Welcome:
to the February 2003 issue of the Belcher Blues Newsletter.
This February issue of the Belcher Blues is our first of the year 2003.
We decided to take a break with the January issue with the holidays, visting company, and sickness in the family, a break was welcome.
This issue starts our Western Research. We have started with the American Indian Research, along with the state of Oklahoma.
The two go together more than most realize. Oklahoma did not become a state until November of 1907, making it one of our last states. Before then, it was Indian Territory, with areas of white settlements and a large melting pot of individuals.
While I live in Oklahoma at present, I was born in Tennessee, my youngest daughter Sarah was born here and is an "Okie".(Gayl)
Native American Indians,Will Rogers, cowboys, buffalo, oilwells, and its ever changing weather are several things Oklahoma is known for. The Murray bombing is one of the more recent, along with the huge tornado that went through the town I live in, Midwest City.
Which was worse, the tornado or the bombing? I was asked once. Well, the tornado took a lot of lives and homes but it was a natural disaster. We had warning and could take cover. The Murray bombing was a senseless taking of innocent lives, with no warning what so ever, so I would have to opt for the Murray bombing.
"In the early days of the Indian Territory, where I was born, there were no such things as birth certificates. You being there was certificate enough. We generally took it for granted if you were there you must have been born. That was about the only the thing we didn't dispute. Having a certificate of being born was like wearing a raincoat in the water over a bathing suit."
-Will Rogers
Our early eastern Indians that are connected to our genealogy are very hard to prove or find.
No records were kept except for the chief's well known Indians of history.
Unless you know for sure and have something tangible to show they were Indian, no proof is available.
Anna Samlin, wife of William Ramey the founder of Elkhorn City Ky, is said to have been a Cherokee Indian from the Carolina's. But no surname Samlin exists in the research areas. So her family is not known at this time.
The name may have been Salmon, or Sammon. If any of you have a dead end on an early American female, with no census lists or nowhere to be found, usually this person was an Indian.
Elizabeth Looney married to George Washington Ramey was also considered part Indian.
Susan Whitehead, married to Phillip Wells was also known to be Indian but only through family.(no proof).
It is said that if a man went into North Carolina and married, his wife was a Cherokee Indian.
Of course this wasn't the case for all marriages.
Many of our women ancestors are reputed to be of American Indian descent.
Many older photos show resemblences and features of American Indians but to prove they were is another thing.
Many times it was hidden that they were Indian or said to be Melungeon.
Good luck in your research in this area and let us know if you have any links proven.
Gayl Wells
and Greg Belcher
Oklahoma
Choctaw Nation 1896 Indian Territory
Ancestor a Cherokee Priness?? Afraid Not
Old Settlers
Chapman Rolls Eastern Cherokees
Lawmakers and Outlaws of Indian Teritory Oklahoma
Dawes Act, Belchers listed
If anyone has any information on any of these inquiries please let them know
Great site! Maybe I can help with some confirmed info on the Gregory Belcher born in Wardend ca. 1605. He is probably not of Ipswich, but settled in Braintree. I'm going to attempt an attachment that will give you my wife's line from Gregory. If the file is too big, drop me a line and we'll figure out something.
See this Gregory Belcher Information Regards
Phil Shepherd
Phil Shephered E-Mail
Hi,
My name is Tim Belcher and I live in Pennsylvania. I hope you may be able to help me find some information about my Great-Grandfather. My problem is I'm not sure of his first name. My father wrote his name in the family bible as Talbert Stone Belcher and mother Angela Byrd. Their son (my grandfather) William Ernest Belcher born 1884 in Pike Co. KY., per 1900 WV census where he was listed living as a boarder with Burgess Belcher. I suppose he was sent to live with a relative sometime before his 16th birthday. I don't know the reason. The monkey wrench comes in when I found a copy of a Delayed Certificate of Birth filed in 1950 for social security purposes. He listed father as Burgess Belcher and mother as Angela Estep.He also list East Bank WV as his birth place. I guess what I'm looking for is a listing of William E. Belcher as child of a Belcher family in Pike Co. KY in 1890 census, he would have been 6 years old. I would appreciate any help or information you could give me.
