Steel Family (+Lowry Family)

Father

Paternal:

The Steel family had a much different start in the colonies than the other families in this history. They came from an educated, wealthy middle class, business background in Bristol.  The adventurous James Hall Steel arrived in Victoria around 1861 with business experience which he would use on the ever expanding goldfields of the period.

James Steel begins this story. Little is known about his early life but from newspaper articles it is assumed he was born about 1786, possibly in the county of Northumberland. His father’s name was Jonathon and his mother’s name was Frances Hall. Her maiden name would later be used in James’ son’s names.

From his will it is known that he had at least one brother, Jonathon, a gardener of Glanton, Whittington, Northumberland. Jonathon is also living in Bristol around 1827 as he is working for James signing for building supplies and cleaning the Hotwell House. However the 1841 Census lists another John Steel living with Jonathon in Northumberland. It seems strange if 2 brothers would have such close names, perhaps a cousin? John and Jonathon  live, work and die around the Glanton, Whittington area in Northumberland.

Both John and Jonathon lead simple lives and die tragically. Johnathon is a gardener and postman. It is while he is working as a postman that he was “exposed to drenching rains”, caught cold and died. John was a mason, he died aged 50, he was returning home late one night, he fell into a ditch and suffered fatal head injuries.  Their deaths were reported in the local paper.

It is evident then that they are from this area and so James must have originated here as well. What made him move to the other side of the country to Bristol?

Life in Bristol

Whatever the reason James finds success and status in Bristol. Perhaps he saw that Bristol was growing, it was a busy trading port, manufacturing centre, new rail links to London had been built, engineering works flourished. The floating harbour was opened  in 1809. This allowed for more boats to stay afloat in the narrow harbour. Brunel the famous engineer lived and worked in the area;  the anti slave movement was influential and active in Bristol.

Hotwells Quay Side 1905

James works on the Bristol Docks, employed by the Society of Merchants, signing for accounts for building supplies. Pigot’s Directory of 1830 has him working for the Society of Merchant Venturers. He is also listed as the contact in an 1834 advertisement for the leasing of Hotwell House and Spring.

Hotwells House

Like Bath the warm springs, spas and accompanying house were popular for improving health and relaxation. Although by this time it had declined. James’ office is the Floating Docks Yard. Or he may have also been an engineer –  his daughter, Ruth, states this as his occupation on her marriage certificate. He is also a member of The Society of Merchant Venturers, an ancient charitable organisation, and still in existence.

Marriage and Family Life

Working for the Society and in the Docks area it is possible that James met and even worked with James Poole, a well known grocer and coal merchant on the Hotwell Road. It is then more than likely that he met James’s daughter, Mary Faulkner Poole. She is 27 and James is 48 when they marry on 14 January 1834. The marriage is reported in the Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette. Why weren’t they married in Bristol; wasn’t he considered good enough for Mary? Had they eloped then to Bath? They live at 13 Cumberland Buildings, Hotwells.

Clifton and Hotwells were affluent suburbs of Bristol. James and Mary have 4 children – Mary Latimer (1835), James Hall (1836), Ruth Elizabeth (1838), Frances Helen (1839). James writes his will in August, 1840. He dies only 3 months later aged 54, is it possible he was ill and so made sure he had his affairs in order? Mary and James had only been married 6 years and there were 4 young children to be taken care of. She must have been devastated. Thankfully James had partially provided for Mary and the children in his will. She gets “plate, linen, china, furniture and effects”, but no money. Perhaps this is normal at this period of time, women were not seen as capable of managing money. Also his will stated that if she remarried she would lose everything. Again during this period when women married all their money and property went to their husband. His will also provided for his children, that they would be educated and supported until they are 21. Also Mary’s family were wealthy, they would have made sure she was provided for. He also leaves money to his brother Jonathan, gardener of Glanton, Northumberland . Further tragedy struck the family when Fanny (Frances) dies aged 8 in 1847.

