The Unforgotten - Joseph P BELL

 When you've been doing genealogy for any amount a time, you will occasionally come across people who time, it seems, has forgotten. They fall off the map after a census record places them with family, never to be seen or heard from again. Sometimes, if you're lucky, and/or diligent in your research you find evidence of them and it turns out they didn't marry or have children, so nobody came looking for them or proof of their existence. This post and maybe a few more that follow, will be my attempt at remembering the lost and forgotten members of our families. 

Subscriptions that aide in genealogy research can be pretty expensive. I've been able to justify that expense when I'm making loads of progress, but when I seem to have stalled out, I discontinued those services and when I felt the urge to research I used free services like Family Search. After going a few years without Ancestry, Fold3 and Newspapers accounts, I decided to re-subscribe to see if there were any new records. I found some, but quickly ended up where I had been before. Most of my tree filled out and no new records on the horizon. 

It's cheaper to pay by the year rather than the month so here I was with the majority of the year left on my subscription but nobody to research. In order to get the most of my money I started researching various unrelated branches of cousins, in-laws, half-siblings, step-parents etc... 

I also discovered upon my return to my Newspaper subscription that several new papers had been added. So whenever I found a paper that seemed to have a lot of "hits" regarding family names, I decided to dig in and dig deep. 

That's what has lead me to here. 

My husband descends from Quincy A. Bell. He is his 3rd great grandfather. Quincy is the father of at least 7 children. I have them as Mary, Cordovia J, John L, Surrena, Eliza Emoline, Joseph P. and Samuel M. Three of these children, before last week, had just disappeared in my research.

According to Civil War records, Quincy was born March 1825 in McMinn County, Tennessee. The first census record that lists him by name places him in Dallas, Greene County, Missouri in 1850 with several other adult members with the same surname: BELL. Including a Sarah listed one household before him who is old enough to be his mother with a young female named Sirina [sic]. *Note that on the following page is also a Mary E. BELL age 4.




Then in the 1860 census he is found in Washington, Webster County, Missouri. But if you click on the image you will see that it's actually still Dallas Township. This family most likely did not move. In 1855 Webster County was created from part of Greene County.

Back to the census. Quincy this time is living with Sarah BELL who is 19 years his senior (again, most likely his mother) and other BELL siblings, a few names are the same as were found in the previous census. 




Then in 1865, when Quincy is 40,  you can find a marriage record to a Matilda A FRAZIER in Webster County, Missouri. Image below you can read Quincy A Bell and Tilda Frazier married in July 1865.

But, when you find Quincy five years later in the 1870 census, he is now living in Upton, Texas County, Missouri. He is 45, his assumed wife is Elizabeth not Matilda. She is 28. Then the following children are listed: Mary (9), Cordovia (4), John (2) and Sereny (1). The ages of the children, specifically Mary, quickly put a kink in things. She would have been born 4 years before his marriage to Matilda. And I've never found any other marriage record for Quincy and Elizabeth or any marriages to anyone else for that matter. 




As we move on, there's the Missouri State census of 1876. Quincy is still in Texas County, Township 31. Elizabeth is now Emaly E. and Mary A.  has a different last name. Is it Tiry (Tyree?) Did she marry? Is she a widow? *The name Tyree is important because one of Quincy's daughter's death certificates lists her mother's maiden name as Tyree* But other siblings' death certificates have listed Moody as well as Stevens. And later, in 1935 a newspaper article disclosing a lawsuit claiming relation to Jackson Barnett, by the Bell descendants, states her maiden name was NEWMAN*

Next, we have the 1880 census. They're still in Texas County, Missouri. Living in the town of Upton. Mary A. is now nowhere to be found. Quincy's wife, Elizabeth is now Emiline E. There's a new child, Josephus P. and a cousin James M. Sitton living with the family. 

It's taken all of this to get us to the subject or "missing/forgotten child" of this post. We're going to focus on Joseph P. BELL, who according to this 1880 census was born about 1879 in Missouri (most likely Texas County).

The 1890 census isn't around; therefore, we fast forward 20 long years. A lot can happen in two decades. In Dec 1883 Cordovia Jane BELL marries James W. Rose and before the next census they will have six children. John L BELL has married Mary "Emma" Owen in Feb 1889 they will have had three children by the next census. Surrena has married Benjamin Lee Fielden in 1883, and they have five children by 1900. And lastly, we have my husband's ancestor, Eliza Emoline who has married Samuel Williams and they have at least six living children by 1900. 

