The Story of Orson Bellamy of Saratoga, New York, and Some of His Descendants - Part 3

The Final Installment

Thank you to the children and grandchildren who shared stories and photos with me for Generation Four. Genealogy is never done, so feel free to add stories in the comments, and I am open to writing a revision if I need to make corrections or add to the personal histories.

Some of the women were difficult to write about. They were housewives and their stories have been lost. One obituary basically said, “She liked to make afghans and shop with her sister.” Missing are the stories of her taking care of sick children, running a household on a budget, helping her children reach their goals, and teaching them to be good citizens. Was she interested in politics? What were some of her favorite sayings? What stories did she tell about her family? How did she support her husband? How did he support her?

Also, I knew there was a living member of generation four in her 90s. We had a good visit on the phone and she told me the Stophilbeens changed their name to Bellamy because of the anti-German sentiments brought on by World War I. 

There appear to be six living members of generation four which brings me to one of my pet peeves, just because someone appears in the 1940 census, 1950 census, or an obituary, and these are available on Ancestry and FamilySearch, it does not mean they are deceased. If someone is not 110 years old, and you do not have some evidence of their death, assume they are living.

Getting a rewrite 9 April 2023

Fourth Generation

The Children of Earl Delbert Bellamy and Minnie F. Young

Eleanor Frances Bellamy

Sometime after receiving her degree at the Mildred Elley Business School in Albany, Albany, New York, Eleanor went to work for Attorney James D Connor in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York. (See Documents 1 & 2) Besides learning secretarial skills, “Mildred Elley girls also took voice lessons to learn how to properly answer the telephone and followed strict etiquette mores expected of young women of the era. ‘You just didn’t chew gum. You kept your feet on the floor, and you were just ladies…’” Perhaps it was while she was attending school in Albany that she met Harold Van Vranken and they married on 1 April 1933 in Albany, Albany, New York, when she was nineteen years old. (See Documents 3 & 4)

What seems to be a common theme in the Bellamy family, the marriage did not last. Harold was listed as “divorced, with no dependents” on his World War II Army Enlistment Record dated 8 July 1942, and Eleanor was going by Bellamy in the 1941 Saratoga Springs city directory. Eleanor married Daniel Schwank on 7 March 1945 in Milton, Saratoga, New York and they had one child, Dana John Schwank, who was born on 21 September 1945 in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York, and died on 14 March 1984 at the Albany Medical Center Hospital. (See Documents 5–7)

Eleanor was a member of the South Wilton Methodist Church which was located five miles north of Saratoga Springs on Route 50. In 1974 she was the chairman of the church bake sale during the Christmas bazaar. Dana and his wife also participated by selling cut glass and African violets.

On Saturday morning, 27 May 2006, Eleanor Bellamy Schwank peacefully “went home to be with the Lord.”

Audrey Bellamy

According to Audrey Bellamy VanVranken’s obituary, she was born at the Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs where her father was working. (See Document 8) Unfortunately, a newspaper account of the birth was not found, and her nephew had never heard the story.

Audrey followed her sister’s example and at age nineteen she married her sister’s brother-in-law, Elwin L. VanVranken on 14 June 1936 in Saratoga County, New York. (See Documents 9 & 10) She had completed three years of high school and after her marriage, she probably did what most married women did–tend the home and take care of the children. (See Document 11) Elwin worked as a rural paper carrier, earning $1092 in the 52 weeks previous to the 1940 census. That was about as much as his neighbors earned and he owned his home as did most of his neighbors.

They had one child who is still living and was born before Elwin served in the Navy during World War II. Elwin was a McMM1c (possibly a medical corps merchant marines first class in the Naval reserves). (See Document 12) He sailed on the U.S.S. McCracken serving with the 83rd Naval Construction Battalion, Company C, Platoon 6. The ship left San Pedro, California on 27 December 1944 and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 3 January 1945. They left Pearl Harbor on 29 March 1945 for Samar, Philippines, and arrived on 22 April 1945 where they assisted “on construction of Acorn 13, constructing bomb storage, air facilities, and water system.” While the war with Japan ended on 2 September 1945, the 83rd CB left Samar on 27 October 1945 and arrived in Tangku, China on 4 November 1945 where they were engaged in airfield reconstruction. The 83rd CB was deactivated on 31 December 1945, and while Elwin was still listed as serving in the USN in the 1946 city directory, he probably returned home early that year. (See Document 13)

