https://longeviquest.com/2025/02/a-curious-tale-joe-steel-or-monroe-rutty-who-was-he/

A Curious Tale: Joe Steel (or Monroe Rutty) – Who Was He?

One of the more fascinating longevity claims is the one about Monroe Rutty, who died in Michigan 0n 30 May 1971 at the supposed age of 111. A male claim to 111 in the 1970s is not totally impossible but it’s unlikely to be accurate as very few male supercentenarians had existed until that point in time. The late-life documentation that was discovered didn’t really support the claim either. But that is because this documentation was for a man named Joe Steel. In fact, it wasn’t until “Joe Steel” featured in the news in 1965 that someone came forward and said that his real name was Monroe Rutty and was their long lost relative. But how did this happen and who was he really?

Let’s go back to February 1907 and Lamont, Michigan. A scantily-clad and rugged man is discovered wandering around in a field in the subzero temperature. When inquired about what he was doing there he had no idea and he was found to have severe amnesia, not knowing who he was or where he was going. He was admitted to the Ottawa County Infirmary in Eastmanville, Michigan on 25 February and was given the name “Joe Steel” as he kept mentioning it. The only clue to his previous life he could provide was that he had worked in a lumber camp near Lamont and been in an accident. His age was estimated to be 44 years old at the time. As there wasn’t really any way to find out his identity at the time (as it pre-dated social security records and larger finger print databases) he was deemed a mystery man and would stay at the infirmary for the time being, hoping that his memory would return.

In the coming years, Steel would work by doing odd jobs here and there, helping out with farming duties and machinery to earn a meager income. His small stature of 5’4″ and 115 lbs surely made harder labour difficult. Efforts were made by the infirmary to uncover his identity but nobody came forward to report on who Joe Steel actually was. He didn’t even have a specified birthday for the longest time. The mystery would endure for way longer than anyone would reasonably expect.

On 13 May 1965 the Evening Sentinel ran a story about the 102nd birthday of Joe Steel and how he’d only been provided an actual date of birth four years prior so that he too could receive birthday cards and be celebrated. Steel was reported to be in remarkably good shape, still being up and about, being able to dress himself and enjoying the smoking room. Few details about his life and recollections were provided in the story, but a photo of Steel was featured, which would help “solve” the case.

Joe Steel on his 110th birthday. Source: The Muskegon Chronicle, 30 March 1971

Three days later a follow-up story is posted in the Evening Sentinel. A nephew, Monroe Eaton, had read the story about the mystery man and recalled that his mother, Ada, had frequently talked about her brother, Monroe Rutty, before she passed away and wondered what had happened to him. Rutty was born in 1860 and left his home near Fennville in 1882 for the northwoods and nobody had heard from him ever since.

Eaton, who was also named after his lost uncle, contacted the infarmary about Joe Steel and got to talk to Steel. For example, he inquired about what the names of a pair of oxen that Rutty had worked with near Fennville in the 1880s were and it was confirmed that Steel knew their names (Duke and Dime). Eaton also asked Steel if the nickname “Little Money” sounded familiar to him and Steel confirmed that he had indeed been called that when he was a little boy. This was enough to sufficiently prove to Eaton and the other relatives that Joe Steel and Monroe Rutty were the same person. It was determined that Steel (I’ll stick to this as this is what he prefered to be called) would remain at the infirmary as he was happy there.

With this revelation, it was determined that Steel was actually 105 years old and the last of his siblings alive. His mother had died in 1906, his father in 1910 and all his siblings had died off before 1944, all wondering what had happened to their son/brother. He also had an exact birthdate – 31 March 1860! Steel would be able to celebrate his last six birthdays with his relatives, after almost six decades of being known as a man without an identity. He even kicked the habit of smoking at age 109 as it was deemed to be bad for his health. And when he eventually died at age 111 on 30 May 1971, he was interred right next to his mother, a reunion that took almost 90 years.

A lovely story, right?

If we check the census and documentation record, Monroe Rutty first appears as Edwin Rutty, aged two months in the 1860 census. He lives with his parents, Edward and Polly, and three older siblings. Technically, being two months old at the end of June would indicate a birth in April, but that’s neglible. He appears with his family as “James M Rutty,” age 10, in the 1870 census and as Monroe Rutty, age 20, in the 1880 census. Then he disappears. I can’t find any Monroe Rutty in the 1900 census (or in subsequent records for that matter).

Likewise, Joe Steel first appears in the 1910 census but he’s nowhere near as old as claimed. Remember, the story was that Joe Steel was determined to be 44 years old when he was found in 1907 and celebrated his 102nd birthday in 1965. The Joe Steel in the 1910 census is only 37 years old, so a decade younger than would be expected. He’s also listed as being German? His WWI Draft Card gives his age as 45, with an unknown birthdate. He’s 47 in 1920, 53 in 1930 and 65 years old in 1940. The WWII Draft Card gives a birthdate of 15 April 1875. By 1950 he had however aged quite a bit, now being 87 years old, which is in accordance with what he claimed in 1965. The Michigan Death Index lists him as Monroe Rutty, born on 31 March 1860 and deceased on 30 May 1971 at age 111 and the Social Security Death Index gives his name as Joe Steele, but with the same lifespan.

So the documentation is a bit shaky concerning the age of Joe Steel, with the earliest documents indicating that he was over a decade younger than he actually would have been at the time if he was indeed born in 1860. But there is no overlap between the existence of Joe Steel and Monroe Rutty in the documentation. And it’s plausible that he would have appeared younger if he would go on to live to be 111 years old, as supercentenarians do display signs of slower ageing than others and it’s also beneficial to have a small stature. Furthermore, he was able to provide information that only the “real” Monroe Rutty would have been able to answer, and what would he have to gain from claiming to be a long lost man who didn’t possess any real material assets?

Still, we cannot be sure about his identity, which leaves this case as unvalidated for now and likely forever. My personal opinion is that he probably wasn’t the same person and that Rutty’s relatives simply mistook Joe Steel for being Monroe Rutty. It’s quite hard to see that a person in his 100s is the same person as someone in his 20s, our bodies change quite a bit as we age. I don’t know if there’s even a photograph of Monroe Rutty from before his disappearance that could be used to compare the two people. But I am not saying that my opinion is correct here.

Nevertheless, this is a story with a “good” ending. Joe Steel, whoever he was, found a family that would cherish him in his final years and he would die a happy man.