I am researching my Belcher roots in West Virginia. I have found far more than I ever dreamed I would. Henry Belcher was the name of my great-great-grandfather, and he was born about 1828. Henry married Rebecca Toler, and she was born in 1830, and died on March 7, 1897. Rebecca is buried at Bruno, West Virginia, and I found her grave marker on May 10, 2001. My great-grandfather, James Crockett Belcher, was the second child of Henry Belcher and Rebecca Toler. He was born in 1854, and married (1) Patsy Mounts, and (2) Mary Ann Knight. Mary Ann Knight was the mother of James Crockett Belcher's 6 children. My grandfather, Henry Wyatt Belcher was born on December 6, 1888, in Guyandotte, West Virginia. My grandfather, Henry Wyatt Belcher, married Minnie Delphi Altizer on August 20, 1916. Her parents were Andrew Bruce Altizer and Venila Jane Browning. Venila is buried at Verner, West Virginia. I have been to her gravesite many times. Her grave marker says "V. J. Altizer, 1862-1927". Venila was the daughter of William Chapman Browning and Jane "Jenny" Hatfield. Jane was the first cousin of the famous "Devil Anse" Hatfield, of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. My father was Arthur Leeland Belcher, born at Robinette, West Virginia, in 1919. Daddy died on January 23, 1993, and is buried at Pecks Mill, West Virginia, in the Forest Lawn Cemetery.
For many months I was not able to find the parents of my great-great-grandfather, Henry Belcher. In early 2002 I finally found who they were, and I can now trace my Belcher ancestry all the way back to Hugh Belcher, born abt. 1450, in England. Connected to my Belcher line are two very famous people, Thomas Jefferson and Henry Clay. Thomas Jefferson is my half 3rd cousin 7 times removed. Henry Clay is my 2nd cousin 6 times removed. I am a direct descendant of Henry Isham, the great-great grandfather of Thomas Jefferson, and also a direct descendant of Henry Clay I, the great-grandfather of Henry Clay.
I am a descendant of David Musick, who was killed and scalped by Shawnee Indians on August 12, 1792, near Honaker, Virginia. David Musick, my 5th great-grandfather, was born about 1752. He married Anna "Annie" McKinney. They had 5 children, 4 boys and then a girl. The girl, named Phoebe, was the youngest, and was only six weeks old when her father was massacred by the Indians. Mrs. Musick and her 5 children were captured by the Indians, and were being taken to Ohio, when they were rescued by a group of the other settlers. As the settlers started shooting at the Indians, Mrs. Musick took the baby girl Phoebe in her arms, and ran toward her rescuers. One of the Indians threw a tomahawk at her and missed, the tomahawk sticking in a nearby tree. God had his hand over Mrs. Musick and the baby Phoebe. It was a miracle that they were rescued unharmed. 16 years later, Phoebe Musick would marry Ferrell H. Evans. Their oldest child, Nancy Evans, married Joseph Hatfield, and they were the parents of Jane Hatfield. Phoebe Musick, the baby that the Indian almost killed, was my 4th great-grandmother.
My mother's name is Anna Alice Farley. My mother's father was Richard Franklin Farley, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 16, 1892. His parents were Henry A. Farley and Fredricka Gildner. My mother's mother was Ida Elcy Tiney, born on February 26, 1889, in Wenham, Massachusetts. Her parents were John Henry Tiney and Evelyn Edwards. I do know the Edwards line back to Rice Edwards, born in 1615, in Wales. And Evelyn Edwards, my great-grandmother, was a descendant of Richard Dodge, who arrived from England in 1638, and settled in Salem, Massachusetts. John and Horace Dodge, the Dodge Brothers who started the Dodge Motor Car, are both descendants of Richard's brother, William Dodge.
I am still searching for my Farley, Gildner, and Tiney anncestry.
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- Armistice Louise "Misty" Belcher, Daddy's sister (13 KB)
Misty died in 1929 at 4 years old from pneumonia. This is the only picture of her. She is buried at Verner, West Virginia.
- Bernie Adkins, 1959 (22 KB)
He married Daddy's 1st cousin, Lida Lykens, Siddie Altizer's daughter. Bernie was a wonderful man.
