Tuesday, December 18, 2012

2 1880s Autograph Albums of Sisters Charlotte and Janette Bell of Goshen, Virginia


1880s autograph albums of sisters Janette Bell, above, and Charlotte Bell, below, of Goshen, Virginia.  I found various spellings for Janet.



Janette's autograph album is approximately 4" x 2-1/2" and contains 19 pages signed by her relatives and friends.  Charlotte's autograph album is approximately 5-1/2" x 3-1/2" and contains 15 signed pages.

Alphabetical lists of the signers in each album appears at the end of this post.  Charlotte's album has notations added later to several pages to indicate the marital status or death of the signer.

Each album contains a page signed by their father Joseph C. Bell at Goshen, Virginia, on the same day, 16 September 1888, where he refers to the death of the girls' brother Marshall, apparently on 13 September 1888, judging from one of his messages.

Joseph's page in Janette's album:




Joseph's page in Charlotte's album:



The first born in the family was a son Hugh M. Bell, born 25 March 1868 in Rockbridge County, Virginia.  Perhaps his middle initial stood for Marshall.

Charlotte signed a page in her sister Janette's album.



A Janet signed a page in Charlotte's album.



Their sister Sadie signed pages in both albums.  In Janette's album:



In Charlotte's album:



Another sister, Elizabeth Carrick Bell, "Carrie", signed a page in Janette's album.



Janette, the youngest in the family, was born 24 December 1877 at Goshen, Virginia.  Charlotte was born about 1872.  I believe there were five children in the family, in the order of Hugh M.; Elizabeth Carrick; Mary C.; Charlotte; Sadie; and Janette.

Their parents were Joseph C. and Margaret Bell.  I don't have information on Margaret's maiden name or parents, but Joseph's parents were John Marshall Bell and Charlotte (Crawford) Bell.

If you have corrections to the information above or additional information on the Bell family, please leave a comment or contact me directly.  Thanks!

Alphabetical list of the signers in the autograph album of Janette Bell of Goshen, Virginia [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]


  • David, signed at Goshen, Virginia, 1887; friend
  • Jim, 1889
  • Ada
  • Maud
  • Rosa
  • Nelson
  • Janette Bell of Goshen, Virginia
  • Papa, 1888; Janette's father Joseph Bell
  • Charlotte, 1888; Janette's sister Charlotte Bell
  • E. Carrick Bell, 1888; Janette's sister
  • Sadie, 1889; Janette's sister
  • Nancie B., 1894; "Sis"
  • T.C.G.; not sure of the initials
  • Margaret Hargroves, signed at Portsmouth [VA ?], 1888
  • J. H. Haynes
  • Jessie Lyle, 1892
  • E. D. Moore of Lexington, Virginia, 1890
  • Margarita Moore
  • R. E. Pilkinton, signed at Goshen, Virginia, 1888
  • J. B. Wood
Alphabetical list of the signers in the autograph album of Charlotte Bell of Goshen, Virginia [Note: given names within a specific surname may not be in alphabetical order.]
  • "Stranger", illegible page
  • Illegible, 1893
  • Illegible
  • A page of many initials, 1894
  • "Yankee"; someone, Charlotte perhaps, later wrote the word "Married"
  • Rosa S or L; someone, Charlotte perhaps, later wrote the word "Married"
  • "Mr. Ribs"
  • Charlotte Bell, owner of the album
  • Joseph C. Bell, 1888; Charlotte's father
  • Janet; perhaps Charlotte's sister Janette Bell
  • Sadie Bell of Goshen, Virginia, 1888; Charlotte's sister
  • Jeannie C. Gratton of Click's Mill, Wa [could be VA, WVA or WA], 1894; someone, Charlotte perhaps, later wrote the word "Married"
  • William T. Liscomb, C. & O., 1888; Someone, Charlotte perhaps, later wrote "Scratch him off, he is married now"
  • ? A. Parsons of Davis, West Virginia, 1890
  • J. C. Roadcop, 1890; someone, Charlotte perhaps, later wrote the word "Dead" on the page
  • B. Wood
Goshen, Virginia


Thanks for stopping by!


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