Thanks
Tim & Sharon Belcher E-Mail
Web PageHello:
I am the greatgranddaughter of George H. and Dovie Bentley. My Grandmother was Eura (Ura) Belcher. Her name and sex are wrong on the census. Name: Eura Caroline Belcher Ratliff. Married: Wickliff Ratliff. Children: Lilly Dessie,Jesse Jeriamiah, George Leon, Alfonso William, Mary Caroline, Icy May, Wickliff Jr., and my mother, Roland Jean. Eura died in Charleston, SC on January 3rd, 1974. I can get birthdates and death dates of the other children. Not much can be found on Wick Ratliff. I believe he was illegitimate. His half brother was Ruben Cantrell.
I have pictures of Jane, Callie, John, Davis, Frank and Eura. I also have portraits of George H. and Dovie.
Thank you,
E. Elaine Arnett Dangerfield
E. E. Dangerfield
I was navigating your website and was hoping you could help put some pieces of my Belcher puzzle together. My wife is descended from Sisley Prudence Belcher Barbour. Sisley is the daughter of supposedly William and Celia White Belcher and was the sister of Julia Belcher who married Ishom Belcher. William I take it is the son of Prudence Belcher. I was wondering if you had a listing of children for William and Celia White Belcher. I think I found her on the 1850 census with allot of children but Belcher was not spelled right and appeared that William was deceased. I do have dates for most of the children of James and Sisley Belcher Barbour children. Any help you could give would be great. With the intermarriage it is hard to keep them straight.
Thank you.
Frank Wild
I live in California but spent Christmas with my in laws doing research in Franklin county.
My name is Nancy (Ramey) Turner.
I have recently been looking into my family history. My parents are James Burnis Ramey and Brooksie Ellen (McKinney) Ramey.
My grandparents are Curry Smith Ramey and Idabelle Ramey.
My great grandparents are Marion Ramey and Nancy Polly Hunt
Marion's parents were James Smith Ramey (son of Charles Ramey and Nancy Case) and Pricey Bentley Ramey (Bentley...daughter of Rebecca Ramey Bentley and William Bentley).
At this point I am lost. Records only indicate 3 children by Marion and Nancy Ramey (Nettie, Harry and Bessie)...none of which are my grandfather. I know that Marion had a second wife named Caroline, but that's it. I also know that my grandfather (Curry Ramey) had sisters: Nettie and Bessie, and had brothers named Joe, John, and Kenney.....but his brothers are not listed as children of Marion and Nancy.
Also, I couldn't find any records to support the fact that Charles Ramey had any children (James Smith Ramey) by Nancy Case (first wife, married 1840). Were James Smith Ramey and Pricey Ramey 1st cousins? Could Isaac Ramey, born to Charles Ramey and his 3rd wife Susan Henson in 1859 actually be the son of William Ramey? Is that why William left him land in the will and didn't leave Charles' other children any? The will states that one dollar was left to each of Charles' 3 children by his first marriage, but that was actually his second marriage. Susan Henson was Charles' 3rd marriage. Could that be why Charles is not listed in the will and his other children received one dollar?
I have many questions regarding my family history, but I'm not very good at finding the answers. You seem to have done a wonderful job at tracing the family tree. It seems there is some deep, dark mystery involved when it comes to my particular branch of the family tree and I have no idea how to solve it. Do you? I would appreciate any input you might have on this subject. It would be great to hear from you!
Nancy (Ramey) Turner
Dear Greg Belcher and Gayl Wells:
I am writing to you because I need your help (or at least "ears"). You do everyone a great service by posting your "Belcher Blues" newsletter for all to see, and I thank you for that.
My ancestor, Robert Belcher (born about 1785 presumably in Amelia County, Virginia), is something of an enigma to Belcher researchers: no one seems to know exactly how he fits into the Virginia Belcher lines. Some think he was the son of Isham Belcher and either Winifred Royall or Elizabeth Clay, while others think he was the son of Jacob Belcher and Martha Mann. Some genealogies trace Robert’s life after marriage to South Carolina, but I was lucky enough to find a Goodspeed’s history that sheds more light on Robert Belcher and traces his life from his beginnings in Virginia to Kentucky and, eventually, Missouri.
