Allen Bell, b.1840/41 Crumlin, Co Antrim

[SpudKiwi]

Crikey, that's a lot to take in! I failed both of my first year Law papers so I will need to read and re-read a few times to make sure I understand everything. The Ulster Banner article does indeed state that transportation was on the cards for Robert, but for whatever reason he got 2 years in lock-up instead.

What do you mean by "big Col players"?

Anyhow, that's a sterling amount of information thanks Whuttle, and I look forward to your next installment.

[TheWhuttle]

SpudKiwi,

I've done a quick scan through the 19thC Belfast Newsletter & Freeman's Journal (Dublin), extracting relevant looking articles.  Some interesting stuff!
[N.B. Selection NOT comprehensive.]

Will summarise the findings here tomorrow, in case others might pick up on the information.
[In the meantime, I'll send you a P.M. with a URL pointer to the document.]

----
By "big CoI players" I simply meant "stalwart supporters of the Established Church (of Ireland)".
viz. Protestant Episcopalian.

The Rev. D. BELL conducted many marriages at Glenavy, before be moved to St. Andrews,Inch, Downpatrick.  He was definitely a CoI clergyman.  Was he a relative?!

[There was a strong possibility that your BELLs might have been dissenters, BELL being a Scottish name.  In remote areas with no local dissenting congregations, like Glenavy, it was common for dissenting families to attend the CoI and to fill the posts of "sidesmen".  It was especially important, in order for marriages to be declared legal (and hence offspring to be recognised as legitimate - thus able to inherit) for a ceremony to be held in the CoI church under the auspices of the Vicar.  This requirement was ameliorated by the great Dissenters' Relief Act of 1845, which started the move away from inheritance administration being the exclusive domain of the Ecclesiastical Courts to Civil ones, though this process did not fully complete until 1870.]

Capt. Jock

[SpudKiwi]

Oh, CoI (cee-oh-eye) is Church of Ireland. I understand now. I was reading it as cee-oh-ell!
I have found out that Allen Bell and Mary Mathews got married in NZ in by a Presbyterian minister. Not sure if that helps much. There were probably not too many ministers to chose from in those early days in NZ.
I'm not aware of a Rev D. Bell, but as I don't know much at all, I can't rule it out!
Thanks Capt Jock.

[TheWhuttle]

Transcripts (simplified) of (some of) the references to BELL in the Belfast Newsletter (BNL):

08-DEC-1898 (Thu)  BNL  Issue 26004
07-DEC-1898 Allen BELL and others are granted access to stock bequeathed to Ellen BELL, their mother, deceased.

02-APR-1886 (Fri)  BNL  Issue 22083
26-MAR-1886 (Fri) Statutory Notice to Creditors
22-JAN-1886 William BELL's Will is proved;
  By John BELL, of Aghnadarragh, Farmer  &  Allen Bell McKINSTRY, of Aghnadarrah, Salesman, the Executors.
13-JAN-1886 William BELL, of Springfield, Glenavy, Farmer, dies.

05-OCT-1882 (Thu)  BNL  Issue 20975
04-OCT-1882 (Wed) Allen BELL (with son Robert BELL) tenant on Estate of  Lord Massereene & Ferrard.
Area: 29 Acres  1 Rood  20 Perches;  rent £19 10s; valuation £15 5s.
Portions of the land deemed to be of inferior quality.

09-APR-1851 (Wed)  BNL  Issue 11757
04-APR-1851 (Fri) Married in Templepatrick Remonstrant Church, by Rev. Joseph NELSON:
    Mr. Robert BELL, Ballycastle, to Miss Letitia BELL. Kilmakee, Parish of Templepatrick.

01-MAY-1844 (Wed) FJ  Issue N/A
26-APR-1844 (Fri)  ACCIDENT ON LOCH NEAGH - THREE YOUNG GENTLEMEN DROWNED
Mr. Allen BELL, Glenavy Water-foot;
Mr. Alexander CHARTERS, son of Mr. John CHARTERS (esteemed townsman);
Mr. Henry NELSON, son of Mr. James NELSON, Ballinderry.
Boat capsized by a sudden, violent squall from the North, as it rounded Ram's Island.

19-MAR-1844 (Tue) BNL Issue 11130
14-MAR-1844 (Thu) Married in Glenavy Church, by Rev. D. BELL:
    Robert PATTERSON, son of Alexander PATTERSON, Upper Ballinderry,
 to Anne BELL, dau of the late Robert BELL, Aghadolgan.

12-MAY-1843 (Fri) Issue 11043
05-MAY-1843 (Fri) Married in Glenavy Church, by Rev. D. BELL:
    John CAMPBELL, Deerpark, to Eliza ALLEN, Lisburn.

