and Rebecca Shafer Neide. They have one daughter, Rebecca Neide Steele. Major Steele and his wife are members of the Episcopal church.

Major Steele was quartermaster of the Sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia during the whole of the Spanish-American war. Politically he is a Republican and is a member of the town council of Pottstown, representing the fourth ward.