Henry Howell (c. 1807 – aft. 1870)
Howell Line
By Don Taylor
In my continuing effort to identify the parents of Peter M. Howell, I have begun examining his siblings in greater depth. In The Life and Travels of Peter Howell, Peter names two brothers—Henry and Gideon—and mentions an unnamed half-sister. Any of these individuals might hold clues to the previous generation. I am starting with the eldest brother, Henry.
On page 14 of Peter’s book, he notes staying on Henry’s land in 1830[i], providing a valuable early anchor point for Henry’s whereabouts.
Records Found for Henry Howell
My research located Henry in the 1830[ii], 1850[iii], 1860[iv], and 1870[v] U.S. Censuses. His absence from the 1840 Census remains unexplained, and locating him there is a priority for resolving questions of household composition. I also located Henry’s Virginia death certificate[vi], which confirms the general time frame for his death but offers no parental information.
FamilySearch
Because FamilySearch contains multiple Henry Howells of similar age, I reviewed each likely candidate to determine whether any researcher had identified his parents. None had. However, five FamilySearch profiles appear relevant, and I believe three of them represent the same individual.
Five FamilySearch Tree Profiles for Henry Howell
| FS Profile ID | Birth Est./Claimed | Source Count | Key Family Members | Notes / Identity Assessment |
| 1. M4WZ-VQH | c. 1807 | 0 | Wife: Permebia/Pamela Moseley | Likely Same man as #2 and #4 |
| 2. GPML-8HK | 1807 | 4 | Wife: Judith “Judy”; StepsonL R. P, Giwekk | Matches #1/#4: Susan Call misattached |
| 3. KHHV-QFR | — | 2 | Wife: Ann; Daughter: Amanda | Unrelated (Different race and family) |
| 4. L2PR-73L | c. 1807-1810 | 2–3 | Wife: Permebia Mosley; Son: Robert Philip Howell | Matches #1 & #2; strong candidate |
| 5. L67Q-H5V | 1809–1812 | 18 | Different spouse and children | Unrelated |
Summary: Profiles #1, #2, and #4 appear to represent the same Henry Howell (b. c. 1807), with spouses Pamela/Permebia Mosley and Judith Howell. Profiles #3 and #5 are unrelated based on race, geographic differences, and inconsistent family members.
Probable Merges
Profiles #1, #2, and #4 appear to describe the same person:
- Profiles #1 and #4 list nearly identical wife names (Pamela / Permebia Mosley).
- Profiles #2 and #4 associate Henry with R. P. Howell, whom records show is Robert Philip Howell, son of Permebia/Pamela.
- Profile #2 lists Judith/Judy as Henry’s spouse, and the census shows R. P. Howell as a stepson, placing Judith clearly as Henry’s second wife.
Note: Merging online profiles on FamilySearch should be done carefully because errors are easy to introduce and difficult to undo. Different individuals with similar names, dates, or locations are often mistaken for one another, and once merged, their records, relationships, and sources become intertwined—sometimes incorrectly. I always verify identities through solid evidence before merging to avoid spreading inaccuracies throughout the shared tree and affecting the work of other researchers.
Findings from Ancestry Trees
Ancestry offered little new information. Twelve public trees list Henry as marrying Permella/Pamella Moseley, but almost all rely solely on user-copied data. Only one included an actual primary source: Henry’s death certificate, which I had found already.
One tree, however, linked Henry to:
- Brother: Gideon C. Howell (1808–1872)
- Wife: Permelia Moseley (1815–1870)
- Parents: James Howell (1775–1816) and Nancy Bottom
This is worth exploring but currently unproven. Peter’s book supports that he had a brother Gideon. However, if Permelia died in 1870, yet Henry resided with Judith in 1860 and 1870, dates or relationships may be misattributed.
WikiTree
Henry Howell did not appear in WikiTree. To lay groundwork for eventual integration, I added:
- Peter Fletcher Howell (Henry’s nephew)
- His parents: Peter M. Howell (Henry’s brother) and Caroline M. A. Pankey
Questions Still Requiring Research
- Can I find Henry in the 1840 Census?
Review Henry’s 1830 and 1850 neighbors, and look for them in the 1840 Census. Is there a likely candidate for Henry in their neighbors? - Are Pamela and Permelia Mosley the same person?
The names appear interchangeable across different researchers. I must determine whether “Permelia” represents a misreading of handwriting, a phonetic spelling, or an entirely different individual. - What is Susan Calls relationship to Henry?
The 1870 Census lists Susan Call as a “domestic servant.” I must confirm that she was living with Henry and Judith, rather than being their child, to resolve the mistaken assignment of her as a daughter. - Could F. Josie Thomas be Peter’s missing sister?
An obituary for Mrs. F. Josie Thomas names a brother Henry Howell. One researcher linked her to my Henry. This is of particular interest because Peter Howell mentions having a half-sister, which could align with Josie—if documentation supports the relationship.
Endnotes
[i] Howell, Peter, The Life and Travels of Peter Howell, Page 14.
[ii] 1830 Census, Various, 1830 Census – Virginia – Buckingham – Maysville – Page 303 – 7th from bottom – Henry Howell. “United States, Census, 1830”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH5F-P5M : Thu May 09 02:13:07 UTC 2024), Entry for Henry Howell, 1830.
[iii] 1850 Census (NARA), 1850 Census – Gideon Howell – Buckingham County, Virginia. The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M432; Residence Date: 1850; Home in 1850: District 1, Buckingham, Virginia; Roll: 937; Page: 370a.
[iv]1860 Census, Various, 1860 Census – Henry Howell – (New Canton) Buckingham, Virginia. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2769918?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a22506e666c41524c38596c526777766354614d5431322f526b43516569635445426d395450787938714e796f3d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d.
[v] 1870 Census, Various, 1870 Census – Henry J Howell – Marshall, Buckingham, Virginia. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2768733?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a224a472b766a54796e4b397651655a61706a396757556c766737734a354b4763555a684b6a7247577072646f3d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d.
[vi] Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987, Family Search, Robert Philip Howell. “Virginia, Death Certificates, 1912-1987”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVR7-J6GH : Wed Oct 08 01:03:42 UTC 2025), Entry for Robert Philip Howell and Henry Howell, 16 Dec 1921.
