Lloyd Earl Belsly

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• USR1: Tuberculosis

Lloyd married Mae Wolpert on 30 Dec 1914 in Metamora, Woodford Co., IL. Mae (daughter of August Wolpert and Mary Clausen) was born in Spring Bay, Washington Twp., Woodford Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Willard Belsly was born in 1922; died in 1959.

Notes:

Obit:

JOS. BELSLY DEAD OF SHORT ILLNESS AT AGE OF 75 YEARS, DESCENDANT OF PIONEER FAMILY PASSED AWAY THURSDAY MORNING AT 9:30

Joseph Belsly, 75, descendant of one of the earliest pioneer families settling in the territory now embodied in Woodford County, died Thursday morning, at his residence in the east side of Metamora. He had been ill about eleven days suffering from an ailment which came upon him rather suddenly and he gradually declined until he died.
Deceased was a son of Christian and Mary Shertz Belsly, who settled in the county west of Metamora more than 100 years ago and established the farm now occupied by Maurice Belsly and family.
Mr. Belsly was born at Deer Creek, where he spent his younger years and was married on Dec. 28, 1883 to Miss Ida Foster. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1938 and had planned on celebrating their 55th anniversary the coming December.
Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Belsly, Harvey R., Maurice A., Lloyd, deceased, and Miss Verna Belsly. The living children all reside in Metamora and vicinity. 
Besides these and grandchildren, he is survived by two sisters, Mrs. ____ Chapman, of Des Moines, IA, and Mrs. L.N. Phillips of Henry, Ill and one brother, John R. Belsly of Washington, who are the last of the family of nine children.
Mr. an Mrs. Belsly made their home on the Joe Belsly homestead in Worth township for many years and after spending a few years in Colorado took on their residence in Metamora.

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From Illinois State Death Index:

Name: BELSLY JOSEPH Sex/Race: N/S Age: UNK Cert.#: 0000116 Death Date: 1937-10-07 County: WOODFORD City: Date Filed: - - 

N/S means not stated



Joseph was the first grandson and reportedly the favorite of his grandfather “red Joe.” “Red Joe” willed his farmstead to Joseph. Joseph was first named Ben but Grandma Barbara gave his mother Mary a dollar and said, “Papa said you should name the baby Joe.” So for a dollar his name was changed. Joseph was a successful farmer. As his grandfather had done, he also acquired additional land which he gave his children. His marriage to Ida Foster produced four children Sons Harvey, Maurice and Lloyd were all farmers. Area Belsly said Harvey had a saw mill which he ran without assistance from others. He could cultivate corn all day with a single cultivator pulled by a mule—he felt that tractor cultivators put too much dirt around the plants. He and his wife Maud lived to celebrate their seventy-second wedding anniversary. After retiring, Maurice and his wife Maggie loved to fish. They had three ponds on their farm which were stocked with catfish. Joseph and Ida had one daughter, Verna. Both she and Lloyd suffered from tuberculosis. Lloyd passed away from the disease but Verna survived it. Verna is the chief Belsly historian in the United States. It was she who discovered our relatives in France and started the correspondence with them. At eighty-three years, she still works at the Et Cetera Shop in Eureka one day a week, makes quilts and does fancywork. She is a tall lady in height and stature and reflects the proud tradition of the Belsly family.

Buried:
Mount Zion Cemetery

Joseph married Ida M. Foster on 28 Dec 1882 in Deer Creek, Tazewell Co., IL. Ida was born on 4 Nov 1863 in Eureka, Woodford Co., IL; died on 23 Aug 1953 in Washington, Tazewell Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Obit:

Ida Belsly

Ida Mae Foster was born Nov. 4, 1863, in Eureka, the daugher of Michael and Eiza Ann Myers Foster. She was married to Joseph Belsly in Deer Creek, Dec. 28, 1882. He died in Metamora on Oct. 7, 1937.
Surviving are one daughter, Miss Verna Belsly; two sons, Harvey R. and Morris Belsly, six grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren; one sister, Mrs. Jesse (Chris) Zehr and one brother, Harley R. Foster.
One son, Lloyd Belsly, is deceased.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Religion: East Washington Mennonite Church
• Residence: Marshall Co., IL
• PURC: 1860, Deer Creek, Washington Twp., Tazewell Co., IL

Notes:

Christian Belsly, as described by grandson Louis Phillips (in an unpublished ms. later included in John Robert Belsly’s “The Descendants of Joseph “Red Joe” Belsly”)

When I saw “I Remember Mama” some years ago I thought of our Chris. It seemed to me his philosophy of life should be put in print to be remembered over the years. Chris was my grandfather, my mother’s father. That does not lend anything to his stature but it may perhaps explain some of the peculiar things that I do once in a while.