There are still many unanswered questions about James. Why and when did he move to Bristol, why did he wait until he was 48 before marrying, how did he die?

Whatever the answers, his decisions led to many descendants through his son James who emigrated to Australia.

James Hall Steel

James would hardly have known his father, he was only 4 years old when his father died. However the death must have had long lasting effects on the family, both monetary and emotionally. James and his 3 young sisters continued to live for a while at the Cumberland Buildings in Hotwells. Even though his father provided for his young family it must have been difficult, although it is presumed his mother’s family, the affluent Poole’s, would have helped out. There is more sadness for the young family when Frances (Fanny) dies, aged 8, James is only 11. Perhaps making ends meet was becoming difficult for his family because by 1851, when he is 15, he is staying with his aunt and uncle, Ann and William Taylor in Clifton. Ann is his mother’s sister; as James is a scholar it is obvious he is getting a good education. His mother and 2 sisters are living nearby  with her parents in Clifton. By the time James is 23 in April 1861,  he is back living with his mother and sister Mary at Stoke Bishop, near Clifton. Following in the steps of his grandfather James Poole and his uncle James,  James goes into business world and is a wholesale draper; his sister Mary is a teacher so they must contribute to their mother’s well being. Their sister Ruth is an artist and staying with relations in Wales. The family has done well.

Hotwells Road with shops

Marriage and Coincidences

Two months later James marries Elizabeth Lowry in Liverpool in June, 1861. Why Liverpool? Was he travelling in the area? Although there are some intriguing coincidences in this part of his life. Elizabeth Lowry was born in Morpeth, Northumberland; her father Joseph was also born there. Her mother’s maiden name is Frances Hall.  Her parents were married in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland.  James’ father also seems to have his origins in Northumberland; his mother and father were married in Whittingham, Northumberland. His brothers lived in Glanton, Northumberland. Furthermore James senior’s mother’s name is Frances Hall. The same as Elizabeth’s mother; it is not the same  person, the eras are different. Did James Hall Steel visit his father’s home county to research his own origins?

The Lowry Family

Some more about Elizabeth. Although her parents married in the Northumberland area and their first 3 children were born in Morpeth, by 1841 they are living in Moorfields, Liverpool. Their 4th child James is born in Liverpool in 1841.

Her father is a clog and pattern maker; patterns were made to fit under normal shoes for use in wet and muddy conditions. Her mother Frances  has  a large family to look after. In 1851 there are 7 children with Elizabeth the eldest at 16. She is a scholar, her brother Thomas at 15 is apprenticed to his father. The rest of the children except for the 2 youngest are also at school. Joseph must have been doing fairly well in his business to keep his children at school.

Australia and The Goldrush

Is James thinking of his future opportunities when he immigrates to Australia sometime between 1862 and 1864? The discovery of gold in Victoria inspired one of the greatest social migrations in world history. Surely James saw he could make some money servicing the “10 mile cities” which sprung up in the goldfields.

He and Elizabeth live in Warnambool and in many small towns on the Victorian goldfields. We know this because their 8 children are born in different towns. Scarsdale, Pitfield, Spring Creek, Geelong, Bulldog (near Bendigo and where the 69 kg Welcome Nugget was found in 1864).

James Steel was born in Pitfield 1867

150 year old shop between Scarsdale and Pitfield

Arthur was born in Scarsdale 1865

James must have used his skills in drapery as he worked for the large department store Cramond and Dickson in Warnambool. He may  have been working for them or alone when he travelled the goldfields selling his wares.

Cramond Store, Warnambool

James Hall Steel

Most gold towns began life as straggling “tent cities” along river and creek valleys where prospectors built rough dwellings of calico, hessian, blankets and bark. These frontier settlements rose up quickly and remained only so long as the income from gold continued to flow. Great numbers of prospectors rushed into districts where surface gold had been discovered, tearing down forests and turning the ground to mush.

