John Howard Beels

NOT A DIRECT ANCESTOR John Howard Beels is not in my direct ancestry. He is of the Beels family of Salem Twp., Clarion County, PA. We expect this family is connected to our direct line Beals family (see Jacob Beals page) but this has not been established. Descendants of John Howard Beels connect by marriage to our Kline line, and intermarry with the Heeter branch of our Wilson line.

David Beels married Margaret Campbell in about 1853. Its unknown when they adopted their only child, John Howard Beels; he was born in 1856, so possibly that year. We do not know the names of John Howard Beels' biological parents, nor where he was born.

We note that, as John Howard Beels was adopted, his descendants are not a genealogical link to the Beels ancestry in the usual sense. However, we maintain the line here for two reasons. We are interested in the Beels ancestry and expect eventually a connection will be found to our Beals direct line. Also, a descendants of John Howard Beels married a descendant of our direct line Klines. Another descendant married a Heeter, related to our direct line Wilsons.

In 1860 the David Beels family were living in Venango Co., possibly with Margaret Campbell's widowed mother.
By 1870 they were back in Clarion Co. and David's widowed father was living with them, so probably at the Beels Hill farm. Thus John Howard Beels grew up knowning two of his adoptive grandparents well, although the other two were no longer living.
By 1890 John Howard Beels was no longer living in his parents' home, but had married and was living next door, possibly in another house on the Beels Hill farm.
(These biographical notes compiled from the sources, without direct knowledge, by EWW.)

	Date	Location	Notes	Sources
Birth	Sept 1856
Marriage	1895		To Laura Rossman
Death
Burial

Ancestry chart segment

Generation 3                       Generation 4                    Generation 5                   
                                                          +-- David M. Beels                  
                                                          |   (~1827-1908)                                     
                        +--  John Howard Beels (adopted)--+                         
                        |    (1856-1935)                  |                               
                        |                                 +-- Margaret Campbell
+-- J. Harold Beels ----+                                     (1830-????)
|                       |                                     
|                       | 
|                       +-- Laura Rossman  
|
+ 
|                                                
|                       +-- William Hays
|                       |
|                       |
+-- Evelyn Marie Hays --+
    (1907-1997)         |
                        |
                        +-- Mila Cordray
Sources:

Children

( children with Laura Rossman)

Name	Gender	Date of Birth	Birthplace	Spouse	Notes	Sources
Harry Beels	M	May 1884
Clarence Beels	M	April 1886
Helen G. Beels	F	Feb. 1894		m. unknown Hogenmiller
Florence Beels	F	Mar. 1899		m. unknown Blackhall
Samuel Beels	M				died before 1910
Byron Beels	M				died before 1910
J. Harold Beels	M	~1902		m. 25 Oct 1928 to Evelyn Marie Hays
Ada Beels	F	~1905
Paul Beels	M	~1908			d. 27 Apr 1955

Places of Residence

Location	Dates	Notes	Sources
Salem Twp., Clarion Co. PA , Beels hill farm

Photos

Gravestone of David & Margaret Beels, Nickleville Presbyterian Cemetery.

View to east from Beels Hill farm, Salem Twp., Clarion Co. PA

This photo is of 4 generations of Beels, Campbell, & Rossman relatives. Left to right are: Jane Campbell, Harry Beels (child), Margaret Campbell Beels, David Beels, Laura Rossman Beels, Clarence Beels (baby), Howard Beels, & Otis Rossman. An attached note says: "The pine trees are still standing. The house was rebuilt in 1910 - to the present home of the late Harold Beels."

Jane Campbell is a sister of Margaret Campbell Beels. Margaret Campbell Beels & David Beels are the parents of Howard Beels. Howard & Laura Rossman Beels are parents of the child Harry Beels and baby Clarence. (Clarence was born in April 1886; he looks to be a year old so the photo was probably made in summer of 1887.)
Otis Rossman was a half-brother of Laura. Their father was Samuel Rossman who married first to Elsy Say (Laura's mother) & second to Nancy Jane Mays (Otis' mother). In 1887, the age of the individuals would have been: Jane Campbell 55, Margaret Campbell Beels 57,husband David Beels 60, their son Howard Beels 29, his wife Laura 23, children Harry 3 and Clarence 1.

Sources

Ref. Num.	Description	Image of original
2	1860 United States Federal Census, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA, page 12. Census dated 5 June 1880. Lines 5-8: David Beels, 35, farmer, $800 real, $125 personal property; Margret, 30; J. Howard, 4; Sophia Campbell, 55, widow; Ellen Campbell, 18, housekeeper. All b. PA.
3	1870 United States Federal Census, Salem Twp, Clarion Co, PA, page 18.Census dated 19 Aug 1870. Lines 31-34: David Beels, age 43, farmer, $5000 real, $1000 personal property; Margret, 40, keeping house; J. H. 13, in school; Daniel, 79, father, retired farmer. All b. PA.
4	1880 United States Federal Census, District 81, Salem Twp, Clarion Co, PA, page 7. Census dated 16 June 1860. Lines 29-33: David Beels, 53, farmer; Margret, wife, 50; John H., 23, "ad. son", farm hand; Jane, sister (sic), 48. All and all parents b. PA. Note: Jane was Margret Campbell's sister.)
5	1900 United States Federal Census, District 27, Salem Twp, Clarion Co, PA, page 3. Census dated 4 June 1900. Lines 43-45: David M. Beals family Lines 46-50 & pg.4 line 51: Beals, Howard head, b. Sept 1856, age 43, married 18 yrs, farmer, rents farm. Laura, wife, b. Oct 1864, age 35, married 18 yrs, mother of 6 children, 5 living in 1900. Harry B., son, b. May 1884, age 16, single. Clarence B., son, b. Apr. 1886, age 14. Hellen G., daughter, b. Feb. 1894, age 6. Florence, daughter, b. Mar. 1899, age 1. Note: The image at right is of pg. 3; pg. 4 with daughter Florence was not uploaded.
6	1910 United States Federal Census, District 35 Salem Twp, Clarion Co. PA, pg 13. Date of census: 25 April 1910. Lines 23-28: Howard Beals age 52, married 27 yr, farmer, owns farm. Laura, wife, age 45, married 27 yr, mother of 9 children, 7 living. Children: Florence, age 11; Harold, age 8; Ada, age 5; Paul, age 2.
9	Donna Mae Beels (Best) interviews, June 2007 and June 2008, by E. W. Williams. Information included family members' names in various generations; photo portrait copies; a visit to Beels Hill farm in 2008; location of Beels graves at Nickleville Presbyterian; a scrap book of obituaries, etc.; and access to Rossman and Hays family histories.
10	Beels Ancestry, an unattributed typewritten family genealogy, possibly prepared by Glenn L. Beels. (It lists Howard Beels as "Glenn's grandfather".)This genealogy was in the family history scrapbook of Donna Mae Beels (Best), sister of Glenn Beels.	Beels Ancestry
11	Clarion News, May 5, 1994 Beels genealogy and history in article about the barn fire on the Beels homestead.