- Arthur Leeland "Lee" Belcher, Jr. in 1972 (39 KB)
This is the way I looked in 1972. Taken in Washington, D. C.
- Arthur Leeland "Lee" Belcher, Jr. at age 8 (31 KB)
This was the way I looked in 2nd grade.
- Daddy and the Pontiac (32 KB)
The first car my parents owned was this 1938 Pontiac. It had a straight 8 engine. This is daddy next to it, in 1950.
- When I was really little (30 KB)
I grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland. Well, actually, I never did grow up...
- Uncle Mildy and Grandpa Belcher (38 KB)
This is Milton Altizer, my Grandma Belcher's brother, with my grandfather, Henry Belcher, in Logan County, West Virginia, in 1950. Uncle Mildy, as daddy always called him, is on the left. Uncle Mildy was a bachelor, and he was born in 1886 and died in 1966. Everyone said he was a very nice man.
- I love my Daddy...and always will (30 KB)
Me and Daddy had a special relationship. He was the best Daddy anybody ever had.
- My mother, on August 18, 2001 (36 KB)
My mother at a church potluck, on August 18, 2001. Either the food was really good, or she was laughing at me!
- The best picture ever taken of Me and Daddy (46 KB)
This describes our relationship better than words ever could. Taken at Huntington, West Virginia, in my grandparents yard.
- My sister, Marthanne, on August 18, 2001 (27 KB)
This is a close-up of my sister, Marthanne (I call her Bobby), on August 18, 2001, at a church potluck. I think she looks like her ancestors, Minnie Altizer, Venila Browning, and Jane Hatfield.
- My great-great-grandparents and family, about 1875 (58 KB)
William Chapman Browning and his family. Venila Jane Browning, my great-grandmother, is behind William. My great-great-grandmother, Jane Hatfield, was the daughter of Joseph Hatfield, and grandaughter of Valentine Hatfield. "Devil Anse" Hatfield was her 1st cousin. Rebecca, sitting on William's lap, was Johnse Hatfield's 2nd wife.
- 1st Grade Class Picture (51 KB)
This is my 1st grade class picture at Sligo Elementary School in Takoma Park, Maryland. This was an "Ungraded" room, so students could go faster if they wanted to and skip a grade. I am on the right in the second row, next to the teacher.
- Me at my great-great-grandparents graves (40 KB)
William Chapman Browning, born 9-17-1833 died 7-22-1896, and Jane Hatfield, born 12-25-1830 died 7-23-1890. Verner, WV.
- Some of my Farley relatives in the late 1970's (47 KB)
Front row-Ida Tiney Farley, my sister Marthanne Belcher, Bill Cowling, Judy Wohlers Cowling. Back row-Me, Gene Cowling, Mabel Farley Cowling, my mother, my father, Fred Wohlers and Penny Wohlers (Judy's parents). Taken at Cowling's home in Centerville, Ohio.
- My mother's father as a young man in Philadelphia (19 KB)
My Grandpa Farley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 16, 1892.
- Daddy's graveside service (37 KB)
We held a very informal graveside service when we buried daddy on January 26, 1993, in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Pecks Mill, West Virginia. The minister is on the far end, and I'm the tall guy in the middle. We're overlooking the Guyandotte River.
- Farley relatives at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1990 (41 KB)
Front row-Bill and Judy, Christy, Uncle Gene, Andy, Aunt Mabel, Grizelda, and Mary Anne. Back row-Sue, Me, Tom, Bill with Roni on his shoulders, and Paul.
- Mary Anne, Angela, and Bill Valenti (22 KB)
This is my cousin Mary Anne Conkell Valenti, with her husband Bill Valenti, and their daughter, Angela. May 27, 1990.
- Andy Cowling, my 1st Cousin Once Removed (15 KB)
Andy Cowling is the son of my 1st cousin Bill Cowling and his wife Judy. Andy has always lived in Indiana.
- Richard Franklin Farley, my grandfather (19 KB)
This is the way Grandpa looked when I was a young child. He died on January 10, 1970, from leukemia. He was a Seventh-day Adventist Minister for more than 50 years, pastoring churches in several places.