Gold diggings

The initial rash of camps were often shifting settlements spread over a wide area. Later, a “canvas town” – a collection of one or two room tent dwellings or slab huts – would converge around official government lodgings. An estimated 25 per cent of the tents belonged to storeholders who followed the trade to the goldfields, or to ex-diggers seeking an easier way to make a living.

Their first 2 children Frances (born 1864) and Arthur (born 1865) both die in infancy. James Faulkner Steel born in 1867 survives as do the following 5 – Frederick Arthur (grandfather), Ruth Elizabeth, Gertrude Mary, William George and Thomas Lowry. Fanny Frances born in 1876 in Geelong . Fanny died 15 September 1882, only 2 months after her mother’s death. She was 6 years old. She lived in Belfast Rd. Warnambool. Cause of death Phthisis, bronchitis and exhaustion. Her father James Hall Steel was a draper.

How did Elizabeth cope moving through these tent cities, giving birth, and caring for young children?

Ruth Elizabeth Steel joins James and Family

James’ sister Ruth Elizabeth Steel had been living in Ballarat since about 1869. James and Ruth’s mother Mary had died in 1868 so perhaps Ruth decided to visit her brother in Victoria. She teaches art and drawing at Ballarat Ladies College and runs the girl’s boarding house in Raglan Street from 1874 to 79. It was relocated to Clifton Villa, 203 Dana Street in 1879. Perhaps she is able to arrange for her 2 nieces, Ruth and Gertrude to attend the Ladies College. In 1880 the 2 girls receive end of year prizes, however a few weeks later in January 1881 their aunt had left for England. Elizabeth has eloped with Ferdinand Thomas, the principal of  of Ballarat Grammar.

Ruth Elizabeth Steel ran the boarding school Clifton Villa in 1879.

Tragedy Strikes

Life may have been good for a while but tragedy is not far off again when James’ wife Elizabeth dies in 1882  aged 43.

The Death Certificate states that Elizabeth Lowry died on 19 July 1882 in Warrnambool, Victoria, when she was 47 years old. Her death certificate stated cause of death as Pulmonary consumption (Tuberculosis) and debility. It gave her age as 43. Her address was Banyan St. Warnambool. Husband – draper. Father – confectioner

Their daughter, Fanny, also dies in 1882, aged 6.   She is buried in the Warnambool cemetery. James must have been thinking of his own childhood when his father died leaving a young family. His youngest child Thomas is only 5. What would happen with the children?

Click on link below for headsone.

Elizabeth L

James and Frederick are 15 and 14 so perhaps were old enough to stay with their father. Frederick eventually settles in Sydney. Son James stays in Victoria, he marries Elizabeth Jones in 1900. They had 2 sons, Frederick and Arthur. He dies in 1909 aged 42 and is buried along side his mother in the Warnambool cemetery.

Ruth aged 13 went to live with her mother’ sister, Frances, in Queensland. Frances had also immigrated to Australia in 1878, she was a governess, she married John Creber and had 6  children. Ruth eventually married Thomas Hemmings and remained in Queensland.

Thomas Lowry Steel went to live with Mr and Mrs Warren in Whatatutu in New Zealand. He eventually marries Millie in New Zealand they have 2 daughters, Julie and Ruth. They live for some time in NZ but eventually return to Sydney where they live for some years, but when Millie dies in 1936 Thomas goes to live in Queensland. His brother William and sister Ruth both live in Queensland; did they ever visit each other? There is a lovely photo of Thomas aged about 15 taken in Melbourne, he looks about 15, dressed  smartly in checked pants, coat and tie, with a gold watch chain.

