A Glimpse into the STEELE family

How can I possibly move in more directions that I'm already pondering with this family history addiction, I ask myself (and so does my husband). His family is deeply entrenched in North Carolina and Virginia, true southerners and quite a colorful lot. Over the past ten years, I have dabbled in his family history in bits and pieces but now I'm ready for the big time. J. D. was born and raised in Williamsburg, Virginia. His father, his grandfather, uncles, aunts, cousins and mother all began their lives in North Carolina and spread northward for various reasons. The most fascinating oldster was his Grandpa Steele. He was a bootlegger and spent time in the federal penitentiary in Georgia in the early 1900s..... as proud of his 'stay' as if he'd gone to college. He never tired of telling the stories to his many children and grandchildren. I hope to gather the facts and put some semblance of order and truth to the lives he left behind and especially on that bootlegger and the past.

There is a family bible that one of J.D.'s cousins inherited that is said to hold many obituary news clippings that Grandma Steele diligently cut and placed within its thin pages. Now that cousin is gone and his widow must have the bible.... but alas. She doesn't appear to want any part of the Steele family now. How I can unearth that precious book or any of those clippings escapes me. Today, my file is filled with pictures, documents, stories and family tree charts. Maybe tomorrow, I'll get my hands on the bible...