Non-Gilbournes

Ezra E. Eby, in Volume 1 of his work ‘A Biographical History of Waterloo Township and other townships of the county : being a history of the early settlers and their descendants, mostly all of Pennsylvania Dutch origin’, states on p. 206:

701 VI BECHTEL, DANIEL S., was born March 19th, 1842. He resides at Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was first married to Adaline Gilborn, and after her decease he married Mary . His family consists of seven children, namely: VII Harvey, VII Minnie, VII William, VII Herbert, VII Floyd, VII Clarus, and VII Earl.

[The book is transcribed on line and includes linked to the scanned pages to verify the transcript. The book is the source of several trees listed on the internet, e.g. Norma Shantz’s site]

• Adaline Gilborn has not been found on Familysearch in Canadian censuses of 1851 or ’61.
• Daniel Bechtel is with his parents in 1851 and ’61, in the latter case at North Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada [Source: Familysearch]
• Daniel & Adaline cannot be found in the 1870 U.S. or 1871 Canadian Censuses – did they move from Canada to the U.S. between the two censuses?
• The 1880 US census records the family at Caledonia, Kent, Michigan, U.S.A.. Daniel was a butcher.

* Eby states that Daniel’s parents were Levi L Bechtel, born Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania, 2 Apr 1809, and Magdalena Schneider, born Bloomingdale, Ontario, 6 Dec 1806. In November 1894 Magdalena Schneider Bechtel provided Eby with ‘the names of all her children, grand children and great grand children, together with the dates of birth of each and dates of death of those who died; also gave him names of persons to whom each of her children and grand-children are married, and dates when such marriage took place.’ [p. 204].

The names of the children in the 1880 census do not totally correspond to those in Eby’s book. Familysearch provides a number of baptisms, marriages and deaths which lead to the following:

1. Henry Levi BECHTEL b. 22 May 1870, London Twp, Ontario. Mother Athetia Margaretta GILBERT
   Source: Familysearch Registration Number : p 377 rn 3264 - ; Film Number: 1844884; Digital Folder No.: 4018486; Image No.: 221
2. Ma[g]dalena A. [Minnie] BECHTEL b. 8 Jun 1872, Caledonia, Kent, Michigan; m. Alton Plumb 19 Mar 1895, Chicago, IL; d. 26 Jul 1933 Aberdeen, Grays Harbor, Washington. - When her mother's names was reported as 'GILBERT'
   Sources: Familysearch - births in Kent County, Michigan p. 396
   Family Search - Illinois, Cook County Marriages, 1871-1920
   Family Search - Magdalena Plumb, Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960
3. William A BECHTEL b 25 Aug 1874, Caledonia, Kent, Michigan
   Source: Family search - Births in Kent County, Michigan p. 181
4. Herbert Austin BECHTEL b. ca 27 Jan 1876, Caledonia, Kent, Michigan; d. 25 Jan 1948, Raymond, Pacific, Washington
   Death certificate names his wife as Bridget CANTWELL. They married 17 Oct 1901 in Chicago.
   Source: Familysearch – Illinois Cook County Marriages 1871 - 1920
   Source: Familysearch - Washington Death Certificates, 1907-1960. [His death certificate records his mother as Margaret Teresa BROOKS - this must be woman he knew as mother, as Athalia was alive in 1880 and Herbert is recorded as her son in 1880.]
5. Elmer Floyd BECHTEL b. 20 Nov 1878, Caledonia, Kent, Michigan
   Sources: Family search - Births in Kent County, Michigan [Surname transcribed as BESHTEL, Mother recorded as Margaret A.]
6. Clarence BECHTEL b. Jan 1880, Michigan
   Source: U.S. Census 1900
7. Daniel Bechtel b. May 1883, Michigan
   Source: U.S. Census 1900

It is not known whether Daniel’s mother is Athalia GILBERT or Margaret Theresa BROOKS

(Checking the images confirms the FreeBMD transcription)

The 1881 census also clearly records the family as KILBURN:

The census also shows that Elizabeth is no longer with the family - she is probably the Elizabeth KILBURN who died aged 1:
Deaths Dec 1879: Kilburn Elizabeth 1 Bradford, Y. 9b 78
(Laisterdyke burials are not yet available online, and the originals have not been consulted)