Thomas Lowry Steel

William was only 10 when his mother died. Did he also stay with his father? There is a biography of him in The History of Queensland : It’s People and Industries by M.J.Fox. The entry writes of his father James Hall Steel and William’s early life. It states that William was educated in Geelong, perhaps his father put him in a boarding school. At about 18 he is working as a jackaroo in the Riverina on ‘Butterworth’ property. From here he travels to Collarenabri, still working for graziers. Working on these homesteads he is acquiring important skills which he would use in later years. He heads to Moree and establishes his own property, “Oreel”. The drought in 1902 forces him off the land, he finds work droving and sinking wells.  He  marries Jessie Sarah Strang in 1903, Jessie was the daughter of a pastoralist in Inverell. They marry in  Leichhardt and  have 3 children born in Sydney between 1907 and 1913. About 1915  the family move to country Queensland where he establishes his own property, Moonbria, building a homestead for the family. The property is 40 miles from Blackall and South of Longreach, he mainly runs Merinos with some cattle. By 1936 he has  moved to a property near Stanthorpe and is joined by his 2 sons Phillip and Harvey.  William dies in 1946 in Queensland.

William George Steel

It looks as if Gertrude was sent to England to live with her aunt Ruth. Her name Miss G. M. Steele, aged 12,  is on the passenger list for the ship Rodney bound for London in December 1885. She would actually have been aged 14, did she travel alone? Her aunt and uncle were running the Grove Farm House school on the Highgate Road in London, we can assume she stayed with them and went to their school. There is a beautiful photo of Gertrude taken in Bond Street, London, she is 23, has dark hair, swept up, she wears white and a string of pearls.

Gertrude Mary Steel

Four years later she is on a boat to Melbourne with her 2 aunts, Mary and Ruth. Also on the boat is a young tea planter, Horace Stanley Wills. Surely a shipboard romance leads to their marriage in Ceylon 2 years later in 1901. Horace is a tea planter based in Ceylon. The couple settle here and make numerous sea voyages between Ceylon and England. Shipping records reveal they have 3 children, June, Alec and  Reginald. The boys attend Haileybury College in England. Reginald does a variety of work including mechanic, mills manager  and finally works for the Mercantile Bank of India. He is in Queensland in 1922 working as a jackaroo for his uncle William.  Both Reginald and June are listed on the electoral rolls from 1968 to 1977 in Alexandria, Sydney. Reginald was a driver/mechanic. June was an engineering inspector. It seems neither of them married.

Alec was a first class cricketer, he works in Ceylon on a rubber plantation and in 1932 joins the RAF. When the war starts is stationed in Singapore and is a flight lieutenant  in the RAF, 243 squadron and chief instructor to the Malayan Volunteer Air Force.  He marries Joanna Archdeacon who was an actress in Singapore. Unfortunately on 9 November 1941, while flying a Tiger Moth, his plane is hit from behind, he is killed as well as his co pilot. He is buried at the Kranji War cemetery in Singapore, panel 37.D.7. It was a large funeral, attended by many people, an honoured man, it is written up in The Straits Times. It is assumed that Gertrude and Horace would have retired to England.

More on James Hall Steel

There is further information on James Hall in the book History of Queensland, it states he is a descendent of an old English family in Bristol and the artist Paul Falconer Poole. The photo of him in the book is of a distinguished man with a full beard.

James travels to England in March 1898, he is listed as a passenger on the Oruba travelling to London. He must be visiting his 2 sisters, Ruth and Mary. He stays for about 10 months, returning to Sydney in January 1899. When his daughter Gertrude marries in 1901 there is a notice in the Sydney Morning Herald with James Hall Steel of Bristol and Sydney as her father. James dies on 16 August 1904 at 23 Kensington St; Waterloo. Occupation draper.  Cause of death chronic cardiac disease; buried Independent section Rookwood cemetery.

Rose and a Second Family

There is another part of James’ life that his first family never knew of. There was talk that at his funeral  another family turned up claiming him as their father.

It has now been revealed that James had a second ‘wife’ Rose Sibly, born about 1858 in East Maitland, NSW.

James’ death certificate reveals facts about both families and wives. Rose is the informant so she knew all about his first wife and children as well as his birthplace and parents.