In 1900 we find Quincy is widowed and living with him are his youngest two sons, Joseph P. who is listed as being 22 and Samuel, who is 18. He also has his married daughter Cordovia ROSE's family living with him. And his eldest son John is listed right above him. I want you to look closely at how all of the adults and most of the children are able to read and write... except for Joseph.

Before now, this was the last record I could find for Joseph. But now, because of a few newspaper articles, I think I have found him. And because he was recorded as unable to read or write, I have a theory. There is no definite record, that I have found for a death date for Quincy or for his wife Elizabeth for that matter. But we know, because he is listed as a widow, she died before 1900. This is also the last census record for Quincy and the article below from page 6 of The Houston Herald dated May 15 1902, makes be believe he died around this time.





This article from the same source dated 16 May 1907 gives us a better picture as to why Joe BELL was adjudged a county charge, keeping in mind that he was the only one of his siblings unable to read or write.

Then sadly, one year later, one more article that bring us to the end.

The Houston Herald, 16 July 1908

I don't have any definitive proof that this is indeed Joseph P. BELL, son of Quincy A. Bell but I feel pretty sure that it is. 

Find-A-Grave has no one with the last name BELL added to their database for the Ozark Cemetery in Houston, Texas County, Missouri. But I feel like it's a good place to look for further information. Using the articles above, I did go ahead and create a memorial for him.

My next post will be about Joseph's brother Samuel who also seemed to have disappeared after the 1900 census.

Until then, 
Becky

Genealogy -- What A Tangled Web You Weave

A series of obituaries has a branch of my tree turned all sorts of backwards and upside down.

This blog post will be my attempt at unravelling the information.

Edith HUBBARD DRAKE was the daughter of Alfred Allen HUBBARD and Laura BUTLER.

Laura BUTLER was the eldest daughter of Nancy CAUDILL and James BUTLER. 

Laura's headstone gives her birth date as 23 Jul 1877, but considering her parents weren't married until 26 August of that same year, I'm going to venture to say the year was most likely 1878. And one such newspaper clipping announcing her death, would agree with me. 

Springfield Leader and Press 31 Dec 1957

In 1880 we can find baby Laura (age given as 1) living in Taney County, Missouri, with her parents James P (age 26) and Nancy J (age 19). Laura is the only child at that time. Considering the fact that we rarely have an 1890 census and both Nancy and James (and all of their children) are obsolete by the 1900 census, finding Laura's siblings can be a bit tricky. But as you can see from the death announcement above, we know she at least has a sister, Mrs. Tellefer ROBERTS, from Springfield. 

Research reveals Mrs. ROBERTS to be Estella BUTLER, wife of Toliver Jefferson ROBERTS. Estella was born 11 March 1886 somewhere in Missouri. The two married in Christian County, MO in 1904

Searching the digital Missouri birth records prior to 1910 reveals that James and Nancy CAUDELL BUTLER had a son named Charles who was  born in Christian County, Missouri 3 Aug 1883. 

Researching Newspapers leads me to his obituary, that also references their sister, Mrs. TJ ROBERTS. His obituary also gives us two more siblings, Bessie STIPES and Henry, and they will open up a can of worms that really start to weave a tangled web.



 

Springfield Leader and Press 15 March 1965

I begin searching Newspapers for Mrs. Bessie STIPES and it leads me to two more obituaries, one for an Emma Belle HENDERSON and one for a James Henry HENDERSON. 

The Pryor Jeffersonian 13 June 1963

The Wheaton Journal 20 July 1967

 

Now is the time to get out your pencil and paper because it's gets confusing quickly. From the obituary of Emma HENDERSON we see that she as two daughters, Bessie STIPES and Roxie KIRBY and four sons, Harry, Bonnie, Andrew and Henry HENDERSON. And then two siblings, Charley BUTLER (from above) and Stella ROBERTS (also from above). 

Wait. So is Bessie STIPES the sister or niece of Charles BUTLER? Looking at census records I find a Bessie and William Avery STIPES living in various places in the area: 1910 McDonald County, MO, 1920 Delaware County, OK, 1930 & 1940 Mayes County, OK and in all of these records her birth is given as 1890 in Arkansas. How could Emma HENDERSON be her mother. That would make her only 10 at the time of Bessie's birth. Bessie is also missing from the 1900 census.

The newspaper clipping below shows that Bessie's maiden name was definitely HENDERSON.