Elwin and Audrey lived on Louden Road, adjoining the properties of her brother Earl L. Bellamy and his family, and her parents, Earl D. and Minnie Bellamy, probably because her parents had sold the land in Wilton to Elwin Van Vranken in 1943. (See Document 14)

Audrey also suffered from the Bellamy curse. Sometime after 1960, she and Elwin separated. When Audrey passed away on 28 November 2003 in the Saratoga Hospital, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York, her obituary mentioned her child, two grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Elwin had predeceased her by about three months, but sadly, his obituary only mentioned he was “survived by his companion…”

Earl Louis Bellamy

Looking at Earl Louis Bellamy’s neighbors in the 1940 census, it seems very few of the men went to school beyond 8th grade, including Earl. (See Document 15) Perhaps they were needed to contribute to the family’s finances. Earl was self-employed, driving a truck. The following year, he was drafted and left for training at Fort Jay, Governors Island, New York on 24 June 1941, and served the duration of the war, being discharged on 2 November 1945.

He must not have been shipped overseas right away because he married Katherine L. Goulden on 27 December 1941 in Mechanicville, Saratoga, New York, and their first child was born in 1943. (See Document 14) About a year after his active service, Earl joined the National Guard on 20 October 1947, Unit L 105 Inf.

Earl appears to have lived on the property near his parents’ home his entire life. It was listed as Louden Road in the available census records, RFD#2 in the city directories, and Eddee [sic] Road in his obituary. (See Document 16) Earl and his family lived at 51 Edie Road and Audrey and her family lived across the street at 50 Edie Road. The home at 50 Edie Road was built in 1898, had 800 square feet of living space, and four rooms – 2 bedrooms and one bath. Earl’s home was built in 1980 and had eight rooms – 4 bedrooms and two baths.

After the war, Earl worked as a clerk at a grocery store to provide for his family and later worked at the Saratoga Harness Racing as a security guard. Earl died at the Saratoga Hospital, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York on 8 September 1981.

The Children of Leon D. Bellamy and Louise E. Ide

Leon Daniel Bellamy Jr.

In 1938, Leon Daniel Bellamy Sr. was killed in an accident at the papermill when Leon Jr. was about twenty-two years old. While his mother, Louise E. Bellamy, and his youngest sister were granted a stipend by the papermill, Louise was selling sandwiches out of her home to supplement her income. (See Document 17) Leon Jr. had married Marian Bartlett on 27 October 1939 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York, and they were also living with Louise, probably to help around the house and to contribute to the financial support of his mother, sister, and grandmother, who was also living in the household. (See Document 18)

Leon worked hard. In 1940 he was running a milk business and his wife was making button holes at the local shirt factory. Eventually, the milk business became Hill View Dairy.

While “Mr. Bellamy was employed at General Electric in Schenectady as a machinist for a few years. Along with his wife, Mr. Bellamy owned and operated the In-Plant Feeding Company at the International Paper Co. in Corinth, which included the Commissary for over 17 years.” On Saturday, 9 November 1957, “the wood preparation building of International Paper Company’s Hudson River Mill at Palmer” caught fire. Firefighters came from Corinth, Greenfield, Luzerne, Saratoga Springs, and Ballston Spa, and had the fire under control after five hours. “Coffee was served at the scene supplied by Leon Bellamy of the Community Cafeteria and the Corinth Emergency Squad Auxiliary, members of which were joined by the Corinth Fire Department Auxiliary in serving it.”

Around 1976, Leon built an International House of Pancakes on Wolf Road in Colonie which he and his wife operated for over 30 years. Leon died on 26 June 2003 at the Saratoga Hospital, Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York. At the time of his death, he was maintaining two homes – one in Hadley, Saratoga, New York, and the other on Sanibel Island, Lee, Florida.

Charlene Jean Bellamy

Charlene Jean Bellamy was born on 28 August 1918 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York. (See Document 19) She married Luther Alfonzo Wallace on 6 April 1940 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York. Charlene was a beautician and Luther was a Coca-Cola salesman. (See Document 20) In 1950, Charlene was operating her beauty salon and raising children. (See Document 21) Luther was an insurance salesman for Prudential for thirty-five years. Charlene was an artist and painted “seascapes in various medias” in York, Maine, and some of her work hung “in some of the most prestigious galleries across the country.” She was the owner and instructor at Family Tree Ceramic. She passed away on 13 June 2016 at age 97, probably in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York.

