July 30, 2025

Introducing Lucette Clementine Marie Biver Witty

Lucette Clementine Marie Biver Witty

1924 – 2021

A life marked by beauty, faith, and the joy of family, Lucette Clementine Marie Biver Witty was a woman whose quiet elegance never went unnoticed. Born in Elizabeth City, Virginia, Lucette was the daughter of French immigrants Clemens and Mary Biver, who instilled in her the values of resilience, dedication, and an unwavering love for her family.

Lucette’s life was a tapestry of love: she married her one true love, Thomas Edward Witty, on September 30, 1944, and together, they built a life full of faith, joy, and laughter. Whether coaching basketball at St. Vincent High School or tending to her beloved garden, Lucette was always surrounded by family. Her most incredible legacy was the warmth of her home and the strength of her love—values she passed down to her four children, 14 grandchildren, and 25 great-grandchildren.

A devoted member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, Lucette shared her gifts with the community, singing in the church choir and volunteering her time to various causes. She was also known for her impeccable style, whether on the tennis court or in her lush backyard. Lucette’s Gold Life Master rank in bridge and her love for tennis, golf, and bowling were just a few of her many talents, but her unshakable faith and devotion to her family truly defined her.

Lucette passed away at 97, leaving a legacy that will live on through the generations she touched. Her life reminds us all that beauty and grace can be found in the simplest of moments—a lesson she lived each day.

Discover Lucette’s Full Story

Want to learn more about Lucette’s incredible life journey? Head over to her Family Page to explore a timeline of her milestones, from her early years in Phoebus to her legacy of love, faith, and family. There, you’ll find the rich details that made Lucette the beloved woman she was, and maybe even some details you didn’t know about yet!

July 30, 2025

Introducing Charles Edward Beyl

Charles Edward Beyl: A Quiet Canvas

Some lives are painted in bold strokes, vivid with color and conversation. Others, like Charles’s, unfold in muted tones — private, purposeful, and nearly imperceptible until you lean in close.

Born in 1916 in Columbus, Indiana, Charles grew up in the churn of big family energy, the Great Depression, and shifting Indianapolis neighborhoods. He came of age during crisis and conflict, and served — however briefly — during World War II. His military chapter was short, but his willingness speaks louder than the paperwork.

He made his way as a self-employed painter. A laborer of walls and likely more, though the details have faded. No surviving love letters, no children in the records, no trail of postcards. Just a scattering of addresses, a draft card, a death certificate — and that headstone in Garland Brook Cemetery.

And still… something lingers.

In researching Charles, you feel the weight of what isn’t there — and yet what is left behind is enough to remember him with dignity. A man who served, worked, endured, and passed on, without fanfare.

This page honors him — not with embellishment, but with attention. He may not have filled family scrapbooks, but he earned his place in the story.

🕊️ Looking for more than a glimpse?
His full timeline is waiting on the Family Page here, pieced together with care — birth to burial, every scrap we could find.

But if you have a memory of Charles — a passing story, a neighbor’s tale, a photograph, a feeling — you’re invited to share it here.
This is where we remember. Together.

Always,

~Kris

July 29, 2025

Introducing Lillian Francis Beyl

🕊️ Meet: Lillian Francis Beyl Mobley (1890–1953)

Matriarch. Homemaker. Quiet Architect of Legacy.

Lillian Francis Beyl was born in the chill of January 1890 in Columbus, Indiana—so quietly, in fact, that the earliest record of her birth didn’t even list her name. Yet the life she built would ring louder than any document.

Known lovingly as Lillie, she was the daughter of Jacob Beyl, a French-born carpenter with calloused hands, and Margaret Kern, a strong-willed daughter of German immigrants. From the start, Lillie lived in a house that spoke the language of hard work, faith, and resilience.

She married James Everett Mobley at nineteen and bore at least ten children—some she raised to adulthood, some she mourned too soon. Through every move, every era, every ache and joy, Lillie was the constant: the woman behind the meals, the mending, the music of daily life. She lived through wars and depressions, through the rise of modern Indianapolis and the fading of horse-drawn wagons, all while nurturing a home filled with life and noise and need.