- My great-grandfather, Henry A. Farley (14 KB)
The father of Richard Farley, he lived in Philadelphia, and died about 1921.
- My great-grandmother, Fredricka Gildner (7 KB)
She was the wife of Henry Farley, and the mother of Richard. She died in 1946, at Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
- My great-grandparents, with Anna and Richard (12 KB)
Henry and Fredricka Farley, with my mother's aunt Anna, who she was named for, and my mother's father.
- Aunt Mabel, my mother's little sister (18 KB)
Mabel Frances Farley, my mother's little sister. She was born in Takoma Park, Maryland, but has lived most of her life in Ohio. Married Eugene Cowling in 1950.
- The Farley Family, all of us, in 1959 (31 KB)
This is everybody on my mother's side of the family. Taken at Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
- Bill Cowling, my 1st Cousin (11 KB)
Bill is the son of Gene and Mabel Farley Cowling. He married Judy Wohlers in 1974. This picture was taken about 1973.
- All 8 cousins on my mother's side of the family (35 KB)
All of my 1st cousins descended from the Farleys. (From left) Me, Bill Cowling, Mary Anne Conkell-Valenti, Sue Cowling-Fattic, Tom Conkell, Dick Farley, Marthanne Belcher-Glenn, and John Conkell. Taken at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, in 1959.
- Sue Cowling and Doug Fattic's wedding (24 KB)
Sue Cowling is my 1st cousin, the daughter of Gene and Mabel Farley Cowling. She married Doug Fattic in 1976. Doug and Sue have lived in Michigan since 1976.
- My grandmother, Ida Elcy Tiney, in 1916 (15 KB)
She married Richard Farley in 1916. She was born in Massachusetts on February 26, 1889, and died on January 5, 1989. Buried next to Richard Franklin Farley at Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
- Evelyn Rose Farley, my mother's sister (16 KB)
Evelyn was born in 1922, in New Market, Virginia. She married John Conkell in 1951. Evelyn died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1998.
- Grandpa Farley with his Grandma Gildner (19 KB)
This is my Grandpa Farley with his mother's mother. She was the mother of Fredricka Gildner, but my mother doesn't know her name. Her first husband was my great-great-grandfather Gildner, who died in an accident. She had a second husband after that. We don't know her maiden name, her first name, or the name of her second husband.
- John and Evelyn Tiney, my great-grandparents (21 KB)
John Henry Tiney and his wife, Evelyn Edwards, with their children behind them. My grandmother, Ida Tiney, is on the left, and her brother and sister, my mother's Uncle John Tiney, And Aunt Alice Tiney.
- Aunt Evelyn with my cousin, John Conkell (18 KB)
My 1st cousin, John Conkell, was 3 months old at the time of this picture, in 1953.
- The grave of my great-grandmother (23 KB)
This is the gravestone of my great-grandmother, Fredricka Gildner, who married Henry A. Farley. She is buried at Mt. Vernon, Ohio.
- My 1st cousin, John Conkell, and his wife, Dawn (16 KB)
John married Dawn James in 1974, in Battle Creek, Michigan. They have two children, James and Deni. This was about the time they married.
- My 1st cousin, John Conkell, and his family (23 KB)
This is John Conkell and his wife, Dawn, and their two children, James and Deni. About 1993.
- Christy Fattic, my cousin's daughter (19 KB)
Christy Fattic is the daughter of Doug Fattic and Sue Cowling Fattic, and the granddaughter of Gene Cowling and Mabel Farley Cowling. She's my 1st cousin once removed. Christmas 2001.
- My cousin John Conkell at Christmas (31 KB)
My 1st cousin John Conkell is opening a Christmas present, with his wife Dawn, and his daughter Deni looking on. About 1993, in Battle Creek, Michigan.
- Arthur Leeland (Lee) Belcher, Jr. (24 KB)
This is the way I looked in 1995.
- Arthur Leeland Belcher, my Daddy (34 KB)
This is the way my father looked in 1947. Daddy was born on Buffalo Creek, at Robinette, in Logan County, West Virginia, on November 25, 1919. He died at Olney, Maryland, on January 23, 1993.
