The family of Christopher Beeks 1756 ish to 1814

 After years of research and many dollars spent by a Beeks family genealogist, we are still not sure who Christopher's parents are, or exactly where in England he came from.  Fortunately, we do know more about his time in the United States, and have at least some information about his wife and children.  As always, we wish there were more answers but also as always, there is always hope that more records and documents will be found.

Christopher was sent to Virginia with a 14 year indenture in lieu of being hanged for theft in 1770.  He did not serve his full indenture period because when the Revolutionary War started, Christopher had no trouble in choosing sides.  His decision may or may not have been influenced by knowing that if the patriots won, he was released from his indentureship.  I have not located a record of his marriage and find dates ranging from 1778 to 1786.  His first known child was born in 1786 so I tend to lean toward a date at the end of that range.  He married Catherine Barnes, who may be the daughter of Joseph Barnes or possibly John Barnes.  Again, I've not located anything I can be confident about.

However, when we get to the children, they are fairly well documented, although it is always possible that we are missing children who died in infancy.  

William is the first known son, born about 1786 and died in 1864 in Greene County, Ohio. He may have been married as many as three times.  His first wife is reported to be "Miss Puckett".  There are no known children from that marriage.  His second wife is Margaret Baker, whose parents are not yet known.  Their children are Silas, Samuel, William, and George.  His third wife is Mary Nimerick (various spellings), the daughter of Johann Gottfried and Elizabeth (unknown maiden name) Nimerick.  Their children are Nancy, John, Catherine, Sarah, and Caroline.  I will follow this third family in my next blog post.  

Thomas is also reported to have been born about 1786, so take these early dates with a grain of salt.  He died in 1854 in Belmont County, Ohio.  His wife is Nancy Pumphrey, the daughter of Beal and Elizabeth Meek Pumphrey.  Their children are Francis, John, Catherine, Frank, Christopher, Drucilla, Mary, William, Leander and Amanda.  

Nancy, the first daughter was born in 1788 and died in 1843 in Bartholomew County, Indiana.  She married George May, the son of George and Elizabeth King May.  Their children are George, Thomas, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, Caroline, William, James, Benjamin, Nancy, Sarah, Daniel and David.  

Elizabeth was born in 1790 and died in 1847 in Champaign Couunty, Ohio.  She married Eli Henry Adams, the son of Eli and Sophria Addams Adams. (I'm not sure but the different spellings appear to be two unrelated families, as far as I can determine.) Their children are Christopher, Emerine, William, Eli, Eliza, Jacob, Parker, and James.

Mary was born in 1792 and died in 1869 in Weldon, Illinois.  She married William Powers, and he may have been the son of William and Rhoda Deane Powers.  I'm still trying to sort that out.  Their children are Mary, Arabella, William, James, Martin, Richard, Jane, Eliza, Nancy and Sarah.  There may be a second Richard, also.

John was born about 1793 and died in 1830 in Spalding County, Georgia.  He married Sarah Coker, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Clark Coker.  Their children are John, William, Letitia, James, and possibly Hunter.  

Henry was born about 1796 and died in 1865, in Indian Territory.  His wife was Artemia or Artemisia Choate, the daughter of Jim and perhaps Tlisa Choate.  She may be of Cherokee or Choctaw heritage, as the couple is found on "Indian" enrollment forms.  Their children are David, Henrietta, Sarah, John, and Nancy.  Some trees say that he also married Melvina Kelley Whitsel, but I am not convinced this is the same man.  My mind can be changed by documentation, or course.

Samuel was born about 1798 and died in 1867 in Worthington, Jones County, Iowa.  He married Elizabeth Lambdin, the daughter of James oand Prudence Harrison Lambdin.  Their children are Christopher, Lourvina, William, Mathew, Catherine, Rebecca, Mehemiah, Thomas, James, and Samuel  (Quite possibly I have a couple of these names not quite correct; they seem to be children of Samuel and Elizabeth but the spellings vary considerably.)

And then came Catherine, born in 1801 and died in 1845 in Delaware County, Indiana.  She married George Smith, the son of Abraham and Sarah Crane Smith.  Their children are an unknown infant, Catherine, Nancy, James, John, Sarah, Emarine, William, Margaret, and Matilda.  

Christopher, born in England and transported to Virginia as a punishment, contributed much to the growth of America.  Besides serving faithfully in the Revolutionary War, he fathered at least 9 children, and the list of Christopher and Catherine's grandchildren includes about 80 names.  These grandchildren may have served in the Civil War, or perhaps in the Mexican war.  I would love to have time to research more about these children and grandchildren, for they lived in interesting times, and in several different parts of the country.  Christopher, we're glad you came to what became the United States, regardless of the circumstances!

