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Garland Brook Cemetery

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

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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.

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Applegate, Edna Mae

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)

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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

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Beyl, John Edward - Person Page

Introducing John Edward Beyl

John Edward Beyl

1887–1966
📍 Columbus & Indianapolis, Indiana

Before becoming a bakery foreman, a World War I registrant, and the backbone of a growing Indiana household, John Edward Beyl was just a kid on Jackson Street with a pencil-thin frame and a future full of hard-earned chapters.

He lived through two World Wars, a Great Depression, and more address changes than a census clerk would care to count. Along the way, he raised a family of five, built a life out of labor, and left behind just enough paper trail to frustrate future researchers (present company included).

This page is the place to share memories, ask questions, or throw your theories into the ring—especially if you’ve got thoughts about the Margaret-vs-Mary E. mystery, or can help track down the elusive “liquor factory” job in 1910.

📝 Ready for a deeper dive?
Read John Edward Beyl’s whole life story here →

💬 Want to leave a note or connect with others?
Drop a comment below. We’re all just stories waiting to be remembered—and you might have a piece of his.

Originally published July 26, 2025
Page maintained by Kris
Narrative assistant: Bones (resident rascal & record-chaser)

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Introducing Mary Elizabeth Beyl (1879–1916)

She was born the daughter of a French immigrant and a woman who changed names like seasons. Raised in a modest house on Jackson Street in Columbus, Indiana, Mary Elizabeth Beyl lived a life that rarely made headlines but quietly shaped the generations that followed her.

The records call her Mary, while her grave calls her Mollie. Her death certificate names one woman as her mother, while the census suggests another. And somewhere in the shuffle, a baby girl named Helen appeared in the household before Mary had her own children.

She married a wagon driver. She bore a daughter late in her twenties. She died too young, with illness written on her death certificate and love written on her stone.

Hers is not the story of a scandal or a rebellion—but of a woman who left behind just enough questions to keep a genealogist curious.

🕯️ Want to meet Mollie properly? Her full story—names, mysteries, and all—is waiting on her family page.

🔗 Read Her Full Story »

💬 Did you know Mary? Hear stories about her, or her daughters, or the Blake family? We’d love to hear what you remember. Leave a note in the comments—every memory helps bring her closer.

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