b. March 23, 1797, Laurel Sock, Pennsylvania.
d. May 27, 1876, Adamsville, Michigan.

Jane (Jane2, John1) was born in Laurel Sock, Pa., March 23, 1797. The school advantages of that time were few, but by her energy and perseverance she became proficient in the three R's, which was considered all that was necessary for girls of that period.

There is little to record of her girlhood. In 1805 her father removed to Canandaigua, N.Y., and her mother died a little later. From her union with S.S. Davis in 1814 there was born a son, Seymour S. Davis. Of the trials and losses of the three years following we have no record. On May 3, 1818 she was married to Abner S. Beels, of Canandaigua, N. Y.

Her father and sisters had emigrated to Royalton, Ohio, in 1816. In January, 1821, Dan Frances, one of the earliest settlers of Royalton, returned to Canandaigua on a visit. He met Mr. and Mrs. Beels and urged them to go to Ohio with him. He offered to take them in his sled on his return. Allured by the hope of securing a home in the west as well as a desire to rejoin Mrs. Beels' father and sisters, they decided to go. Mr. Frances delayed his return one week to give them time to dispose of their stock, farm implements and such household goods as they could not pack in Mr. Frances' sled. The journey from Canandaigua to Royalton was accomplished and they entered upon the hardships of a pioneer life.

They resided in Royalton until 1826, when Mr. Beels purchased a farm in the northern part of Parma, on the state road. In the spring of 1832 he sold this farm and purchased one in the southern part of Parma, a half mile east of the state road. There were but six or seven families in the southeastern quarter of the township at that time. During the ensuing five years this section was settled by brave and hardy pioneers from New York and New Jersey. A school was established, a church was organized with its Sabbath school and Saturday evening prayer meeting.

Here, with this environment, Mr. and Mrs. Beels reared to manhood and womanhood their family of five sons and three daughters. The following obituary of Mr. Beels, written by the Rev. James Ashley, who was his pastor during the closing years of his life, was copied from the Cassopolis Vigilant:

• Departed this life, Oct. 21, 1876, with a hope of blissful immortality, at the home of his youngest daughter, Mrs. George L. Stevens, of Adamsville, Cass Co., Mich., Mr. Abner S. Beels, aged 83 years.
• The deceased was born in Herkimer Co., N. Y., Aug. 27, 1793, and was married to Mrs. Jane Davis, May 3, 1818. In the year 1821 they settled in the vicinity of Cleveland, Ohio.
• Since 1865 they had spent most of their time with their children in Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan. After the death of his wife, which occurred on May 27, he waited the call of his Master to come home, feeling that the world had lost its charm and that the attractions of the heavenly land were growing brighter and stronger as he drew nearer the river of Death. His life was that of a Christian, and he died as Christians only can die, in triumph and victory.

The Advertiser, Berea, Ohio, for Nov. 25, 1876, contained the following:

• One by one the pioneers of this county are passing to the unseen, eternal world.
• Abner S. Beels, one of the early settlers of Parma, died Oct. 21, aged 83 years. For some time he had resided with his daughter, Mrs. George L. Stevens, in Adamsville, Mich., where his death occurred.
• At the time Mr. Beels came to Parma, in 1826, the township was almost an unbroken wilderness. A few families had settled in the western part, and there were three or four families on the eastern line. But Mr. Beels' family was the only one on the State road. Wild animals abounded in the forest around them. Deer were frequently shot. Some of the denizens of the forest were not very desirable neighbors. Bears were frequently seen, and rattlesnakes were common.
• Little do the people of today realize of the trials and dangers attending pioneer life. Of the hardships and privations endured by Mr. Beels it is unnecessary to speak as they were similar to those passed through by all of our early settlers. He lived to see the little village near him become a great city -- Cleveland; and to see cultivated fields and comfortable homes take the place of the forest. Few men took a more active part than he in bringing about this change. Many a forest monarch fell before his sturdy arm.
• His faithful wife, who for 58 years shared with him the trials and pleasures of life, died last May. As so often happens in the case of aged people, their separation has been brief. Both died in the full assurance of a blessed immortality beyond the tomb.

Children

Seymour S. Davis, b. Canandaigua, Sept. 23, 1815., d. Feb. 9, 1860.

Elizabeth Ruth, b. Canandaigua, Jan. 22, 1819, d. 1837.

Alonzo, b. Canandaigua, Nov. 4, 1820, d. Dec. 4, 1890.

Julia Ann, b. Royalton, May 10, 1823, d. June 7, 1901.

Abner S., b. Royalton, July 18, 1825, d. Aril 16, 1907.

Jane Elizabeth, b. Parma, Aug. 19, 1827.

William Gould, b. Parma, May 4, 1830, d. Feb 12, 1908.

Reuben Franklin, b. Parma, Aug. 12, 1832.

Nelson G., b. Parma, June 9, 1836, d. 1848.

Harriet Eliza, b. Parma, Aug. 2, 1843.

Ten children were born to them: Their eldest daughter, Elizabeth Ruth, died in 1837, after a brief illness. She was a beautiful girl, and as lovely in character as in person. She was engaged to be married to a fine young man living in Cleveland. When told that she must die, with calm resignation, and in perfect trust in the wisdom and goodness of God, she smilingly said good-bye to lover and friends and went to dwell with the God whom she had loved.

The youngest child, Nelson G., died in 1848, at the age of twelve years.

Obituaries of Mrs. Beels and her husband, published at the time of their decease, will portray their lives better than anything which may be written now.

• Mrs. Jane Beels, aged 79 years, died of heart disease, on May 27, 1876, at the residence of her daughter, Mrs. Harriet E. Stevens, in Adamsville, Mich. Mrs. Beels came with her husband from Canandaigua, N.Y., to Royalton, Ohio, in January, 1821. In 182_ they moved to Parma township and in 1832 settled on a farm a short distance east of the State road. Here they bravely met and patiently endured the trials and hardships incident to pioneer life until at length a portion of the forest was converted by their industrious hands into a pleasant home. Here they resided until the summer of 1863, when their house was burned. For two years they lived with their daughter, Mrs. Julia Hodgman. Since 1865, except for occasional visits to Ohio, they have spent their time with their children in the west. For several years they were at the home of Mrs. Stevens.
• Mrs. Beels early gave her heart to Jesus and throughout her long life earnestly labored and prayed for the welfare of Zion. During her last illness the Savior whom she had loved and served so many years comforted and sustained her. She said of the Valley of Death, 'It is bright.' 'Oh my Jesus!' were her last words as with a look of joy on her face she entered into the rest remaining to the people of God. Berea (Ohio) Advertiser.