The family of John Bell 1781-1867

 At last!  Here's a Bell family that is fairly complete, with sources I can find.  It's an interesting family and it was an honor to stand at the grave site of John and his wife, Hannah Finch, a few years ago.  

John is the son of Robert and Mary Yost Bell, and was born in Sussex County, New Jersey in 1781.  He went west with his parents as they settled in Washington County, Pennsylvania, then Belmont County, Ohio, (where he married Hannah Finch, the daughter of Jesse and Hannah (maiden name not known) Finch), then Richland County, Ohio, before finally settling in Huron County, Ohio.  He was likely a veteran of the War of 1812, but it seems to be his uncle John Bell who is listed on public records as a soldier in 1812, from Belmont County.  Records for our John has not been located, but I keep in mind a comment from someone more expert than I that every male between the age of 16 and 60 would have been at least in the local militia during the War of 1812, and John was surely in Ohio then, and of the right age.

John and Hannah had a large family, and most of their children also had large families. This has been a fun family to research and I hope I have cousins from this family who will contact me.  

Robert was the first born son, in 1803. He was married three times.  His first wife was Louisa Fletcher, whom I can't further identify but there is a J.C. Fletcher who I'm trying to trace as a possible father.  Robert and Louisa had one known child, George.  His second marriage was Maria, possibly a daughter or other relative of Benjamin Wooley.  Their children are Catherine, Ezra, John, David, Louisa, and Mary.  Robert's third marriage was to Susan Butler, the daughter of Daniel and Mary Prentiss Butler.  Their children are Daniel, Junius, Charles, Robert, Susan, and an infant whose name I have not located.  Robert died in Steuben County, Indiana in 1871.

Jesse was born in 18047 and died in 1884 in Hamilton, Caldwell County, Missouri.  He married Alletta Wooley, who may or may not also be related to Benjamin Wooley.  Their children are Emily, Paulina, George, Hannah, Charles, Louisa, Franklin, Rocliff, and Nathan.  

Anna was born in 1807 and died in 1845 in Steuben County, Indiana.  She married John Knott, the son of Joseph and Mary Adams Knott.  Their children are Robert, Hannah, and Mary known as Mollie.  There may or may not be a Thomas; if so, he apparently died young.  

John was born in 1809 and died in 1879 in Huron County, Ohio.  He married Marilda Mead, the daughter of Abraham and Deborah Barker Mead.  Their children include William, Peter, Mary, Enoch, Elizabeth, Milton, Hannah, and Josephine.  

Hannah was born in 1811 and died in 1892 in Tipton, Iowa.  She married Thomas J Knott, who was also the son of Joseph and Mary Adams Knott.  Hannah lived many different places in her life but seems to have thought of Tipton as home.  Their children are Anna, Elzy, John Wilson, Harriet, Thomas, Louisa, Albert Adams, and James.  I hope to write about this family at a future time.

Enoch was born in 1814 and died in 1885 in Morrow County, Ohio, which is just west of Richland County,  His wife was Harriet Wheeler, whom I've not been able to further identify.  They seem to have had no children together, but raised Mary Knott, the daughter of Enoch's sister Anna, above.  

David was the next son, born in 1816 and died in 1906 in Huron County, Ohio.  He first married Emeline Slocum, the daughter of Alonzo and Lavinia Williams Slocum.  Their children are Stephen, David, and John.  His second marriage was to Clarissa Stewart, the daughter of Galbreath and Anne Russel Stewart.  Their children are Cora and Edwin.  

There was a son named Joseph, or possibly two sons named Joseph.  One may have been born in 1817, but I found nothing further about him.  There was a second (?) son Joseph born in 1824 (so he would have been the youngest of the Bell children), who died in 1826.  

Nathaniel  was born in 1819 and died in 1875 in Huron County, Ohio.  He married Nancy Reynolds, the daughter of William and Sarah (maiden name unknown) Reynolds.  Their children are Jesse, William, Harried, John, Sarah, and Hannah.  Nathaniel's second wife was Elizabeth Newman, with no children born to them.  Nathaniel was a Methodist minister.  

Stephen was born in 1821 and died in 1853 in Huron County.  (I should mention that Huron County is just north of Richland County, and John's home was at the south end of the county, about 25 miles from Bellville where Robert and Mary Yost Bell are buried.)  Stephen married Bethiah Rogers, the daughter of Almonzo and Melinda Fuller Rogers.  They had three children before Stephen's death-Anna, Sarah, and Albert.  