10-FEB-1843 (Fri)   BNL Issue 11017
02-FEB-1843 (Thu) Died, aged 67, at his residence, Kinella, near Dromara,
  Robert BELL, Esq., of the General Valuation of Ireland.

04-JAN-1841  (Mon)  BNL  Issue 10798
28-DEC-1840 (Mon) Died, aged 12, John Bowland BELL, 11th son of Captain Robert BELL, Bellbrook, Glenavy

10-APR-1840 (Fri)  BNL Issue 10721
27-MAR-1843 (Fri) Married in Glenavy Church, by Rev. D. BELL:
    Michael M'HARG, Lisburn, surgeon  to Annabella BELL, eldest dau of David BELL, Langarvy.

11-FEB-1840 (Tue)  BNL  Issue 10705
31-JAN-1840 (Fri) Died, Robert BELL, son of John BELL, Tullyquilly, near Rathfriland.

24-JAN-1840 (Fri)  BNL Issue 10700
12-JAN-1840 (Sun) Married in Glenavy Church, by Rev. D. BELL:
    Robert Davis KIRK, Belfast, to Anne BELL, 2nd dau of Allen BELL, Aghnadaragh.

12-JAN-1838 (Fri)  BNL Issue 10491
03-JAN-1840 (Wed) Married in Glenavy Church, by Rev. D. BELL:
    Henry HOPER, Lower Ballinderry, to Mary BELL, Leap.

20-FEB-1835 (Fri)  BNL Issue 10193
31-JAN-1835 (Sat) Married in Glenavy Church, by Rev. D. BELL:
    James BELL, Ballydonaghy, to Mabel McVEAGH, Ballyshanaghy.

08-NOV-1833 (Fri)  BNL Issue 10059
30-OCT-1833 (Wed) Married in Glenavy Church:
    John VERNON, eldest son of the Rev. John VERNON, Lisburn,
 to Anna Maria BELL, 2nd dau of Captain Robert BELL, Bell Brook, Glenavy.


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Subscribers to "Original Poems, sacred, moral elegiac" by William Anderson, English Teacher, 2nd volume MDCCCXLI (1841)

George L. Bell, Esq. Glenconway, Glenavy
Rev. Daniel Bell, Glenavy
George Bell, Aghanadarragh, Glenavy

http://www.glenavyhistory.com/ballinderry_LaaLoo.php

[Capt Jock: Stafford WHITTLE created a model farm/manufactory in Glenconway, abandoning Thistleborough, Ballyshannaghill (which was in a ruinous state even by 1835).]

----
Many references to BELL on the Glenavy History site.
e.g. http://www.glenavyhistory.com/glenavy_parishChurch.php

The 1843 Judgement against Robert BELL as reported in the BNL.
http://www.glenavyhistory.com/townlands/ballygortgarve.php

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HEARTH MONEY ROLL FOR 1669. Mazareene Barony.

GLENAVEY TOWNE: Widd Bell, George Allin
CORBELLY (Corbaliy): Wid Bell
BALLYMCETHANY (Ballymacilhoyle): Walter Bell
SEACASH: James BELL
BALLYGROBAN (Ballyrobin): Walter BELL
CARMEAVY (Grange of Carmavy): Walter BELL
CARNACLASSE (Carnaghliss): John BELL
BALLYDRENTOCK (Ballynadrentagh): John BELL

http://lisburn.com/books/glenavy/glenavy-1.html

[SpudKiwi]

Hi Capt,

Thanks very much for the information you sent me.
I used to think genealogy was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but when you’re dealing with BELLs it’s more like looking for a needle in a haystack full of needles!

And it would seem that Allen Bell (b. ca1840) is a most tricky needle indeed.
I now have several slightly conflicting pieces of information regarding his origins which I have sourced here in NZ.
All sources put his birth in 1840 or 1841 bar one.
His NZ marriage certificate (17/6/1868) says he was 24yrs, which puts his birth nearer 1844.
Possible locations are Crumlin, and just yesterday I found a reference that said Glenavy.

In your opinion, how solid is the Glenfield/Ballygortgarve connection?
Is it relevant that Allen Bell and his brother John, both ended up naming their farms in NZ, “Glenfield”?
John Bell also had another NZ farm called “Belgrove”, but that’s a little more predictable.

Kind regards
SpudKiwi

[TheWhuttle]

That early on you must rely upon church records.
[Civil registration of Births did not start until 1864.]

The church records may only contain dates of Baptisms, NOT Births.

CoI vicars insisted on the sacraments being performed in the church buildings.
If a child was a bit poorly, then it may not have been felt appropriate to bring it to a formal baptism ceremony till it was properly "on its feet" healthwise, perhaps even aged several years old.
[Protestant theology doesn't require the rapid baptism of the young.]