Jane Bellamy

Jane Bellamy was born on 28 February 1925 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York. (See Document 22) After high school, she “attended hairdressing school in Glens Falls. She was employed as a hairdresser for a time,” and then she did what most women of the time did, she married and devoted her time to caring for her home and family, and serving in her community. (See Document 23) Jane married Donald S. McCarty on 15 May 1949 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York. (See Documents 24 & 25) Donald was thirteen years older than Jane and was an established pharmacist, and Jane often worked in the pharmacy alongside her husband. (See Document 26)

Donald had served in the Army during World War II, enlisting on 10 July 1942 and being discharged on 21 February 1946. He was already a practicing pharmacist and was a Warrant Officer when he began his service. Warrant Officers, “outrank NCOs but remain below commissioned officer grade. They’re not quite considered officers, but they do hold officer-level power and are saluted as such.”

Jane died on 15 March 1987 at the Adirondack Regional Hospital, Corinth, Saratoga, New York.

The Children of George Jesse Bentley and Sarah Melvina Bellamy

George Richard Bentley

On 1 August 1915 in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York, George Richard Bentley was born about six and a half years after his uncle, Edward Bentley. (See Document 27) The two were like brothers. Edward had a truck and he and George would join a row of trucks waiting to be hired for jobs. One Sunday, they drove a bunch of young men and women to have a picnic out in the countryside and George met Ethel Minnie Ramsey. They dated for a while and one day, Ethel said something to the effect, “For two cents, I’d marry you tomorrow.” George pulled out two cents and the next day, 27 November 1936, they went to Nassau, Rensselaer, New York, and married, probably because there was no waiting period. (See Document 28)

Edward had said he’d get married when George did, and by coincidence, he got married on 26 November 1936 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts.

George “enlisted” to serve in World War II on 27 June 1945 “for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months…” While the military records give the enlistment date, “date drafted” would probably be more accurate for most of the Bellamy relations. At the time George Richard Bentley reported for duty, he had two small children and a seven-month-pregnant wife. Fortunately, the war ended before he was sent overseas and he returned home.

After the war, George worked in the tool crib at Pratt and Whitney and continued there until he retired. He died on 16 February 1996 in East Hartford, Harford, Connecticut, and was buried in Old Hampden Cemetery, Hampden, Hampden, Massachusetts. (See Document 29)

Wesley Edward Bentley

The Bentley family struggled financially and the Depression ended the education of the three older children. George left school after his first year of high school; Wesley and Charles left school after eighth grade. Wesley reported for World War II duty the day before his older brother – 26 June 1945. Like his brother, Wesley was a father having married Grace Cross Fillmore on 29 May 1937 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. Unlike his brother, he served until 4 May 1946.

After the war, Wesley Edward Bentley attended Olivet Nazarene College and served as “an ordained minister for the Church of the Nazarene for 32 years.” He also worked for Southern Nazarene University for fourteen years.

Wesley was born on 1 July 1917 in Stillwater, Saratoga, New York, and died on 26 January 1987 in Bethany, Oklahoma, Oklahoma.

Charles Henry Bentley

“He was a good mechanic and never passed someone with car trouble without stopping to help,” his nephew, George Richard Bentley Jr. wrote.

Charles Henry Bentley was born on 13 July 1919 in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York, three years before the family moved to Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, and died on 30 May 1985 in Three Rivers, Hampden, Massachusetts. (See Documents 30 & 31) He married Jean Rokosz on 6 October 1940 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. Charles Bentley was a warehouse worker living with his brother in Springfield, Massachusetts when he met Jean who was a waitress living in the same area. Did Charles first see her at the restaurant where she worked? Or perhaps he met her in the neighborhood or at a local social event? It was a mixed marriage, Jean was a member of the National Polish Catholic Church (also known as the Holy Mother of the Rosary) and they were married by the pastor of the Church of the Nazarene.