The following is found in "Goodspeed's History of Cass & Bates Counties, MO" (1883): "One of the first to settle within the present limits of Rockville Township was Robert Belcher. In 1837 he settled in section 11. He was a native of Virginia, where he was reared to manhood, and in 1818 removed to Clarke County, Kentucky, and thence to Madison County, in that state, and for four years was employed as overseer for Green Clay. [Brad’s note: Green Clay was a cousin of the Elizabeth Clay who was wife of Isham Belcher as well as a cousin of the famous Henry Clay.] In 1825 he emigrated to Boone County, Missouri, where he was engaged in farming and stock raising until 1838, when he came to Bates County. He married Mary Ann Cole, a native of Virginia. Mr. Belcher died in 1856. Mrs. B. died in 1859."
Marriage and census records bear out Goodspeed’s version of Robert Belcher’s life. He is shown on Amelia County, VA, marriage records as having married Mary Cole (presumably the daughter of Francis Cole) on 1 Dec 1810. Right on schedule, he shows up in Clarke County, KY in 1820: he is 26-45 with Mary in the same age bracket, with three boys and two girls all under 10 years of age. 1830 census records for Boone County, MO, show him living there with yet more young children. I calculate that Robert and Mary Ann had a total of nine children: four boys and five girls. There may have been more.
Bates County, MO, land records prove that Robert eventually moved there, but on the 1840 census for that county (at the time called Van Buren) the ages for the family of the Robert Belcher who was enumerated do not add up to what they should. This leads me to think that either the census taker put the tick marks in the wrong columns by mistake, or that this is another Robert, possibly even a son of our subject. And neither Robert Belcher nor his wife Mary appears on the 1850 census for Bates County, that I can find.
I do know about two of their children, however. Although there is no extant will or Bible record which proves a direct link to Robert Belcher, land records ("Abstract & Index to Deeds, Bates County, Missouri, Vols. I-II, 1839-1868") and census records point to their being his sons. The first is John N. Belcher, who was born in 1815 in Virginia and died sometime before 1900 in Bates County, Missouri. He is found on 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 federal census records for Bates County, MO, and was married at least four times, the first to Mary Emerine in August 1836 in Boone County, MO. Their (presumed) oldest son, Wiley, who married Sarah Ellen Gentry, was my great-great-grandfather.
The second child of Robert Belcher and Mary Ann Cole that I have identified is Thomas Belcher, born about 1824 of Madison County, Kentucky. I know nothing further about him.
I would be very interested in getting your opinions and insights about this Robert Belcher after knowing what I have presented here. If you are inclined to post this on your "Belcher Blues" site, that would also be greatly appreciated—perhaps someone, somewhere, might be able to fill in the blanks after reading it. Thanks again for all your hard work on behalf of Belcher researchers everywhere.
Sincerely,
Brad White in California
In your marriage listing- The Smith Mullins marriage to Caroline Moore- They were my Great-Grandparents. Their son William was my Grandfather. Also the F. M. Odell and E.E.J. Moore are my Great-Grandparents. Their daughter Minnie married my Grandfather William Mullins. My Aunt says the initials E.E.J stand for Easter Ester Jane.
I don't have proof of that but I do have Grandma's and Grandpa's marriage record. I also have Grandpa's birth record with Smith and Caroline as his parents. I enjoy your site Thank you.