- My mother-Anna Alice Farley, married Daddy in 1949 (45 KB)
This is the way my mother looked in 1941. She was born in Norfolk, Virginia, on March 5, 1920. She married Arthur Leeland Belcher, on August 10, 1949, in Lima, Ohio.
- My mother at the age of 80 (22 KB)
This is the way my mother looks today, she's alive and lively.
- Me and my sister with Grandpa Farley (23 KB)
I loved it when Grandpa would do this with us. I am wearing my "Duckie Cap", it was navy blue with white ducks around it in a circle. I still have it. Taken at Mt. Vernon, Ohio, probably at Thanksgiving, 1957.
- My grandfather, Henry Wyatt Belcher, at 17 (25 KB)
This is the earliest picture of Grandpa Belcher, about 1906. He was born in Guyandotte, West Virginia, on December 6, 1888. Grandpa died in Huntington, West Virginia, on July 14, 1968.
- My mother and her sisters, February 7, 1993 (22 KB)
(From left) My mother, Me, Gene Cowling, Mabel Farley-Cowling, Evelyn Farley-Conkell, John (Jack) Conkell. My mother's sister, Evelyn, and her husband Jack, have since died, and are buried in the Fort Custer National Cemetery, near Battle Creek, Michigan. Mabel is my mother's little sister.
- Henry Belcher at work, American Car & Foundry (71 KB)
Grandpa worked at the ACF in Huntington, West Virginia, for about 40 years. He's on the right.
- A recent picture of my sister and her husband (23 KB)
This is what my sister, Marthanne "Bobby", and her husband, Paul Arthur Glenn, look like today. I took this picture of them in the church where they got married, and where we attend each week.
- Grandma Belcher, married Grandpa in 1916 (28 KB)
Minnie Delphi Altizer, daughter of Andrew Bruce Altizer and Venila Jane Browning. She was born at Verner, West Virginia, on May 7, 1901. She died in Huntington, West Virginia, on July 29, 1967. She married Henry Wyatt Belcher in Logan County, West Virginia, on August 20, 1916.
- A recent picture of Me, taken on July 1, 2000 (36 KB)
This was taken with a WebCam, and it isn't very high resolution, but you can see what I look like today. I had just gotten home from church, and my hair looked nice, and I was dressed up, so I figured I should take my picture right then. I was sitting at my computer.
- Andy Cowling on Skateboard (10 KB)
This picture appeared in the newspaper. It is Andy Cowling, the son of Bill and Judy Wohlers Cowling. 6-15-02.
- The Henry & Minnie Belcher Family, about 1936 (21 KB)
(Top Row) Minnie, Henry, and my Aunt Verla, Daddy's oldest sister. (Bottom Row) My Uncle Woodrow Lorain, Uncle Tommy, and Daddy.
- My parents wedding, Lima, Ohio, August 10, 1949 (21 KB)
My parents wedding was perfomed by my mother's father, a Seventh-day Adventist church pastor. It took place at my grandparent's house in Lima, Ohio, August 10, 1949.
- Me at "Devil Anse" Hatfield's grave (93 KB)
I am "Devil Anse" Hatfield's 1st cousin 4 times removed, since I am a direct descendant of his grandparents, Valentine "Wall" Hatfield and Martha Weddington.
- Me at Daddy's grave (35 KB)
Daddy died in 1993, he is buried at Pecks Mill, WV, in the Forest Lawn Cemetery, about 25 miles from his birthplace.
- My parents on their wedding day, August 10, 1949 (22 KB)
This is a picture of my parents immediately after they were married at my grandparents house in Lima, Ohio, on August 10, 1949.
- William Chapman Browning gravestone (59 KB)
The gravestone of my great-great-grandfather, William Chapman Browning. He married Jane Hatfield in 1853. She was "Devil Anse" Hatfield's 1st cousin, and William was his 2nd cousin. I descend from their 5th child, Venila Jane Browning.
- My mother's brother, William Farley (31 KB)
Uncle Bill is just a little more than a year younger than my mother. He was also born in Norfolk, Virginia. He now lives in Xenia, Ohio.
