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.

Military Clues in the U.S. Census

 

Military Clues in the U.S. Census

Jean M. Hoffman, CG^®

 Service in the military generates records, sometimes in great quantity. Army and Navy experience can be life-altering, possibly also opening up financial opportunities and leading to new lands. Military, pension and bounty land records may have a wealth of genealogically important information. We need to know whether to look for our ancestors in military records and for which era. There are some helpful clues in U.S. federal census schedules.

 1840

The 1840 census was the last one to name only the head of household, but there was one exception. An additional question asked for names and ages of “Pensioners for Revolutionary or Military Services.” Pensioners included veterans or their widows.[1] By this late date any surviving Revolutionary War veterans would have been quite elderly. Whether veteran or widow, the pensioner was often other than the head of household. The reverse side of the main census page contains tallies of slaves, of occupations, names of pensioners and more. When viewing microfilm, scroll up to find the matching line from the main page. Count down the page, as the lines are not numbered. Online, you need to advance to the next page image in some cases but go back in others. Ancestry.com has indexed both names. A quick finding aid is available for free at https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1841/dec/1840d.html or https://www.newhorizonsgenealogicalservices.com/1840-census-of-pensioners.htm.

 If you find a pensioner’s name, you will want to locate corresponding military records and pension files. The combination of names can also help to establish family connections. For example, Lydia Brigham headed a household in Hampden Township, Geauga County, Ohio. In her household was 87-year-old pensioner Daniel Morgan.[2] Some family relationship may exist between them. He appears to be her father according to a Brigham family history.[3]

 1890

A special non-populations schedule was created for Union veterans or their widows as part of the 1890 census. Though the population schedules were destroyed, this special census is available for the states alphabetically from Kentucky (partial) through Wyoming plus Washington, DC, and Indian territories. The states earlier in the alphabet were destroyed prior to being transferred to the National Archives.

Special schedules in 1890 listed surviving veterans of the Civil War Union forces or their widows. The veteran’s name is listed even with a widow’s entry. Rank, unit of service, dates and length of service fill the top of the form. Below is the post office and may be information on disabilities or other remarks that sometimes prove very interesting. Some Confederate or earlier war veterans were also recorded. NARA microfilm series M123 with images available at online sites.

1910

Addressing elderly veterans once again, the census in 1910 included a Civil War question for all males over fifty and born in the U.S. or immigrants who arrived before 1865. They were asked if they were survivors of the Union or Confederate army or navy. Column 30 was coded for them with UA for Union Army, UN for Union Navy, CA for Confederate Army and CN for Confederate Navy.[4] Not every survivor is properly coded and those who were are easily overlooked. Columns 30-32 on the right edge of the page were overwritten with a hyphenated series of numbers. They were written at the census bureau and have no relationship to the underlying data as in the example.[5]

 

World War	WW
Spanish-American War	SP
Civil War	Civ
Philippine insurrection	Phil
Boxer rebellion	Box
Mexican expedition	Mex

1930

The 1930 census covers a broader span of military engagements for veterans of varying ages. Columns 30 and 31 are labeled “Veterans.” The question, for males 21 and over, was whether they were veterans of the U.S. military or naval forces mobilized for any war or expedition and if yes, for which war or expedition. Codes provided to enumerators were:

 The first three categories were considered wars and anyone in military service during them (1917-1921, 1898-1902, and 1861-1866, respectively) would be counted. To be counted for the expeditions, a service member must actually have taken part in one of them. For example, veterans of the Mexican expedition must have been in Mexico or Mexican waters during the expedition.[6]

Because large numbers served in World War I only about ten years earlier, the code “WW” occurs frequently. Henry L. Hixenbaugh is an example from a slightly earlier period. He was a resident of southwestern Iowa and his 1930 census entry is coded in columns 30 and 31 with “yes” and “Mex.”[7]

  Iowa National Guard units were called up for Mexican Border Service in late June 1916, trained about a month at Fort Dodge near Des Moines, then were transported by train to the Mexican border near Brownsville, Texas. Guard units were entrusted with securing the Mexican border while regular troops pursued the insurgents with Pancho Villa. In December 1916 and January 1917, the Iowa Battalion, consisting primarily of three regiments of infantry, returned home. Henry served as a cook in Company M, 3rd Infantry, a unit from his hometown of Red Oak in Montgomery County, Iowa.[8] His service was easily found following the lead in the census.