Rose was at least 20 years younger than James. She was Irish and Catholic. They had at least 7 children, possibly up to 10. Their first child Ellen Maud was born in 1880 – Victoria  (2 years before Elizabeth, his first wife died). Further children were Edith May (b. 1882 in Gulgong), Henry Otlee ( b. 1885 in Armidale), Arthur James ( b.1889 in Pyrmont), Mary Cecelia (1892 in Redfern) and Edward James (1895). They were never well off and struggled; their last home in 23 Kensington St. Waterloo is a small worker’s terrace.

Other information shows James spent 3 years in New Zealand (I think this should 3 months as shipping records show a voyage between March and June 1866); 15 years in Victoria and 24 in NSW.

This puts a different perspective on James’ life. Why did he virtually abandon his first family (all sent off elsewhere around Australia, London and NZ), after the death of Elizabeth and then have many more children and not provide adequately for them or Rose?

On one hand he  may have led a full and adventurous life, travelling around Australia and across the world but he it seems he had little responsibility for his 14 surviving children. While some of his children also travelled far and wide across Australia and the world others had a difficult life. Many of  his descendants  continue to travel the world.

The adventures of his sisters Mary and Ruth

James had 3 sisters, Mary, Ruth and Fanny. Fanny dies young, aged 8, Mary and Ruth continue to play a role in his life over the years. Mary Latimer Steel was his older sister – it is worth taking a look at her life. Her middle name Latimer comes from her maternal grandmother’s maiden name. When their father died she and Ruth were only 5 and 3, they probably had no recollection of their father. The family stay in the family home for a while but by 1851 Mary, Ruth and their mother are living with their grandparents, the Poole’s, at Elm Cottage in Clifton. Grandfather James is a relatively wealthy man, the house is quite grand, they have a parlour maid and cook. The girls are being educated, in fact there is a school next door, perhaps they took advantage of its facilities. Mary eventually becomes a teacher – she lives with her brother and mother at Grove Place, Clifton. When her brother emigrates to Australia in the 1860’s she continues to live with her mother until she dies in 1868. In 1879 Mary receives an inheritance from her famous artist uncle, Paul Falconer Poole. Mary moves to  Elliston Lodge, boarding with a family. Later she lives at 12 Melville Road, Bristol boarding with Annie Keyes and one servant. By 1881 she has retired from teaching , she lives on an annuity and her ‘own means’. Her sister Ruth and ‘husband’ Ferdinand Thomas also spend time with her in 1881. Her brother James visits from Australia in 1898, hopefully the family have time together over his 10 month visit. When Ferdinand Thomas dies in 1898 her sister Ruth moves in with her. Mary does have an overseas adventure, she travels with sister Ruth and her niece Gertrude to Australia in 1899; did brother James encourage the visit? Ruth had lived in Australia for some years too. A time to catch up with family and old friends.  The two sisters are living together at 18 West Shrubbery, Redland, Bristol when Mary dies aged 75 in 1911. She leaves 1865 pound to her sister, a sizeable amount for that time.

What drove Ruth Elizabeth Steel in her exploration of life? Her early life in Bristol was disrupted by her father’s death, she was only 3, like her siblings she would not have had much memory of him. She was educated and certainly would have been exposed to the art of her uncle Paul Falconer Poole. The earliest hint of his influence is in the 1861 Census where she is described as ‘artist’. She is staying on a farm in Wales with her aunt and uncle. Until her death in 1921 she uses her skills as an artist in a variety of ways.

It seems that the death of her mother in 1868 is the spur that eventually sends her on her way to Australia. Her brother James is already living in Victoria with his wife Elizabeth and a growing family. Travelling the goldfields between Geelong and Ballarat he would have built up a knowledge of the potential for willing and knowledgeable people in the growing colony. Perhaps he told his sister to visit Victoria and try her luck.

She takes his advice and so begins a life she may never have anticipated.