- Hatfield Cemetery at Sarah Ann, West Virginia (82 KB)
This is the Hatfield Family Cemetery at Sarah Ann, West Virginia. Most of the Hatfields who were involved in the Hatfield-McCoy feud are buried here.
- Grandma and Grandpa Farley in the late 1960's (42 KB)
This was taken a few months before my Grandpa Farley died. He died from leukemia on January 10, 1970. Grandma outlived him by almost 19 years, even though she was 4 years older than he was. He was 77 when he died, she lived to be 99.
- James Crockett Belcher Gravestone (89 KB)
James Crockett Belcher was my great-grandfather, born in 1854, died in 1929. He is buried in the Browning-Grimmett Cemetery, at Bruno, West Virginia.
- My mother, and her brother and two sisters (20 KB)
A rare picture of all of them together. Left to right, they are: 1st, my mother, Anna, 2nd, Richard William "Bill" Farley, 3rd, Evelyn Rose Farley, 4th, Mabel Frances Farley. Bill married Ethel Winslow, Evelyn married John Conkell, and Mabel married Gene Cowling.
- Jane Hatfield-Browning Gravestone (71 KB)
Jane Hatfield married William Chapman Browning, and they were my great-great-grandparents. Jane was the 1st cousin of "Devil Anse" Hatfield, and daughter of Joseph Hatfield and Nancy Evans. Buried at Verner, West Virginia.
- My 1st cousin, Dick Farley (28 KB)
Dick was born in 1945, and is the oldest cousin on my mother's side. He now lives a few miles outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This picture was taken about 1950. He is the son of Bill Farley and Ethel Winslow.
- Johnse Hatfield Gravestone, Sarah Ann, WV (92 KB)
Johnse Hatfield was the oldest son of "Devil Anse" Hatfield. He was my 2nd cousin 3 times removed, 3rd cousin twice removed, and my great-granduncle.
- Mildred Burgess Gravemarker (87 KB)
Mildred was daddy's 1st cousin, the daughter of G. Millard Burgess and Nevada "Vadie" Altizer. She is buried about 200 feet from daddy in the Forest Lawn Cemetery at Pecks Mill, West Virginia.
- Milton G. Browning Gravestone (65 KB)
Milton was the son of William Chapman Browning and Jane Hatfield. Buried at Verner, West Virginia.
- Venila Jane Browning-Altizer Gravestone (80 KB)
My great-grandmother, Venila Jane Browning, was the daughter of William Chapman Browning and Jane Hatfield. She married Andrew Bruce Altizer. Buried at Verner, West Virginia.
- Me at Grandpa and Grandma Belcher's grave (36 KB)
Henry died in 1968, Minnie died in 1967. They are buried just east of Huntington, West Virginia, at Barboursville, in the White Chapel Memorial Gardens.
- My sister, Marthanne Lorraine Belcher, in 1968 (27 KB)
I call her "Bobby".
- My sister's wedding (16 KB)
Bobby married Paul Arthur Glenn, on April 4, 1982, in Clarksville, Maryland.
- Daddy's birthplace, Robinette, West Virginia (6 KB)
Daddy was born here, on November 25, 1919.
- Me with Grandma and Grandpa Belcher (13 KB)
Taken at my grandparents house, Huntington, WV, about 1965.
- My father's sister, Verla, and her family (25 KB)
Daddy's older sister, Verla Iona Belcher, married Ransom "Rank" Adair. They are pictured here with their son, Jerry. Jerry was born in 1939.
- Verla, Lorain, And Daddy, about 1925 (19 KB)
Taken somewhere on Buffalo Creek in Logan County, West Virginia, near Daddy's birthplace.
- My father's cousin, Mildred Burgess, and my sister (25 KB)
The little girl is my sister, Bobby. Daddy's cousin, Mildred, lived with my grandparents in Huntington, West Virginia for many years. Her full name was Alice Mildred Burgess. She was the daughter of G. M. Burgess and Nevada B. "Vadie" Altizer. Mildred is buried about 200 feet from where daddy is buried. She died May 24, 1985.
- Milton, Siddie, Minnie, and Laura Altizer (18 KB)
Grandma and 3 of her siblings, at Sandlick, near Bruno, West Virginia.
