Thomas Steel was born in Bramley in 1835, the only son of Emmanuel and Sarah nee Rangdale. His father was a butcher in Bramley but by 1851, the family had moved to Addingham, the birth place of his father, living and working on a farm.
Thomas married Emma Rebecca Rigby Rangdale in Leeds in 1863. Emma had been born in Manchester in 1828 to Captain Rigbye Baldwin and Mary Ann Rangdale of Bradford. Emma and her mother moved to Bramley following the death of her father in 1859. Her mother then became the proprietress of a boarding house.
Thomas's mother Sarah and Emma’s mother Mary Ann were sisters, making Thomas and Emma first cousins!
After their marriage they moved to live in Eccleshill. Their first son Charles Frederick Steel was born in November 1863 but sadly passed away at four months old. Their second son Frederick Rangdale Steel was born in January 1865 but sadly Emma passed away one month later at the age of 37.
After Emma's death, Thomas went to live with relatives living on Bank in Eccleshill before moving back to Addingham. There he lived alone, working on his farm until his death in 1904. He is buried in Addingham churchyard with his father, stepmother and stepsister.
Baby son Frederick was subsequently brought up by his grandmother, Mary Ann until her death in 1873. She is buried in Chapel Street with daughter Emma and grandson Charles. In 1881, records show that Frederick, aged 16, is a shoemaker living in lodgings in Bramley. But after that the trail runs cold....
Location: section 3 G14