David M. Beels

NOT A DIRECT ANCESTOR David Beels (1827) is not in my direct ancestry. He is of the Beels family of Salem Twp., Clarion County. An expected relationship to our direct line Beals family has not been established. The Beels family farm, in Ashland Twp. Clarion Co. but on the Venango Co. border, lay adjacent to that of our James Francis Beals of Richland Twp., Venango Co. PA. Both of these families (Beals and Beels) have examples in their records of both spellings being used.

David Beels, born 1827, was the only son of Daniel Beels and Elizabeth Painter.It appears that David was born on the Beels Hill homestead. He had at least one sister.
David married Margaret Campbell in about 1853. Its unknown when they adopted their only child, John Howard Beels; he was born in 1857, so possibly that year. In 1860 they were living in Venango Co. Margaret's mother, Sophia Campbell, and younger sister Ellen were living with them, so although David is listed as head of household in the census, the couple may have been living in Margaret's family home.
By 1870 they were back in Clarion Co. and David's widowed father was living with them. It is expected that David was back at the Beels Hill farm by that time. In 1880 & 1890 Margaret's sister Jane was living with them. By 1890 son 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	calc April 1827
Marriage	calc 1853		To Margaret Campbell
Death	28 Jan 1908	at home, Beels Hill near Nickleville, AshlandTwp., Clarion Co. PA
Burial		Nickleville Presbyterian

Ancestry chart segment

 Generation 4                    Generation 5             Generation 6       
 
                                                                        
                                                                         
                                                   +-- Daniel Beels 
                                                   |   (~1792-1878)   
                             +-- David M. Beels  --+                  
                             |   (~1827-1908)      |                            
John Howard Beels (adopted)--+                     +-- Elizabeth Painter/Bender 
(1856-1935)                  |                          (1797-1869)
                             +-- Margaret Campbell
                                 (1830-????) 
Sources:

Children

(adopted son, with Margaret Campbell)

Name	Gender	Date of Birth	Birthplace	Spouse	Notes	Sources
John Howard Beels (adopted; bio-parents unknown)	M			Laura Rossman (b. 29 Oct 1864	died 1890's

Places of Residence

Location	Dates	Notes	Sources
Salem Twp., Clarion Co. PA , Beels hill farm	1827- 1908

Photos

Gravestone of David & Margaret Beels, Nickleville Presbyterian Cemetery.

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

Sources

Ref. Num.	Description	Image of original
1	1850 United States Federal Census Richland Twp, Clarion Co, PA, page 24. Census dated 5 Aug 1850. Lines 35-39: Daniel Beals, age 50 farmer, $1300 real property; Elizabeth, 53, wife; David, 23, son, farmer, in school; Elizabeth, 21, dau., in school; John Bender, 77, no occupation. All b. PA.
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 Beals, 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:(John Howard was the adopted son of David Beels and Margret Campbell. Jane Campbell was Margret'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, head, 73, b. Apr 1827, married 47 years, farm laborer; Margret, wife, 70, b. Apr 1830, no children; Jane Cambell, sister-in-law, 68, b. Apr 1832, single. All and all parents b. PA. All can read, write and speak English. A family headed by Howard Beals lives next door.
6	Beels Tax Assessment for Daniel and David Beels, 1842 - 1880, Clarion Co. PA	(Click here for tax record)
7	Obituary David Beals, Oil City SemiWeekly Derrick, 4 Feb 1908 p.8, c4, Nickleville edition. Transcribed from obituary files, Franklin Library, Venango Co. PA by E. W. Williams in 2006. "BEALS, Davie died at his home near Nickleville on Tues. Jan 28. Was a charter member of Nickleville Presbyterian church. Funeral Wed. (Jan. 29). Was 80 yrs. 9 mo. old. Leaves wife, one sister and one adopted son. Mrs. Beals is a sister to Mrs. Ellen Hanniwalt, who died January 23." Calc. birth date of ~Apr. 1827.
8	Gravestone, Nickleville Presbyterian Cemetery, transcribed 23 June 2008 by Elizabeth Wilson Williams. Elizabeth wife of Daniel Beels born Jan 17, 1797, died March 29, 1869. Daniel Beels died Feb 21, 1878, aged 86 years. David Beels 1827-1908, Margaret his wife 1830 - (uningraved). Note: This David Beels is the grandson of the immigrant David Beels, whose grave has not been located.
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.

Source Notes

• Campbell family: David Beels married Margret Campbell (spelled Camfell in 1900 census). In the 1860 census, Margret's widowed mother Sophia, and sister Ellen Campbell are living with David and Margret. Sister Jane is living with them in the 1880 and 1900 census. Ellen Campbell is noted in the 1908 obituary as Ellen Hanniwalt.