William Bell

[keyboard86]

Hi again:-

Annie Bell 23rd March 1828 Foston Father Jonathan Mother Elizabeth

Where does the thinking of a Nephew come in for William Bell b c 1826 and Jonathan b c 1844?

And Jonathan Bell 9th April 1843 Foston Father Jonathan Mother Elizabeth
Keyboard86

PS Great Gonerby and Foston are approximately 4 miles apart.

[keyboard86]

Hi their is another thread re Jonathan Bell in Canterbury NZ by Mensor38 would it be possible for a Moderator to provide a link to this thread please?!

Keyboard86

[wasaking]

This is getting more confusing - according to 7/162014 New Zealand Archives Passenger Lists 1839-1973 for The Caroline Agnes which left London 12th April, 1855 and arrived in Lytttelton on 17th August, 1855:
Jonathan Bell   age 55 labourer
Elizabeth Bell         52 wife
Lucy Bell                20 daughter
Elizabeth Bell         18 daughter
Jonathan Bell         19 son

There is no mention anywhere that I can see that this Jonathan and Elizabeth also had a daughter Ann (27) which they left behind in England......unless she was a married woman by that stage and there is no record about her that I can find here

The Sir George Pollock passenger list (arriving Lyttelton 10th November 1851)contains two Bells, who were paying passengers and not assisted immigrants:
Bell      Ann          23 Domestic Servant not married
Bell      William     25 Ag. Labourer
Ann returned to England to report to Jonathan and family on the situation in NZ, and William took up residence in Ferry Road, where he is listed in the 1953 Electoral Roll and the 1855 Jury List as a farmer.
When Jonathan and Elizabeth and family arrived in 1855 the also lived in Ferry road until 1858.   To date the only Ann I can find is the Ann Harvey that William married in 1855, and their daughter also called Ann.   I have not checked the NZ historic BDM records for any Ann that may be a descendant  of the Jonathan Bells yet.....my main focus has been with William Bell.

[wasaking]

Thank you all very much for the information.    Now that I have had time to think about it I can see some other possibilities. William BELL was my great grandfather, and we know very little about him, and even less about Jonathan Bell.....despite the numerous newspaper articles which mention them, and a lot of family papers were destroyed during a disagreement between two of his descendants. A few of the early settlers in Canterbury have written and published diaries and memoirs and these contain snippets of information about the Bells......We always thought of William being the brother of Jonathan senior, but it is possible ...looking at the dates....that he and Ann could be the older brother and sister of Jonathan Bell junior....it would make sense.  Once again thinks for the dates.