Mary Elizabeth (Williams) Bell (1853 - 1926)

Born 8 Jul 1853 in Sandusky, Erie, Ohio, United States

Wife of James Albert Scott — married 31 May 1877 in Grundy, Iowa, United States

Wife of Silas G. Phillips — married 27 Nov 1901 in Parker, Turner, South Dakota, United States

Wife of Benjamin Franklin Yelton — married 24 Jun 1905 in Parker, Turner, South Dakota, United States

Wife of John William Bell — married 25 Mar 1914 in Hot Springs, Fall River, South Dakota, United States

Descendants

Died 26 Oct 1926 at age 73 in Fall River, South Dakota, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Tiah Balcer [send private message]

Biography

Mary was born in 1853. She passed away in 1926. She was a Presbyterian who said her father was from England, and her mother was from Ireland. There are four places called Sandusky in Ohio, so her birthplace is the best guess of the four. There are genealogist descendants of this family who have been unable to locate her parents after extensive searching. Genetic matches trees, when triangulation is attempted, show possibilities of her Williams line having come from Cornwall/Devon/Gloucestershire. When asked by immediate family members about her parents, she would snap to the effect of "Don't ask questions!" leaving to assume there was something to hide. Did she actually arrive on an orphan train from somewhere other than Sandusky? Maybe her parents told her she was from Sandusky for any of a number of different reasons, but she was actually born in England or in Prince Albert Island on the way to Ohio, as some triangulation indicates descendants of her ancestors still live around there in Canada.

Or maybe the reason for her snapping at curious inquirers was even worse, and tragedy struck the family. Descendant Balcer-51 has a mild suspicion Mary could descend from (or relatives of) John H. Williams (1831-1902) and Anna Aurora Davidson (1830-1870) who lived in Sandusky, Erie, as they appear to be the only candidates in the timeframe in any Sandusky locale who fit the description of father from England and mother from Ireland with the father having the Williams surname. Although their descendants are indeed showing as genetic matches to Balcer-51, the hunch about this match has yet to be fully investigated, and they are showing as matches to the wrong side of her tree (paternal and not maternal). John H. was involved in, or responsible for, Aurora's murder the year (1870) that Mary Elizabeth wound up in Black Hawk, Iowa, where she later married her first of 4 husbands, James Albert Scott. John H. had a brother named Henry (and either another brother or alternate hame Harry) who may have married a McCarthy or a Lynch, as per triangulation.

A helpful genealogist is needed - ideally one from Sandusky or familiar with Williams migrations from Cornwall/Devon/Gloucestershire to Ohio (perhaps via PEI) for a top-down approach, as a traditional, bottom-up approach has already been exhausted with the exception of documents from Ohio, which are primarily on microfilm at Bowling Green State University and were searched by archivists for leads in December of 2022. The archivists looked for a combined three hours and did not find anything; however, they stated there are many more hours worth of newspapers that could still have something. Balcer-51 also received a return letter from the Ohio Genealogical Society in December of 2022, stating this Mary was not present in the 8 collections referenced. Alternatively, perhaps there is a yet unseen certificate, maybe for one of her children, out of Iowa with more data, as the 1900 census lists 7 births, but there were only 5 live children from this couple.

Misc. Facts:

• Daughter, #7's birth certificate is where Sandusky, Ohio is listed as Mary Elizabeth's birthplace. Ordered from Iowa Historical Society to see actual image.

• James Scott and Mary Elizabeth moved from Black Hawk County to Sioux County by 1882. They met at a dance in Iowa.

• James Scott and Mary Elizabeth moved to Turner County, South Dakota, in 1899. In the 1900 census, her father's birthplace was listed as England, and her mother's birthplace was listed as Ireland. Plus, she used to say so verbally, as per family oral history.

• Cause of death on certificate was mitrial stenosis.

Sources

• “Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992,” FamilySearch, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XVMZ-7MZ/
• Copy of Scott Williams marriage application in possession of Balcer-51.
• Copy of Bell, Phillips, and Yelton marriage certificates in possession of Balcer-51.
• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18892103/mary-e-bell: accessed 16 October 2022), memorial page for Mary E Scott Bell (1853–28 Oct 1926), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18892103, citing Edgemont Cemetery, Edgemont, Fall River County, South Dakota, USA; Maintained by Heather Caylor (contributor 46872825) .
• Edgemont Tribune, October 28th, 1926, "Mrs. John Bell Passes Over," p. 1.
• Edgemont Tribune, November 4th, 1926, "Card of Thanks," p. 5.

See Also:

• https://www.familysearch.org/search/tree/results?count=20&q.anyDate.from=1853&q.givenName=mary%20elizabeth&q.spouseSurname=scott&q.surname=williams