Biographical Sketch of Dougald Steele, Johnson County, Missouri,
Warrensburg Township

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.

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Dougald Steele, of Warrensburg, could well have served as inspiration
for Longfellow's immortal poem, "The Village Blacksmith," for he was
Warrensburg blacksmith more than a quarter of a century ago.  He was
born in Scotland in 1848, the son of Alex and Catherine (Morrison)
Steele, and came when eight years of age with his parents to Canada,
where they located in 1856 in Glencoe.  His mother died in Canada and
the father, after remaining twelve years in America, returned to Scot-
land, where his death occurred.  Alex and Catherine (Morrison) Steele
were the parents of the following children: Donald, who died in Canada;
Michael, who died in Canada; Mrs. Charlotte gorman, who died at Hill-
man, Michigan, where her husband, John Gorman, was judge of Montgomery
county for twenty-five years; and Dougald, the subject of this review.
Dougald Steele received his education in the schools of Canada.  At
the age of fifteen years he was apprenticed to a blacksmith in Canada,
whom he served three years, receiving for his services only his food
and clothing.  When eighteen years of age he had learned the black-
smith's trade, and in those days the blacksmith was obliged to make
both his nails and horseshoes.  In 1866 Dougald Steele left Canada and
located in Pennsylvania to Saginaw, Michigan and for three months was
fireman on one of the lake steamers, when he left Michigan and went to
Illinois, remaining there one year.  In 1869 Mr. Steele came to Miss-
ouri and located temporarily at St. Joe, coming from that place to
Warrensburg in the fall of 1869.  For two years Mr. Steele worked at
his trade in the employ of J. K. Miller, a pioneer blacksmith of 
Warrensburg.  Four years prior to opening his own blacksmith shop, 
Dougald Steele was employed in the stone quarry.  He opened his first
shop on the present site of Magnolia Mills and later moved to his pre-
sent location, where he has been for the past 35 years, at 143 West
Pine street in Warrensburg.  Mr. Steele has carried implements in add-
ition to doing the work of the shop and nine years ago he sold his 
forge and blacksmith business and now continues the implement business
alone.  In addition to his store building Mr. Steele owns his residence,
rental property, and several lots in Warrensburg.  In 1870, Dougald
Steele was united in marriage with Anna Baylers, and to them were born
three children: Dougald, Jr., salesman for the International Harvester
Company at Topeka, Kansas, who first married Bernice Higgins, now
deceased, and he has remarried: Lula, who was the wife of George Wyatt,
of Adrian, Missouri; and Edna, who is a graduate of the Warrensburg
High School, the Warrensburg State Normal School, and the University of
Missouri at Columbia, Missouri, and is now engaged in teaching in the 
Warrensburg High School.  Mr. and Mrs. Steele reared and educated 
children of whom to be proud.  Mrs. Steele died in December, 1906.  Mr.
Steele is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, with whom
he affiliated 33 years ago.  He is also a member of the Royal Arch and
the Blue Lodge.  

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