Nancy Mullins
Email Greg
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a Texas Obit:
Johnny Allen "Bones" Belcher Sr. Johnny Allen "Bones" Belcher Sr., 39, of Canyon, died Monday, October 7, 2002, in Amarillo. Services will be at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Brooks Funeral Directors Chapel with Troy Bohn, pastor of Dayspring Ministries, officiating. Burial will be in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Mr. Belcher was born on Sept. 20, 1963, to Billy Ray and Rebecca Delores Bell Belcher in Amarillo. He attended high school in Welch, W.Va., and graduated high school in Horn Lake, Miss. He was a veteran of the Army. After his discharge, he moved to Amarillo and then to Fritch in 2000. He was employed at Timmens Welding of Amarillo. He was a member of Dayspring Ministries. Survivors include a daughter, Jessica Belcher of Canyon; a son, Johnny Belcher Jr. of Canyon; two brothers, Gregory Belcher of Amarillo and B.J. Belcher of Kimball, W.Va.,; two sisters, Billie Ruth Smith of Keystone, W.Va., and Lydia Hethcox of Fritch; his mother and stepfather, Rebecca and Terry Timmens of Fritch; and his stepmother, Linda Belcher of Kimball. Amarillo Globe-News, Oct. 9, 2002
Beatrice Willis Belcher CONAWAY, Va. -- Beatrice Willis Belcher, 77, passed away Thursday, March 29, 2001, following an extended illness. Born in Dickenson County, she was a daughter of the late Landon and Winnie Hay Willis. She had been a resident of Buchanan County most of her life and was a member of Little Freedom Old Regular Baptist Church. She was a devoted wife and loving mother and grandmother. Mrs. Belcher is survived by her husband of 58 years, Johnie (Buster) Belcher of Conaway; three daughters, Mary and husband, Jerry Matney of Conaway, Janice Hileman of Conaway, and Cynthia and husband, Michael Harrison, of Conaway; three sons, Gary and wife, Linda Belcher, of Shelby, N.C., James and wife, Helen Belcher, of Knoxville, Tenn., and Johnny and wife, Pat Belcher, of Nevada, Texas; and one sister, Leneda and husband, Gaines Farmer, of Jonesville, Va. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by two sisters, June Atkins and Melster Owens. Funeral services will be conducted Sunday, April 1, 2001, at 11 a.m. at the Little Freedom Old Regular Baptist Church on Deskins near Vansant, with Elders Jackie Church, Anion Cole, Hershell Wright, Charlie Church and Jerry Matney officiating with burial to follow in the Ramey Cemetery, Conaway. Friends may call at Grundy Funeral Home Chapel Friday evening at 6 p.m. with services Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. Mrs. Belcher's body will be moved to the Little Freedom Old Regular Baptist Church on Deskins Sunday at 10 a.m. to await the funeral hour at 11 a.m. Active pallbearers will be grandsons and granddaughters. Grundy Funeral Home of Grundy is in charge of all arrangements.
Laura (Bentley) Hardin, 74, died Friday, Oct. 2, 1998, at St. Mary's Hospital in Livonia, Mich. She was born in Pike County, a daughter of Maudie Belcher Bentley of Burdine and the late Mark II Bentley. She was preceded in death by her husband, Cecil M. Hardin. She is survived by two sons, Lloyd Hardin of Dalton, Ga., and Wendell Hardin of North Carolina; one daughter, Shelia Moberly of Big Stone Gap, Va.; two brothers, Bruce Bentley of Burdine and Eulyues Bentley of Dorton; three sisters, Lois Johnson of Myra, Fronie Powell of Wyandotte, Mich., and Pat Armstrong of Dearborn, Mich.; and three grandchildren. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the Shelby Gap Old Regular Baptist Church with Elders Danny Belcher and G.D. Burke officiating. Burial will follow in Johnson Memorial Park at Pikeville. Arrangements are under direction of Clintwood-Colley Funeral Home Inc. of Clintwood, Va. Obituary courtesy of Thacker Memorial Chapel of Pikeville. James W. Souder.
Florence Belcher, 86, of Elkhorn City, died July 4, 1986 at Pikeville. She was born February 2, 1900 in Pike County to George and Harriet Addington Wright and married Ona Belcher. Burial at Swiney Cemetery at Center Creek.
Ed Belcher, 76, of Regina died July 22, 1986 in Pikeville. He was born at Wolfpit November 26, 1909 to Jerdon and Alice Coleman Belcher and married Nora Helvey Belcher who died June 26, 1978. Burial in the Coleman Cemetery at Wolfpit.
Elster E. Belcher, 58, of Hanover, Michigan, formerly of the Elkhorn City area, died June 21, 1986 in Michigan.