Life in Australia

The first concrete evidence of Ruth in Victoria is in January 1873; her name is in a newspaper article about Fairfield Hall Ladies School in Geelong where she is teaching drawing and painting. As a reference it states she was a pupil of the famous artist Mr Poole RA.

She may have been in Victoria as early as 1871 as she is not listed in the 1871 English Census. From about 1874  she moves to Ballarat where she continues to teach drawing and painting at Ballarat Ladies College, which is associated with Ballarat College. It is here that she must meet Ferdinand John Thomas and so begins a relationship. He is teaching languages and later is principal at the boy’s part of the College. They must be on good terms as she is a witness to his marriage to Dorothea Ohrt in June 1875. It’s a late marriage, he is 42. Ferdinand and Dorothea have a daughter Gertrude in 1877.

Ferdinand Thomas  was born in Prussia, the son of a surgeon. He had  been in Australia since about 1867-  firstly teaching in Launceston, Geelong then Ballarat. Wars in Prussia may have influenced him to move to the Antipodes.

The city of Ballarat began, haphazardly, beside the banks of a gold-bearing creek in September 1851.By1871 the English novelist Anthony Trollope described Ballarat as ‘the metropolis of the Australian goldfields’. Within 20 years of its birth, it had become an eminent Australian city; by the end of the century it was quoted in the same breath as Manchester and Melbourne as one of the British Empire’s great Victorian cities.

Success then Scandal

When Ferdinand’s qualifications are questioned by the school he and Ruth establish Ballarat Grammar School in 1876. Elizabeth is in charge of the girl’s boarding school. She must start teaching drawing and painting again as an article about the school describes her ‘skill and care exercised by our talented teacher of drawing Miss R.E. Steel…..great progress is made by the students who do well under her tuition’. Everything seems to be going well but behind closed doors Ferdinand and Ruth may have been getting too close. Suddenly in 1881 Ferdinand and Ruth leave Ballarat and elope  to England. It is so scandalous that the event is described in the local newspaper.

“A very painful report has gained currency in the city during the past few days. It is stated that a person holding the position of head of an educational establishment has left the district in the company of an unmarried lady who was a teacher in the same institution. The gentleman, it appears has left a wife and baby in straightened circumstances to shift for themselves. It is said that the lady, who has been chosen for the ‘ compagnon de voyage’ has recently become entitled to a legacy of several thousand pound”.

It is true that Ruth did receive an inheritance from her uncle Paul in 1879, if it was several thousand pound, it would certainly have been a substantial amount in that time. Possibly up to $200,000 today, enough to start a new life and career in England.

How did James Hall Steel and his family deal with the scandal, his daughters were attending the school run by Ferdiand and Ruth? It must have been very embarrassing.

Back to England

Where do the couple go when they return? To sister Mary in Bristol, in the 1881 census they are listed as visiting her, in fact they are described as married, which is untrue.

They do marry in 1886 in Hastings, Ferdinand is 52 and Ruth is 49. He is teaching at Stoneleigh House, a boys boarding school. What is Ruth doing? Maybe looking after her niece Gertrude who moved from Ballarat to England in 1885.

From Hastings they move to London at first running Grove Farm House, a girl’s boarding school, then relocating to Cathcart Hill, establishing St John’s High School for Girls.

Site of St John’s High School for Girls

But true to form they are not there for long before they move to Bedford Place, Bloomsbury where Ruth operates a boarding house and Ferdinand continues teaching languages. Gertrude Steel is staying with them too.

Boarding House, 6 Bedford Place, Bloomsbury

A few years later they are Woolwich at the Woolwich and Plumstead College where Ferdinand is a principal once again. They are a versatile couple.

And what happened to Ferdinand’s first wife Dorothea and his daughter Gertrude? Strangely they are both in England shortly after Ferdinand and Ruth. In 1887 she takes legal action for the recovery of a salary after being the principal of a girls’ boarding school. Later she runs a boarding house, Gertrude is living with her. Gertrude becomes an actress and marries twice.

