Genealogy & Family History

Bissell & Van Boskirk Genealogy

          Long ago, perhaps about 1964, I had a high school English assignment that asked for me to find out and diagram my ancestry -- at least four generations back, if possible. Since one of my uncles had already done a lot of the work, publishing a medium-sized booklet on our family history, my mission was not at all difficult. However, it turned out to be a lot more fascinating than I was expecting it to be. Among other things, I was amazed by how similar family tree diagrams are to something I'd just studied in biology: "the tree of life" that connects all plants and animals on earth. I was also flabbergasted to find out how many cousins I had. Most importantly, though, I found myself wanting to go further and further back, to see how far back in time I could connect myself to other human beings. In short, I got hooked on genealogy!

          Genealogy has been a wonderful hobby for over 30 years now. My late father, Eldon K. Bissell, and I began our work on the family history in 1977, and my sister, Julie Bissell Tupker, and I have been collaborating over the Internet since 1997. Over the years, I have written, edited, and published two family surname newsletters, written one book, and collected material for three more books -- at first just with typewriter, then with computer. With the advent of low/zero-cost web sites on the Internet, however, it now makes sense to re-publish these materials, and to publish subsequent works, electronically, rather than through the print media. This web page will therefore serve as the portal to the various writings I am intending to post on the Internet, as soon as I can find time to type them in.

Best to all, Roger Bissell, 1998/re-dedicated October 2008

Welcome to the Internet Home of Bissell Family History Research!

featuring ongoing work on Bissell Histories & Mysteries and The Bissells of Barstow, as compiled and edited by Roger Bissell, with the assistance of Julie Bissell Tupker

 

1. Bissell Histories and Mysteries -- I began work in 1985 on this family surname newsletter, affectionately referred to as "BHAM", publishing one volume consisting of four issues (one double) and collecting material for two more volumes (yet unpublished). The research that feeds into this newsletter is intended to also intended to result eventually in a new, expanded version of Edward P. Jones' genealogy of the Connecticut Bissells and Katherine Cox Gottschalk's and Fannie T. Brown's genealogy of the Rhode Island Bissells. (The latter was published as an appendix to Jones' 1939 book, which is out of print but can be accessed by microfilm from the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Mormon, in Salt Lake City.)

As of October 6, 1999, I am proud to announce that both the original Gottschalk/Brown genealogy and an ongoing series of revisions of the Rhode Island Bissells is available for viewing and downloading at these links:

Gottschalk/Brown compilation of Rhode Island Bissells (uploaded 10/1999)

Revised compilation of Rhode Island Bissells, v.1.0, 10/99 (uploaded 10/1999)

See also my Corrected Genealogy of Samuel Bissell of Hartwick, New York, which was an important step forward in revising the Rhode Island Bissell compilation by Gottschalk and Brown.

As of December 1, 1999, I am proud to announce the uploading of two webpages that include a large compilation of descendants of one of the Connecticut Bissell families not carried forward by E. P. Jones in his book. One page is about Jerijah Bissell II and includes the descendants of his son David. The other page is about Jerijah Bissell II's son Alfred and his many descendants. Here are the links for those pages:

Descendants of Jerijah Bissell II (Connecticut #397) (uploaded 12/1999)

Descendants of Alfred Bissell (Connecticut #924) (uploaded 12/1999)

As of January 5, 2001, I am pleased to be able to add two more webpages with compilations of descendants of two brothers from the Connecticut Bissell family not carried forward by E. P. Jones. One page is about Lieutenant Daniel Bissell IV (the Spy), and the other is about Captain Elias Bissell. Here are the links for those pages:

Descendants of Daniel Bissell IV (Connecticut #695) (uploaded 1/2001)(latest revision uploaded 8/2007)

Descendants of Elias Bissell (Connecticut #697) (uploaded 1/2001)

As of August 25, 2007, I am pleased to add a revision of the webpage for Daniel Bissell IV, as well as another webpage with a compilation of descendants of another Revolutionary War veteran, Jabez Bissell. Here is the link for the page on Jabez Bissell:

Descendants of Jabez Bissell (Connecticut #310) (uploaded 8/2007)

As of November 29, 2008, I am pleased to add a cluster of webpages that are near and dear to my heart. They feature Joseph Bissell and three of his sons--John Partridge Bissell (my ancestor), Benjamin Bissell, and Ammi Rhuhama Bissell. Before the end of 2008, I also hope to upload a webpage on one of John Partridge Bissell's grandsons, my great-great-grandfather, Pierce B. Bissell. His page will appear directly below that of his grandfather.