On 25 June 1940, Charles enlisted in the National Guard. He was called up to active duty on 16 January 1941 but was “honorably discharged 18 January 1941 at Springfield, Mass. as a Private by reason of Certificate of Disability.” Charles was again called up for active duty even though he was the father of two children and reported to Fort Devens on 30 November 1943. He served until 9 November 1945 when he was discharged as a Private First Class – Medical Detachment 135th Infantry Regiment. (See Document 32) “When he came home, he had problems adjusting to civilian life. Whenever a plane flew over in the night, he would roll out of bed and come up looking for his rifle. Obviously, he saw quite a bit of action. He was married to Jean Rokosz and the strain on them was such that Uncle Charlie re-enlisted and went away again.” Charles served a second tour of duty from 9 December 1947 to 7 February 1950. He and Jean divorced just before or during that time. “He made little, if any, contact with her over the years, but occasionally made efforts to see his three children.”

“When he returned, he lived in New York for a while. From his stories, the Italian he learned in the service stood him in good stead and he became a driver for a mafia boss. When that whole family was killed, he went to Connecticut where he lived in a trailer park keeping a low profile.”

Charles may have been quick to help strangers on the side of the road, but his family could not depend on him. “Whenever we traveled to Springfield, I tried to contact him. Numerous times we would make plans to meet that would fall through with his not showing up for one reason or another. The next time (possibly as much as a year later) he would explain that this or that had come up.”

Marie Luella Bentley

Marie Luella Bentley was born on 16 January 1921 in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York. (See Document 33) She attended school until 10th grade and then dropped out, probably because her mother had died of cancer that year and Marie was needed at home to help her grandmother (with whom they were living) with the household chores. Marie was seventy years old when she earned a GED. (See Document 34)

She married Douglas E. Ellsworth on 18 October 1941 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, and lived in East Longmeadow, Hampden, Massachusetts. When Douglas retired, they moved to Florida, eventually settling in Saint Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida where he died on 17 November 1988 and she died on 8 May 2007. (See Document 35)

They were members of the Church of the Nazarene, both in Massachusetts and in Florida. Marie “was a teacher for the afterschool day care program for 11 years, served on the Sunday School board for several years and was active in children’s activities. She was named Florida’s Sunday School Teacher of the Year in 1997.” In addition to raising her own children, Marie was a foster mother for 16 years.

William Brown Bentley

William Brown Bentley was named after his step-grandfather – William Tyler Brown. William was the baby of the family and was born on 31 August 1924 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts. (See Document 36) The family had lived with or near Grandma since George Jesse Bentley and Sarah Melvina Bellamy married in 1914, and Grandpa Brown had been a part of their lives since 1917.

William was twenty-one when he served with the Army in World War II beginning on 10 September 1942. The Army had a training camp in Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana, and William was probably stationed there or at one of the other nearby installations when he met Mabel Duhon whom he married on 2 November 1944, and their daughter was born on 17 June 1945 at Lake Charles, Calcasieu, Louisiana. (See Document 37) At this time, out-of-wedlock births were a stigma, and William probably “made an honest woman of her” before shipping out. William was assigned to Co. D 767 Tank Battalion which was assigned to the Pacific Theater of Operations and was probably involved in the Leyte, Philippines invasion in November/December 1944. (See Document 38)

After the war ended, William was still serving on 6 December 1945 at Wakayama, Honshu, Japan when he fell “into a fourteen foot sump filled with water and oil” and drowned. (See Document 39) His death was ruled an accident, and the body was returned to his father in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts for burial.

The Children of Orson Edward Bellamy and Edwina Ide

Donald Warren Bellamy

Besides working as a carpenter and running his own contracting business, Orson E. Bellamy owned Bellamy’s Beverage Supply. His oldest son, Donald Warren Bellamy, was born on 18 February 1918 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York, and worked for the Beverage Supply company in the Scotia-Glenville area while he was in high school and a few years after. (See Document 40) From 1941 to 1954, Donald was with the American Locomotive Co. where he worked as an electrician. He worked as an electrician for various companies until he retired in 1980.

After retirement, Donald helped out at Bellamy & Sons Construction, which was started by one of his children, probably because he’d always been very active – master of Glenville Grange 1531, president of the Glenville Republican Club, member of the Glenville Zoning Board of Appeals, president of the Glenville Hill Fire Department, member of the Board of Fire Commissioners, Scout leader, and member of the board of directors for the Capital District Co-Operative Insurance Company.

The wedding of Louise Lemke and Donald Warren Bellamy was announced for February 1942 but was moved up to 24 January 1942. They probably married in either Schenectady, where Louise was living with her sister and brother-in-law, or in Scotia, where Donald was living with his parents.