Pineville Herald 3 March 1905

So then, let's look at the obituary of James Henry HENDERSON. His siblings are listed as brothers: Harry, Andrew and Bonnie, and sisters: Roxie KIRBY, Bessie STIPES, and Stella ROBERTS 

James Henry HENDERSON is also missing from the 1900 census but we can find him in 1910 at age 15 living in McDonald County, MO, with a Roe HENDERSON family. His relationship is given as "son". Other family members are Emma (age 31) (wife) Harry (age 10) (son) Roxie (age 7) (daughter) and Bonnie (age 4) (son). This is Roe's second marriage. Emma's first. They have been married 13 years giving an approximate marriage date of 1897. Emma is most likely not James Henry's mother as he is 15. And definitely not Bessie's mother either as she would be 20.

So that means in order for Henry to be Charley BUTLER's brother and for Bessie to be his sister, they most likely share a mother, Nancy J Caudell and I suspect that Bessie is Henry's only full sibling. 

Nancy most likely died not long after the birth of James Henry, and her unmarried daughter, Emma, married the widowed step-father, becoming the mother of his four other children and helping to raise her two youngest half-siblings. 

Another sibling's obituary I found searching names already found in this family, belongs to that of a Mrs. Cora BARNES who died in November of 1957. It would appear she only listed her full siblings. 

The Springfield News Leader 02 Nov 1957

What I have found for the children of Emma BUTLER HENDERSON and Roan Mcgee (Mack) HENDERSON are as follows:

1. Harry Arthur HENDERSON b. 8 Sept 1899 Jasper, Missouri, m. 27 April 1925 in Delaware County, OK, to Bertha BALLOU d. 6 Jan 1974, Mayes County, OK (gender on DC is mistaken as female on the OK2Explore site)
2. Roxie Viola HENDERSON KIRBY b.24 Nov 1902, Wagoner, OK, m. 24 Aug 1919 in McDonald County, MO, to Rollie S. KIRBY d. 23 April 1996, Delaware County, OK. 
3. Bonnie Zeno HENDERSON B. 2 April 1906, Barry County, Missouri, m. 28 Feb 1943, Delaware County, OK to Thelma Jenkins d. 15 May 2003 Mayes County, OK
4. Andrew Virgil HENDERSON b. 16 March 1911, McDonald County, MO m. 12 May 1935, Delaware County, OK to Clara Atkins d. 30 January 1993 -- The Andrew V Henderson on the OK2Explore site gives a death date of 30 April 1993 in Rogers County, OK
   
   
   

So to recap: It is my belief that James BUTLER and Nancy CAUDELL (m. 26 Aug 1877, Christian County, MO) were the parents of :

1. Laura Adeline BUTLER b 23 July 1878, Christian County, Missouri, m. 20 Sept 1900, Webster County, MO to Alfred Allen HUBBARD d. 29 Dec 1957, Delaware County, OK
2. Emma Belle BUTLER b. 28 Feb 1880, Christian County, Missouri, m. 1896/7 Arkansas to Roan McGee "Mack" HENDERSON d. 2 June 1963, Mayes County, Oklahoma
3. Charles BUTLER b. 3 Aug 1883, Christian County, Missouri m.? d. 13 March 1965, Benton County, AR
4. Cora BUTLER BARNES b. 21 Jan 1884, Douglas County, Missouri m. 29 March 1903 in Taney County, MO to Marion Foster BARNES d. 01 Nov 1957, Webster County, MO
5. Estella BUTLER ROBERTS b. 11 March 1886 in Missouri, m. 20 March 1904 in Christian County, MO, to Toliver Jefferson ROBERTS d. 14 Sept 1971, Missouri

Nancy CAUDELL BUTLER and Roan Mcgee (Mack) HENDERSON were the parents of:

1. Bessie HENDERSON STIPES b 02 January 1890 in Arkansas m. 26 Feb 1905, in McDonald County, Missouri, to William Avery STIPES d. 27 August 1977 in Mayes County, OK
2. James Henry HENDERSON b. 28 April 1895 Searcy, AR m. 06 June 1916 in Barry County, Missouri d. 16 July 1967, Newton, Missouri

And as stated above the children of Emma BUTLER HENDERSON and Roan Mcgee (Mack) HENDERSON are:

