Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Tombstone Tuesday--Charles Pell


This is a response to a comment on last week's Tombstone Tuesday. Charles Pell is my paternal great grand uncle. He was married to Bettie Levada VanGilder.

I have no photos of Charles and his story is what I have been able to piece together from census reports, his obituary and death certificate. My link to the Pell family is through Charles' wife, Bettie VanGilder.

Charles, son of Hunter Pell and Anne E. McMillen, was born on May 3, 1866 in Preston County, West Virginia. He married Bettie VanGilder, daughter of John Oliphant VanGilder and Mary Louise Hill, on November 7, 1903 in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia.

The Pells made their home in Morgantown where Charles was a merchant. From census reports it appears that he was a salesman in the clothing business. Somewhere I found a note that he and my paternal great grandfather, George Ethelbert VanGilder, had a store in Morgantown. This is one of those pieces of information that I don't have the research, which translates to--no source!!!

The Pells had one child, a son, Robert H. Pell.




Charles had an untimely death. He was working on a car when gasoline exploded on July 31, 1931. On August 6, 1931 he was rushed to the local hospital and had both feet amputated. He died several days later.

Charles and Bettie are buried in Beverly Hills Memorial Park, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Bettie Levada VanGilder Pell Tombstone Tuesday

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

4 comments:

  1. Linda,
    I have a long line of Pells, and also a cousin whose last name is Pell, has more names. Can't wait to contact him to ask about the one mentioned here.

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  2. Oh how sad Linda.
    You might want to check his birth year in this post. You have written 1966.

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  3. Such a sad way for his life to end!

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  4. Linda, Regarding my post above, the Pell lines aren't related. It would have been nice.

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