Eventually, Donald and Louisa followed the example of many New York retirees and moved to Florida. Donald died in Lake Placid, Highlands, Florida on 20 February 1999.

Gerald Orson Bellamy

While there was no indication Donald served in World War II, his brother Gerald O. Bellamy was called up for duty on 2 November 1943 and trained at Camp Fochette in Louisiana. (See Document 41) He attained the rank of sergeant and was discharged on 30 May 1945. Civilian life did not last long, he was called up again to active duty on 3 August 1945 and reported to Fort Dix in New Jersey.

Like many of his cousins, he was called up to serve in the war despite having married Loretta Louise Albright on 19 April 1942 in Scioto, Schenectady, New York, but he did not have any children at that time. (See Document 42) After the war, he worked “at the General Electric Co. in Schenectady. He then worked at Electric Boat Co. in Groton, Conn., until becoming a quality control engineer with Pitney-Bowes in Danbury, Conn., in 1976.”

Gerald was born on 19 September 1919 at Corinth, Saratoga, New York, and died on 26 January 1985 in New Milford Hospital, New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut. (See Document 43)

Irene Edwina Bellamy

Irene Edwina Bellamy “enjoyed early success as a singer in clubs and on WGY radio.” Ted Murchie was a radio announcer at WGY and that was where they met, and they married on 15 October 1944 in Glenville, Schenectady, New York. (See Document 44) Ted went on to work for WOAI in San Antonio, Texas, but by 1950, they had moved to New Hampshire where Ted worked at the local hotels and worked as a salesman for food equipment. Irene worked for New England College – first in the mail room and then in the food service management team.

Irene was born on 9 December 1923 in Corinth, Saratoga, New York, and passed away in the Merrimack County Nursing Home located in Boscawen, Merrimack, New Hampshire on 17 August 2015.

Dorothy M. Bellamy

Like most women of this time, Dorothy M. Bellamy gave up her job as a nurse when she married and “was a devoted wife and mother to her four children, a dedicated homemaker and friend, active in her neighborhood and community for her entire life.”

Prior to his marriage to Dorothy on 10 November 1946 in Glenville, Schenectady, New York, William Melvin Swartz had worked as a “semiskilled brakemen, railroad.” (See Documents 45 & 46) He had a grammar school education having dropped out after seventh grade, but while he did not graduate from high school, by 1950 he was teaching welding at a training school. Dorothy “graduated from Scotia Glenville High School. She went on to obtain her nursing diploma from the State Teachers College at Plattsburgh, NY.”

Dorothy was born on 7 October 1925 in Scotia, Schenectady, New York, and died on 3 September 2020 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York.

Child Who Was Alive as of 2020 Will Not Be Discussed

The Children of Harold J. Gallup and Julia M. Bellamy

Harold Orson Gallup

Harold Orson Gallup was born on 10 January 1920 in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York. (See Document 47) He completed the ninth grade of high school and then went to work as a farm hand, probably helping his father with their dairy farm. (See Document 48) When he registered for the draft, he was working for Garage World.

Harold was called up to serve in World War II on 7 April 1942 and was trained at Camp Lee in Virginia and promoted to Technician Fifth Grade before he reported to Camp Edward in Massachusetts for more training. (See Document 49) He served four years in the military, three of those were in the Pacific Theater where he served with the 39th General Hospital unit. (See Document 50)

After the war, Harold met Beverly I. Murray and they married on 28 May 1946 in Fort Edward, Washington, New York. At the time, Harold was working at Obie’s Garage in Schuylerville, Saratoga, New York, and Beverly was an inspector at the Fort Edward Plant of the General Electric Company. Unlike most women, Beverly continued to work after the marriage and retired from General Electric in 1977. Harold worked for Finch Pruyn & Co., a paper-making company in Glen Falls, Warren, New York, for 37 years. (See Document 51)

Harold passed away on 6 May 1997 in Queensbury, Warren, New York. (See Document 52)

Marshall Edward Gallup

While many of the Bellamy men did not serve during World War I because they were married or had children, the U.S. government was merciless during World War II calling up husbands, fathers, and all the male children of a single family. Both Marshall Edward Gallup and his brother Harold Orson Gallup were called upon to serve overseas. Marshall was inducted on 10 July 1945 and reported to Fort Knox in Kentucky for basic training. (See Document 49) He was assigned to a tank battalion, and “was awarded medals for proficiency with rifle, carbine, machine gun, submachine gun and as a tank driver.” After basic training, he reported to Fort George Meade in Maryland, was sent to France, and proceeded to Luxembourg where he was wounded. His parents received a telegram but no details and were probably worried until they heard from their son. His hand was lacerated due to the explosive effects of a gun discharge during battle, and after healing he continued to serve and attained the rank of Corporal.