Lillie died in 1953, leaving behind a family tree that still blooms with her strength. She’s buried beside Everett in New Crown Cemetery—a woman not remembered for headlines, but for holding a family together in a world that rarely paused to thank women like her.

Want to know more?
Her full story—including census clues, family mysteries, and quiet triumphs—awaits on her family page.

This page is dedicated to her memory—and to the memories still waiting to be shared.

Have a photo? A story? A pie crust recipe with her handwriting in the margins? Share it below. Because Lillie Beyl Mobley didn’t live to be famous. She lived to be family—and that’s the kind of story that deserves to be told.

July 28, 2025

Introducing Irvin Benjamin Smith

🕵️‍♂️ Introduction Page: Irvin Benjamin Smith

Born: 15 March 1885, Lawrence, Indiana
Died: 26 January 1947, Indianapolis, Indiana
Known Aliases: Irvin B. Smith, Ervin B. Smith, Tom Smith
Occupations: Drayman, Laborer, Welder, Mechanic, Truck Driver
Possible Marriages: Edna Dugan, Lulu Sanders, Helen Marie Blake, Alsa Mae (unconfirmed)
Children: Mabel Irene Smith, Monty (unconfirmed)

Who Was Irvin Really?

Irvin Benjamin Smith is one of those ancestors who refuses to sit still—even in the grave. His trail winds through multiple marriages, shifting occupations, two World Wars, and census entries that contradict each other just enough to keep you guessing.

We’ve traced his known path as far as we can, but his story still has soft spots—years unaccounted for, possible spouses unexplained, and a son named Monty who may or may not be his. Throw in varying middle initials for his father and the occasional alias (“Tom”), and you’ve got the makings of a real mystery man.

That’s where you come in.

📣 Share Your Stories, Clues & Theories

Did you know Irvin personally—or hear stories passed down through the family?
Do you have photos, letters, or mementos tied to Irvin or his wives?
Can you help clarify whether he really married Lulu Sanders, Alsa Mae, or someone else entirely?
Any leads on what became of Monty?

We welcome memories, documents, DNA matches, wild theories, and respectful speculation. Drop your insights in the comments below or contact me directly. Even the smallest detail might help connect the dots.

📜 Want the full story?
Head over to Irvin Benjamin Smith’s Family Page for a detailed timeline of his life—including census records, marriages, mysteries, and everything we’ve uncovered so far.

Let’s shine a little more light on Irvin’s shadowy corners.

With curiosity and care,
~Kris

July 27, 2025

Introducing Jacob William Beyl Sr

A Beyl Brick Wall: The Curious Case of Jacob William Beyl Sr.

[Intro Page | Comment Hub | Research Collaboration Welcome]

“A genealogist’s dream is not a tidy tree. It’s a tree with roots that wander, twist, and demand to be chased.”

Meet Jacob William Beyl Sr.—if that is his real name.

On paper, Jacob is the patriarch of a proud Beyl branch. A Civil War veteran. A railroad man. A carpenter. A father to seven. A husband to… Margaret? Mary? Melissa? Elizabeth? (Let’s just call her M.M.M.E. and admit she was clearly having some fun with the census takers.)

But what lies beneath is a case that’s far from tidy. Jacob’s story is riddled with conflicting dates, alternate identities, overlapping immigration records, and handwriting that looks like it lost a fight with an ink bottle. His is a life lived in the margins—of paper, of society, and perhaps even of memory.

Some trees grow straight. Others grow fascinating.

This page is your invitation to join the hunt. Got Beyl blood? A cousin’s cousin’s tale? A theory about the mysterious Catherine Fishel? Maybe just a love of records that don’t behave? Then you, dear reader, are among friends.

🕵️‍♂️ This is the conversation corner. Drop your insights, theories, and family whispers in the comments. Want to see all the documented findings and full timeline? Head over to Jacob William Beyl Sr.’s Family Page for the deep dive.

