Jacob William Beyl Sr. | Margaret Elizabeth Kern
Documented History
Still working on the Beyl family, I am desperately trying to break through this brick wall I’ve been facing for a while now. I have reached a point in this line where I can’t go back any further because I don’t have enough information on John Beyl. John Beyl is the grandfather of John Edward Beyl.
Between the two was Jacob William Beyl Sr. Jacob is John Edward’s father. Now, when I start researching somebody, I always start with the facts I already know. Since I’ve already researched Jacob’s children, here’s what I know to be true:
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- John Edward’s father was Jacob Beyl.
- John Edward’s mother was Mary E. Kern (per John’s birth record).
- Mary has an alternate name of Margaret E. Kern (per the 1900 Census).
- Jacob was 53 years old in 1900 (per the 1900 Census).
- Margaret was 42 years old in 1900 (per the 1900 Census).
- Jacob was born in December 1846 (per the 1900 Census).
- Margaret was born in November 1855 (per the 1900 Census).
- Jacob and his parents were born in France.
- Margaret was born in Indiana. Her parents were born in Germany.
- Jacob and Margaret were married for 38 years in 1910 (according to the 1910 Census).
- Margaret had given birth to 7 children, but only 5 were alive in 1900.
- Jacob and Margaret Kern had the following children (per the 1900 Census):
Parents and Birth
Now that I have a few facts to start with, I can begin searching for documents that support those facts. And this is where things start to get hinky and confusing regarding the Beyl family tree. So, let me break this down to help you see where the confusion arises…
I haven’t yet been able to find a Birth Certificate for Jacob Sr. However, I did find his Death Certificate. Unfortunately, it is tough to read. There are several things I look for when examining documents to attach to my ancestors. What I pay the most attention to is how many of the details match those in the other documents I have that have already been verified.
This death certificate does not provide the full name of Jacob Beyl. I’ve inverted the colors to see if it’s easier to read. At this point, I’m not sure if he’s a Senior. And I’m not sure that his middle name is William. While very hard to read, it appears that his Date of Birth is listed as 2 or 3 December 1842, possibly 1843. I see that he was 64 years, 10 months, and 8 days old. His Date of Death appears to be 11 October 1910. Now, 1910 – 1842 = 68. The Death Certificate says he was 64 years old. That makes his birth date about 1846. So we estimate his birthday to be December 1846 for now. This matches what we learned from John Edward Beyl in the 1900 Census record.
Next, I see that Jacob was married, and his wife’s name appears to be Margaret. The letters of the name easily fit what appears on this document. I also see that he was born in France. Now, I know from John Edward Beyl’s 1900 Federal Census that his mother’s name was Margaret E., and the birth record for him shows Mary E. Kern. Mary could easily be short for Margaret. The 1910 Census record lists John’s parents as Jacob and Margaret. The spouse details match for Jacob.
On the Death Certificate, his parents appear to be listed as John Byll and Catherine Fishel, both born in France. Now, I’ll pause here to say that I’ve seen Beyl listed several different ways on several other documents. This only adds to the confusion and difficulty in figuring out this line.
On this particular record, since the writing is in cursive, there isn’t a clear definition in each letter, allowing us to see exactly what was written. So, for now, we’ll go with John Beyl and Catherine Fishel.
Immigration
Since we’re only looking for personally identifiable information right now, we’re going to ignore the rest of the information in the Death Certificate, just for right now. We’ll come back to it later.
Next, I found a passenger list on the Orphan ship, which was immigrating from France to New Orleans. The record is handwritten and does not include a date. But here is what I am able to decipher for the Beyl’s:
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- Johann Beyl was a 20-year-old Farmer.
- Joseph was 18 years old.
- Marianna was 16 years old.
- George was 9 1/2 years old.
- Bernard was 8 years old.
- Jacob was 7 years old.
Being that Jacob was the youngest in this party, I will assume that the others were his siblings. As I sat here writing this, it occurred to me that the oldest in the party was only 20, so naturally, Johann could not have been the father. I went back to Ancestry.com and pulled up the passenger list record. This allowed me to go to the previous page of the document, where I found their parents.
Now I can see that the father was Johann Beyl, 68 years old. And the mother was Marianne, 66 years old. This doesn’t match Jacob’s parents. At this point, I don’t have enough information to determine if this record is for the same Jacob or not, but it appears likely that it’s not, based on the names of the parents. Additionally, this record lists their arrival as October 19, 1954. That would match the date on the death certificate. If he were born in December 1846, he would have been 7 years old in October 1853. So let’s move on.
I found a second passenger list from a different ship for the same date, 19 October 1853. In this list, the family is:
- Joseph – Age 56
- Johannes – Age 50
- Catherine – Age 16
- Adam – Age 9
- Johann – Age 8
- Bernard – Age 6 1/2
- Jacob was 1 1/2
The name of this ship was R.B. Sumner, and it came from Le Havre, France. Now, the Jacob in this record would have been born in the 1851 or 1852 timeframe, so it doesn’t match the Death Certificate above.
The 1870 Census record is another piece of information that I’m not sure about. According to the 1870 United States Federal Census, Jacob lived with his father, John, in Union Township, Clark County, Indiana, in 1870. Jacob was 23, and John was 65. Their last name was misspelled on the Census record as Bayle. John was a Farmer, and Jacob also worked on the farm. John’s real estate value was $1,000, and his personal estate value was 600. The date of this record would put Jacob right at 23 years old if it’s the same Jacob in the Death Certificate. So we’ll assume, for now, that this record is the correct Jacob, although there isn’t enough detail to confirm this with certainty.
