Emma GARARD, born in Garard Ford, Pennsylvania, came to Iowa in a covered wagon with her parents, William and Elizabeth Ann GARARD, at the age of one year. The family settled on a farm near Maloy. Five children: Lee, Samuel, Emma, Corbley and Joseph were raised on this farm. Raymer Bown STEELE, born near Davistown, Pennsylvania in Green County [April 1, 1874], son of Thomas and Rebecca STEELE, came to Iowa at the age of 22. He was doing farm work around Maloy when he met and married Emma GARARD. They owned a farm near Maloy and reared six children there. they were: Rebecca Marie, Hugh Hartley, Nancy Belle, Maybelle Fay, Thomas Bowen and Marguerite Helen. All the children attended school in Maloy and were graduated from high school here except Hugh and Belle who took their senior class work at Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls.

Raymer was serving as a member of the school board when the present Maloy school house was built. The parents were firm belivers in higher education, so all the children attended Iowa State Teachers College which is now known as the University of Northern Iowa. Hugh later received his master's degree from Drake University in Des Moines.

All of them taught in Iowa except Tom who died at 23 years of age while a student at I.S.T.C.

Hugh was principal of the junior high in Winterset for a number of years, then moved to Mount Ayr where he first held the position of high school principal, then later that of superintendent of the Mount Ayr School. He died in 1949 at the age of 46.

All of the family married except Tom.

Marie married Edward SWANSON and they were the parents of two children, Keith and Mildred.

Hugh married Gladys CLARK and they were the parents of a son, Dan.

Belle married Howard CORNELISON and they were the parents of Mary Jo and a son Robert who died in infancy.

Maybelle married Lyndel THOMPSON and their children are Ann, Kay and Sue.

Marguerite married Lloyd KING and their children are Lloyd Thomas and Elizabeth Anne.

All of the above descendants are married and have families.

Three girls, Marie, Maybelle and Marguerite, are now [1987] living. At the present time, Marie is in Nevada, Iowa; Maybelle lives in Des Moines; and Marguerite is in Winterset. The fourth daughter, Belle, died in 1986, at the time of this writing.

Their mother, Emma STEELE, passed away in 1949, and their father, Raymer, died in 1960. In 1976, the STEELE farm was recognized as one of the Century Farms of the State of Iowa.

NOTES: Raymer and Emma (GARARD) STEELE were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr.

Hugh Hartley STEELE died September 6, 1949 at the age of 46 years. They were interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr.

Marguerite Helen (STEELE) KING was born March 16, 1913, and died at the age of 85 years on June 29, 1998. She married June 2, 1933, Nashua, Iowa Lloyd Thomas KING (1911-1997). They were interred at Winterset, Iowa.

Thomas Bowen "Tom" STEELE was born in Maloy September 6, 1907, and died February 28, 1931. He was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr.

Howard Lee CORNELISON was born in Ringgold County April 7, 1902, the son of Ferman Clark and Maude E. (DENHART) CORNELISON. He died in 1979 and was interred at Rose Hill Cemetery, Mount Ayr. The son of Belle N. (STEELE) and Howard Lee CORNELISON, Robert Lee CORNELISON, aged 3 days, son of Belle N. (STEELE) and Howard CORNELISON, died on June 22, 1927. Interment was at Benton Cemetery, Ringgold County.

SOURCE: Maloy, Iowa Centennial History: 1887 - 1987 p. 122.

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library

Transcription and Notes by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2011