James Pinkney Springs Beller (1847 - 1939)

Born 22 Sep 1847 in Carroll County, Arkansas, USA

Ancestors

Husband of Margaret E (Flinn) Beller — married about 1867 (to about 1873) in Boone, Arkansas, United States

Husband of Nancy Ann (Cheatham) Beller — married 10 Sep 1874 (to 1915) in Boone, Arkansas, United States

Descendants

Died 19 Aug 1939 at age 91 in Stigler, Haskell County, Oklahoma, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ronald Prentice [send private message]

Biography

James Pinkney Springs Beller was born 22 Sep 1847 to William Beller and his wife in Carroll County, Arkansas. Both parents die prior to 1850 and he then resides with his elder sister Martha and brother-in-law Garret Greer.^[1][2] A question surrounds his mother as it is not clear if Martha (Wilburn) Beller who married William Beller ca 1821 in Alabama is the same person as Lovina Beller, the recorded spouse of William who died 1850 in Arkansas (see Martha's profile for details).

He married several times:

1. Margaret Lavina Flinn - married 1867, Boone Co. AR^[3]
   1. Mary Lavina (Garland)^[3][4]
   2. Ia Ellen (Garland)^[4]
2. Nancy Ann Cheatham - married 10 Sep 1874, Boone Co. AR^[4][5]
   1. David Rufus^[4]
   2. William Ector^[4]
   3. Thomas Ely^[6]
   4. James Elbert
   5. Claud Cleveland^[6]
   6. Albert
   7. Audra (Brooks)^[6]
   8. Oza (Hall)^[6][7]
   9. Adlai Ewing Stevenson^[6][7]
   10. Isa (Morrison)^[6][7]
   11. Lenore Estelle (Stigler)^[6][7]
3. Angeline Cheek - married 27 Aug 1928, Franklin, AR^[8]

About 1884 James moves his family from Arkansas to Indian Territory.^[6] The family settles into what becomes Haskell County, Oklahoma.^[7][9]

James died 19 Aug 1939 near Stigler, Haskell County, Oklahoma.

Civil War
In February 1915, Oklahoma’s Fifth Legislature approved the Confederate Soldiers’ Pension Bill allowing for men who served in the C.S.A. to claim a pension when meeting certain criteria. James made application to this Board of Pension Commissioners in that same year, and was granted a pension No. 1154 as shown on his Confederate Pension Card. His application No. 125, stated that he "enlisted in 1863 and served until end of war" in "Peele's Arkansas 2nd Infantry & 1st Cavalry" and was "Honorably discharged at Shreveport, La, shortly after the surrender." ^[10]

There is some confusion surrounding his service record during the Civil War. Unfortunately due to the disarray of the C.S.A. at the end of the conflict, and generally poor recordkeeping, many records either never existed, were lost or destroyed. This leaves one wondering about this 16 year old, quite young to enlist but not unusual, and the details of the known records. In reading the application dated 21 May 1915 and response by The Adjutant General's Office of the War Department from 9 Jun 1915, it is clear that in the response, J.P. Beller is being conflated with his first cousin J.M. Beller. However, it is possible that he lied when enlisting, assumed his cousins birth year of 1842, and was allowed to join.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M67H-CHK : 12 April 2016), James P S Beller in household of Garret Greer, Crooked Creek, Carroll, Arkansas, United States; citing family 543, NARA microfilm publication M432 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M87T-3QM : 13 December 2017), James P S Beller in entry for Garrett Greer, 1860.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNHB-2BY : 7 June 2019), J P S Beller, 1870.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MN7Y-VV4 : 24 August 2017), James Bellos, Crooked Creek, Boone, Arkansas, United States; citing enumeration district ED 17, sheet 510D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm 1,254,039.
5. ↑ "Arkansas, County Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V4FD-X94 : 9 March 2021), James P S Beller, 10 Sep 1874; citing Marriage, Boone, Arkansas, United States, county offices, Arkansas; FHL microfilm 1,035,449.
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7} "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MST7-7ZP : accessed 6 September 2021), James Beller, Township 9 N., Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 75, sheet 31A, family 558, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,241,850.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4} "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MLQF-Z4G : accessed 29 December 2019), James P Bellar, Taloka, Haskell, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 95, sheet 1A, family 1, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 1254; FHL microfilm 1,375,267.
8. ↑ "Arkansas Marriages, 1837-1944", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FQGK-FMW : 11 January 2020), J P Baller, 1928.
9. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XC7G-NJ7 : accessed 29 December 2019), James P Beller, Stigler, Haskell, Oklahoma, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 16, sheet 10A, line 28, family 227, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1906; FHL microfilm 2,341,640.
10. ↑ Beller, J.P., A125, Record Group 5, Oklahoma. Commissioner of Confederate Pensions, Oklahoma State Archives, Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma City, OK., Oklahoma Digital Prairie, https://www.digitalprairie.ok.gov/digital/collection/pensions/id/2972/rec/1

See Also:

• Find A Grave: Memorial #20357668