He married Ida Cook on 22 December 1947 at Schuylerville, Saratoga, New York. (See Document 53) “Donald Washburn, uncle of the bride, was best man.” Donald Washburn was Ida’s uncle by marriage, but he was also Marshall’s second cousin. They probably weren’t aware of the relationship unless they had a family genealogist tracking all the relationships.

In 1950, Marshall and his family were living on the dairy farm with his parents and he worked as a beater tender at a papermill which was probably the International Paper Co. where he worked for 37 years. Like his brother, Marshall dropped out of school after ninth grade. (See Document 48)

Marshall passed away on 15 February 2014 at Gansevoort, Saratoga, New York.

Barbara Etta Gallup

Unlike her brothers, Barbara Etta Gallup graduated from South Glens Falls High School in 1943. She was working for the Glens Falls Indemnity Company when she married Harold Lester Hillis on 8 September 1946 at Glens Falls, Warren, New York. Harold also attended South Glens Falls High School and was a farmer, probably working on his father’s farm until about 1953. (See Documents 54 & 55) Harold and Barbara appear in the Glens Falls City Directory in 1952 living with his parents, the digital images for 1953 are missing from Ancestry, in 1954 they don’t appear in the directory, and in 1955 Harold appeared working as a custodian for the Queensbury School and living on Bay Road, the same road where his parents lived. Barbara died in her home at 790 Bay Road, Queensbury, Warren, New York on 5 November 2004. (See Document 56)

Harold and Barbara had a camp on Glen Lake and would spend the summers there often joined by family and friends. She was a member of the Coachman’s Club and she and Harold “enjoyed traveling throughout the county.” Barbara also volunteered at the school, served as a Brownies leader, participated in a polio drive, and in 1952 was a ground observer watching for Soviet planes.

As life changed, so did her volunteer activities. She was a cancer survivor and volunteered with the American Cancer Society. She was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls and helped with their Elder Share program. She enjoyed square dancing and was a member of the Merry Mohicans.

Barbara was born on 5 January 1926 at Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York.

Child Who Was Alive as of 2018 Will Not Be Discussed

The Child of William Bootier and Ruth Bellamy

Edward (née Bootier) Bellamy

On 29 June 1918, Edward W. Bootier was born in Saratoga Springs, Saratoga, New York to the then 17-year-old Ruth Bellamy and William Bootier. (Document 57) By 1920, Edward Bellamy and his wife, Etta were caring for their grandson on the family farm while Ruth was lodging with the Hazard family in Saratoga Springs working as a waitress. Edward’s grandmother passed away when he was six years old, but he continued to live with and was raised by his grandfather and he became known as Edward Bellamy Jr.

Edward graduated from Saratoga High School in 1935 and went to work at the American Wood Board Company of Clarks Mills where he made wallpaper. On 17 December 1939, he married Elizabeth Jane Smith in Gansevoort, Saratoga, New York. (See Document 58) Edward and Elizabeth lived with Edward’s grandfather at the family farm until about 1947, when Edward packed up the family, including his grandfather, and moved to Niskayuna, Schenectady, New York. Edward cared for his grandfather until the senior Edward passed away in 1954.

While Edward was raised by his grandfather, he kept in contact with his mother. She attended his wedding and Edward named her as the person “who will always know your address” on his World War II Draft Card even though he was married and living with his grandfather at the time.

Despite having three children, Edward served in the Navy during World War II. Perhaps this is where he learned the skills he needed to be a diesel foreman for the American Locomotive Company where he worked most of his life. It seems he enjoyed his job because he became a member of the ALCO Heritage Museum.

Edward died on 31 January 2012 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York.