This list gives John and Hannah about 49 grandchildren, and though they were scattered, they were surely loved.  We can see that most of the family stayed in Huron or Morrow County, Ohio, with some traveling west to Steuben County, Indiana, one settling in Missouri, and one who lived in several places, mostly Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.  Some of these grandchildren likely fought in the Civil War, or their own children did.  They helped America grow, and I'm proud of my Bell family.

The family of Robert Bell 1753-1837

 At last, I am on firmer ground with Robert Bell and his family.  Although I can't identify his mother, and I'm not sure about one of the children sometimes listed as his, I can more or less trace his life and his journeys, and I've visited his grave in Bellville, Ohio.  I've written about him previously, so now we will follow the family of this Revolutionary War veteran.

Robert was born in 1753 in Sussex County, New Jersey, the son of Isaac Bell and- take your pick of several candidates for mother.  (In my previous blog post, I mentioned several names but I am not sure that any of them are correct.)  Sometime after his children were born, he headed west.  He may have been in Washington County, Pennsylvania for a few years, and then went to Belmont County, Ohio, soon after it seemed "safe" to do so.  After spending a few years there, he purchased land and moved to Richland County, Ohio, where he spent the last 25-30 years of his life.  He married Mary Yost, the daughter of Nicklaus and Eva or Anna Catherine Clason (various spellings) Yost, and she was the mother of his children.

Sarah was born about 1778, and married Josiah Philips, the son of Joseph and Mary Hughes Phillips.  Their children are Mary, David, Joseph, Robert, John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Nancy, and Josiah.  Sarah died in 1820 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  

Catherine was born next, in 1779.  She married Thomas Pyatt (various spellings), the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Dunham Pyatte.  Their children are John, Jacob, Robert, Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah, Nancy, and Thomas.  Mary, or possibly Sarah, or both, used the nickname Polly.  Catherine died in 1830 in Richland County, Ohio.  

John was their first born son, arriving in 1781. He married Hannah Finch, the daughter of Jesse and Hannah (maiden name still a mystery!!) Finch, and died in 1867 in Huron County, Ohio, about 25 miles from Bellville.  Their children are Robert, Jesse, Anna, John, Hannah, Enoch, David, Joseph, Nathaniel, and Stephen.  I will follow this family in my next post.

Jabez/Jabesh is the questionable child.  He was born in 1783 and died in 1851 in Wood County, Ohio.  The reason I question him is that he is not mentioned in his father's will, nor in any of the brother's wills that I have found.  That is not a reason to totally rule him out, but neither is there proof that I know of, that states that his parents are Robert and Mary.  He married Gertrude Nichols, and their children are Abraham, Ann, David, John, William, Abigail, Sally, Permelia, Charlotte, Simon, Susan, Gertrude, Jabesh, Phoebe, and Hulda.  His second maarriage was to Anna King, later in life.

Robert was born in 1785 and died in 1861 in Bellville.  He married Elizabeth Lash, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Yost Last.  (I have not been able to trace Elizabeth, but she may be some sort of relative to Mary.  Research continues.  Their children are John, William, Zephaniah, Sarah, Mary, Peter, Robert, John, and Aaron.

Zephaniah was born in 1785 and died in 1876 in Whitley County, Indiana, as a Methodist minister.  He married Margaret Smith, who is so far not further identified.  Their children are Robert, William, Mary, Jane, Catherine, Elizabeth, Enoch, Nancy, and Ruth Ann.  His second wife is Mary Ann Morrow, and again this was a later in life marriage.Zephaniah served a six month enlistment during the War of 1812, and I suspect the other men from this family also did, as almost every able bodied male in Ohio is said to have been in either the army or the militia.  

Elizabeth was born in 1791 and died in 1847 in Perry County, Illinois.  She married George Yearian, the son of Frederick and Anna Maria Dorn/Thorn Yearian.  Their children are Frederick, Robert, John, Mary, Thomas, George, Sarah, Jacob, Nancy, Joseph, and William.  

I should admit that I am not absolutely sure all of these children are assigned to the correct parents, but those that I could find sources for are correct.  With some of these names being used in the majority of the families listed, separating all the Johns and Roberts and Sarahs and Marys is quite a chore.  I believe I counted 72 grandchildren for Robert and Mary, a large family indeed!

The family of Isaac Bell 1715 or so to 1778

 Here's another family that needs a great amount of work.  For Isaac Bell, who is most likely the son of John and Martha Odell Bell, we have a great number of potential wives and a great number of potential children.  And of course, there's not much information for some of the children, and of course some of the children are not the children of Isaac and any of his supposed wives.  There are very few records for Isaac that are available on line, and a trip to New Jersey may or may not reveal additional information.  