Marriage
After the marriage, I began to gain confidence that I had found the right guy. Jacob married Margaret E. Kern on 2 May 1872 in Clark County, Indiana, according to the Indiana Marriage Index, 1800-1941. Since it was in Clark County, Indiana, this makes the 1870 Census more probable to be the correct Jacob.
The only problem with this record is that she’s listed as Melissa Kern. I also need to verify that this is the right wife. It’s possible that Margaret went by Melissa. Or it may be the wrong person altogether.
According to the 1880 United States Federal Census, Jacob lived with his wife and children at 228 Jackson, Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana. At the time, Jacob was 32 years old. His wife was Elizabeth and was 24 years old. Their children were:
Mary was born in August of the same year.
The Census has their name misspelled as “Boyel”. Jacob was a RailRoad Laborer at the time. Elizabeth was a housewife. Jacob was marked as Maimed, Crippled, Bedridden, or otherwise disabled. Jacob and his parents were born in France. Elizabeth and the children were born in Indiana, but her parents were born in Germany.
Based on the birth and death records of all of Jacob and Margaret’s children, this census record matches the Jacob Beyl that I am researching. Jacob William Beyl Jr and Mary Elizabeth Beyl are the two oldest children of Jacob and Margaret.
Military
The U.S. Civil War Pension Index: General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934 lists Jacob Beyl as the name of a soldier. The record was filed in Indiana with an attorney listed as S. W. Daugherty and Company. The service says “Unassd Drafted man 2 Cong Dist Ind Vols” and classifies him as an invalid with application number 1173306 on 13 January 1896.
While this record does not contain personally identifiable data other than the name, it supports the 1880 Census record, which reports Jacob as disabled. It also supports the 1910 Census reporting Jacob as a veteran survivor of the Confederate or Union Army or Navy. The U.S. Civil War Soldiers, 1861-1865 lists Jacob Beyl on the Union side in Indiana. Rank In and Rank Out are Substitute. His status as a Civil War veteran is also confirmed later in his obituary.
Jacob and Elizabeth still rented a house at 228 Jackson in 1900, according to the 1900 United States Federal Census. Jacob was born in December 1846 and was 53 years old at the time. Elizabeth (Margaret E.) was born in November of 1955 and was 44 years old at the time. They had been married 29 years.
Elizabeth had seven children, 5 of whom were still alive. Their children living with them were:
- Jacob W., born May 1876 – Age 24
- Mary E., born August 1879 – Age 20
- John E., born February 1887 – Age 13
- Lillian F., born January 1890 – Age 10
- Thomas G., born July 1892 – Age 7
Their granddaughter also lived with them. She was Hellen M. Bond, born June 1899 (Age 11 months). Jacob immigrated to the United States from France in 1852 and had been a resident for 47 years. He and Jacob W. were both Carpenters at the time.
Note: Many family trees indicate that Jacob immigrated in 1844. This was 2 years before he was born, presenting a conflict in that he couldn’t immigrate anywhere 2 years before he was born.
According to U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, indicate that Jacob and Margaret Beyl resided at 542 Jackson in 1907. Jacob was a Carpenter at the time. Now, this is the same street that was reported in the 1900 Census, but with a different house number. Interestingly, the 1900 Census lists the same address as the 1880 Census. In 1880, she was referred to as Elizabeth, but in 1900, she went by Margaret E. This tells me her name is Margaret Elizabeth and that she’s the same person.
According to the 1900 United States Federal Census, Jacob (Age 63) and Elizabeth (Age 53) had moved to 542 Jackson, Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana, with their three sons:
John E. was going by Edward by this time, as his name first appeared as Edward on this Census record. All three sons were single.
Elizabeth had seven children, 4 of whom were still alive. This record shows that Jacob immigrated in 1844, which was 2 years before he was born. He was not employed at the time. However, Elizabeth was a cheeser or chesser at a Poultry House.
Jacob W. and John Edward were both Laborers at an engine factory. Grover T. was a Laborer in the furniture industry. Their house was rented. Jacob Sr. was identified as a veteran survivor of the Confederate or Union Army or Navy, which aligns with his Civil War Pension record above.
Death
Jacob passed away on 11 October 1910, according to Indiana Deaths, 1882-1920. He was 64 years old at the time and still resided in Columbus, Indiana. His Death Certificate shows he died in Columbus, Bartholomew County, Indiana, at 542 Jackson. His birthdate is listed as 3 December; he’s listed as 64 years, 10 months, and 8 days old, which makes his birth year 1846. His father is listed as John Byll, born in France. His mother is listed as Catherine Fishel, born in France, as mentioned above.
His obituary provides us with a wealth of information that confirms several of the records mentioned above. It also provides some insight into the various jobs he worked throughout his lifetime. It gives us a cause of death as complications of disease after having a paralytic stroke when he was 60 years old. He lived on for four years after the stroke.
According to the U.S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current, Jacob is buried at Garland Brook Cemetery in Bartholomew County, Indiana. His death date is confirmed as 11 October 1910. His birthplace is confirmed as France in December 1846.
That’s all for now, I’ll check back regularly and update this page as I find additional information.
I’ll leave you with a common Genealogy phrase:
Still trying to decorate my family tree.
Happy researching!
~Kris