Ferdinand dies in 1898, aged about 65, he leaves Ruth 291 pound. Running schools is not a money making venture. At some stage Ruth returns to Bristol, moving in with her sister Mary. Her brother James visits them the same year. As mentioned previously Ruth does return to Australia for a visit in 1899 with Mary and  their niece Gertrude. Ruth receives 1865 pound when her sister dies in 1911. Ruth dies in 1921, aged 83. A remarkable life for a girl from Bristol.

Frederick Arthur Steel is my grandfather, he died long before I was born but through work references, letters and photos I feel I know him quite well. His story starts in Victoria, born in 1868 in Bulldog, west of Bendigo, he was the second eldest child of Elizabeth and James Hall Steel. The 71 kg gold nugget Welcome Stranger was found in Bulldog Gully the following year. The nearby town of Moliagul had a population of 16,000, it was Goldrush years, his father was earning his living moving around the hundreds of towns which had sprung up all over Western Victoria. Frederick was 14 when his mother died, while his siblings were parcelled out in all directions perhaps Frederick was old enough to work with his father or perhaps in one of the towns. While it must have been a sad and tragic time for the family, it may also have given the children a strength and desire for success. A reference given to Frederick in 1890 places him in Sydney from about 1884, only 2 years after his mother’s death. He was on the move. The reference from G.H. Bailey, a grocer of North Botany, said that Frederick had worked for him for 6 years. He was described as honest, trustworthy and intelligent. There is a charming photo of Frederick from this time, he is aged 20, he is a handsome man, dark eyes and hair, wearing a suit and flower buttonhole.

Frederick Arthur Steel, aged 20

Sydney Years

A photo of a grocer’s shop in Redfern taken in 1890 suggest Frederick worked here, the name E. Stiff Family Grocer, is at the front; 10 years later the same shop (with some alterations) has the owners as Steel Bros. During this period he meets Amy Bellis who also lived in the Waterloo area. They marry in 1899, Arthur Henry is born one year later.

Frederick Arthur Steel and son Arthur about 1902

Between 1899 and 1902 the family also spend  time in Warren, west of Dubbo in NSW. It is 519 km from Sydney to Warren, a long way at this time. As the railway had reached the town in 1898 it would have made the journey much easier. A wool growing area, it was quickly growing by late 1880’s. Frederick works for 2 grocery businesses – J. Struthers & Company and Adolph Sutherland. The  2 references from this period again describe him as energetic, punctual, obliging, sober and is highly recommended. The 1901 census shows the family of 3 living in Lawson Street Warren.They are still in Warren when Thomas Roy is born in 1902.

Another photo of Frederick and young Arthur taken in about 1903 again reveal a well dressed man in a smart suit, white hat and wearing a watch chain. Their next child is Frederick Murdoch born in Waterloo, 1907. The photo of the Redfern grocer’s shop shows Amy at the front carrying a child; the sign Steel Bros suggests one of Frederick’s brothers is in partnership with him.

Steel Shop in Redfern

There  are advertisements for Bushells tea, Sunlight soap, green coupons and a discount is offered; the shop looks to be full of goods in the windows and hanging from the doorway. The shop is on the corner of George and James street. Their home address is John Street , Waterloo. A photo taken in 1910 shows Frederick, Amy and the 3 young sons. Once again everyone is wearing their best clothes.

Frederick and Amy Steel with their 3 sons Arthur, Roy and young Fred

Frederick is a busy man, as well as running his business he is also involved with a local sports club. He is vice president of  the Waterloo Oak Junior Rugby Football Club. This was the very early years of league in NSW. The club won the Munn Cup in 1908. A photo of the team includes Frederick at the back looking into the distance.

