Where Are Charles and Warren: sons of Joseph and Deborah (Williamson) Bell?

 

Where Are Charles and Warren: sons of Joseph and Deborah (Williamson) Bell?

Jean M. Hoffman, CG

The children of Joseph and Deborah Bell are documented in a gravestone and U.S. census records in Washington County, Ohio, in 1850 and 1860, then Gallia County, Ohio, beginning with Deborah’s death in 1865. Those surviving to the end of 1885 are listed in Joseph’s will. Sons Charles and Warren are not accounted for in later sources.

Joseph and Deborah were married in Washington County, Ohio, in 1839 when he was a resident of Newport Township, and she lived in Marietta.[1] They set up housekeeping in Newport Township as recorded in the 1850 U.S. census.[2] At that time their children were:

• John Bell            M          10                         Ohio
• Martha Bell         F            8                         Ohio
• Austin Bell         M            7                         Ohio
• Charles Bell       M            6                         Ohio
• Mary Ann Bell    F             4                         Ohio
• Warren Bell       M            2                         Ohio
• Judith Bell          F            6 months            Ohio

Ten years later they had four more children but the oldest, John, had died.[3] Charles was now 16, listed as a farmer, and Warren was 12. The family was still in Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio.[4]

In 1865 Deborah, the mother, died and was buried in Clay Chapel Cemetery in Clay Township, Gallia County, Ohio.[5] Joseph purchased land there adjacent to Walter S. Thorniley, Deborah’s brother-in-law.[6]

Joseph Bell’s household in 1870 consisted of the following:

• Martha A Bell     F            27                       Ohio
• Austin Bell         M           26                       Ohio
• Mary Bell           F            24                       Ohio
• Warren Bell       M           22                       Ohio
• Judith Bell         F            20                       Ohio
• Edgar Bell         M           18                       Ohio
• Ella Bell             F           16                       Ohio
• Willey Bell         M           14                       Ohio
• George Bell       M           11                       Ohio

Now both John and Charles are missing but the other nine children are listed.[7] Austin Bell had served in the Union Army as a private in Co. G, 36th Ohio Infantry during the Civil War but had returned to the family.[8] It is possible that Charles’s absence is related to the war, but with such a common name, it is hard to tell whether any Charles Bell in the army is this one.

During the 1870s six of the nine children married. At the time of the census in 1880 Joseph Bell still had his oldest and youngest daughters, Martha and Ella, living with him. In addition, the youngest child, George Bell, with his wife and child, lived with his father. Joseph (age 72) and George (age 21) were both said to be farmers.[9] Daughter Mary Ann Bell married in Caldwell County, Missouri, and remained there with husband Robert Glenn Murray. The others who married were Austin, Judith, Edgar, and William, all living in Clay Township in 1880.[10] No records were found for Charles or Warren.

Joseph Bell wrote his will on 30 December 1885. He left to “my daughters Martha A. Bell and Ella Bell and my son George Bell all my personal property and the farm on which we now reside.” From the estate he required them to pay his debts and funeral expenses plus a bequest of five dollars ($5.00) to each of his other children listed as “sons Charles W. Bell, Austin Bell, William Bell, Edgar Bell” and “daughters Judith Davis and Mary Murray.”[11]

 This raises the question, who was his son Charles W. Bell? Was this the long missing Charles? Or was it the more recently missing Warren? The settlement of the estate of Joseph Bell doesn’t quite answer the question, but it does make it appear that neither Charles nor Warren was still living.

The Application to Probate Will of Joseph Bell was presented on 12 February 1886 by George Bell. Oddly only five heirs were named: Martha Bell and Ella Bell, daughters in Eureka; Judith Davis, daughter in Gallipolis; sons William Bell and George Bell in Eureka.[12] Ultimately the estate was settled and $5.00 was paid to heirs other than the three, Martha, Ella, and George. Receipts for that sum were signed and included in the estate packet from W.W. Bell (William W.) on 22 November 1886,[13] Edgar Bell on 29 November 1886,[14] Mary B. Murray on 29 November 1886,[15] Austin Bell on 29 November 1886,[16] and Judith Davis on 1 December 1886.[17] There is no receipt from Charles or Warren Bell.

