H.M. Steely
H.M. Steely, Jr.
NOTARY

STEELY & STEELY
LAWYERS
First National Bank Building
DANVILLE, ILL.

Danville, Illinois, January 2, 1915.

Mr. Frank R. Steely,
Ponka City, Oklahoma.

Dear Sir:

Your letter of December 28th just at hand, and contents
noted.

I am a grandson of George Steely of Covington, Indiana, a
brother of your grandfather Rueben Steely.

Are you not mistaken about the name of the son of Eliza B. Ray?
She had one son, Ruben B. Ray, named for your grandfather, and he
moved to this County about ten miles from where my father lived
and died, and died there about eight or ten years ago leaving
eight daughters.

Your grandfather had two brothers who lived in Ohio, John Steely
and Dr. Meek Steely; and I have recently had the remains of our
great-grandfather, Gabriel Steely, removed from the burying ground
on the old home farm in Pickaway County, Ohio, to the cemetery
at Kingston, Ohio about four miles distant, and a new monument
put up for him. My understanding is that he was a Revolutionary
Soldier, and that your grandfather was a soldier in the War of
1812. Have you anything giving his military record, and do you
know as a matter of family tradition from your father or grand-
father, where the family lived in the south before they came up to
Pennsylvania? They moved from Pennsylvania to Pickaway county,
Ohio, in 1805.

Also, can you tell me where Eliza B. Ray is buried, whether
there at West Point, or just where the grave-yard she is buried in
is located?

H.M. Steely
H.M. Steely, Jr.
NOTARY

STEELY & STEELY
LAWYERS
First National Bank Building
DANVILLE, ILL.

Mr. F. R. S., -2

There is one thing I am sorry to learn, and that is that so
far as appears from your letter your grandfather has no descendant,
or will have none after you die, to bear the family name, as you
had but one son and he died young, and your uncles died without
children.

Back in Ohio Dr. Meek Steely, brother of your grandfather, has
a lot of descendants of daughters and granddaughters. He had but
two sons, one of whom died unmarried, and the other one left three
sons, one of these has three daughters, and the other two are old
bachelors who will probably never marry, and it looks like the
name of Steely would die out in that branch of the family. Your
grandfather’s brother, John Steely, however, has quite a number of
great-grandsons and great-great-grandsons by the name; and with
my grandfather, George Steely, of the generation younger than I, so
far as I can call to mind at this time, there are only about six
boys of the name.

I wanted the information I asked you for because I intend, if I
can get the information all together, to print at my own expense
a genealogy of the family.

There is one question I forgot to ask you: Have you got, or do
you know where I could get a picture of your grandfather Rueben
Steely, and did you ever see a picture of his brother, George Steely,
my grandfather? Who was your grandmother Rueben Steely’s wife before
she married?

With regards to yourself and your children, I am,

Very truly yours.
H.M. Steely