Documentation for Bela Vining - Thankful Millbanks


Family Data

The town of Durham, Androscoggin County, Maine, has photocopied its vital record books, and those photocopies are available for public viewing. Unfortunately, much of the photocopied material is very difficult to impossible to read. Below is the page (greatly enlarged) recording the "family Record" of Bela Vining (minus his wife).


Census Data

  1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850
Bela Vining M 26–45 M 45 and over [although he was 44] M 45 and over M 60–70 M 70–80 dead
Thankful (Millbanks) Vining F 26–45 F 26–45 F 45 and older [see note below] F 60–70 87
[see note below]
    William Vining M under 10 M 16–26 married and living in separate household
    Hannah Vining F under 10 F 16–26 married and living in separate household
    Ammi Vining M under 10 [see note below] married and living in separate household
    Lucy Vining F under 10 F 10–16 [see note below] married and living in separate household
    Bela Vining Jr. M under 10 M under 10 [although he was 10] M 16–26 dead
    Samuel Vining M under 10 M 16–26 [see note below]
    Sarah S. Vining F under 10 F 10–16 married and living in separate household
    Sewall Vining M under 10 M 10–16 [see note below] married and living in separate household
    Mary Millbanks Vining F under 10 [see note below] [see note below] married and living in separate household


1800 Durham, Cumberland County [Durham is now in Androscoggin County], Maine - Also living in this household in 1800 were a male (45 and over) and a female (45 and over).



1810 Durham, Cumberland County [Durham is now in Androscoggin County], Maine - No male 10–16 was reported for this household in 1810. Also living in this household in 1810 were a male (45 and over) and a female (45 and over).



1820 Durham, Cumberland County [Durham is now in Androscoggin County], Maine - One female under 10 and two females 10–16 were reported for this household in 1820. Mary Millbanks (10) and Sarah (15) were likely the two who were 10–16. This leaves an unknown female under 10 in this household. If Mary Millbanks had been reported as a female under 10, this would leave an unknown female 10–16 in this household in 1820. Lucy was 22 by then and, although not married until 30 November 1820, would likely not be listed as 10–16.



1830 Durham, Cumberland County [Durham is now in Androscoggin County], Maine - No females were reported for this household in 1830. An unknown male 10–15 was reported for this household. Only one male 20–30 was reported for this household. That could have been either Sewall (22) or Samuel (28), likely Sewall as there was a Samuel (M 30–45) listed as a head of the household in Durham in 1830.



1840 Durham, Cumberland County [Durham is now in Androscoggin County], Maine




1850 Durham, Cumberland County [Durham is now in Androscoggin County], Maine - dwelling 122, family 136. In 1850, Thankful (Millbanks) Vining was living in the household of son William. It is unlikely, however, that she was 87 years old in 1850.





Death Data

Gravestones of Thankful (Millbanks) Vining, and both Thankful and Bela Vining. The inscription on Bela Vining's stone (the right hand stone of the pair) is mostly below ground.