Eighth Generation

945. James Bedwell^131,346 was born in Sep 1869 in Lafayette, Yamhill County, Oregon.³⁴⁶ He died on 20 Aug 1929 in Wayne County, Michigan.⁶⁵ He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Wayne County, Michigan.⁶⁵

Rodney D. Bedwell, descendant of James Bedwell, wrote to me in email in 1996: "I was told a story about James Bedwell (my grandfather). This is how the story goes -- Elizabeth K. Orrill died and James was 4 years old. Father William was unable to care for little James as he was the youngest. James was adopted by a Perry Beagle whom I think were family friends. ... James ran away from the Beagle's around age 12 looking for his father, whom he never found. He worked his way across the county and held many jobs including being a "cowboy." He ended up in Kansas City, Kansas where he met and married Bessie Myrtle Atkins. He was 22 and she was 14 or 15. Then they moved to East St. Louis, IL and had twin children. James ended up working for Ford Motor Company in Detroit as a Mill Wright."

Donald E. Bedwell, descendant of James Bedwell, wrote to me in email on 6/15/2004: "James didn't run away from the Beagles looking for his father. he knew where his father was. William was a carpenter and after the death of his wife Elizabeth, William couldn't travel to each of the towns to build houses with all his children , so he put them in homes of friends. We found that William died in Pendleton Oregon in 1884 and James then left the home of the Beagles in Pendelton after his fathers death. James in latter years said the "he never knew his dad" Rod had assumed that this meant that he went looking for him. I take it as meaning that his father wasn't in his life while he grew up in Pendleton and that he knew of him, but didn't know him. We are still trying to find out what happened to the rest of the children with the exception of Mary Jane(another Mary Jane!) and Ada."

• 1880 Census for Pendleton, Umatilla County, Oregon shows James Bedwell, age 10, "at school", listed as "adopted", apparently living with Perry and Malissia Beagle.

• 1910 Census for 10 WD Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan shows James Bedwell, age 42, born in Oregon, who works as a mill wright in a packing house, as head of household with: Bessie, age 33, born in Kansas, his wife of 15 years who has had two children, both still living; son Earl, age 12; and daughter Pearl, also age 12. The children were both born in Illinois. They are renters.

• 1930 Census for Nankin Township, Wayne County, Michigan shows Bessie M. Bedwell, age 52, a widow, living in a house that she owns that is worth $2500. Also living there is her sister, Lydia J. Reynolds, age 67, also a widow. Living next door is Bessie's son, Earl Bedwell, and his family.

James Bedwell and Bessie Myrtle Atkins were married on 12 Jun 1892 in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas.⁶⁵ Bessie Myrtle Atkins¹³¹ (daughter of William Atkins and Mary Smith) was born on 21 Jul 1877 in Kansas City, Wyandotte County, Kansas.⁶⁵ She died on 27 Sep 1967 in Jackson, Jackson County, Michigan.⁶⁵ She was buried in Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery, Jackson, Jackson County, Michigan.⁶⁵ James Bedwell and Bessie Myrtle Atkins had the following children:

+2644	i.	Earl Wesley Bedwell.
+2645	ii.	Pearl Athena Bedwell.