This post may be the first one I have written on this blog that has its starting point in the state of Virginia, not far from our nation’s capital. The baby boy from that location would end up being buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville. I will attempt to describe how he made his way into our German Family Tree today.

Orville Isaac Bell was born on January 29, 1885, so today would be his 140th birthday. Orville was born in Fairfax, Virginia. The map below gives you an idea of where that city is located.

Orville was the son of John and Rosella (Gheen) Bell. I found a family tree on Ancestry.com that traced this Bell family back to pre-Revolutionary War days in Virginia. I found a few entertaining names among his ancestors…Isaac Newton Bell and Moses Bell. Because of evidence I will display later, Orville was not baptized as an infant. So, I cannot show you such a baptism record. However, I was able to locate what is called a delayed certificate of birth for him from the state of Virginia. This document says that it got its evidence for his date of birth from a Bible with birthdays listed in it.

Orville is found in the 1900 census at the age of 15. His father was a farmer in Brentsville, Virginia, and Orville was at school.

A photo of the Bell family is pictured here. Orville is in the back row on the right.

It is a bit debatable whether the next census entry is for the correct Orville Bell, but I think it is. In 1910, Orville Bell was living in Floyd, Illinois in the household of Jackson Abbot, a farmer. Orville would have been 25 years old at the time, but this entry says that Orville was just 20 years old. However, I think it is today’s birthday boy because it says he was born in Virginia. I think it is highly unlikely that we would find a different Orville Bell living in Illinois who was born in Virginia. I think the census taker got his age wrong.

Another reason I think this is the right person is that Orville would get married that same year, and his wedding took place in Knox, Illinois. The map below shows how close those two places are.

Let’s now take a look at the woman that Orville would marry. Her name was Helene Sophie Bense, who was born on February 28, 1892. Helene was the daughter of Friedrich and Sophie Bense. I was not able to determine her mother’s maiden name. Her later death certificate says she was born in Red Bud, Illinois. When we find her in the 1900 census, her family was living in Red Bud. She is called Lane in this entry, and it gives her age as 9. Helene’s father was a farmer.

I was unsuccessful at finding Helene in the 1910 census. Perhaps the Bense family had moved closer to Floyd, Illinois. Then on June 2, 1910, Orville Bell married Helene Bense in Knox, Illinois. I am only able to display this transcription of an Illinois marriage record for this couple. This record does not give an exact date for this wedding, but that is found in Helene’s death record which I will display later.

Orville had his World War I draft registration completed in 1918. It gives him a Willisville address and says he was a miner working for the Willisville Mining Company. Willisville is located east of Chester in Perry County, Illinois.

It looks as if Orville and Helene had 4 children. When the 1920 census was taken, we find the Bell’s living in the Central Township of Perry County, Missouri. There were 3 children in the family, and Orville was a farmer.

In 1922, two of Orville and Helene’s children were baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville. They were the two youngest children listed in the 1920 census, Rosella and Johnny. Rosella was 10 years old, and Johnny was 7 when they were baptized.

Helene Bell died in 1924 at the age of 32. Her death certificate below says she died of a cerebral hemorrhage, which is often called a brain bleed.

An obituary was published in a local newspaper for Helene.

Helene is buried in the St. Peter Lutheran Cemetery in Campbell Hill, Illinois. The pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church who is mentioned in the obituary was Rev. Harry Welp, whose story was told in the post, Teacher Henry’s Son, Pastor Harry.

In the 1930 census, Orville was a widower with 3 remaining children. He was still farming in the Central Township.

Now, we get to discuss a church record that has made its way into our German Family Tree for Orville. It says that Orville was baptized as an adult on May 27, 1934. That means some of Orville’s children were baptized before he was. I am able to view quite a few actual records for Immanuel, Perryville since Ancestry.com has made them available, but the one for Orville cannot be found there. However, we have a binder in our research library that lists people’s baptism records from that congregation. It calls him Arvel in this image.

I was unable to locate Orville in the 1940 census. I have no reason to think he was living somewhere other than Perry County. In 1942, Orville had his World War II draft card completed. He was farming and is given a McBride address.

Orville’s later obituary says that he married Mrs. Emilie Brauch on July 3, 1947. However, I failed to find anything about her on Ancestry.com. or in historic newspaper articles.

The 1950 census shows Orville and Emilie living in Perryville. Orville was working at the shoe factory.

Orville Bell died in 1957 at the age of 72. His death certificate says he was a retired shoe worker.

A church death record for Orville is found in the books of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Perryville.

Orville Bell is buried in the Immanuel Lutheran Cemetery in Perryville.

I find this story rather interesting. It is one that includes three different records indicating people that were not baptized as infants, but were baptized later in their lives. Probably the most unusual fact in this story is that our birthday boy did not get baptized until he was 49 years old, yet his birth date was found in a family Bible.