Chris’ father “red Joe” lived to see his section of the country well settled and wealthy and he did much to bring about the change. He came here poor but at the time of his death was one of the wealthiest farmers in the country. This of course was all during the early life of Christ but it had much to do to make its mark upon his life. He soon began to realize that from the possessions his father had he wouldn’t have to work and at the early age of eighteen he decided that a life of leisure was what he should have. “Red Joe’ would have Chris get up every morning and run down to the barn and pump water for the livestock “Red Joe” thought it would make Chris healthy and hardy but it only served to make him rebellious against family discipline and to develop his theory of independence.

Early in his married life Chris trained Mary as few wives were trained. His clothes were always laid out on the bed ready for Chris to put on. If he wanted something at the table he didn’t ask for it. He simply held his knife straight up and Mary would know what he wanted and see that it was started on the way to him. There was no idle chatter at the table when Chris was there but when he was finished with his meals he got up and went into the bedroom—or hammock in the summertime—for a nap. Then the children would cut loose as all children will. Mary and all the children loved Chris but he ruled with an iron hand.

Chris had long anticipated the time when he would have the control and income from his father’s land and it was indeed a blow to his pride to find when “Red Joe’s” will was read that to a large degree he had been bypassed and most of the land was willed to the children of Chris. Of course as all the children were minors Chris was the man who handled the finances. Since he was justified in taking considerable of the income for the care and maintenance of the children, his income was no small item for those days.

Deer Creek, which was Chris’ home town, was quite a baseball town. They had a local team which would play neighboring teams and would take on traveling teams. When this happened they would usually bolster the team with some extra good players from other towns and would often bring out special ones from Peoria if they thought the competition warranted it. The management of the Deer Creek team lined up a game with the Kansas City Gems which was an organization made up of Negro players. For this game the local management secured the talent of some exceptional players and though they didn’t expect to win they didn’t think they would be beaten too badly. The Negro boys were players who were capable of defeating almost any team that most towns would put on the field. Chris, true sportsman that he was, made a trip over to Danvers where the team was playing the day before their game at Deer Creek, saw the manager, and for forty dollars had the assurance that the Gems would lose the game. Then he hurried back to Deer Creek and had no trouble in placing two hundred dollars at even money that Deer Creek would win. That looked fine for Chris except that the Gems won. Since the manager left town before the game was over Chris never did find out how that came about, but it was rumored that another true sportsman had given the manager fifty dollars to win.

Chris would always have the best groomed and well trained horse in the community. Before driving into the business part of town he would pull over to the side of the road and whistle a little tweet, tweet, tweet and sit there until the horse went to the powder room in typical horse manner. The boys in the family had good spirited horses but they wouldn’t be trained like Chris’ horse, much to his chagrin. His work horses were always strong and good pullers and many a time Chris would bet a little on the loads they could pull.

For many years Chris was a member of the school board which ran the rural schools. He was interested because he usually had several children in school. Chris’ children were perhaps a little better students than many who attended the rural schools and were entitled to good grades. However, the fact that Chris was on the school board often brought the complaint from envious neighbors that the good grades were given the Belsly youngsters for that reason. Most of the children received some additional education at Eureka College which was close to the family homestead. The fact that they got along well with their work there would lead one to believe their good grades were justified.

Chris had one story that he told to the school children every time he had a chance. The story was that when he and his father were driving to Chicago one early spring when the roads were pretty well broken up they came to this sign: TAKE CARE OF THE RUT YOU CHOOSE—YOU WILL BE IN IT FOR THE NEXT FIFTY MILES. He would refer to that and then say, “Would that we could say to every young man and every young woman, Take care of the path you choose—you will be in it for the next fifty years. Choose a path of vision and courage with a goal you have to reach for and your life will be a pleasant and profitable adventure.”

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Christian was raised by his step-mother, Barbara Engel, and is said to have been a very spoiled person. He never learned how to handle finances, and as a result his father, Joseph, left his estate to Christian’s children.

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“In 1860 Christian purchased land near Deer Creek, IL, where he and his wife lived and raised their family. They attended the early East Washington Mennonite Church. They had nine children...When the first son (second grandchild) was born, Grandpa Red Joe drove from his homestead in north Worth Township to see his first grandson. The parents had already chosen a name for the boy, but Grandpa Red Joe said his name is Joseph, so that is what he was named. It was that first grandson who later inherited the Red Joe homestead. When he married Ida Foster they moved to that homestead where they raised their family. From him, the homestead went to his son Maurice and today (1983) Maurice’s son, Clifford owns it.”