So, it is important when you see a date to know which of Birth or Baptism is meant.
[Misinterpreting a baptismal date as a birth date would result in underestimating an individual's age.]

----
St. Aidan's CoI served the three conjoined parishes of Glenavy, Camlin and Tullyrusk (from ~1633).
http://www.glenavyhistory.com/glenavy_parishChurch.php

The CoI church at Crumlin was burnt down by the Jacobite forces in 1690.

So, anyone from near that town would be required to use St. Aidan's as their parish church.
[Other CoI churches were located at Killead, Antrim & Lisburn, but the parochial attendance requirements were very stringent.]


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CRUMLIN (town) was the postal hub for all mail directed towards Glenavy.
[e.g. The WHITTLEs resident at Thistleborough, Ballyshanaghill, Camlin, would have mail addressed to them simply as "Francis WHITTLE, Crumlin".  So neither the Townland nor the Parish was deemed necessary to be specified.  The Post Office would know what to do with the packages.]

The gradually emerging logical structures supporting civil registration (starting with Protestant marriages from 1845) established local registration offices.  These can sometimes confuse researchers in to misinterpreting that the participants originated from, or were married, there.
[Hmm, would need to check some more w.r.t. the exact location of the civil registration office for Glenavy/Crumlin/Tullyrusk ...]

----
There is a very strong incentive in these newspaper extracts for the naming of an "Allen BELL" in 1844, albeit such necessarily being born post-26APR1844.  Namely, the unexpected demise at a young age of an individual with this name - no doubt a traumatic event for the extended family.

It would have been common for at least one, or even several, male BELL children born shortly after this event to be given the name "Allen", in memoriam.

Genealogically, it is more likely that such might have been cousins (born to one of the many brothers/uncles).
[I note that Robert BELL had at least 11 sons (as well as at least 2 daughters).
 We have an example of this in our own history when a whole young family group perished at sea emigrating to Oz.]

However, if the deceased's parents were still sprogging, then it is likely that the next male production, perhaps born only a few month's after the tragedy, would be given the "Allen" name.
[Such to preserve it within that branch of the family, particularly if such was a traditional name.  This can be confusing in the records, particularly if the first child died very young.  It can result in individuals being mis-allocated to other family groups in the research conclusions.]

----
N.B. The ALLEN surname is common.
[You'll find it in one of the transcribed records, as well as in the 1669 Hearth Money Rolls.
 It was quite common to use surnames as first names.
 However, it is also a first name in its own right - introduced by the Normans or from the clans.
 Recommend copious glasses of The MacALLAN when trying to sort this out ...
 See the transcripts for ALLEN and BELL from Robert BELL's "Ulster Surnames"!]

----
One reason to move North was that the farms were bigger there.
[Average of 20A at Glenavy, 30A at Crumlin.]

The former was considered too small to support a family successfully.
[The UPTONs at Templepatrick upgraded the sizes of all their farms in the 1830s to 30A minimum.]

----
Capt. Robert BELL

Captain of what?

1) Ship.
Possibly on Lough Neagh? - lots of  coal coming over from Coalisland in Co. Tyrone.
Possibly out of Belfast? - The ENGLISH family, married in to the Glenavy OAKMAN family, had seafarers operating out of that port. 
[Also, the WHITTLEs were international traders in linen, to the Americas & West Indies.]

2) Yeomanry
Stafford WHITTLE was Captain of the "Glenavy Infantry" (148 rank and file).
Maybe RB took over from him?
http://lisburn.com/books/glenavy/glenavy-1a.html#1815

3) Antrim militia or Regular Army
[Records will be in the UK National Archives at Kew.]

4) Police
[A Capt. BELL was in charge of the Horse Police in their Kevin-Street Barracks in Dublin.  Ref: FJ 03-DEC-1821]

----
I'd think that "Glenfield" was VERY diagnostic of their residence before emigrating.

Names of farms did tend to change, but the Post Office would have discouraged too many duplicates.
[Hard enough keeping track of the "ownership" changes.  Many leases were for short periods of time.]

Besides, Glenfield is slightly oxymoronish (Irish?) - not something that might trip off the tongue as an immediate name for an exciting new location ... particularly if your brother had just  used it for his property (ugh!) ?
[So there MUST have been a strong reason for them adopting identical names.
 Nostalgia is a powerful emotion ...]

----
Hope these rambles help you some more.

