Alfred George Bell (1886 - 1958)

Born 12 May 1886 in Saginaw County, United States of America

Ancestors

Son of Thomas William Bell and Marie Mathilde Albertine Alexandrine (Röthke) Bell

Husband of Junella Elizabeth (Wenzel) Bell — married 22 Nov 1922 in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States

Descendants

Died 27 Oct 1958 at age 72 in Swan Creek, Saginaw County, United States of America

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Heather Kushion [send private message] and Krystle Pridham [send private message]

Biography

Alfred Bell is a member of Clan_Bell.

Alfred Bell has English ancestors.

Alfred Bell has German Roots.

Birth

Alfred George Bell was born on May 12, 1886 in Thomas Township, Saginaw County, Michigan. He was the son of Canadian immigrant Thomas William Bell and German immigrant Mathilda Roethke.^[1][2]

Early Life

His father owned 240 acres of land in section 31 of Thomastown Township, Saginaw, Michigan The house they lived in was situated on the western edge of the property along Orr road. His maternal grandfather, Carl Roethke owned and lived on 40 acres just north of them.^[3]

In the 1900 United States Census, Alfred was 14 years old and living on the Thomastown Township family farm with his parents Thomas (54) and Matilda (46) and ten siblings. His older brothers Rudolph (23), Martin (21), Thomas (19), Alex (17), and Herman (16) worked as farm laborers, helping their father. ^[4] Alfred and his younger siblings Arthur (12), Gertie (9) and Cora (7) were attending school. Baby brothers Roy (6) and Orley (2) stayed at home with their mother, too young for schooling. ^[5] Next door, his maternal grandparents Carl (83) and Louisa (79) Roethke lived, his father still farming his land. ^[6]

After 8 years of schooling,^[7] he was sent to live and work on James Mcbratnie's farm in Richland Township. By 1910 he was 24 and working as a hired hand. ^[8] His older brother William was working as an engineer and lived two houses down with his wife Eliza and young children Raymond, Ralph, and Ruth.^[9]

His grandfather Carl Roethke died in 1911 and his mother Matilda inherited his 40 acres. ^[10] By 1916, his father bought and additional 40 acres of land in section 6 of Swan Creek Township on what would later become Trinklein Road.^[11] A small home stood near the road in the middle of the southern portion of the property, built by Michael Herbert, the previous owner.^[12] It was this land that Alfred was living on and farming in 1920. He owned it on mortgage. ^[13]

Married Life

He was 36 years old when he married Junella Wenzel (recorded as 18, actually 16) on November 2, 1922 at the St. Peter and Paul Church in the city of Saginaw, Michigan.^[2] Neither had been previously married. Junella resided in Thomas Township with her parents. Alfred resided in Swan Creek Township and was still farming his 40 acre plot of land on Trinklein Road. Their marriage was officiated by R. E. McGinn, the assistant pastor of the church. Ernest Mielke and his future wife Ruth Deshone were witnesses to the marriage, both living in Saginaw.^[14]

Alfred and Junella had the following children:

1. Alfred Alexander, born March 23, 1923
2. Chester Herman, born May 30, 1924
3. Francis Eugene, born June 23, 1925
4. Catherine Matilda, born February 4, 1927
5. Mary Elizabeth, born February 2, 1929
6. Marvel Louise, born December 13, 1930
7. Gladys Ann, born August 5, 1932
8. a daughter, still living
9. a daughter, still living
10. Thomas William, born March 13, 1938
11. a son, still living
12. a son, still living
13. a daughter, still living
14. a daughter, still living
15. a son, still living

His mother Matilda died March 18, 1928 in Saginaw Michigan.^[15] Two years later he, his wife Junella, and five children: Alfred, Chester, Francis, Catherine, and Mary. were living on the farm he'd bought from his father. The road was called the "West Line" at the time and the family owned a radio on the property. Only his eldest, Alfred, was old enough to go to school.^[16]

By 1940 he and Junella had 11 children and were building a second house on the property to the east of their existing home.^[17]

Death and Legacy

On October 27th, 1958 Alfred finished hooking up the water line on the new house and came into the house to eat a sandwich. Not long after sitting down to enjoy his meal, he had an aneurysm. He died later that day at the age of 72, leaving behind his 52-year-old wife Junella, their 15 children, and 22 grand-children.^[18] He was interred at St. Mary's Cemetery in Hemlock, Michigan.^[2]

To this day, the house he built and his original 40 acres of land has remained in the family and is now in the possession of one of his grandsons, who bought it after the passing of Junella in 1994.

