Back to ArchivesSteele Family Collection
Collection Number: Pending
The Steele Family Collection consists of photographs, ephemera, correspondence, newspaper clippings and photocopied research materials pertaining to the Steele family genealogy, the land in California, and their dairy and farming business. The bulk of the Collection is secondary source information with only a few original documents. The Steele Family came to California and purchased a ranch in San Mateo County at Point Año Nuevo near Pescadero in 1855. There they developed a successful dairy business, and expanded their holdings to include a ranch in San Luis Obispo. John Steele was the first Steele to come to America from England, settling in Massachusetts in 1631, and was one of the original founders of Hartford Connecticut. Generations later, descendents of John Steele emigrated to New York, Ohio, and California. General Frederick Steele told his brothers about the wonders of California. Brothers Isaac Chapman (I.C.), George B. and Edgar Willis (E.W.) Steele, and their cousin Rensselaer Steele settled in California with their families and became prominent figures in the history of San Mateo, San Luis Obispo, and Santa Cruz Counties. This Collection contains information pertaining primarily to the California Steeles. The information was compiled and collected by descendents of the Steele Family, Wilfred H. Steele and Catherine Steele, in an effort to publish a comprehensive family history and genealogy, two copies and a draft of which are included in the collection.