Earl Thaddeus Steele was born in Kansas on May 16, 1888. By 1900, Steele had moved with his family to Rockingham County, North Carolina. He lived in North Wilkesboro (Wilkes County) while working for J. C. Steele, a local plumbing company. By 1920, Steele returned to Rockingham County, where he continued to work as a plumber. He died there on March 26, 1973.