https://content.mymcpl.org/files/original/31e4c63fa0429f3ffbe228c6b63da982.pdf

extracted text: Reynolds Steele Hardegree
The Reynolds, Steele and Hardegree families were earlier settler in Van Zant County and
were united through marriages. Each family reached Van Zant County following the
Civil War.
Allen Reynolds was born in 1832. He was a Confederate soldier and a member of Co.
H.,34th infantry, Mississippi Volunteers. He died as a soldier in 1863 and was buried in
the Myrtle Hill cemetery in Rome, George. Allen Reynolds married Martha
Whittington from Jefferson County, Alabama. Martha was born March 5, 1837 the
daughter of Wilburn Whittington and Mary Goolsby. Allen and Martha had two sons
Jacob Allen born April 13, 1862 and John Francis born December 2, 1859. The sons
were born in Tippah County, Mississippi. Martha and the two sons moved to Van Zant
County in 1873. Martha later married Mr. Harrington whom I have no history. There
was also a daughter of Martha’s, Mary Sanders whom I have no history. Martha
Whittington Reynolds Harrington died October 24, 1922 and is buried in Liberty
Cemetery on FM2339 about 5 miles west of Callender Lake in Van Zant County.
John F. Reynolds married Theodocia (Docia) Earnest Hobbs on Jan 1, 1881. She was
born May 26, 1863 in Van Zant County and died Feb 1, 1933. John F. died Sept.16,
1934. Both are buried in Liberty Cemetery, Van Zant County. Further history can be
found in the “Family History of William Hobbs (1787-1837)” begin on page 218.
Jacob Allen Reynolds married Mattie Williams Steele on Nov 27, 1887. She was born
in Neshoba County, Mississippi on Nov 28, 1867 the daughter of Sewell W. Steele and
Sinia Elizabeth (Lizzie) Stovall Steele. A second Daughter of Sewell and Lizzie was
Lula Belle Steele also born in Neshoba County, Mississippi on Sept 27, 1866. Sewell
and family left Mississippi on Dec 3, 1869 and arrived in Van Zant County, Texas on
Jan 2, 1870. Sewell Steele died 9 July, 1876 and Lizzie Steele, who later married J.W.
Williams, died 26 Sept., 1919. Both Sewell and Lizzie are buried in the Edom Cemetery
about 2 miles north of Edom on highway FM279.
Lula Bella Steele married Daniel Whitaker Hardegree who was born in Smith County,
Texas on Nov 11, 1855. He died Oct 17, 1933 and is buried in Prairie Spring Cemetery as
well as Lula Belle who died in 1924. The Hardegrees had eight children, five of them
being Edward, Grady, Dean, Leland and Lucile. There are many members of the
Hardegree family buried at the Prairie Spring Cemetery. That is all the information I have
at this time on the Hardegree family.

I will digress some and cover the Steele family’s ancestors. Sewell Steele was a
lieutendent in the CSA army. He introduced himself to Lizzie Stovall through writing her
a letter dated 12 Sept.1861. A scan of the letter will be added at the end, but it is very
difficult to read due to it age and the scanning process. The letters continued throughout
the war (9 in all) with the last one dated Nov. 1864. Following the war Sewell married
Lizzie on Dec 31, 1865 and they moved to Van Zant County with their two daughters
arriving Jan 2, 1870.
Sewell Steele was born in 1834 in Le Ray, Jefferson County, New York and left home
before 1850 ending up in Mississippi. He was the son of Elisha Steele Jr. and Eunice
Barrett Steele.
The ancestral lineage can be traced back to Robert Steele born about 1464 in Fairsted,
Essex, England through the Latter-Day Saints ancestral files:
http://www.familysearch.org/ENG/Search/frameset_search.asp
Enter the name Elisha Steele Jr. His Ancestral File Number is AFN VCOR-71.
The following is an abbreviated descendants listing of Robert Steele:

Letter that follows was written by Sewell Steele from Marion Station, Miss. on 12 Sept.,
1861 to Lizzie Stovall as an introduction to their letters of courtship throughout the Civil
War. Note: A double “s” appears in script to look like the letter “p”.

Jacob Allen Reynolds
Born in Mississippi and came to Van Zant County in 1873 at the age of 11 with his
mother and brother John Francis Reynolds. He married Mattie Steele in 1887 and they
had two children born in Ben Wheeler – Mable and Roy Steele Reynolds. He owned a
General Store in Ben Wheeler. About 1910 he and the family moved to Tuscola, Taylor
County, Texas where he opened a General Store and built a cotton gin near his home.

Later he opened a second cotton gin in Littlefield, Texas. He died after a short illness in
Littlefield and was buried in the family plot at the Tuscola Cemetery.

Part of Reynolds Steele Hardagree