Thompson / Thomas Ward Belt LAST NAME: Belt FIRST NAME: Thompson / Thomas MIDDLE NAME: Ward NICKNAME:  MAIDEN NAME:  AKA 1:  AKA 2:  AKA 3:  TITLE: Mr. GENDER: M MILITARY:  BORN: 1856 DIED: 18 May 1885 BURIED: May 1885 ETHNICITY:   OCCUPATION:  Merchant BIRTH PLACE:  Kentucky DEATH PLACE: Philomath, Benton Co., Oregon NOTES:  1870 Oregon Census - T. W. Belt, age 34, b. Kentucky, occupation clerk, is enumerated with father A. M. Belt, age 65, b. Kentucky occupation physician, and Nancy, age 50. b. Kentucky, along with John D., age 20, b. Oregon, occupation printer, George W., age 18, b. Oregon, Ben, age 16, b. Oregon, Mira, age 14, b. Oregon, and Charles, age 10, b. Oregon; Marriage - "T. W. Belt & Miss Jennie Case, m 04 Dec 1872 at house of Laban Case; P. S. Knight, M. G. Wit: John C. Booth & F. H. Wakefield Bk B pg 170" 1880 Census - Thomas W. Belt, age 39, b. Kentucky, occupation dry good merchant, is enumerated with wife Jennie G., age 28, b. Iowa, and children George, age 5, b. Oregon, Ross, age 3, b. Oregon, and Harold, age 1, b. Oregon. Also enumerated with the family are George W. Case, identified as brother-in-law, age 21, b. Oregon, occupation retail grocer, and Isabelle Inlow, age 113, b. Arkansas, housekeeper; OBITUARY:  At Philomath, Benton county, on May 18, 1885, Mr. Thomas Belt, aged 49 years. Mr. Belt was a son of Dr. and Mrs. A. N. Belt, and a former respected resident of Salem. His death was quite sudden. Mrs. Belt and her son Ben Belt are at Philomath, and the body will be brought to this city for burial. Weely Oregon Statesman 22 May 1885 6:1 T. W. BELT'S LAST HOURS. T. W. Belt, formerly of Salem, but later a prominent merchant of Philomath, died suddenly on Monday under rather peculiar circumstances, say the Leader. In the afternoon he was not feeling very well and called in Dr. Murphy, who gave him a dose of medicine. Mr. Belt then lay down and went to sleep, the doctor still remaining in the house. Later or a while after 8 p.m. the doctor went in the room and gave him another dose of medicine. In a few moments he was heard snoring loudly. After a short while the snoring ceased but the doctor said it was all right. In about an hour Mrs. Belt went in and found her husband dead. He was lying on his back, with his closed eyes as if he was asleep; but it was the sleep from which none ever awake. Weekly Oregon Statesman 22 May 1885 THOMPSON WARD BELT. This name of one now so sadly brought before the public as having passed suddenly to the unknown country in his life's early prime, recalls some pleasant incidents of years ago. When Salem was only a cluster of houses, the home of Dr. A. M. Belt was a social center where hospitality reigned supreme, and a home feeling imparted to the guest which is its truest test. As the eldest in the family, "Tom" was only second to Dr. and Mrs. Belt in extending kindly welcome to many a homesick one just from "the states," assisted by his sisters, now Mrs. Huelat and Mrs. Jordan. The young people often took horseback rides and parties were made up to visit "Uncle Dan" Waldo's place, Mr. Davidson's, E. N. Cooke's farm and other places for a few days visit, whre Tom would be one of the leading sprit's. As the years rolled on many changes have come to this family, as is natural, in one remembering so many, and the death of Tom is one of the saddes to those who remember the gay times in the charming old house with its sloping roof, gables, dormer windows and odd nooks and corners every where as it was before the fire. And many pleasant memories cluster round those early times when friends were truly what the word implies. Singularly enough I find in my album this quotation written by "T.W.B.", dated April 15th, 1857: "We are born, we laugh, we weep: We love, we droop, we die.; Ah! Wherefore do we laugh or weep.; Why do we live or die? Who knows that secret deep? Alas! Not I." But now to him, the "secret deep" has been revealed, the great mystery solved. Mr. Belt was a namesake of his grandfather, General Thompson Ward, a pioneer of Oregon, of honored memory. He was born in Kentucky, was aged 49 years. 1856. Weekly Oregon Statesman 22 May 1885 6:1. INSCRIPTION:  SOURCES:  1870 Oregon Census (Marion Co., Salem, FA #316) 1880 Oregon Census (Polk Co., Independence, pg 485D) Polk County Oregon Marriage Records 1949-1879, pg 58 WOS 22 May 1885 8:6 WOS 22 May 1885 6:1 CONTACTS:  LOT: ? SPACE:  LONGITUDE:  LATITUDE: