John Henry Bell and Harriet Elizabeth Bates, England -> Compton, Quebec

[Jacquie in Canada]

The burial entry in East Angus, Quebec (Methodist Church) indicates "Harriett Elizabeth Bell, wife of John Henry Bell, carpenter of the Township of Westbury in the County of Compton, Province of Quebec" was born 14 Jun 1833 and died 9 Feb 1904 and buried on 2 Mar 1904. The witnesses were Franklin Bell and J.H. Bell.

Jacquie

[polarbear]

If this is the correct Harriet, Lucina/Lucinia will not be Harriet's birth mother. A widowed Peter Bates married a widowed Lucinia Osgood 13 Jan 1839. The Osgood child in the census would perhaps have been Lucinia's child from her first marriage.

PB

[Jacquie in Canada]

delete

[jrcarleton]

Many thanks all around! I think you have found the correct Harriett Bates! There are too many coincidences otherwise. Lived in Westbury, born in England at roughly the right time, with a brother named Frederick (she later had a son named Frederick)... plus when I looked up Peter Bates in the 1861 census, his family was on the same page as HC Bell (John Henry's brother), so they must have been neighbors!

I don't know when John Henry and Henry Charles emigrated, or if they emigrated together, or even if they emigrated directly to Canada, or to the US first and then to Canada. I know both were married in the US- John in NH and H.C. in Massachusetts. I also know that John Henry fought in the US Civil War and received a nasty wound in the neck. John Henry spent most of his later life in Canada, and died there. Henry Charles also raised a family in Canada, but I don't know when and where he died. He just stopped showing up in the census after 1871, although his family remained. I have not found a cemetery with a burial record for him yet.

The only information I have regarding John and HC's parents is from HC's marriage record (Dorchester, MA, 1850, as Charles Henry) where his parents are listed as John and Hannah Bell.

Thanks again for all help!

[polarbear]

There is an 1842 census for Lower Canada (Quebec) which has a Peter Bates, Farmer, living in Westbury; there are 8 family members living in this household, so perhaps wife and children. This particular census doesn't give any other info but if it is the same Peter Bates you will know he arrived in Canada prior to this census being taken.

Pb

[jrcarleton]

The 1911 census has John Bell living with his daughter and son in law, the Chamberlains, and he gives his immigration year as 1836 (although his birth year is listed as December 1830 instead of 1832, so if he was saying he immigrated when he was 6, it could have been as late as 1838 or 1839). The 1911 census also has Frederick Bates, Harriet's brother, and he gave his immigration year as 1833, but I don't believe that year either, because neither he nor Harriet were born yet at that point, and they both give their birth country as England. Regardless, I think it's safe to say both the Bell and Bates families emigrated from England to Canada in the mid 1830s.