- My mother's youngest sister, Mabel Frances Farley (28 KB)
This is my Aunt Mabel, the picture was taken about the time she got married in 1950. She married Eugene Randolph "Gene" Cowling, of Bluefield, West Virginia, in 1950. Uncle Gene and Aunt Mabel have lived in Centerville, Ohio, since 1967.
- Ed, Henry, Ella, Iona, and Hester Belcher (15 KB)
Grandpa Belcher and his siblings. I never knew Ed, the others I knew and remember well.
- Eugene Randolph "Uncle Gene" Cowling (27 KB)
My "Uncle Gene" married my mother's youngest sister, Mabel, in 1950. Gene is from Bluefield, West Virginia. A special and wonderful uncle.
- Venila Jane Altizer Gravestone (80 KB)
My great-grandmother, Venila Jane Browning, married Andrew Bruce Altizer in 1883. My grandmother, Minnie Delphi Altizer, was their youngest of 11 children. Buried at Verner, West Virginia, near her parents.
- Jerry Adair, my 1st cousin (10 KB)
Aunt Verla married Ransom "Rank" Adair. This is their son, Jerry. Jerry was born in 1939, and died in 2001.
- Gene Cowling and Mabel Farley's wedding (16 KB)
Uncle Gene and Aunt Mabel on their wedding day, June 27, 1950, in Lima, Ohio. They have two children, My cousin Bill Cowling, who married Judy Wohlers, and my cousin Sue Cowling, who married Doug Fattic.
- Uncle Ed Belcher in a Music Group (214 KB)
My grandfathers brother, John Edward Belcher, was a musician. This is a poster I found after my grandfather died in 1968. This is one of the groups "Uncle Ed" was in. WCHS is in Charleston, WV.
- Uncle Tommy, Daddy's little brother (10 KB)
Henry Thomas Belcher, born at Christian, West Virginia, in 1932. The only surviving member of Daddy's immediate family.
- Me, my sister Bobby, and our 2nd cousin Anita (26 KB)
This picture was taken in the summer of 1959, at Lake, West Virginia. Me and my sister are pictured here with our 2nd cousin Anita Adkins. She is the daughter of Bernie Adkins and daddy's cousin, Lyda "Lydie" Lykens. Anita still lives with her husband and family at Lake, West Virginia, about 5 miles from where daddy and her parents are buried.
- Francis Browning Grave (52 KB)
Francis Browning was my 4th great-grandfather. He is buried in a very remote area on a mountain in West Virginia. I never thought I would actually get to see this in person. He married Tabitha Vance.
- A fun ride on the farm, at Mt. Vernon, Ohio (22 KB)
I loved doing this. On the tractor is my cousin, Dick Farley. On the trailer are, left to right, me, my cousin Bill Cowling, and my sister Bobby. I loved riding around like this.
- Tabitha Vance Browning Grave (55 KB)
Tabitha Vance, the daughter of Abner Vance, married Francis Browning, and they were my 4th great-grandparents. Two of my cousins took me up on the mountain to their graves on May 12, 2004.
- Grandpa Belcher's Award (39 KB)
My grandfather, Henry Wyatt Belcher, worked at the American Car & Foundry (ACF) in downtown Huntington, West Virginia, as a crane operator. Daddy told me he was so good at what he did, if Henry Belcher wasn't up there in that crane, the workers down below would walk off the job. They trusted him.
- Me In The Summer Of 2003 (22 KB)
This picture of me was taken after church by one of the church members who enjoys taking pitcures of everyone. It's one of the best pictures ever taken of me.
- Bernie and Lydie, with Agatha and Anita (40 KB)
This is Bernie Adkins and his wife, Lyda "Lydie" Lykens, with their two girls Agatha "Tootle", and Anita. Anita is the youngest. Lydie was my father's first cousin. Bernie and Lydie are buried at Pecks Mill, West Virginia, where my father is. Picture taken in Logan County, West Virginia, in 1950. I loved to talk with Bernie.
- Gene Cowling and Mabel Farley cutting their cake (23 KB)
Mabel Farley, my mother's youngest sister, married Gene Cowling in 1950, at Lima, Ohio. Here they are cutting their wedding cake.
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