Capt. Jock

[SpudKiwi]

Thanks Capt, that's certainly given me a lot to chew over the last few days! I have been trawling around the Glenavy History website as it seems to be the best source of BNL material that doesn't require a credit card. I found an extract from an issue dated 17 Jun 1828, there is a marriage announcement of a Mr Henry Bell, merchant, Crumlin to a Matilda Jane McDonald. Allen Bell's first daughter was named Matilda Jane. This does not come from the mothers immediate side of the family. We know John and Robert had a brother called Henry. What I am unsure of is the likelihood of a marriage in 1828 still producing children into the 1840's. Would this be typical of the times?
  We also know Henry went broke. If Allen is his son, then it would make sense that he went to work for Uncle John on his farm after finishing school.
  BTW, Allen must have been a reasonably literate man, as in NZ, he wrote a number of farming articles that were published in the newspaper, and was heavily involved in local school committees.

[TheWhuttle]

Yes, there has been a power of work going on building the Glenavy website, with active gathering from many sources. Don't know how comprehensive/complete the aims are.  Very impressive, and mighty useful!
[Some useful BELL family researchers appear under the "Family History" section there, with some very interesting (!) subject matter ...]

I gain access to the BNL online for free, courtesy of my County Library Service who took out subscriptions to the offerings from CENGAGE Learning after I suggested that it would be well used.
[Its 19thC British Newspapers collection includes the BNL and Freeman's Journal.
 However, coverage is incomplete, with the BNL only offered from 01JAN1828.
 One of these days I'll find out exactly when (~1801) and where (Muckamore manse?) James WHITTLE died, and where (Muckamore?) he is buried. He had moved his operation up to Muckamore, running the mills there, while several of his early sons tried to make their way in business as traders in burgeoning Belfast or further abroad.]

Henry Bell's marriage reported in the 17-JUN-1828 BNL edition resolutely refuses to be found in the indices offered by CENGAGE Learning.  I had to home in on it by other means.
[Another example of poor automated indexing? Perhaps "thrown" by the whole name  being printed in CAPITALS?!  Ditto for his spouse, who also refused to be found.  Eventually worked out the her surname was indexed as "M`Donald" ...
(thats a "backwards" single upper quote - located on the keyboard, top left).]

Interesting that they were granted a "Special Licence".  Such allowed them to get married anywhere and at any time. [Note that no date is reported for the marriage ceremony in the newspaper.]
Such was also required if one, or both, participants were Dissenters.
[There is a strong likelihood that McDONALDs would have been of an RC persuasion.]

----
Producing kids over an extended period was common practice, especially amongst the farming community.  The mother could start as early as age 16, producing a child every 2 years for 20 years, say.  Thats 11 children, but with high infant mortality, perhaps only 6-8 survivors.  Enough for 3-4 strapping sons to help out with the work (and carry on the family name) and 3-4 doting daughters to look after you in old age (or attract dowries on marriage).
[My great-grandmother produced her first (aged 19) in 1877 and her 13th (aged 42) in 1910,
 not dying 'til just short of her 78th birthday.  My grandad was no. 12.]

I've seen reports of men having 22 offspring, but this is unlikely to have been with the same woman.  If early children get sprogging young themselves, then you can situations where such offspring can be older than their uncles/aunts!

Back in Napoleonic times (viz. early 19thC) boys of age 9 were expected to no longer be a financial burden on their families - with apprenticeships, farm labouring, army, navy, school-scholarships, clergy, etc. being some of the paths open to them.

----
Yes, education was much prized in the area.
[Still is! Northern Ireland consistently tops the school performance leagues in the UK.]

Strongly recommend that you get your hands on a copy of "Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol. 21: County Antrim VII, 1832-1838", ISBN 978-0-853894-62-9.  It covers the Glenavy/Crumlin area.
http://www.booksireland.org.uk/store/all-departments/ordnance-survey-memoirs-of-ireland-vol-21-county-antrim-vii-1832-38

----
At some point you are going to have to get to grips with the Glenavy CoI church records.
I interfaced with a very helpful lady (recommended by the Vicar) a number of years ago.
However, she has definitely "retired" from such work now.
[Despite copious details supplied, I was not able to confirm all of the information captured within a family history authored for the WHITTLEs dating from 1919.]

Capt. Jock

[SpudKiwi]

Thanks Capt, I had not noticed the Family History forum on the Glenavy website before, so I have added my 2 cents worth to the Bells of Glenavy thread. I am not sure what you mean by the "interesting subject matter" though. Perhaps I missed something.

So I could be on to something with the Matilda Jane connection, the dates would work?
The Rev was named Cupples, I think I've seen that somewhere before, on the web while searching other stuff.

I shall try and get a hold of that book, but my usual online book supplier does not have it so I will try your link later. I've seen references to another book about a Laura Bell of Bellbrook but I'm not sure that's my Bells.

I imagine at some point I shall actually have to go back to Ireland. That will take a fair amount of funds and planning, so maybe not next week. I'll put it on the 5 year plan though.

Cheers, Spud