Thomas Belew was born 20 June 1830 in New York and died 21 Sep 1896, he was married to Bridgett Ann Riley born 1829 in Ireland and died 4 Nov 1894 in Binghamton, CA.
They together had the following children.
Arthur Belew 1856-1934
Louis Belew 1857-1897
Franklyn Belew 1858-1898
Thomas Fletcher Belew 1864-1915
Susan "Susie" E Belew 1867-1897
When Thomas Belew died he left an insurance policy of $7,000 to only 3 of his children, Susie $3,000 and Louis and Arthur received each $2,000. Thomas Fletcher Belew had already received thee family farm some years before his father passed. Frank had received$1,100 when he married Tennessee Dixie Martin in 1888.
But this still made Frank very bitter toward his siblings and the bitterness festered into jealous and then anger. He already had a bad reputation and had gotten himself into a few scrapes that family members helped sweep under the rug. One such incident was him writing a check for $75 on his brother Arthur's account and he took care of it but told him he had not better do it again. Then there was a sum of $400 missing from Frank's father-in-law's house and Frank bought his wife a watch and she questioned him on where the money came from and knew he took her father's money.
In 1897 Louis and Susie were planning their weddings and this really set Frank off. Susie was engaged to Charles Ehmann and Louis was engaged to Clara Ferguson. When Frank stopped to visit his siblings and saw Susie's new wedding dress and Louis suit, something broke in him.
He was ranting about Louis spendin $40 on a new suit od clothes just to get married.
In November 1897 Susie was up and about in the kitchen making breakfast for her and her brother Louis, as Frank showed up to eat with them. Later that day both Louis and Susie became deathly ill and both dying 9 Nov 1897.
It took sometime for the authorities to sort it all out and the one person who knew the truth besides the killer was John W Bird, Frank's brother-in-law who was married to Frank's wifes sister Ellen. You can read more about that in the newspaper clippings.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29507892/frank_belew/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29508103/frank_belew/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29510529/frank_belew/
Here is his Will
His brother Arthur was the only family that watched him get buried.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29513392/franklyn_belew/
He is buried in the New Helvetia Cemetery (defunct) in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California.
My last thoughts as I read the newspaper clipping of his execution was about his father Thomas Belew who died 1896, was there anything suspicious about his death? Just a thought I had.
After Frank was executed, public opinion in Solano County and central California turned against Bird, not because he knew about the murders and kept it a secret, but because he betrayed his friend and then tried to claim the reward. He closed his Dixon photography studio sometime before 1902. Frank’s brother, Thomas, married his sweetheart, Louisa, and they had two children together, a daughter they named Susie, and a son they named Frank. Thomas never spoke to his brother again after he heard him confess in February 1898.
Frank’s son, Merritt, went on to become a horse showman and trainer for circuses. He spent most of his adult years living in Texas but moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1953 and died there in 1967. According to findagrave.com, Thomas Raymond may have changed his last name to Kavanaugh—possibly to escape the notoriety of being the son of Frank Belew. Their mother, Tennessee, remarried. Findagrave.com contains short biographies on all their lives after Frank’s 1898 execution.
They together had the following children.
Arthur Belew 1856-1934
Louis Belew 1857-1897
Franklyn Belew 1858-1898
Thomas Fletcher Belew 1864-1915
Susan "Susie" E Belew 1867-1897
When Thomas Belew died he left an insurance policy of $7,000 to only 3 of his children, Susie $3,000 and Louis and Arthur received each $2,000. Thomas Fletcher Belew had already received thee family farm some years before his father passed. Frank had received$1,100 when he married Tennessee Dixie Martin in 1888.
But this still made Frank very bitter toward his siblings and the bitterness festered into jealous and then anger. He already had a bad reputation and had gotten himself into a few scrapes that family members helped sweep under the rug. One such incident was him writing a check for $75 on his brother Arthur's account and he took care of it but told him he had not better do it again. Then there was a sum of $400 missing from Frank's father-in-law's house and Frank bought his wife a watch and she questioned him on where the money came from and knew he took her father's money.
In 1897 Louis and Susie were planning their weddings and this really set Frank off. Susie was engaged to Charles Ehmann and Louis was engaged to Clara Ferguson. When Frank stopped to visit his siblings and saw Susie's new wedding dress and Louis suit, something broke in him.
He was ranting about Louis spendin $40 on a new suit od clothes just to get married.
In November 1897 Susie was up and about in the kitchen making breakfast for her and her brother Louis, as Frank showed up to eat with them. Later that day both Louis and Susie became deathly ill and both dying 9 Nov 1897.
It took sometime for the authorities to sort it all out and the one person who knew the truth besides the killer was John W Bird, Frank's brother-in-law who was married to Frank's wifes sister Ellen. You can read more about that in the newspaper clippings.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29507892/frank_belew/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29508103/frank_belew/
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29510529/frank_belew/
Inmate #4361 Folsom Prison
Rec: 14 Apr 1898
Crime: Murder
Term: Death
Age: 40
He wrote a will leaving his estate to his 2 sons Merritt Linn Belew 1889-1967 and Thomas Raymond Belew 1890-1955 and his wife, whom had left him and moved in with her sister Ellen before the poisoning occurred.
The lady at the top middle is Tennessee's sister who was married to John W Bird who owned a photograph studio in Willow, CA
The two boys are Merritt & Thomas Belew with their mother Tennessee
Tennessee Dixie Martin-Belew
Here is his Will
His brother Arthur was the only family that watched him get buried.
https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29513392/franklyn_belew/
He is buried in the New Helvetia Cemetery (defunct) in Sacramento, Sacramento County, California.
My last thoughts as I read the newspaper clipping of his execution was about his father Thomas Belew who died 1896, was there anything suspicious about his death? Just a thought I had.
After Frank was executed, public opinion in Solano County and central California turned against Bird, not because he knew about the murders and kept it a secret, but because he betrayed his friend and then tried to claim the reward. He closed his Dixon photography studio sometime before 1902. Frank’s brother, Thomas, married his sweetheart, Louisa, and they had two children together, a daughter they named Susie, and a son they named Frank. Thomas never spoke to his brother again after he heard him confess in February 1898.
Frank’s son, Merritt, went on to become a horse showman and trainer for circuses. He spent most of his adult years living in Texas but moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1953 and died there in 1967. According to findagrave.com, Thomas Raymond may have changed his last name to Kavanaugh—possibly to escape the notoriety of being the son of Frank Belew. Their mother, Tennessee, remarried. Findagrave.com contains short biographies on all their lives after Frank’s 1898 execution.
And So Life Goes On
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