There is no evidence of the demise of either son, but it seems reasonable to think that Charles Bell died sometime in the 1860s and Warren Bell sometime in the 1870s. Clearly neither received any inheritance from their father’s estate in 1886.

All online sources viewed 30 November 2024.

[1] Hymeneal [marriages], Marietta Gazette and Washington County Agriculturist, Marietta, Ohio, Sat. Sept. 7, 1839, Vol. II, No. 40, “Married . . . On Sunday evening last, by the Rev. H. Gear, Mr. Joseph Bell of Newport to Miss Deborah Williamson of this township.”

[2] 1850 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Newport Township, sheet 465A, dwelling/family 1, Joseph Bell household; imaged, "1850 United States Federal Census," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4093962_00577).

[3] Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/90379458), “John Bell” (1840-1854) memorial created by Arden & Ginger Wince with tombstone image by Jean Hoffman; citing Barker Cemetery, Lower Newport, Washington County, Ohio.

[4] 1860 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Newport Township, sheet 81, dwelling 66, family 68, Joseph Bell household; imaged, "1860 United States Federal Census," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4304720_00166).

[5] Find a Grave, database with images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/52061456), “Deborah Bell” (unknown-1865) memorial created by “hospicenurse ali” with tombstone image by “Anonymous”; citing Clay Chapel Cemetery, Clay Township, Gallia County, Ohio.

[6] Gallia County Deed Record 34: 545, Walter S. & Mary J. Thorniley to Joseph Bell, 7 April 1865; imaged, “Gallia. Deeds 1864–1865, 1865–1866,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C37H-WSWP-V), image 290 of 646.

[7] 1870 U.S. census, Gallia County, Ohio, population schedule, Clay Township, sheet 252A (continuation skips over a page), dwelling/family 83, Joseph Bell household; imaged, "1870 United States Federal Census," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4277795_00050).

[8] Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Vol. III (Cincinnati: Ohio Valley Pub. & Mfg. Co., 1886), 36th Regiment of Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company G, p. 675, Private Austin Bell; imaged "Official roster of the soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-1865, Vols. 1-12," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/31412/images/glh_092851__0001_a_01-0344?usePUB=true&_phsrc=knB5087&pId=30225), image 1144 of 2792).

[9] 1880 U.S. census, Gallia County, Ohio, population schedule, Clay Township, ED 21, sheet 277B, dwelling 231, family 237, Joseph Bell household; imaged, "1880 United States Federal Census," Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4243599-00200).

[10] See Joseph Bell - WikiTree Profile, ID Bell-48459 (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bell-48459) to follow his and his children’s records not cited here.

[11] Will of Joseph Bell, 1885, recorded 1886, Gallia County Will Record 3: 137-38; imaged, “Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996,” FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-27667-19735-76?cc=1992421&wc=M934-6WY:n601757916), Gallia > Wills 1898 vol 3-4 > image 169 of 1223.

[12] Joseph Bell Estate Case File no. 544, Application to Probate Will; imaged, “Gallia. Probate Estate Case Files 1803–1943,” FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS2J-Z9LB-R), image group number (IGN) 103808575 > image 478 of 2118. Entire Case File > images 462-516.

[13] Joseph Bell Estate Case File no. 544, Receipt of W. W. Bell, image 497.

[14] Joseph Bell Estate Case File no. 544, Receipt of Edgar Bell, image 502.

[15] Joseph Bell Estate Case File no. 544, Receipt of Mary B. Murray, image 496.

[16] Joseph Bell Estate Case File no. 544, Receipt of Austin Bell, image 493.

[17] Joseph Bell Estate Case File no. 544, Receipt of Judith Davis, image 499.