Descendants of Joseph Bissell (Connecticut #303) (uploaded 11/2008) (revised 10/2014)

Descendants of John Partridge Bissell (Connecticut #665) (uploaded 11/2008) (revised 10/2014)

Descendants of Benjamin Bissell (Connecticut #667) (uploaded 11/2008)

Descendants of Ammi Rhuhama Bissell (Connecticut #668) (uploaded 11/2008)

In 1999, I began work on a second, Internet edition of Volume 1 of BHAM, with the intent of continuing on with more volumes, once the first four issues were revised. In an attempt to preserve the integrity of the original edition as much as possible, I have limited myself to minimal bracketed corrections and deletions, so that erroneous and misleading material is eliminated. Additions, which in some cases are extensive, were (and will continue to be) made in subsequent issues and volumes. Also, readers should be aware that the pagination of the Internet edition does not coincide with that of the original. In particular, double issue #2-3 has been divided into two web pages, one devoted to the Connecticut Bissell material and the other to the Rhode Island Bissell material. Some general material, including British ancestry speculation, is included in both web pages. For access to the issues presently online, click on the underlined, bold links:

BHAM, Volume 1, Number 1 (uploaded 4/1999)

BHAM, Volume 1, Numbers 2-3 (uploaded 12/1999)

BHAM, Volume 1, Number 4 (uploaded 12/1999)

BHAM, Volume 2, Numbers 1-2

BHAM, Volume 2, Numbers 3-4

BHAM, Volume 3

 

2. The Bissells of Barstow, a Genealogy of Pierce B. and Sarah Van Boskirk Bissell -- in 1991, I published Part 1 of this projected three-part work, some parts co-researched and co-written with my father. Part 1, "Looking in on the Bissells of Barstow," focused mainly on the personal origins and family of Pierce and Sarah Bissell who lived in the Rock Island, Illinois area in the mid-1800s, but also included a chapter on Sarah's parents and siblings and their descendants. Part 2, "Looking back from the Bissells of Barstow," presents our tracing of Pierce's and Sarah's roots. Except for a one-generation gap in Sarah's father's lineage, three of her four grandparents' surname lines are traced back at least to the colonial immigrant. Thanks to the diligent detective work of my sister, Julie Bissell Tupker, we now have traced all four of his grandparents' surname lines back at least to the colonial immigrant. Part 3, "Looking forward from the Bissells of Barstow," has chapters on the lives and descendants of Pierce's and Sarah's four children who had families of their own. These chapters are essentially completed, though new information continues to trickle in. Beginning in 1999, I will revise and post this work here on this web site, and those interested can access it by clicking on the following underlined, bold, blue links (if you don't see any bold, blue links, it ain't ready yet!!):

[Note: the following listing of contents was revised on 3/14/02 and again on 10/25/14, with massive revision made to the content of several chapters, but no posting online as yet of any of the material. The good news is that we now have documentation of both Pierce B's paternal and maternal ancestry. We are considering making an e-book for distribution through amazon.kindle. Stay tuned for further details.--REB]

BOB, Title Page and Contents

PART ONE: Looking in on the Bissells of Barstow

BOB, Chapter 1 -- Introduction

BOB, Chapter 2 -- The lives and family of Pierce and Sarah Bissell

BOB, Chapter 3 -- Pierce B. Bissell's parents, sister, and half-siblings

BOB, Chapter 4 -- Sarah Bissell's parents and siblings

PART TWO: Looking back from the Bissells of Barstow

BOB, Chapter 5 -- Pierce B's Bissell and Dickinson ancestry

BOB, Chapter 6 -- Pierce B's Beebe and Rogers ancestry

BOB, Chapter 7 -- Sarah's Van Boskirk and Kelly ancestry

BOB, Chapter 8 -- Sarah's Inman and Spencer ancestry

PART THREE: Looking forward from the Bissells of Barstow

BOB, Chapter 9 -- Lois Euphemia Bissell Nelson and her descendants

BOB, Chapter 10 -- Richard Pierce Bissell and his descendants

BOB, Chapter 11 -- Sarah Eliza Bissell Turner and her descendants

BOB, Chapter 12 -- Henry Kimball Bissell and his descendants

BOB, Appendices and Index

Van Boskirk, with an "O" !!

The Internet Home of Van Boskirk Genealogy & Family Research, founded in 1999 by Roger Bissell

 

 

1. Van Boskirk with an "O"! -- the book

Welcome!

Title page for Van Boskirk book

Preface

Table of contents

PART I: The Ancestry of Richard Van Boskirk 

Chapter 1. Our Van Boskirk and Van Horn Roots

Chapter 2. Children of Andrew and Charity (Van Horn) Van Boskirk and Proposed family tree for brother of Richard Van Boskirk

PART II. Richard Van Boskirk and his Descendants 

Chapter 3. The Life and Times of Richard Van Boskirk (added June 2000)

Chapter 4. Coming soon: Andrew Van Boskirk and his descendants

1. Richard 
2. Hannah Stone
3. Sarah Bissell
4. Walter
5. Miles
6. Caleb Lincoln
7. Euphemia Wixon


Chapter 5. John Van Boskirk and his descendants (added June 2000)

Chapter 6. Hannah Van Boskirk Lincoln and her descendants (added June 2000)

PART III. Descendants of Richard Van Boskirk's oldest brother, John

Chapter 7. Charity Van Boskirk Coryell and her descendants (added June 2000) 

Chapter 8. Coming soon: John Van Boskirk Jr. and his descendants.

Chapter 9. Coming soon: Andrew Van Boskirk and his descendants.

2. Van Boskirk with an "O"! -- the newsletter. Several issues of this newsletter were published in the early 1990s, and as time permits, I will post links to them on this web page.