The list of wives that I have for Issac, or potential wives, include Elizabeth Hixon, Deborah Peck, Keziah Corwin, Deborah Hazen, Deborah Roberts, and Rhoda Ayers.  I've had correspondence over the years with someone who has gone through some of the church records, and is convinced that his wife was Rhoda Ayers.  I am sure there was an Isaac Bell married to Rhoda Ayers, but I'm not sure it was this one.  I have not seen any of her documentation, but the dates don't seem to match with the little we know about Isaac.  James Bell  died in 1778 in Sussex County, New Jersey, and his wife at that time was named Deborah.  Son James  refers to his brother in law, Nathaniel Hazen, which would lead one to think that Deborah Hazen is not the right name for Isaac, except that many trees call Isaac "James Isaac" so here we are again. Many trees list Isaac's wife as Keziah Corwin, but when I look at the Corwin family, Keziah is said to have married "a" Bell, with no firm dates but it seems to be a generation off.  On my tree, I have not noted a name for Isaac's wife.

An Isaac Bell was born in 1736, and he is often assigned as a son to our Isaac.  The younger Isaac died in 1813.  His wife may have been Keziah Corwin, or possibly Rhoda Ayers..  The only child I can find for him is Jane or Jean.  

Jesse was born in 1737 and died in 1791.  He married Mary Gray, whom I can't further identify.  Their children include Sarah, Daniel, James, and Mary.

There may have been a daughter, Sarah, born in 1738.  I have not found anything further about her.

Ephraim was born about 1740 and died in 1742.  I found the same information for Joseph, but I am a bit skeptical about him.  I think he may have belonged to another Bell.

James was born in 1741 and died in 1778.  His wife was Deborah Hazen, as mentioned above.  They had children, but are not named in the will and I don't have access to the estate papers, which might tell us more.  

Zephaniah was born in 1743 and died in 1813 in Greene County, Kentucky.  His wife may be Sophia Gunterman, but she may have been a second wife.  There are two marriage dates for this couple, about 30 years apart.  Zephaniah's children are quite numerous-Henry, Peter, Rhoda, Sophia, Zephaniah, Mary, Ester, John, Susanna, Elizabeth, Catherine, Jane, Isaac, and Nancy.

Next came Peter, born in 1745 and died in 1831.  He married Nancy Hull, the daughter of Benjamin and Ann/Anna Duer Hull.  Their children are John, Margaret, Robert, Nancy, Jacob, Sarah, Ester, and Rhoda.  A man named Peter Bell served in the Revolutionary War.

Benjamin was born in 1747 and died in 1820 in Quebec, Canada, if this is the correct Benjamin.  It leads one to wonder whether he might have been a Loyalist in the Revolutionary War, who chose to leave during or after the war, but that is speculation.  He married Elizabeth Pettit, the daughter of Jonathan and Deborah Robins Pettit.  Their children are Anna, Jonathan, Deborah, Dinah, Elizabeth, Mary, Isaac, Nathaniel, Sarah, and Benjamin.  

Henry Bell was born in 1750 and died in 1783.  His wife's name may have been Elizabeth, but I could find nothing further, or firm, about Henry.

John Bell was born in 1752 and died in 1837 in Bellville, Richland County, Ohio.  He married Sarah Hunt, who is so far not identified further.  Their children include Peter, Isabella, and Lewis.  He may be the John Bell who was listed as a soldier in the War of 1812 in Belmont County, Ohio.

Robert was born in 1753 and died shortly before his brother John, in Bellville, Ohio, a town that Robert founded.  His first wife, and the mother of his children, was Mary Yost, the daughter of Nicklaus and Eva Catherina Klason Yost.  Their children are Sarah, Catherine, John, Robert, Zephaniah, Elizabeth, and possibly another Catherine.  His second wife was Hannah Martin Boggs, the daughter of Reuben and Mary Jane Van Buren Martin.  This marriage was in 1827, not long after both Robert and Mary Jane lost their first spouses.  I will follow this family in my next post.

George Bell was probably Isaac's last child, born in 1754 and died in 1791.  There are indications that he may have been married, but I could locate nothing further about him.

Abraham, Rhoda, Sophia, and Sarah can all be seen as children of our Isaac, but I have identified more likely candidates for parents for each of them.  Their birth years range from 1765 to 1782, considerably after the births of the children named above.  

Once again, this is a most unsatisfactory blog post, from a family historian's point of view.  I want to provide complete and completely accurate information, but this is not possible for this family.  Can you provide additional information?