The Children of Ralph Bellamy and Dora A. Knauer

Elizabeth Margaret Bellamy

There was a mistake in the 1940 census; Betty (Elizabeth Margaret Bellamy) was listed as the daughter of Benjamin Hunt but instead, she was his daughter-in-law, having married Fred D. Hunt on 26 May 1938 in Troy, Rensselaer, New York. (See Documents 59 & 60) Her husband was working at the collar factory, probably Cluett & Peabody, where he worked his way up to Chief Inspector. Later he worked and retired from Hollingsworth and Vose Paper Company.

Betty may have met her husband in the neighborhood as he lived the next street over, or she may have met him at work as she also worked at Cluett & Peabody before her marriage. After her marriage, she was “strictly a homebody,” canning, sewing, and upholstering. (See Document 61) Betty had the same sofa for 30 years and changed the upholstery when needed.

Betty was twelve years older than her siblings and when their father died in 1943, she took them in, even though she was the mother to three children at the time.

She died on 24 March 2002 in Argyle, Washington, New York.

Ann Mary Bellamy

Ann Mary Bellamy was born on 18 October 1929 in Troy, Rensselaer, New York. (See Document 62) About 1933, her parents separated. Ralph moved to Albany, Albany, New York, and when his father moved to Albany around 1940, Ralph and his two younger children moved in with him. After Ralph’s death in 1943, the children returned to Troy where Ann was a member of the Youth Fellowship at the Trinity Methodist Church and participated in a one-act play to raise funds for summer camp. (See Document 63)

She dropped out of high school when she was sixteen, and went to comptometer school because they guaranteed her a job, and by 1948, she was working as a comptometer operator. That same year she married Clayton Lamitie on June 5th in Troy, Rensselaer, New York. (See Documents 64 & 65) She hated working as a comptometer, and as she and Clayton didn’t have any children until ten years into the marriage, she went to work as a seamstress making children’s dresses. She was a “terrific seamstress,” and if she wanted a new dress, she’d make one that day. She also knit beautiful sweaters.

Family was very important to Ann. “My mother never went anywhere. She was a big part of my kids' life growing up.” She passed away on 16 January 2010 in Troy, Rensselaer, New York.

Child Who Was Alive as of 2023 Will Not Be Discussed

The Children of Roy John Stophilbeen and Vera Nilson

Roy Vernon Stophilbeen

Roy was fortunate that his father was able to find consistent work as an auto mechanic even during the Depression, and Roy also found work in the auto industry doing bodywork. He was born on 8 March 1918, in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota, and while the 1940 census indicates he completed four years of high school, his Army enlistment record says he only completed three years. (See Document 66)

At the time of the 1940 census, Roy was working at a private garage in Wadena, Wadena, Minnesota doing bodywork, and later that year he left the family home and was in Fargo, Cass, North Dakota, working for Anderson-Bearson Pontiac. (See Documents 67 & 68) When he was inducted into the Army on 17 September 1943, his occupation was listed as “semiskilled chauffeurs and drivers, bus, taxi, truck and tractor.” He was listed as single, but he had gotten married to Billie Stipe on 30 January 1943 probably in Port Angeles, Clallam, Washington. (See Document 69)

Roy served in the Army with Co. D, 147th Infantry, reaching the rank of Staff Sargent before being discharged on 17 January 1946. (See Document 70) The 147th Infantry was assigned to the Pacific theater and was involved in the fighting at Iwo Jima from March to September 1945.

Roy returned from the war, went back to auto repairing and painting, and fathered two children. The marriage did not last and Roy married Imo Anita (Booth) Block on 11 February 1961 in Seattle, King, Washington. (See Document 71) It appears Roy joined some of his Stophilbeen relatives in changing his surname to Bellamy. It must have been shortly before his death on 3 April 1969 in Edmonds, Snohomish, Washington, because he was listed as Roy Stophilbeen in his father’s 1965 obituary, and there are two entries for him in the Washington, U.S. Death Index – Roy V Stophilbee and Roy V Bellamy, both Certificate Number 009990.