Waterloo Oak Junior Rugby Football Club 1908

Two more children are born, Joy Amy in 1913 in Waterloo and Ernest William in 1916 in Tempe. The family lives in a large brick house named Warren in Brooklyn Street Tempe. He eventually sells this in 1923 for 975 pound.

Cabramatta Years

Frederick must be thinking about the family’s future when he packs up the family and moves to the western suburbs of Sydney. There is another reference for Frederick dated June 1917 from Campbell and Co. a shop in Liverpool, he had worked there for a few months but had to leave when the business is sold and the owner’s son wanted the job. Perhaps he saw the future of this outer suburbs area when they locate to Cabramatta in about 1917 where he opens his own small grocery shop in Bartley Street Cabramatta. It is a small weatherboard place with a house next door. It advertises provisions and produce. Frederick stands in front wearing  his long white apron. A dirt road in front surrounded by bush suggest the undeveloped rustic setting.

Shop in Bartley Street Cabramatta

Far from the city it was a brave move for the family. Later Frederick and Amy establish a grocery shop in Hill Street, it looks a much more substantial brick building with a brick house next door. An invoice for the building of the house and shop shows that it cost £955. Fred is at the front again in his long white apron, young Joy to his right. My mother Olive remembers walking past the shop as a young girl and seeing Fred “with his lovely white hair and wearing the long apron”, this was before she had met Ernest.

Shop in Hill Street Cabramatta

Other photos include family picnics – one in 1909 shows Fred, Amy, her sister Ada, their mother Julia and young Arthur, Roy and baby Fred. The women wear huge elaborate hats and mainly all dressed in white.

Amy, Julia Muschtuen, Ada Bellis,Fred Steel, young Arthur, young Roy and toddler Fred

Another shows people in a bush setting with several old cars behind them – again women wear hats, the younger ones dressed in white and older women wear black. Frederick wears all white and is using a box Brownie camera.

Old time picnic

A photo taken in 1920 has the 5 Steel children dressed smartly, the boys in suits and young Joy in white, Ernest, about 3 years old, wears a type of play suit.

Arthur, Roy, Fred, Joy and Ernie

Between 1918 and 1919 there was a world wide influenza epidemic; in Sydney 40% of the population was affected and 6000 people died. Hospitals were full, there was a shortage of doctors; the city almost came to a standstill. A photo of this time shows the family took this seriously, they are all wearing face masks.

The end of World War 1 was also an important event as shown in photos of Frederick with his horse and dray decorated and the word “peace” written on the side.

Frederick’s horse and cart 1919

There were various parades in Sydney and local areas after the signing of The Treaty of Versailles in 1919. People were encouraged to take part and children were dressed up. Amy made  red,white and blue “Peace” costumes for Joy and Ernest, they still exist and at present are in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney.

Joy and Ernie dressed for Peace about 1919

From Fred’s letter to his daughter Joy we know he is a loving, generous and caring father with a sense of humour. His letters are full of family and local news. He describes a surprise visit from Ada and Herb who live in Queensland, they have “a jolly happy few days together”. He sends money to Joy and her cousins when she is on holiday in Queensland;

When there is a storm brewing he tells Joy he will walk to the train station at 10pm, with an umbrella to meet Ern and Fred. At the end of one letter he says “time goes quickly doesn’t it, too much eh? Love from your loving dad”. True words from many years ago.

Fred and Amy

In one letter he tells Joy he is feeling much better, it is written not long before he dies in 1936 aged 68. A newspaper report of the time tells us more about Frederick – “An old and respected resident of Cabramatta Mr Frederick Arthur Steel passed away on Sunday last. He lived in the area for about 20 years, he conducted a grocery business. The funeral took place on Tuesday after a service, interment being in the Baptist Cemetery in Liverpool. Besides the widow,  there remains to mourn their loss a family of 5, Arthur, Roy, Fred, Joy and Ernest”.

Frederick’s life was eventful, he worked hard, took opportunities,built a successful business and was surrounded by a loving wife and children.