1. Harry Arthur HENDERSON b. 8 Sept 1899 Jasper, Missouri, m. 27 April 1925 in Delaware County, OK, to Bertha BALLOU d. 6 Jan 1974, Mayes County, OK (gender on DC is mistaken as female on the OK2Explore site)
2. Roxie Viola HENDERSON KIRBY b.24 Nov 1902, Wagoner, OK, m. 24 Aug 1919 in McDonald County, MO, to Rollie S. KIRBY d. 23 April 1996, Delaware County, OK. 
3. Bonnie Zeno HENDERSON B. 2 April 1906, Barry County, Missouri, m. 28 Feb 1943, Delaware County, OK to Thelma Jenkins d. 15 May 2003 Mayes County, OK
4. Andrew Virgil HENDERSON b. 16 March 1911, McDonald County, MO m. 12 May 1935, Delaware County, OK to Clara Atkins d. 30 January 1993 -- The Andrew V Henderson on the OK2Explore site gives a death date of 30 April 1993 in Rogers County, OK
   
   
   
   

I don't have any death records for James or Nancy CAUDELL BUTLER but these new discoveries give me some dates and places to start looking. I believe James died sometime around 1889/90  before Nancy's daughter Bessie was born and Nancy sometime around 1895/96/97 probably around Searcy, Arkansas when her son James Henry HENDERSON was born. What I don't know is if the Searcy given as his birth place is Searcy County, Arkansas or Searcy, White County, Arkansas.

I think this could be the grave site of Nancy. 



Until next time, 
Becky

PS. I'll leave you with a few more miscellaneous articles with various family members.

The Delaware County Journal 3 Feb 1955

 

The Delaware County Journal 06 Oct 1955

The Pryor Jeffersonian 9 Jan 1958

Sisters; Gone But Not Forgotten

Today's prompt for September 4th is SISTER, and I wanted to do a short little write up on two different sisters a generation apart that disappear without a trace. I always wonder about the people I come across in my research that just fall out of the story line, often without any children, and therefore no descendants to come searching for them.

The first sister is Caroline CONNER. She was the sister of my 3x great grandmother, Jane CONNER.

I first came across Caroline CONNER living with her parents Joseph and Jane CONNER and four siblings: William, Thomas, Jane and Joseph in Taylor, Greene, Missouri during the 1850 census. She was 10 and her birth state is given as Missouri.

Ten years later she is unmarried and living at home with her parents in 1860 but has only aged eight years ,sigh. By 1860 the family had moved to Finley, Webster, Missouri. They actually may not have moved all that much because the county lines were moved in 1855 when Webster County was created out of Greene County. Besides Caroline, her younger brother Joseph, is also still living at home.

After 1860 I find no other records that I'm certain are her. There's a marriage record out of Morgan County, Missouri, but I don't think that is her.

I was tickled pink to be able listen to my great grandmother tell a story about Caroline. *Thank you Tarona!*

In Grandma Zulie's story Caroline goes by "Line, Line CONNER". You can listen to it here.  Or try watching it below....

The second sister to go missing is Caroline's niece, Rebecca EVANS, who was the sister of my 2x great grandmother, Clara India Evans. Rebecca would've been Grandma Zula's aunt. Looking at when she disappeared, it's possible Grandma never even knew her.

Rebecca E EVANS was the sibling closest in age to my ancestor Clara India EVANS. I did a post on the name Rebecca  where I mentioned that my maternal grandmother was named after her paternal grandmother but I wonder if she could have also been named after this sister.

Rebecca EVANS first shows up in the 1880 Boston, Madison County, census as the youngest child of Josiah and Jane EVANS. She is one year old and her birth state is Texas. Her birth is the only record I have that the EVANS family was ever in Texas.

She shows up again as Beckie E EVANS in the 1900 Hill, Johnson County, census living with her mother, Jane, her sister and my ancestor, Clarenda and a very young niece, Etha M Evans (I believe this is Jody's daughter).


There was a marriage between a Rebecca EVANS and an Adison J. ROBINSON from Coal Hill, Johnson County, two years earlier in 1898 but that is not her. California Death records indicate that Rebecca to be Sarah Rebecca EVANS, and her mother's maiden name was HESS not CONNER.

AND there was a marriage record for a Becky EVANS and Marion GILBERT. They were married July 1913 in Friley, Johnson, Arkansas. THIS MUST BE HER, right? Or is it?  This Becky Evans is about 10 years too young. But the Friley community is spot on.





Beckie GILBERT born 1898 in Arkansas and her husband FM (Francis Marion) with young daughter Kate are found living in Batson, Johnson County in 1920 so I guess this really isn't her either.



If anyone out there knows anything else about Caroline CONNER or Rebecca EVANS I'd love to hear from you!

