1880s Autograph Album of Belle Payton of Stanton, Illinois; possibly Carrie Belle Payton

Autograph album presented to Belle Payton by her parents on November 20, 1884, which was a Thursday, possibly Thanksgiving Day.

I believe Belle was Carrie Belle Payton, born December 1, 1872, daughter of Arthur Payton and Caroline C. (Corder) Payton.  Two of Belle's sisters inscribed pages in her album, Maud and Maggie, and it happens that Carrie Belle Payton had sisters by that name.

The album measures approximately 4-1/4" by 2-3/4" and contains the sentiments of 32 of Belle's relatives, friends, schoolmates and teachers.  An alphabetical surname list and an alphabetical list of the inscribers, together with any personal information they offered, appear at the end of this post.

From brief online research and assuming Belle Payton was Carrie Belle Payton - corrections, alternate theories and additions requested:

Carrie Belle Payton was born December 1, 1872 in Illinois, the daughter of Arthur Payton and Caroline Cordelia C. (Corder) Payton, who were born in Kentucky and Indiana respectively.  Carrie Belle married William M. Davis and had, I think, three children: Mildred, Willard and Della.

Carrie, William and at least two of their children are buried in the Mount Olive Cemetery at Mayview, Illinois.

If you have corrections and/or additions to the information above, or if you feel that Belle Payton was not Carrie Belle Payton, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

Surnames in the Album


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	? [6]	L	Lefever [5]
B	Beverlin [2]		Lowry
	Bibler	M	Maddock/s
C	Coggshall		Moorhous
E	Engle		Morrow
H	Haworth [2]	P	Patton [2]
	Humphrey [3]		Payton [3]
	Hunt		Pierce

Inscribers in the Album

• Adda B.; inscribed on November 24, 1884
• O. M. H.; not sure of surname initial
• ?, possibly Ida; inscribed on November 24, 1884; Belle's schoolmate
• Cousin Garry
• Cousin Amy of Royal Centre, Illinois
• Charley; can't determine surname; very young inscriber

B

• A. Beverlin; inscribed on November 26, 188x [can't determine last digit]; middle initial possibly T. or J or ?
• L. Beverlin of Stanton, Illinois; inscribed on November 23, 1884
• A. L. Bibler; inscribed on November 25, 1884; Belle's schoolmate

C

• James M. Coggshall; inscribed on November 15, 1884

E

• E. T. Engle; inscribed on February 6, 1885

H

• Charley Haworth; inscribed on November 25, 1884; not sure of surname
• Minnie Haworth of Champaign, Illinois; inscribed on March 20, 188x [can't determine last digit.  Not sure of given name.
• "Bonnie" Humphrey of Decatur, Illinois; inscribed on April 28, 1887; sketched a child using both arms to hang from a rope.  Possibly another sketch by Minerva M. (Smith) Humphrey, wife of teacher Edwin O. Humphrey?
• "Pet" Humphrey of Decatur, Illinois; cute sketch of a toad smoking a pipe and lounging on a toadstool under the shade of a larger toadstool.  She may have been Minerva M. (Smith) Humphrey, wife of Edwin O. Humphrey, who inscribed the right facing page.
• E. O. Humphrey, Pedagogue; inscribed in 1887.  Written also is 1852, the birth year of school teacher Edwin O. Humphrey (1852-1918).  It may have been his wife Minerva M. (Smith) Humphrey who inscribed the left facing page as "Pet" and who sketched a cute toad and toadstools.  Edwin O. Humphrey inscribed another page on April 19, 1887
• Miss Gertie Hunt; inscribed on November 25, 1884; Belle's schoolmate

L

• A. M. Lefever of Stanton, Illinois; inscribed on January 7, 1885
• E. B. Lefever; inscribed on January 29, 1885
• Frank O. Lefever; inscribed on November 25, 1884
• Lizzie A. Lefever; inscribed on January 3, 1885
• Mollie Lefever; inscribed on January 3, 1885
• James A. Lowry; inscribed on November 24, 1884; Belle's teacher

M

• Anna Maddock of Stanton, Illinois
• Emma Maddock or Maddocks; Belle's schoolmate
• Charlie Moorhous; inscribed in April 1885
• G. W. Morrow

P

• Charley Patton of Stanton, Illinois [not sure of locale]
• Harry Patton; inscribed on November 26, 1884
• Belle Payton; album owner.  "Miss Belle Payton presented by Father & Mother Nov 20, 1884"
• Maggie, inscribed on November 23, 1884; "your sister", Maggie Payton
• Maud Payton; inscribed on November 23, 1884; "your sister"
• Alice Pierce; inscribed on November 24, 1884

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