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A website for the 406th WWII Fighter Group, which has both William L. Bell and Luther Ban- cro Cooper listed as members of the 513th Fighter Squadron

WWII Casualty Listings, giving Lt. William L. Bell’s date of death, gravesite, cemetery in Belgium, rank, and serial number and military unit

WWII Con ict Veterans Interred
Overseas, which furnished the
additional fact that William was
inducted into the service from California
U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938–
1946, providing William’s birth year of 1921, enlistment
date of 31 July 1942, enlistment place of Los Angeles
County, California, and the information that he had
four years of high school, was single without depen-
dents, and was 67 inches tall and weighed 131 pounds
California Birth Index, 1905–1995, showing the only
matching listing for William L. Bell, born 7 December
1921 in Fresno County, California, and with a mother
whose maiden name was Radley
1930 United States Federal Census, showing Billy L.

Bell, approximately eight years old, living in a household in Fresno, California, with his father, Elmer L. Bell; his mother, Florence E. Bell; and six siblings

that if I could nd their exact birth dates from this database, I would improve my odds of nding them in people-searching sites, the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), or perhaps the California Death Index.

Jim had already done the lion’s share of the work by locating Bill’s birth family. I swi ly followed his trail and reached all the same conclusions he had. I knew that Bill’s parents were Elmer and Florence and that he had brothers named Robert, George, and Morgan, and sisters named Dorothy, Ellen, and Mary. I also had approximate birth years for each sibling. So now the question was whether I could nd them. With at least six candidates, I was optimistic.

I always silently cheer when any case I work on involves California because of the wonderful California Birth Index, 1905-1995 < www.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=5247>, which Jim had already consulted. at’s where I turned my attention next in my quest to nd Bill’s siblings. I knew

Bell isn’t the most common name, but it’s not rare either, so I took advantage of the eld provided for mother’s maiden name in the California Birth Index and searched for anyone with the last name Bell whose mother was a Radley. Up popped the soldier, his sister Dorothy, and his brother Morgan.

But where were all the others?

I took each of the other children one at a time and did some additional digging. e eldest, Robert, proved stubborn, so I moved on. Next was Ellen A., born circa 1916. Not knowing the exact year, I searched for Ellen Bell, born 191* (love those wildcards!), but le the mother’s maiden name eld blank. ere she was with a mother named Radby. Radley/Radby? Everything else t, so yes, this was Ellen.

I tried the same tactic for George F., who had been born circa 1920. is time Mom’s name was Kadley. Once again, everything else t, so this was the right fellow. Finally,

I turned to Mary M., born circa 1927. Again, she easily popped up—with a mother named Rodley.

In just six records, the pilot’s mother’s name had appeared as Radley, Radby, Kadley, and Rodley. Perhaps if I had worked the database a little harder, I would have also unearthed Robert, but I decided that ve siblings were more than enough to move forward.

With many of my cases, I nd myself with mixed feelings. On one hand, I always hope to nd folks alive and well. On the other hand, I have to be realistic. We don’t live forever, and these days the privacy of the living is much more closely guarded than that of the deceased. From a practical standpoint, it’s usually helpful to nd at least one family member in a death index, as that provides a bridge to others. It may, for instance, lead to an obituary that lists survivors.

I decided to have a go at the California Death Index.
Bill’s parents had been born in the 1880s and 1890s, so I