Until next time,
Becky

My 10 Favorite Resources

This post is just as much for me as it is for you! There are a handful or resources that I am always using and then there are a few that have been very handy, but I don't need to use them very often. I end up forgetting what they were and have to scour social media for clues. I decided today that I would write a blog post about all the different sources I use. They are almost all free, though some will require you to have an account.

1. Family Search: This site is very similar to Ancestry, only its free. There are often times I have been able to find actual images, not just transcribed records, on Family Search, while the transcribed information from an index is all that's available on Ancestry. I like that I can narrow my search down to individual states. There are also indexes on Family Search that I use often (like probate records) that aren't searchable per-se, but that can be clicked through, image by image, until you can find your record. Family Search will also let you know if there is record loss in a particular county which would explain why you know something is a fact but can't back it up with records. This most often occurs in counties that saw a lot of first hand battle during the Civil war when homes, buildings and whole towns were sometimes burned to the ground. 
2. Bureau of Land Management: I love to look through the Land Patents listed on the BLM site and even using the map to get a better idea of where my ancestor lived.
3. Buncombe County, NC Register of Deeds : I realize this resource is very specific, but if you trace your family back far enough, North Carolina, is a pretty big hub for Colonial History. This site not only has land records, but it contains a few marriage and death records as well
4. Texas Land Grants: Again another State specific site but I have a HUGE amount of family from Texas. I have found land records on this site from at least 3 ancestors and if I ever felt like filling out the paperwork these would grant me access into the Daughters of the Texas Republic. 
5. Newspapers.com : This is a paid for site and has been my favorite for newspaper archives. There are others out there and I have found some information in GenealogyBank's newspaper archives that weren't available on Newspapers.com. But I don't find their database to be very user friendly. 
6. Chronicling America: This is a free site. I have rarely used it and can't really remember a time that I found anything but you may have better luck. 
7. The Gateway to Oklahoma History: This is also a free site for Oklahoma newspapers, books, and various other collections. For free newspaper searches in the Oklahoma and surrounding counties from other states, I really like this site. It is exactly like the next resource on the list.
8. The Portal to Texas History: Like I stated before. I have a vast amount of family from the great state of Texas. I have found many articles on this website that weren't found on the paid for Newspapers site.
9. Missouri Digital Heritage: This website can sometimes be difficult to maneuver from the home screen. There are a few places I regularly search on this site. Missouri Birth and Death Records Database, Pre -1910  ; Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1966 ; Missouri Provost Marshal Database, 1861-1966
10. Fold3 : I love this site. It isn't just for your veterans. It contains Native American records, and Pension applications. These can sometimes contain a wealth of detailed information in the form of affidavits from neighbors, and family friends. They contain first hand accounts from people during that time period. In one such record an acquaintance of my 5th great grandfather spoke of going to the blacksmith  near the close of the Revolutionary War, and speaking with other men of the community about the turbulent times.
    

    

    ... I have a distinct recollection of one pertickular conversation that took place at Robert Grays blackmsith shop between said Upton and my self and Robert Gray. Under whom said Upton learned the trade of Gunn Smith. we were all speaking of the many trials and hardships that we went through during the revolutionary war all of us having served in said war .....

    And a non-direct line ancestor of my husband had letters from members of her community writing to complain that her pension was acquired by fraudulent testimonies and that her son(s) were using her pension to drink and lay around rather than support their mother. These are stories. Not just records. They paint the bigger picture and provide insight into the mindset of the people of a certain community and era. Or in the case of my 5th great grandfather let you know that he was a gun smith and that he learned the trade from a Mr. Robert Gray.

 With all these resources, the one thing I want you to understand is that genealogy isn't a quick click here and there. There is So. Much. Time. invested in researching. It isn't a quick hobby. And sometimes, it costs money. In having hard copies and viable records, more often than not, you have to pay for those records. And some genealogy sites are worth the subscription fee. It also takes creativity. Many records are filed under phonetic spelling using dialects. When you have an ancestor with the surname Lassater you have to think of all the various ways this name could be spelled -- Lasater, Lasatar, Lassiter, Lasiter, Lassator, Lasator.... you get the point) So when you think of people you know who research and share their information with you, keep in mind, like so many other labors of love, it does require investment of time and money. We do it for ourselves and all those we love. We hope you appreciate our efforts.


If you have a website you use often in your genealogy research and its not on my list, would you mind sharing it with me?


Until next time:
Becky Drake