Bell-Two
Active member
We got back out to a few of our fields Monday but the going was a bit slow. Found a new site just did a quick scan to see what may be found. Seems like a newer site since we found some early 20th century items including Diane’s finding a model T valve stem cover. We then went to the site where she found the Seated Dime the other day and I found the only items of note 5 flat buttons. We then moved on to the site where the preceeding Saturday I got a Large Cent and the going was slow there too…at first. I found a squashed thimble…aren’t they always…lol! I also found two large brass whatsits, I like these types of things they have an utilitarian type of beauty about them.
We were just finishing up when I got a choppy signal with a small but solid high tone reading 12-44 on CTX and I was thinking Large Cent amongst the ubiquitous iron found in this field, but I had a pleasant surprise it was a belt plate! Hoping for a military plate such as US or OVM (Ohio Volunteer Militia) but a brushing off of the front dispelled those hopes but I could see some type of markings on it. A couple hours of cleaning revealed some self inscribed lettering on it. Now what is it or who is it? Knowing the landowners names I hoped that would give me a clue I could make out a large “A” at the top and several letters following it so I assumed it was a first name. Looking below that I could see four letters but not the first letter of the name. Now looking at it I saw the name of the owner on the other side of the road and the letters I could make out matched a portion of his name. I was puzzled why this should be in the neighbors land. I searched the 1860 Census and found with the landowners records a person living in his household with the same last name of the neighbor across the road…but his first name did not start with an “A” checking the neighbors records on the census and bingo he had a son with a name that started with “A” and the number of letters in his name seemed to align with what I could discern on the plate. This son was 16 years old in 1860. So this is an assumption and probably a wild one at that but I think there is a reasonable chance that the two families were related and that the son may have worked on the farm as well. In any case I am happy with my “Mystery Belt Plate”
Flash update a trip to the main library in my county gives me the answer, yes they are related! The Maiden name of the Mother of the land owner whose parcel we have been hunting is the same as the name of the landowner across the road and the biography of him said he too came from Maine originally!
Here is a portrait of the landowner…an imposing figure to say the least!
[video]https://youtu.be/Oq9dZ7TVGIA[/video]
We were just finishing up when I got a choppy signal with a small but solid high tone reading 12-44 on CTX and I was thinking Large Cent amongst the ubiquitous iron found in this field, but I had a pleasant surprise it was a belt plate! Hoping for a military plate such as US or OVM (Ohio Volunteer Militia) but a brushing off of the front dispelled those hopes but I could see some type of markings on it. A couple hours of cleaning revealed some self inscribed lettering on it. Now what is it or who is it? Knowing the landowners names I hoped that would give me a clue I could make out a large “A” at the top and several letters following it so I assumed it was a first name. Looking below that I could see four letters but not the first letter of the name. Now looking at it I saw the name of the owner on the other side of the road and the letters I could make out matched a portion of his name. I was puzzled why this should be in the neighbors land. I searched the 1860 Census and found with the landowners records a person living in his household with the same last name of the neighbor across the road…but his first name did not start with an “A” checking the neighbors records on the census and bingo he had a son with a name that started with “A” and the number of letters in his name seemed to align with what I could discern on the plate. This son was 16 years old in 1860. So this is an assumption and probably a wild one at that but I think there is a reasonable chance that the two families were related and that the son may have worked on the farm as well. In any case I am happy with my “Mystery Belt Plate”
Flash update a trip to the main library in my county gives me the answer, yes they are related! The Maiden name of the Mother of the land owner whose parcel we have been hunting is the same as the name of the landowner across the road and the biography of him said he too came from Maine originally!
Here is a portrait of the landowner…an imposing figure to say the least!
[video]https://youtu.be/Oq9dZ7TVGIA[/video]