Child Who Was Alive as of 2019 Will Not Be Discussed

Child Who Was Alive as of 2019 Will Not Be Discussed

Mary Lou Stophilbeen

Unlike her siblings who were all born in Minnesota, Mary Lou was born in Hudson, St. Croix, Wisconsin on 21 October 1927. While most of the family stayed in the Washington state area, at age eighteen, Mary Lou went to Richmond, Richmond, Virginia probably to marry Sargeant Otha Cleammons Bayne, Jr. on 2 March 1945. (See Document 72)

Together, they had three children before Otha died at his residence on 30 October 1971 at the age of 47. Sadly, that was not the first untimely death in their family. Their first child was born and died the same day, and eight years after Otha’s death, their third child, Sharon Lee Bayne passed away. (See Documents 73 & 74)

Mary Lou married Finis Tilford Shupe on 4 October 1976 in Elizabeth City, Pasquotank, North Carolina. (See Document 75) Why did they marry in North Carolina when they both lived in Virginia? Perhaps they wanted to marry on the beach and the weather was better, but more likely, they married in North Carolina because a blood test was not required.

Mary Lou passed away on 11 September 2010 in Orange, Orange, Virginia.

Dona Ruth Stophilbeen

Dona Ruth Stophilbeen was born on 2 March 1930 in Truman, Martin, Minnesota. She attended Central Washington College of Education and while attending school she lived in Kamola Hall and worked as an assistant librarian. (See Document 76) After graduating, she became a teacher in St. John, Whitman, Washington.

While her parents lived in Newport, Washington, and Harvey Schneidmiller’s parents lived in St. John, they decided to marry on 18 June 1955 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Endicott, Whitman, Washington. “They made their home in St. John and operated a farm just west of town.”

Dona devoted herself to home and family before passing away on 21 February 2019 in Spokane, Spokane, Washington. (See Document 77)

The Child of George Wachsmuth and Lillie
(née Stophilbeen) Bellamy

Arthur Earl (née Wachsmuth) Bellamy

At first glance, it appeared Arthur Earl Bellamy, who went by Earl, was the son of John (née Stophilbeen) Bellamy and Lillian Bellamy, but he was the son of Lillie (née Stophilbeen) Bellamy and her first husband George Wachsmuth. George and Lillie were married in 1914 in Hennepin County, Minnesota; Earl was born on 11 March 1917 in Minneapolis, Hennepin, Minnesota. (See Document 78) There are twenty-one years between the births of John Stophilbeen and Lillian Bellamy’s youngest child, Myrtle, and Earl. Lillian would have been about forty-five years old when Earl was born making it unlikely that she would have had a successful pregnancy. And sure enough, there is a birth record for a child named Wachsmuth with a mother with the maiden name Stophilbern dated 11 March 1917.

While Earl was being raised by his grandparents as their son, his biological mother was a Holywood hostess and a musical performer and had married Wiliam Andrew Black, a property manager for First National Studios. Earl also had performing in his blood. In 1934 he appeared in his high school performance of The Belle of New York. (See Document 79) By age 23, he was an assistant director at Columbia Pictures. (See Document 78)

He married Catherine Theresa Murphy around 1939 and they had two children before “he was drafted in early 1945 and assigned to a Navy photographic unit that turned out training films.” Catherine died on 22 December 1951 in “Rural Temple City”, Los Angeles, California. With two children to care for, Earl did what most men do, he went looking for a wife and married Margaret Jane Nulle on 22 November 1952 at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. He and Margaret had one child before she died on 29 August 1977 in Los Angeles County, California. Earl was again left with a motherless child and married a third time.

Earl had a very successful career with “1,500 film and TV directing credits.” Some of the shows he directed were The Lone Ranger, The Andy Griffith Show, M*A*S*H, The Munsters, Rawhide, Hart to Hart, and V. He passed away on 30 November 2003 in Albuquerque, Bernalillo, New Mexico.

The Child of William Andrew Black and Lillie
(née Stophilbeen) Bellamy

William Arthur Black Jr.

William Arthur Black was born on 21 December 1928 in Hollywood, California, and listed his half-brother/uncle and employer, Mr. Earl Bellamy of Columbia Studios, as “the person who will always know your address” on his Draft Card. (See Documents 80 & 81) He did not serve in the military due to a disability.

In the 1950 census, he was twenty-one years old, married to Bonnie Joan (Lawing) who was seventeen years old, and they had a one-year-old child who was born in Ohio. (See Document 82) They had at least one more child before divorcing in the 1960s. William died on 11 February 1992 in Los Angeles County, California.

The Child of Philip Shepherd Harlow and Myrtle
(née Stophilbeen) Bellamy

Child Who Was Alive as of 2023 Will Not Be Discussed