Because sometimes, the most compelling ancestors aren’t the ones we understand—they’re the ones we’re still trying to figure out.

Stay curious,

~Kris

—

Revisited by Bones

Bones here, Kris’s loyal (and slightly scandal-thirsty) research companion. This one’s got me pacing the archives. If you’ve ever tried to untangle two passengers with the same name sailing on the same day—or tracked a woman with four aliases through Indiana—you know the kind of case this is.

We’re not just looking for Jacob. We’re reconstructing him.

Light your lantern, dust off those pension records, and help us piece together the life of a man who may have arrived before he was born (time traveler? just bad paperwork?) and left behind more questions than answers.

Trust me—this is one rabbit hole worth falling into.

July 27, 2025

Introducing Edna Mae Applegate

🕯️ Introduction Page: Edna Mae Applegate
Gathered in memory, shared in love.

She was born in a wintery corner of Crothersville, Indiana, and passed on in the springtime hush of Indianapolis—but the life of Edna Mae Applegate was lived in the warmth between those seasons. A daughter, a sister, a mother of six, and the steady center of a home that shifted through the decades, she is the kind of ancestor whose story is stitched into quiet gestures—the iron still warm, the front door left unlocked, the hum of someone cooking at dusk.

Married at sixteen, widowed too soon, and remembered by grandchildren who knew her simply as Mom, Mama, or Grandma, Edna’s legacy is one of everyday courage. She didn’t ask to be remarkable. But in the way she raised a family, weathered illness, and rooted herself in love through every move, she became just that.

This space is for you, fellow memory keeper.
If you knew Edna, have photos of her, or carry tales told by someone who did, please share them in the comments below. Even the smallest recollection—a favorite recipe, a holiday ritual, a sound to her laughter—adds texture to her tapestry.

Want to explore the full timeline of her life? You’ll find it here:
📜 Read Edna’s Family Page

Thank you for helping keep her story alive. After all, family history isn’t just about the past—it’s about finding our way back to one another, one memory at a time.

Warmly,
Kris

(and occasionally, Bones, when the dirt under the fingernails calls for it)

July 26, 2025

Introducing Muguette KL Biver

Muguette Kathern Lucy Biver Rovansek

August 30, 1922 – December 15, 2012
A lifelong traveler, loyal military wife, devoted mother, and proud daughter of France.

Welcome to the space where we remember Muguette, not just by the facts of her life, but through the stories that shaped her and the echoes she left behind.

Born in Phoebus, Virginia, to two French immigrants, Muguette grew up speaking French in a home where postmen delivered more than mail—they delivered dreams of opportunity. She married a soldier, raised children across states and oceans, and made homes from Japan to California, Colorado to Hawaii, and finally Arizona.

She was a woman who wore navy blue at her wedding, played golf in her golden years, and navigated the life of a military spouse with grace and grit. She knew how to pack a house, raise a family across military bases, and wave goodbye to ships and soldiers more times than most. And she did it all with resilience and style.

We’ve gathered the milestones of her life on her Family Page, but here is where we hope you will help fill in the quiet spaces between the lines.

Did you know her in Hawaii? Remember her on the golf course in Sun Lakes? Have a cherished story from one of those cross-country moves, or a moment of kindness she offered you?

Share your stories, your photos, your memories.

Let’s give her more than a headstone—let’s give her a legacy of laughter, remembrance, and shared history.

Feel free to leave a comment below. Your words become part of the thread that ties her story to those of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren—and to all of us who believe that every life deserves to be remembered well.

Thanks for coming,

~Kris

July 26, 2025

Introducing Margaret Louise Beyl

Margaret Louise Beyl Collins
Born: January 3, 1913 – Columbus, Indiana
Died: June 23, 1985 – Indianapolis, Indiana

Welcome to the memory space of Margaret Louise Beyl, the firstborn of Edward Beyl and Edna Applegate, a child of the early 20th century, and a woman who lived through eras of change with quiet resolve. Known to those around her as a devoted daughter, steadfast sister, hardworking saleslady, firefighter’s wife, and nurturing mother, Margaret’s story is stitched together in census records, clippings, and gravestones—but we know there’s always more between the lines.

