Post (C) Doris McCraw
aka Angela Raines
 |
| Photo (C) Doris McCraw |
This short post is on Martha Lynn Bell. She was born in Indiana in 1839 to William and Elizabeth Lynn. By 1850 she and her six siblings were living in Keokuk County, Iowa. Her father was a minister.
She married James W. Bell in Keokuk County, Iowa, sometime between May 28 and May 30, 1859. The couple settled in Steady Run, Keokuk County, Iowa.
The couple remained in Keokuk County, Steady Run through 1870. By the 1880 census, the couple and their two daughters were living in Luka, Pratt County, Kansas.
 |
| Possible photo of Martha from Find A Grave |
In 1883 the couple arrived in Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado. During their marriage, other than when James was serving in the Iowa Infantry during the Civil War, she was raising their daughters. The census records always show her as a housewife. James was a carpenter.
Martha passed on March 2, 1892, at fifty-three of pneumonia.
For links to past writing on Civil War Veterans and Civil War Wives:
Captain Richmon Finch- Western Fictioneers
Sarah Jane Durkee Anderson - Prairie Rose Publications
Esther Walker, Part 2 - Western Fictioneers
Esther Walker - Prairie Rose Publications
Alpheus R. Eastman - Western Fictioneers Blog
Helen Rood Dillon - Prairie Rose Publications Blog
Virginia Strickler - Prairie Rose Publications Blog
Henry C. Davis - Western Fictioneers Blog
Chester H. Dillon - Western Fictioneers Blog
Great to see a picture of the lady in question. They can be so hard to find. So sad that she died so young.
ReplyDeleteI felt I was lucky there was a photo. In that day, especially in the less wealthy, photos were rare and so many decendents just toss them. GRRR Doris
DeleteEven short bits of information help preserve history.
ReplyDeleteThat is my thought also, Kaye. Doris
Delete