Joseph Bell: son of Samuel and Mary (Lyons) Bell

by Jean M. Hoffman, CG

One Source of Direct Evidence

History of Washington County, Ohio, p. 568

“Samuel Bell….[and] wife, Mary Lyons….had twelve children, of whom five survive [to about 1881]…Samuel, Joseph, Nathan, Hiram, and William.”[1] This quote is a direct statement that Joseph Bell was a son of Samuel and Mary (Lyons) Bell. The source is a published county history, not generally a reliable source of information. An evaluation of the informant and this specific statement, however, shows that it is highly likely to be correct. Records of the Bell family in Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio, build a supporting case. The most compelling of those records is the settlement of Samuel Bell’s estate by administrator Joseph Bell in which he charged the estate $26 “for my mother’s gravestone.”[2]

Evaluating Source and Determining Probable Informant

The information in the county history covers Samuel Bell and his family followed by a paragraph about his son Nathan. By 1880, Nathan was the only child of Samuel Bell still living in Newport Township. He is enumerated there in the 1880 census[3] and continued to pay tax on the land to 1886 (pers. comm. Ernest Thode). The level of detail, though not all of it accurate, in the biographical sketch points to Nathan or a member of his immediate family as the informant. Nathan and his family members were well aware of the identities of his siblings even while dates were not reported accurately. Nathan Bell or a member of his immediate family is a credible source of the names of his siblings. The number of twelve children in the family is also probably correct. The 1820 U.S. census enumeration of the Samuel Bell household lists a male forty-five or above, a female twenty-six to forty-four, and twelve younger people, eight males and four females.[4]

Additional Factors and Family Connections

The county history does not stand alone. Joseph Bell as administrator of Samuel Bell’s estate is not identified by relationship but makes a close connection likely. The charge mentioned above implies that Joseph was Samuel’s son. Joseph lived until 1865 in Newport Township in close proximity to relatives. In 1834 Samuel Bell and his wife Mary sold to Joseph Bell land in that township, excluding a portion given to his daughter Mary Tuel. Joseph mortgaged the land to Samuel.[5] Again, no relationship is stated for Joseph, but his (likely) sister is living on land formerly part of the parcel he purchased. Nathan lived with Joseph in 1850 and in an adjacent household in 1860.[6] Joseph was associated with another sister, Jane Flint in Ludlow Township, when he provided surety for her bond for administration of her late husband’s estate. Jane also had a relationship with Nathan, providing a home in 1850 for his two motherless and homeless children after the death of his first wife. In 1860, brother William H. Bell lived close to her. In her will she named William H. Bell as her brother.[7]

Sons of Samuel Bell in 1880

The county history names five surviving children and all appear in the 1880 census. Samuel in Meigs County, Joseph in Gallia County, and Nathan in Washington County all were enumerated with father’s birthplace as Ireland and mother’s as Conn.[8] Hiram in Michigan came close with Ireland and Mass.[9] William H. Bell in Nebraska has both born in Ireland.[10] Combined, the 1880 census records illustrate the truth of the county history statement.

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[1] H. Z. Williams Bro. Pub., 1788-1881, History of Washington County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches (1881; reprint Knightstown, Ind: Bookmark, 1976), 568.

[2] Samuel Bell Estate Settlement, 1847, Washington County Probate Record Book 8: 97-100, Probate Court, Marietta, Ohio. Joseph Bell as Administrator charged the estate $26.00 for “Grave Stones for my Mother.”

[3] 1880 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Newport Township, ED 235, sheet 350D, dwelling 211, family 231, Nathan Bell household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2014); citing NARA T9, roll 1076; imaged from FHL microfilm 1,255,076.

[4] 1820 U.S. Census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Newport Township, page 221, line 9, Samuel Bell household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2014); citing NARA M33, roll 95.

[5] Washington County, Ohio, Deed Book 24: 318-20, Samuel and Mary Bell deed to Joseph Bell and Joseph Bell mortgage to Samuel Bell, 1834, County Recorder's Office, Marietta, Ohio.

[6] 1850 U.S. Census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Newport Township, page 929, dwelling/family 1, Joseph Bell household; NARA M432, roll 738. Also 1860 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, post office Newport, p. 8 (penned), p. 81 (stamped), dwelling 66, family 68, Joseph Bell household; NARA M653, roll 1048.

[7] Jean M. Hoffman, “Jane Flint: A Bell Child Identified,” Bluegrass and Buckeye Roots (http://bluegrassandbuckeyeroots.blogspot.com/2013/05/jane-flint-bell-child-identified.html : accessed 11 February 2014).