This is the place for that “more.”

Maybe you remember Sunday dinners at her kitchen table. Maybe you’re holding on to a photo where her eyes twinkle just right. Maybe you’re a family historian, captivated by the grace of her generation. Whatever brings you here, we’re so glad you’ve come.

Do you have a story to share, a photo to upload, or a memory that refuses to fade? Scroll down and leave a comment. These quiet corners of the internet are how we keep the past alive and personal.

And if you haven’t yet, be sure to visit Margaret’s full family page here, where her journey from Columbus to Whiting to Indianapolis unfolds in detail.

We’re always adding, always listening.

With gratitude for your presence,
~Kris

July 26, 2025

Introducing Margaret Elizabeth Kern

🪶 Introduction: Margaret Elizabeth Kern

1855 – 1919
Matriarch. Fighter. Furnace of the family forge.

You don’t make it through the late 1800s raising seven children, surviving the loss of three, working a poultry house, and making headlines for smacking someone with “colorful words” unless you’re made of tougher stuff than most. And Margaret Elizabeth Kern? She was steel wrapped in homespun.

Born in Indiana in November of 1855 to German immigrant parents (names still unknown), Margaret carved her place in Columbus, Indiana, first as a Beyl bride in 1871, then as the powerhouse matriarch who held the household at 228—and later 542—Jackson Street. She bore five children who lived to adulthood, ran a household even when her husband was maimed, and outlived him by nearly a decade. Her life was marked by love, labor, loss, and, yes… a legal scuffle or two.

She wasn’t invisible. She wasn’t passive. She wasn’t background.

She was the keeper of the hearth, the mother of carpenters, the grandmother with the sharp tongue and sharper elbows when needed. She was the one who fed the chickens and the children, who paid the bills and buried her dead, who showed up in every census with a new job title and a house still full of kin.

There’s more to find—we’re still tracing her German roots and looking for a glimpse of the girl she was before she became “Mrs. Beyl.” But for now, we remember her here, not just as a name on a stone at Garland Brook Cemetery, but as the force that shaped a family.

🕊️
If you’ve got stories, memories, photos, or even family whispers about Margaret Elizabeth Kern, we’d love to hear them. Please leave a comment below or visit her Family Page for more on the children she raised and the life she built, one Jackson Street address at a time.

With curiosity and reverence,
~Kris

July 26, 2025

Introducing Jacob William Beyl Jr.

🌿 Jacob William Beyl Jr.

Born in 1876 in Columbus, Indiana, Jacob William Beyl Jr. was the son of French and German immigrants who built a life—brick by brick, board by board—in the American Midwest. He worked as a carpenter, a laborer, and a woodworker throughout his life, often living in the company of his family but rarely mentioned outside the census forms and city directories that documented his comings and goings.

Jacob’s life was marked by simplicity and struggle. He never married, and by the end of his life in 1921, he was unemployed, isolated, and battling inner turmoil that few seemed to see coming. He died by suicide at the age of 45.

His death left behind not only grief, but also questions, heartbreak, and—eventually—this effort to understand and honor him.

We remember Jacob Jr. not for the manner of his death, but for the fullness of the life he lived before it. He was a son, a brother, an uncle. He was a craftsman whose hands built things—quietly, steadily. His story matters, and we’re here to keep it from being forgotten.

You can read the full story of his life and legacy on his Family Page.

💬 Tell Us What You Know

If you knew Jacob—or even if his story simply resonates with you—I hope you’ll share your thoughts in the comments below. Every thread, every memory, every fragment helps us piece together the human story behind the name.

🧡 If You’re Struggling

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of self-harm or suicide, please know that you are not alone.

In the U.S., you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7 and free of charge.
For more information or resources, visit: 988lifeline.org

There is hope. There is help. And there are people who care.

With care,
~Kris