Sources

1. ↑ "Michigan Birth Records" (Lansing, MI: Department of Vital Records, 2002), MICH Microfilm 01640 roll 61, item 3, p 44, record number 649.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Find A Grave Memorial no. 69002649 for Alfred George Bell
3. ↑ Historic Map Works, Saginaw County 1896, p. 20. Thomas Township, section 31.
4. ↑ Chester W Adsitt, enumerator, 1900 US Census, Thomastown township, Saginaw, Michigan, United States; enumeration district 76, family 113, sheet 5B lines 98-100 and sheet 6A, lines 1-4.
5. ↑ Chester W Adsitt, enumerator, 1900 US Census, Thomastown township, Saginaw, Michigan, United States; enumeration district 76, sheet 6A, family 113, lines 5-10.
6. ↑ Chester W Adsitt, enumerator, 1900 US Census, Thomastown township, Saginaw, Michigan, United States, enumeration district 76, sheet 6A, family 114, lines 11 & 12.
7. ↑ Frank Bloniarczyk, enumerator, 1940 US Census, Swan Creek Township, Saginaw County, Michigan, enumeration district 73-79, sheet 2B, family 32
8. ↑ August Fiting, enumerator, 1910 US Census, Thomastown township, Saginaw, Michigan, United States, enumeration district 76, sheet 5B, family 114, lines 65 & 72.
9. ↑ August Fiting, enumerator, 1910 US Census, Thomastown township, Saginaw, Michigan, United States, enumeration district 76, sheet 5B, family 114, lines 37-61
10. ↑ Historic Map Works, Saginaw 1916, pg. 57, Thomas Township, section 31
11. ↑ Historic Map Works, Saginaw County 1916 p. 50, Swan Creek Township, section 6.
12. ↑ Historic Map Works, Saginaw County 1896 p. 32, Swan Creek Township, section 6.
13. ↑ John Hauman, enumerator, 1920 US Census, Swan Creek Township, Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, enumeration district 164, sheet 11B, family 102, line 54.
14. ↑ Return of Marriages in the County of Saginaw for the Quarter Ending December 31, 1922, record number 29815.
15. ↑ Michigan Death Certificate for Mathilda Bell (Lansing, MI: Division for Vital Records and Health Statistics) accessed 13 Mar 2018.
16. ↑ Frank McConnell, enumerator, 1930 US Census, Swan Creek Township, Saginaw, Michigan, United States, enumeration district 66, sheet 4B, family 85, lines 61-67
17. ↑ Frank Bloniarczyk, enumerator, 1940 US Census, Swan Creek Township, Saginaw County, Michigan, enumeration district 73-79, sheet 2B, family 32,
18. ↑ According to his daughter Patricia, who was 13 years old when he died.

See also:

• Historic Map Works, "Saginaw County 1896" (Saginaw, MI: Imperial Publishing Co., 1896) Atlas in Historic Map Works Rare Maps Collection.
• Historic Map Works, "Saginaw County 1916" (Saginaw, MI: George A Ogle and Co. 1916). Atlas In the Historic Map Works Rare Historic Maps Collection
• Grave Research (contributor 47486723), profile manager, "Alfred George "Alphie" Bell (1886–1958)" (Online: Find A Grave, 27 Apr 2011) Memorial No. 69002649; accessed 2 Jan 2019),
• Various contributors "Alfred George Bell" (Online: FamilySearch, 8 Feb 2012) Person L4QK-9W3. Accessed 21 Feb 2019.

DNA

• Maternal and paternal relationship confirmed by an AncestryDNA match between P.B. and her 1st cousin 1x removed D.H.. Their MRCAs are their grandparents and great grandparents (respectively) Thomas William Bell and Marie Mathilda Roethke. Predicted relationship 1st-2nd Cousins based on sharing 687 cM across 23 segments. Possibility of exact relationship, 74%