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“The story of Christian Belsly (1835-1915), the only son of 'Red Joe', illustrates the circular nature of some of the family relationships. 'Red Joe' distrusted his son Christian's easy nature. Relatives considered the only child to be spoiled.

Christian found a prospective wife during a visit to his uncle Peter Schrock at Lemon Township, Butler County. She lived in the next house on Salzman Road. The ceremony was conducted by minister Nicholas Augspurger at Trenton in Butler County Nov. 18, 1856.

'Red Joe' showed his displeasure with his son by declining to present the groom with the customary gift of acreage from the family farm. Christian was forced to make his own living. He and his new wife first lived at Spring Bay, and in 1860 he purchased land in Deer Creek and started his own farm. When Christian's first son was born the following year, 'Red Joe' insisted that his grandson be named Joseph. Christian consented.

When 'Red Joe' died on Christmas Eve 1872, his nine-page will divided his sizable fortune into 33 units that took six years to disperse through the probate process. He chose to leave his widow $2,000 but only 80 of his 2,000 acres. Son Christian, who expected a life of leisure, was left only 120 acres and a payment of $150 a year for 20 years. The family farm on Lourdes Road passed more or less intact to the namesake grandchild.

In the end, Christian and his wife ran a prosperous farm and raised nine children. He served as a school director and commissioner of highways in Deer Creek. He and his wife are buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery at Deer Creek.

“The wife that son Christian Belsley found in Butler County was his second cousin Mary Schertz, who was born in Butler County in 1837. She was the oldest of three daughters of John Schertz and Catherine Engel, who lived on Salzman Road in Lemon Township. 22 John Schertz was the business partner of John Stecker/Staker, and his daughters were trained in business and accounting. No doubt Mary Engel made an appropriate partner for the errant son of 'Red Joe' Belsley.”

Birth:
Verna Belsley says 1836 in a letter to H. H. Schrock in 1961. Robert Belsley’s book gives the date as 31 Jul 1835.

Residence:
Lived there two years following his marriage

PURC:
Lived on the land and raised nine children

Buried:
Mt. Zion Cemetery

Christian married Mary Magdalene Schertz on 28 Oct 1856 in Trenton, Butler Co., OH. Mary (daughter of John Schertz and Catherine Engel) was born on 3 Mar 1837 in Lemon Twp., Butler Co., OH; died on 28 Nov 1911 in Deer Creek, Washington Twp., Tazewell Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

“Mary was a slightly built lady. She was loved and respected in the community. She and Christian celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary on October 28, 1906. She passed away in 1911 and it is remembered her funeral was a very large one. The following is a quote from her obituary: ‘In recognition of a quiet, unassuming Christian life, the following simple verse will apply most appropriately—Her hands were filled with deeds of charity, the Golden Keys that open the palace of Eternity.’”

Mary was trained in business and accounting by her father, so was able to help her husband manage his finances--something he had been unable to do for himself.

Notes:

Married:
Witnesses: John Schweitzer, Annie Schrack; Joseph Lehman, Annie Moseman
Married by Rev. N. Augspurger. (Noah?)

Other Events and Attributes:

• Occupation: Farmer
• Religion: Amish Mennonite
• USR1: Dropsey
• Immigration: 1828, Butler Co., OH
• Residence: 1831, Spring Bay, Washington Twp., Woodford Co., IL
• PURC: 1832, Worth Twp., Woodford Co., IL

Notes:

Obit: Feb 1873 HofT
In Woodford County, Ill., December, 24th 1872, of dropsy, JOSEPH BALSLY, snr., aged 70 years, 6 months, and 26 days. He leaves a bereaved wife and one son to mourn their loss. Services by Jacob Unzicker, Christian Esh, and Peter Gingerich. Peace to his ashes.


Called “Joe de laRouge” because of his distinctive red hair.
Joe was successful growing clover on his land, which had not been done before in that part of the country.

“As he prospered he continued to buy land. At the time of his death he was the owner of fifteen parcels of land ranging in size from forty acres to three hundred twenty acres.”

“Red Joe’s first wife, who is thought to have been a Schrock, died early after the birth of their son, Christian. According to Tazewell Co. marriage records, he married second on Feb 25, 1840, Barbara Engel, the daughter of Christian Engel and his second wife, Barbara Brunner. According to both Verna Belsly and Ida Belsly, bones of the two wives were interred in the same grave when the graves were moved many years ago a short distance to their present site in the Red Joe Belsly cemetery on Lourdes Road in Worth Township, Woodford Co., IL.”

