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Their Stories
Over the past two hundred and fifty years since the town was chartered as “Stephensburgh,” many people have called this place their home. The Newtown History Center has collected biographical information on a number of the town’s past residents. Here are a few of their stories.
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Robert Clayton Washington
Robert Washington was born 5 February 1889. His family has deep roots in Stephens City and the surrounding area. Some of his descendents still reside in town. After serving in France with the United States Army during World War I, he and his wife, Mary Belle, worked for a wealthy family in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Robert and his wife eventually retired to nearby Middletown, Virginia. Robert Washington died 15 July 1961 and is buried in the National Cemetery in Winchester, Virginia. |
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Altha Watson Steele
Altha Watson Steele was born 3 January 1847. In July of that same year her father, a local carpenter named Alfred Watson, died when he was struck by lightening while he was working. Her mother later remarried a plasterer named David Rosenberger, and the family moved to Hannibal, Missouri. Altha and her parents returned to Newtown right before the beginning of the Civil War. After the Battle of Cedar Creek in October 1864, Altha Watson brought oyster soup to the wounded at the Lutheran church. She was so horrified at the sights that she saw there, that she was never able to smell or eat oyster stew again. After the war, on 22 March 1870, she married Milton Boyd Steele, a local Confederate veteran and merchant. However, Milton Steele unexpectedly died of meningitis on 2 February 1884, leaving Altha Watson Steele to care for their three children, Elmer, Cara, and Julian. Altha Watson Steele died on 12 September 1938.
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Milton Boyd Steele
Milton Boyd Steele, the third son of the Steele family, was born on 27 February 1845. Prior to the Civil War he was a clerk at the store of the Reverend John Allemong, a local Methodist minister turned merchant. When Milton Steele turned 18 years old in 1863, he joined Company A of the First Virginia Cavalry, where because of his age, he was detailed as a wagoner. He was with his unit at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he desperately wanted to join the combat with his fellow soldiers. However, his commanding officer, Colonel James Henry Drake, another resident of the town, discovered Milton among the ranks and sent him back to the wagons because of his age and lack of experience. After the war, Milton became the junior partner in a local mercantile business called Steele & Bro. with his older brother, Mager William Steele. He married Altha Watson on 22 March 1870, and together they had three children. On 2 February 1884, Milton Steele died of meningitis and was buried at Green Hill Cemetery in Stephens City. |
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Branson T. Argenbright
Branson Tazewell Argenbright was a Confederate Veteran who moved to Newtown-Stephensburg after the war. He was a blacksmith, mechanic and woodworker. He purchased the log part of the Stone House that is now part of the Newtown History Center on 30 January 1879 as a residence for himself and his young family. Argenbright was born in 1844 and married Eliza Jane Reynolds in 1870. Eliza and Branson had nine children born to them between 1871 and 1892. They all grew up in the log side of the Stone House. Branson T. Argenbright died in 1910 and is buried at the Green Hill Cemetery in Stephens City. |
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Cornelia Barbour Turner Avery
Cornelia Barbour Turner Avery was born in 1867 and was a prominent member of the African American community in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was married to the Reverend Robert Turner and raised eight children with him before he died in 1901. On 31 December 1913 she married Isaac Avery. When Mr. Avery passed away in 1927, Cornelia was a widow again for a second time. Cornelia Avery learned the midwife trade from her mother and used her skill to deliver children around Stephens City and Middletown. She also worked as a housekeeper and laundress for local families. She was an active member of the Orrick Chapel congregation, serving as Sunday school superintendent and organizing programs for both the children and adult members. In addition to her volunteer work in the church, Cornelia also was a member of the Loving Charity Lodge, an organization designed to help the local African American community. Her work and activism in the community earned her the nickname “Aunt Neily.” She died in 1943 and is buried at Locust Grove Cemetery in Stephens City. |
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Newtown History Center of The Stone House Foundation
P.O. Box 143, 5408 Main Street, Stephens City, VA 22655-0143
540-869-1700 | 540-869-7102 | Fax: 540-869-0400
Copyright © 2007 Stone House Foundation
All Rights Reserved.
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