[8] For Samuel: 1880 U.S. census, Meigs County, Ohio, population schedule, Sutton Township, ED 120, sheet 307A, dwelling 78, family 82, Samuel Bell household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2014); citing NARA T9, roll 1048; imaged from FHL microfilm 1255048. For Joseph: 1880 U.S. census, Gallia County, Ohio, population schedule, Clay Township, ED 21, p. 277B, dwelling 231, family 237, Joseph Bell household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 10 October 2012); citing NARA T9, roll 1018. For Nathan: 1880 U.S. census, Washington Co., Ohio, pop. sch., Newport Twp., ED 235, sheet 350D, dwelling 211, fam. 231, Nathan Bell household; NARA T9, roll 1076.

[9] 1880 U.S. census, Hillsdale County, Michigan, population schedule, Camden Township, ED 83, sheet 77B, dwelling 201, family 207, Hiram Bell household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2014); citing NARA T9, roll 580; imaged from FHL microfilm 1254580.

[10] 1880 U.S. census, Fillmore County, Nebraska, population schedule, Fairmont, ED 323, sheet 455D, dwelling 128, family 132, William H. Bell household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 11 February 2014); citing NARA T9, roll 748; imaged from FHL microfilm 1254748.

Jane Flint: A Bell Child Identified

By Jean M. Hoffman, CG^SM

Samuel and Mary (Lyons) Bell of Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio, had one son still living in Newport at the time of an 1881 county history. That son, Nathan, is undoubtedly the source of the information in the book. It states that there were twelve children in the family.¹ Early census records support that number.²

Five surviving sons were named in the county history. All appear in the 1880 census. Their names and locations in 1880 are: Nathan, Newport, Washington County, Ohio; Samuel, Jr., Meigs County, Ohio; Joseph, Gallia County, Ohio; Hiram, Hillsdale County, Michigan; and William H. Bell in Fillmore County, Nebraska, and soon after in Salt Lake City.³ Three daughters have been identified as Mary, wife of Presley Tuel and later Nelson Wallace; Charlotte, wife of Nathan Bell of Barlow Township, Washington County; and Amanda, wife of Bartlett Jackson.⁴

Viola and Thomas J. Bell were children of Nathan Bell of Newport Township. Nathan’s first wife, Adaline (née Reckard,) died in January 1849, shortly after their house burned down, leaving the children motherless and homeless.⁵ Their father was enumerated with his brother, Joseph Bell, in Newport Township in the 1850 census.⁶ The children were recorded with Porter and Jane Flint.⁷ A third child in the Flint household was David Delos Flint. He was the son of the late Asa Flint, Porter’s relative.⁸ Finding the Bell children with her was the first step in identifying Jane Flint as a member of the Bell family.

Jane was the wife of Porter Flint of Ludlow Township, Washington County, Ohio. They were married 18 February 1836. While there is no civil record, the marriage is noted in the newspaper giving Jane Bell’s home as Newport Township.⁹

In April 1860, Porter Flint drowned leaving Jane alone on their property.¹⁰ She was issued Letters of Administration for the estate of her late husband on 8 Aug 1860. She gave bond of $3,000 with Joseph Bell, undoubtedly her brother, and Richard Scott as her sureties.¹¹ A few days earlier, the census enumerator listed her alone at age fifty-six. Her real estate was valued at $3,500 and personal property at $800. William H. Bell and family were listed two households later.¹² He was the youngest of the Bell children identified to date. Jane wrote her will 11 August 1865. In it she left many bequests including to her “beloved brother William H. Bell” her spotted horse, five sheep, and a clock. To his daughter, Jane Bell, she left her bureau. Her will was presented to probate in Washington County on 29 January 1866.¹³

A resident of Newport Township before marriage, Jane was associated with the children of Nathan Bell in her home, with Joseph Bell as her surety, and with William H. Bell by proximity and specifically as her brother. She is clearly their sister, probably the oldest girl, and a ninth of an apparent twelve Bell children. She was born about 1803-04 in Ohio and died in 1865-66 as a resident of Ludlow Township, Washington County, Ohio. She had no children.