Joseph (Red Joe) born 28 May 1802 in “Hof Helle Court, France” Lorraine, came to America in 1828, going first to Ohio (according to Verna Belsly in a 1961 letter to H. H. Schrock). He died 1872. His first wife, Barbara Schrock, according to Verna Belsly, died young, sometime after the birth of a child named Christian. He secondly married Barbara Engel (1803-1881), who came to Illinois with her family in 1833. Red Joe was the first Mennonite to settle in Woodford County.

Red Joe amassed a great deal of land (much of it in Marshall County) and left farms in life estates to each of his grandchildren. His favorite grandson, Joseph, received the Red Joe homestead (purchased for $1.25 an acre from the government ), a brick house, now painted white, on Lourdes Road. In the estate file, the name appears as Belsy.

Red Joe’s birthplace, Hellocourt, is today attached to Maizieres Les Vic. (Some say Fribourg) The present structures were built in about 1870 and were used by the Germans in WWI.


Cimetière Anabaptiste-Mennonite de Rhodes - Moselle Jan 4, 2016 post

Some additional information: (Translated by Google)
While their older brothers, Joseph, Jean and Pierre, as well as their sister Catherine emigrated to the us one after the other, Christian, Jacob and Nicolas Pelsy chose to marry and settle in their village of birth. Christian and Nicolas have married two sisters Abresol, Catherine and Barbe, both also of Rhodes. While Jacob has sought his wife, Madeleine Schertz, Meurthe and Moselle to here in the country of baccarat. They're all buried in this cemetery.

While their older brothers Joseph (Red Joe), John and Peter, as well as their sister Catherine emigrated to the USA one after the other, Christian, Jacob and Nicolas Pelsy all chose to get married and settle in their hometown. Christian and Nicolas got married to 2 Abresol sisters, Catherine and Barbe, who were both from Rhodes. As for Jacob, he found his wife Madelaine Schertz in Rehere (Meurthe et Moselle), a village near the town of Baccarat. All of them are burried in the cemetery.

It should be noted the existence in the 19th century on the levee of the pond of the mill (Farm of bachats) of a mill operated by the family Abresol.
This one is now destroyed, only remain the two wheels in the gardens of the field.

Red Joe’s Will
“On July 30, 1872, Red Joe wrote his will. It was a lengthy document covering nine pages 8 1/2 x 11 inches in size. It distributed cash and the approximately two thousand acres of land he owned. His wife Barbara received two thousand acres of land he owned plus her share of all real and personal property allowed by the Statute of the State of Illinois. He left his son Christian one hundred fifty dollars a year for the next twenty years following his death, plus one hundred twenty acres of land. His daughter-in-law Mary, Christian’s wife, received one hundred acres of land. He willed each of his seven living grandchildren the use of land ranging from two hundred to two hundred forty acres. He set other land aside for any unborn grandchildren. Three more were born, two of whom living to adulthood. Unique feature of his will was that no grandchild could own the land but had only a life estate in it. At their death the land had to be passed on to their living heirs. If the grandchildren had no living heirs at their death, the land was to be redistributed among the other grandchildren. He wanted to insure that many more of his descendants would enjoy the fruits of his labors. . . . .Red Joe left a legacy of courage, ambition and success to his son and g grandchildren. His descendants have continued in his example, making the Belsly name something of which to be proud.”

Birth:
Hof Hellocourt, the farm at Chateau Hellocourt. Pierre Pelsy gives the date as 28 May 1802--from Christian Belsley’s hymnbook. Joe Staker has it 28 Mar 1802.

Immigration:
At age 26

Residence:
Settled there in Partridge Creek Amish settement.

PURC:
Purchased from the government for $1.25/acre

Died:
At his death he was one of the richest farmers in the county.

Buried:
Lourdes Rd., Belsley-Kamp Cemetery on Red Joe’s homestead

Joseph married Barbara Schrock (Schrack) before 1834 in Butler Co., OH?. Barbara (daughter of Joseph Schrag (Schrack) and Maria Neuhauser) was born about 1815 in Moselle, FR; died about 1835 in Spring Bay, Worth Twp., Woodford Co., IL; was buried in Worth Twp., Woodford Co., IL. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Religion: Amish Mennonite
• USR1: Joe Staker Says Cholera. I Find No Source For That. Could be from child birth.

Notes:

From an unpublished manuscript written by Verna Belsly in the 1980-90s. }

Birth:
Before 1819. Birth date could be earlier than 1815 if she married in France, but the probability is that they married in Ohio.

Buried:
Belsley-Kamp Cemetery

Notes:

Could they have married in Wayne Co., OH?

Married:
abt 1832-33, either in Ohio or Illinois

John + Catherine Engel. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Came to Illinois after her husband’s death and lived with her daughter Mary.