Benjamin Lee Franklin (Ben) Belcher

  General Notes:

According to Adkins' family stories, Ben Belcher was driving a model T Ford around Danville, VA in the 1940s....

The 1910 Federal Census for Danville, VA, Ward 2, District 17, page 44A records Benjamin Belcher (40) living at 535 Main Street. He is single and working as a book keeper for a Tobacco Warehouse.

The 1920 Federal Census for Danville, VA, Ward 2, District 31, page 70B records B. Lee Belcher (53) living at 709 Jefferson Street. He is married to Ollie Belcher (23 - VA/VA/VA) and is currently working as a Book Keeper for a Tobacco Warehouse.

The 1930 Federal Census for Danville, VA, Ward 2, District 1, page 86B records Benjamin Belcher (40) living at 709 Jefferson Street. He has been married for 15 years and is currently working as Secretary & Treasurer for a Tobacco Warehouse [Piedmont Tobacco Warehouse]. While his wife is not listed in this record, his neice, Dorothy Lester (17), is living in the household. Actually, Ollie C. Belcher is divorced and has gone to live in Roanoke, VA: The 1930 Federal Census for Roanoke, VA, District, page records Ollie C. Belcher (33) living in the home of her brother-in-law, H. Grady Stultz (indexed as Steitz at ancestry.com) (43) at 510 Greenwood Road. Also in the household are Grady's wife, Mary C. (38), and their children Fred B. (11) and Anne K. (6).

Note: The 1920 Federal Census for Roanoke, VA, Raleigh Court Ward, District 129, page 253B records Henry Grady Stultz (33) with his wife Mary [Craig] Stultz and son Fred Brown Stultz (1 5/12) living at 510 Greenwood Road. Grady is a Deputy Collector for the Internal Revenue.

The 1940 Federal Census for Danville, VA, District 106-2, page 24A, dated April 19, 1940 records Benjamin Belcher (70 - VA) living with his nieces Thelma Akers (24 - VA) and Beatrice Akers (22 - VA) at 709 Jefferson Street. All have completed 4 years of high school and all report having no work in the last 52 weeks with no income.

The 1943 Danville, VA City Directory records:
Benj L. Belcher sec-Treas Piedmont Whse Inc h709 Jefferson [Piedmont Tobacco Warehouse]

The 1945 Danville, VA City Directory records:
Benj L. Belcher mgr Piedmont Whse Inc h709 Jefferson av [Piedmont Tobacco Wharehouse]

The February 28, 1945 edition of the The Bee (Danville, VA) reports the funeral service for Samuel F. Farthing on page 9 where Ben Belcher was listed along with A. E. Garrett, as pallbearers.

Benjamin married Ollie E. Craig circa 1915. (Ollie E. Craig was born in Aug 1896 in Snow Creek, Franklin Co., VA and died after 1930 in Roanoke, VA.)