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Endnotes

1. H. Z. Williams Bro. Pub., 1788–1881, History of Washington County, Ohio, with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches (1881; reprint Knightstown, Ind: Bookmark, 1976), 568.

2. 1820 U.S. census, population schedule, Washington County, Ohio, Newport Township, page 222 (stamped), line 9, Samuel Bell; NARA microfilm M33, roll 95.

3. 1880 U.S. census, population schedules. For Nathan see Washington County (Newport Township,) Ohio, ED 235, page 350D, dwelling 211, family 231, Nathan Bell household; NARA microfilm T9, roll 1076. For Samuel, Jr. Meigs County (Racine Village, Sutton Township,) Ohio, ED 120, page 307A, dwelling 78, family 82, Samuel Bell household; NARA microfilm T9, roll 1048. For Joseph see Gallia County (Clay Township,) ED 21, page 277B, dwelling 231, family 237, Joseph Bell household; NARA microfilm T9, roll 1018. For Hiram see Hillsdale County (Camden Township,) Michigan, ED 83, page 77B, dwelling 201, family 207, Hiram Bell household; NARA microfilm T9, roll 580. For William H. see Fillmore County (Fairmont Village,) Nebraska, ED 323, page 455D, dwelling 128, family 132, William H. Bell household; NARA microfilm T9, roll 748. Also for William H. see “Report of Coroner’s Inquest, Death of William H. Bell, Salt Lake City, Utah Territory, 14 June 1887,”Emeline Bell, widow's pension application no. 380,677, certificate no. 255,011; service of William H. Bell (Pvt., Co. F, 116th Ohio Vol. Inf., Civil War), Case Files of Approved Pension Applications…, 1861–1934; Civil War and Later Pension Files; Department of Veteran Affairs, Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

4. For Mary see Josephine E. Phillips, compiler, Vital Records of Washington County (Cleveland, OH: Western Reserve Historical Society, 1942), 4, Mary Bell to Presley Tuell (1830.) Also Samuel Bell and wife Mary to Joseph Bell (1834,) Washington County, Ohio, Deed Book, 24: 318-19, reserving a tract “given to my daughter Mary Tuel,” County Recorder's Office, Marietta, Ohio. Also Nelson Wallis and wife Mary to Joseph Bell (1844,) Washington County, Ohio, Deed Book, 36: 61. For Charlotte see “Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-1994,” Washington County Probate Court, Marietta, Ohio, vol. 1: 423, Charlotte Bell (Newport) to Nathan Bell (Barlow), 1832; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 24 May 2013); from FHL microfilm 941,958. For Amanda see Phillips, Vital Records of Washington County, 4, Amanda Bell to Bartlett Jackson (1840.)

5. “House Burned,” Marietta (Ohio) Intelligencer, 1 Feb 1849, p. 2. Also 1850 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, mortality schedule, Newport Township, page 293, line 1, Adaline Bell entry; NARA microfilm T1159, roll 15, her death erroneously reported for 1850.

6. 1850 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Newport Township, page 465 (stamped), 929 (penned), dwelling/family 1, Joseph Bell household; NARA microfilm M432, roll 738.

7. 1850 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, population schedule, Ludlow Township, page 497-98 (stamped), 993 (penned), dwelling/family 73, Porter Flint household; digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org: accessed 15 October 2012); from NARA microfilm M432, roll 738.

8. David Delos Flint, guardianship, Administrators and Executors Docket, 1857–1865, Book C: 176, Washington County Probate Court, Marietta, Ohio.

9. “Hymeneal [marriages],” Marietta (Ohio) Gazette, 9 April 1836, p. 3.

10. “Drowned,” Marietta (Ohio) Republican, 13 April 1860, p. 3, col. 1. Also 1860 U.S. census, Washington County, Ohio, mortality schedule, Ludlow Township, line 10, Porter Flint entry; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 15 October 2012); from NARA microfilm T1159, roll 30.

