John Washington Steele

John Washington Steele (born in Sheakleyville, Pa. 1843; died in Fort Crook, Nebraska in December, 1920), also known as Coal Oil Johnny,^[1] was one of the first oil millionnaires acquiring their wealth from the oil discovered in Pennsylvania in the mid-19th century. In 1864, soon after wealth came to him through inheritance from the McClintocks' oil, the orphan John Steele left the farm which he had inherited from his foster or adoptive family, the McClintocks, and began a lavish and picturesque life, rapidly spending his way through his fortune. He was often seen in Philadelphia riding in his carriage with "the picture of an oil derrick, an oil tank, and a flowing well" painted on its doors.^[2] Steele eventually sold his farm to William H. Wickham.,^[3][4],.^[5] In 1862, he had married Eleanor J. Moffett, who survived him by six years.^[6] After his lavish life-style, Steele fell into bankruptcy. He shuttled around, moving to the Mid-West, eventually becoming a railroad station agent.^[7] According to his autobiography, written in 1901, after his fall he was hounded by the public and the press and became a recluse to avoid them.

Legacy

• "The Ballad of Coal Oil Johnny" by Angela Nuzzo. www.backtobradford.com/poetry/P3.html
• There are numerous stories that still circulate in Pennsylvania about him.^[8]
• Aites, Richard W. 2007. The Legend of Coal Oil Johnny. iUniverse: Lincoln, Neb. [Fictional account]
• His house has been preserved and moved.
• According to his autobiography, a brand of soap was named after him, much to his dislike.

References

1. ^ http://www.mcclint.oilcreekgenealogy.net/content/generation5b.html
2. ^ http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7205126M/Coal_oil_Johnny
3. ^ http://www.oilheritage.org/history/history.htm
4. ^ http://www.mcclint.oilcreekgenealogy.net/content/generation5b.html
5. ^ Hoover, Emily. 2009. Review of Steele's autobiography. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:LBKqgXosjBIJ:www.oil150.com/assets/pdf/volume-1-issue-8.pdf+%22Coal+oil+johnny%22+steele+oil&hl=ko&gl=kr&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjVxVgjY01WS_CdnAjoNia5mCUvfTUaq3dqtNFaZE1fgyZPZ1rdRaKNxsoVCgUc5E8nqxXXvK2BpQVmK56IXMCJO2k2V3MypZNsnM3QdgiblebXjjQjYeit9y9T8qBh6hIolFyx&sig=AHIEtbQQvXLKkOOZQ46zvpM5Z66-x8dKwg
6. ^ http://www.mcclint.oilcreekgenealogy.net/content/generation5b.html
7. ^ Anon, 1920
8. ^ http://books.google.co.kr/books?id=oKElofj50Q8C&pg=PA411&lpg=PA411&dq=%22Coal+oil+johnny%22+steele+oil&source=bl&ots=mFjFCW2vQH&sig=MA1gBiueOscaJWYNi36uiYUoqos&hl=ko&ei=rUELTJGFC5aXkQXNz_3KDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCoQ6AEwBzgK#

• http://www.hagerspeachbasket.com/John_Washington_Steele_Room.htm gives the wife's name as Ellen Moffitt.
• Anon. 1920. ""COAL OIL JOHNNY," ONCE GREAT SPENDER, DEAD; John W. Steele of Pennsylvania Oil Fame Fifty Years Ago Dies a Railroad Station Agent," [New York Times obituary] http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9501E2D6173AE532A25751C0A9679C946095D6CF
• Steele, J. W. 1901. <ital>Coal Oil Johnny. Story of His Career as Told by Himself. Press of Hill Publishing Company: New York, 211 pages. Reprinted 1994 by M. A. Mong Publishers and 2006 by Oil Region Alliance: Oil City, PA. Available online at http://openlibrary.org/books/OL7205126M/Coal_oil_Johnny.
• Hoover, Emily. 2009. Review of Steele's autobiography. http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:LBKqgXosjBIJ:www.oil150.com/assets/pdf/volume-1-issue-8.pdf+%22Coal+oil+johnny%22+steele+oil&hl=ko&gl=kr&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjVxVgjY01WS_CdnAjoNia5mCUvfTUaq3dqtNFaZE1fgyZPZ1rdRaKNxsoVCgUc5E8nqxXXvK2BpQVmK56IXMCJO2k2V3MypZNsnM3QdgiblebXjjQjYeit9y9T8qBh6hIolFyx&sig=AHIEtbQQvXLKkOOZQ46zvpM5Z66-x8dKwg
• http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9D03EFDE103EE733A25754C0A9679C946797D6CF
• from the Pittsburg Post-Gazette, 1937 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19370901&id=_8oaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=EkwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3365,2138449

Persondata
Name	Steele, John Washington
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death	1920
Place of death