Bumping this thread as I’ve been doing some more searching in this part of the tree.
So I’ve still not found a birth record for James Bell husband of Eliza Lamont, son of Walter - but I’m not even sure there are surviving baptismal records prior to 1865.
However, I have found another couple of catholic Bell families in the surrounding region and I’m wondering if they are any relation to my ancestors. There’s a notable repetition of names among their children, so I suppose it’s a possibility.
The parents of the three catholic Bell families I’ve found are as follows:
There’s of course James Bell and Eliza Lamont my 2x great grandparents, married in 1866 district of Coagh. James’ father listed as Walter Bell, James’ profession listed as Scutcher.
Then there’s another James Bell, married to Mary Teaney (transcribed as Geaney on Irish Genealogy), married in 1890 in Drummullan. He was resident in Drumads and she was from Drumconvis ( where my later ancestors lived. James’ father is listed as a John Bell. They briefly lived in in Mullaghwotragh, right next to Drumconvis.
Then there’s a John Bell, husband of a Mary Scullion (listed as Mary School in their marriage record in 1885 when she was just 15!). They were both living in Mullaghwotragh at the time of their marriage. Interestingly, they seem to have had a son in 1904 that was recorded as Walter in the civil birth register, but appears as Albert everywhere else. They had another son, Charles, who by coincidence appears exactly one slot above one of my great grandparent’s (Hugh and Mary Ann McCann) children in the register, born in Aughavey.
So while I have no evidence that there’s any link between these families at all, my suspicions are being raised - they share a lot of names, are catholics in an area where the surname Bell is predominantly Presbyterian, and while they all move about a lot they mostly seem to be found in the same areas. All entirely circumstantial, of course, but I’m wondering if there”s any possibility that these families are at all related.