11. Administrators and Executors Docket, 1857–1865 (Probate Court, Washington County, Marietta, Ohio), C: 455; “Ohio, Probate Records, 1789–1996,” digital image, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 17 October 2012; imaged from FHL microfilm 946,228.

12. 1860 U.S. census, population schedule, Washington County, Ohio, post office Flintsmill, Ludlow Township, page 469 (stamped), dwelling/family 91, Jane Flint household and dwelling/family 93, William H. Bell; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 15 October 2012); from NARA microfilm M653, roll 1049, imaged from FHL microfilm 805,049.

13. Jane Flint will (1865), Washington County, Ohio, Will Book 1: 523-24, Washington County Probate Court, Marietta, Ohio; "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789 - 1996," digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 7 May 2013); imaged from FHL microfilm 946,216.

Surname Saturday: Williamson

Williamson is a common surname in the United States, usually of English, Scottish or Northern Irish origin. It began as a patronymic for the son of William.

My great grandfather, Will Bell, died in 1913 when my mother was only three. Not a lot of information was passed down in the family about him. His Ohio death certificate revealed that his full name was William Williamson Bell and his mother's maiden name was Deborah Williamson. He was born in Washington County, Ohio, the family moving to Clay Township, Gallia County, Ohio, in the 1860s.

Will's parents Deborah Williamson and Joseph Bell were married in Marietta on 1 September 1839. She was a resident of Marietta Township and he of Newport Township. The marriage was reported in the newspaper but is not recorded in the civil records. Deborah died in Gallia County on 28 April 1865. She was buried in the Clay Chapel Cemetery which was associated with a Methodist Espiscopal church. The age on her gravestone places her birth about 15 July 1818. Census records show her birthplace as Virginia, specifically in that part now West Virginia.

Finding Deborah's father requires looking for a man with a common surname. In the 1840 census, less than a year after her marriage there are a few Williamson households in Washington County, one of them in Marietta Township. The head of that household was a Charles Williamson.

Raymond Martin Bell, a well-known genealogist in southwest Pennsylvania, wrote a book on The Williamson Family of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Washington County, Pennsylvania, Ohio County, West Virginia. It was published in 1986, co-authored by Edna Marian Miller. Among the members of this family were two who served in the American Revolution, Moses and his son John. John and wife Judith Dodd were the parents of Charles Williamson who was born 3 July 1792 and died 5 October 1858 in Wood County, (West) Virginia. He would be the Charles in Marietta in 1840.

The book lists a set of children for Charles and wife Martha Martin. No daughters are listed as born prior to 1820 but the 1820 census for Charles in Tyler County, Virginia, shows two females under the age of ten. It is possible that the list of children is incomplete and that Deborah should be there.

Another daughter of Charles Williamson was Mary Jane who was born 25 March 1833. She married Walter S. Thorniley 21 October 1853. He was from Washington County, Ohio, but they lived in Clay Township, Gallia County, Ohio. When Joseph and Deborah Bell moved there, they lived on a neighboring piece of land. The couples are buried in adjacent plots in the Clay Chapel Cemetery. It seems likely that the two Williamson women were related, possibly both daughters of Charles and Martha (Martin) Williamson. Hopefully Raymond Bell simply did not locate documents that will show the relationship.

Tombstone Tuesday: Judith E. (Bell) Davis

Judith E. Bell was born 8 December 1849 in Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio, to Joseph and Deborah (Williamson) Bell. She was an older sister of my great grandfather William Williamson Bell. The family moved to Clay Township in Gallia County, Ohio, in the 1860s. There Judith married Quincy A. Davis on 15 July 1872. They were members of the Clay Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church. The Davis family moved into town in Gallipolis before 1900 then north to a farm in Medina County by 1910. Judith died on 21 April 1914 at age 64 at the home of her oldest daughter, Mabel Cottrell, at 2324 E. 87th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, where she had been for forty-seven days, probably cared for by Mabel and attended by a doctor for chronic nephritis and chronic endocarditis. She was buried in the historic East Cleveland Cemetery. Her husband lived on in Medina County. He died 5 January 1941 in Lafayette Township, Medina County, Ohio, at age 91. He was buried with his wife though the gravestone was never updated for him.