 1940

The pages of the 1940 U.S. census have forty lines. Two of them or five percent of the population, were designated for an additional set of questions. The extra questions included whether the person was a veteran of the U.S. military forces, or the wife, widow, or under-18-year-old child of a veteran. If the person was the child of a veteran an additional question asked whether the father was dead. The war or military service was to be coded with “W” for World War I; “S” for the Spanish-American War, the Philippine insurrection, or Boxer Rebellion; “SW” for both the Spanish-American War and World War I; “R” for peacetime service only; or “Ot” for any other war or expedition.[9] You can only hope a family member was one of those asked the additional questions.

 An earlier version of this article was published in the WRHS Genealogy Bulletin, 30:3 (Fall 2011).

---

[1] Claire Prechtel-Kluskens, "Clues in Census Records, 1790-1840," The Record, Vol. 4, No. 5 (May 1998); adapted online (http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790-1840.html : accessed 17 February 2024.)

[2] 1840 U.S. census, Geauga County, Ohio, Hampden Township, p. 176, line 14, Lydia Brigham; digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2631263:8057 : accessed 17 February 2024); NARA M704, roll 395, imaged from FHL microfilm 0,020,165.

[3] W. I. Tyler Brigham, The History of the Brigham Family: a Record of Several Thousand Descendants of Thomas Brigham the Emigrant, 1603-1653 (New York: Grafton Press, 1907), 257.

[4] "Clues in Census Records, 1850-1930," The Record, Vol. 4, No. 3 (January 1998); adapted online (http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850-1930.html : accessed 17 February 2024.)

[5] 1910 U.S. census, Carroll County, Illinois, population schedule, Savanna City, Ward 1, ED 11, sheet 7B, dwelling 180, family 187, John Hoffman; digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/4285135:7884 : accessed 17 February 2024); NARA T624, roll 232, imaged from FHL microfilm 1,374,245.

[6] “1930 Census: Enumerator Instructions,” in Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew B. Schroeder, and Matthew Sobek. Integrated Public Use Microdata Series: Version 5.0 database, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/voliii/inst1930.shtml : accessed 17 February 2024).

[7] 1930 U.S. census, Montgomery County, Iowa, population schedule, Red Oak City, Ward 1, ED 69-12, sheet 2B, dwelling 49, family 51, Henry L. Hixenbaugh; digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/29523450:6224 : accessed 17 February 2024); from NARA T626, roll 670.

[8] Dick Dreyer, Iowa Troops in Mexican Border Service, 1916 - 1917, digital images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/iowatroopsinmexi00drey/page/n95/mode/2up : accessed 17 February 2024), images 96-7. Previously published in hard copy (Iowa City, Iowa: Dick Dreyer).

[9] National Archives, “1940 Census Records” (http://www.archives.gov/research/census/1940/ : accessed 17 February 2024.)

Census Sunday: 1800 half page "missing" from New Windsor, New York

Jean M. Hoffman, CG

The town of New Windsor in Orange County, New York, was home to my ancestor Moses Nichols from 1798. His brother Samuel Nichols also lived there as did neighbors David Wright and John Wright. The four of them and other neighbors were enumerated on the bottom half of a census page the top of which contains the last names in the town of Newburgh.

Indexes at all five of the online sites* I tried show these men as being in Newburgh. The Ancestry.com browse function does not return the page for New Windsor. I did enter alternate residence data for those four men at Ancestry.com, but they might still appear "missing" to other researchers. Here's the page:

1800 U.S. census, Orange County, New York, New Windsor [mis-indexed as Newburgh], p. 284, line 11286 for John Wright and 11287 for David Wright, line 11296 for Samuel Nichols and line 11297 for Moses Nichols; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 August 2009); citing NARA M32, roll 21.

*Sites consulted: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, MyHeritage, NEHGS American Ancestors, and HeritageQuest (but HQ is now just Ancestry index and images.)

Census Sunday: 1850 cholera death details in a population schedule

Margaret (Alexander) Davenport was widowed before the 1850 census enumerator reached her home on 18 September. Her husband was correctly listed in the census, as was his brother, because they were alive on June 1st. Both men's names were annotated with details of their deaths at the bottom of the page. The household beginning on line 30 reads:

	age
#James Deavenport	55
Margarett      "	50
John              "	23
George          "	21
James            "	19
Ralph            "	16
Margarett      "	13
+Ralph Deavenport	60

At the bottom of the page are the following notes:

# Died August 19, 1850     Cholera     sick 2 days

+   "         "        6     "              "             "   12 hours

This is an unexpected, and probably improperly done, addition of information that might not be available from any other source. The men in the family were farmers and they lived in Troy Township, Delaware County, Ohio. The older generation was born in Ireland (Margaret Alexander in County Armagh*) and the younger ones in Ohio. Margaret was an older sister of my 3rd great-grandmother Sarah (Alexander) Poole.

*For Margaret's birthplace: Obituary Committee, compiler, Old Kenton Newspaper Death & Marriage Notices, Vol. 1 (Kenton, OH: Hardin County Genealogy Society, 1996), 146, 147, photocopies of clippings with handwritten dates 6-26-84 and 7-10-1884.

Here is the census page, click on the image to see it larger:

1850 U.S. census, Delaware County, Ohio, population schedule, Troy Township, page 278B (stamped), dwelling 2574, family 2526, James Deavenport household; digital image, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com: accessed 30 September 2010); from National Archives microfilm M432, roll 675.

1940 Census: Just Two Weeks

Family photo showing 1940s styles

In just two weeks the 1940 U.S. census will be released on Monday, April 2, 2012. It seems the excitement is building and the general news media are starting to take note of the big event.

Celebration! The library (Research Center) at WRHS (Western Reserve Historical Society) will be open for the launch of the 1940 U.S. census on Monday, April 2. We'll celebrate and start our research together that day. If you're in the Cleveland area, please come on in.

Societies and groups are gearing up to get volunteers to sign up for indexing under their sponsorship. In Ohio's Cuyahoga County the sponsoring group is NEOCAG which stands for the Northeast Ohio Computer-Aided Genealogy Society. My husband will be indexing the census with them. I've registered under APG, the Association of Professional Genealogists. We've tried out the simulated 1940 census indexing test run. It looks pretty easy. You only need to work on one page of the census at a time. The more of us indexing the faster we'll have a fully searchable 1940 census.

Learn more about indexing at the Getting Started page of the 1940 U.S. Census Community Project. The indexing project is sponsored by Archives.com (who will host the digital images for NARA), FamilySearch.org and Findmypast.com. Society sponsors are NGS, FGS and APG.

Finding 1940 Census Locations

We started recording 1940 U.S. census enumeration districts (EDs) for our closest relatives using Stephen P. Morse's very helpful website. Dick's parents and paternal grandmother lived in Cleveland, a city for which the EDs have been indexed. To find their ED we used Obtaining EDs for the 1940 Census in One Step (Large Cities) and with their cross streets quickly got the number. My great aunt in Lakewood, a nearby suburb, was equally easy. My parents lived in North Olmsted, a small town/suburb, that only had two EDs. The written descriptions show the town was divided by the main east-west road so all I needed to know was whether they were north or south of it.

We couldn't find his maternal grandmother as easily. She was widowed in January of 1939. We knew that she moved, but not when or where, or if more than once. Luckily the Cuyahoga County deeds are all available online. A search for her name in the appropriate time frame turned up a deed from November 1939. At that time she bought the house where Dick remembers her living. It is highly likely that she moved in before April 1st of 1940. We had to add several street names, looking at a map, before we could narrow down her ED, but we think we are ready for all our closest relatives in this area.

Now, it is just a little over 32 days!

1940 U.S. Census - Just Over a Month

1940 advertisement illustration

The 1940 U.S. Census will open to the public on Monday, April 2nd. For the first time it will be provided digitally online at the beginning. My husband and I won't be there, but our families will. Finding them will require a little work because there is no index...yet. I've given a talk to the Computer Assisted Genealogy Group - Cleveland Area (CAGG-CA) on the census and current finding aids. Wally Huskonen has been giving talks and on Saturday, March 3, 2012, he is presenting a workshop for the Genealogical Institute at the Western Reserve Historical Society. Reservations and a fee are required. Please check the website and registration form. I've also signed up with this blog as a 1940 census blog ambassador. I'll be posting more in the days before the 1940 census comes online.