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Research in Other Countries => New Zealand => New Zealand Completed Requests => Topic started by: Mensor38 on Friday 13 October 06 20:16 BST (UK)
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Hello all,
I'm a new lister from England. Have come across a Jonathan Bell, christened 12 Aug 1832 in East Allington, Lincolnshire. I have an address for him, sometime in the 1850/60's, at Foston Farm, Rangiora, Canterbury NZ.
There is a family story that he became, or was, a watchmaker in New Zealand, probably about the 1850's, although I do not have an emigration year or any further information on him.
Does this 'ring a bell' with anyone?
(This a double hit, also on the KIWIGEN page, hope you don't mind)
Mike
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Hi Mike
I think he maybe the son of your Jonathan Bell
Mayors of Rangiora Borough
C.W. Bell 1908-1910
In the early days the Mayors retired annually and either put themselves up for re-election or stood down.
Charles William Bell was born in Rangiora in 1871. He was the son of early settler Jonathan Bell who had settled in the west of Rangiora (Bells Station). After having served an apprenticeship as a tailor and gained experience in the trade in Wellington he returned to Rangiora where he entered into business on his own account in 1894. His premise were in High Street to the east of Durham Street.
Mr Bell was a member of the school committee, and was a District Grand Master of the Rangoria Oddfellows Lodge. He also served in the Rangiora Rifles and reached the rank of Sergeant.
Mr Bell was a leading member of the Beautifying Society and the Poultry Club. He put much time and engery into making the arrangements for the annual poultry shows, riding his bicycle into Christchurch and back to organise the equipment needed to stage the show. This club still has its annual shows.
hope this helps
jericho
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Mike
Archives NZ also has the following for Jonathan Bell Rangoria 1922-1922
retired Farmer
agency series accession record
CAHX 2989 CHI7I CH
11809/1922
These records are held in Christchurch and can be ordered from
Archives New Zealand, Chrishchurch Regional Office
PO Box 642
90 Peterborough Street
Christchurch.
jericho
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Jericho,
Thanks very much - I wasn't expecting a reply so rapidly, (thanks, rootsweb!).
I think my next step is to work backwards - who was the mayor's father, etc.
Would be nice to find direct family, as I have some very good information on the English end.
I'll follow-up on your second e-mail tomorrow.
You're a star!
Mike
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Hi there,
1881 NZ Elec Roll
Electorate Kaiapoi
Number 62
Surname BELL
Given Names Jonathan
Nature Of Qualification Freehold
Place Of Residence Rangiora
Occupation Farmer
For Property Qualification Sections 969, Oxford Road; 6321 Rangiora
swamp
Electorate Kaiapoi
Number 63
Surname BELL
Given Names Alexander Maxwell
Nature Of Qualification Residential
Place Of Residence Rangiora
Occupation None
Electorate St Albans
Number 537
Surname BELL
Given Names Jonathan
Nature Of Qualification Residential
Place Of Residence West Town Belt
Occupation Farmer
1893 NZ Elec Roll
Surname BELL
Given Name Jonathan
Number 184
Electorate Kaiapoi
Voting Qualification Freehold
Residential Address Rangiora
Occupation Farmer
Property Detail 3 acres, Glen St
Surname BELL
Given Name Eliza
Number 181
Electorate Kaiapoi
Voting Qualification Residential
Residential Address Rangiora
Occupation Domestic duties
Surname BELL
Given Name Charles William
Number 844
Electorate Wellington
Voting Qualification Residential
Residential Address Thompson St
Occupation Tailor
Surname BELL
Given Name Agnes
Number 838
Electorate Wellington
Voting Qualification Residential
Residential Address Thompson St
Occupation Married woman
Strays that may fit in somewhere
Surname BELL
Given Name Eleanora Lavinia
Number 3513
Electorate Kaiapoi
Voting Qualification Residential
Residential Address Southbrook
Occupation Domestic duties
Surname BELL
Given Name John
Number 182
Electorate Kaiapoi
Voting Qualification Freehold
Residential Address Christchurch
Occupation Tradesman
Property Detail Sec 33043
Surname BELL
Given Name John George
Number 183
Electorate Kaiapoi
Voting Qualification Residential
Residential Address Coldstream
Occupation Blacksmith
Likely Marriage for the two
Year 1867
Folio 1336
Surname BELL
Given Names Jonathon
Sex M
Spouse DEAL, Eliza
Year 1893
Folio 1767
Surname BELL
Given Names Charles William
Sex M
Spouse PATTERSON, Agnes
Other possible marriages
Year 1900
Folio 5185
Surname BELL
Given Names Jonathan Alfred
Sex M
Spouse ALLEN, Jessie
Year 1905
Folio 3089
Surname BELL
Given Names Jonathan Alfred
Sex M
Spouse DUFFELL, Emily Annie
Year 1921
Folio 06966
Surname BELL
Given Names Charles William
Sex M
Spouse SALMON, Myrtle Ida
Year 1940
Folio 04432
Surname BELL
Given Names Charles William
Sex M
Spouse AYTON, Jean MacKenzie
Year 1906
Folio 0010
Surname BELL
Given Names Charles William Patterson
Sex M
Spouse SCOTT, Mabel Clare
Year 1874
Folio 1716
Surname BELL
Given Names Charles Wm
Sex M
Spouse LAWES, Harriet
Probates
Christchurch probate files
BELL Eliza - Rangiora - Married Woman 1907 1907 Christchurch High Court O Chch
Bells Siding ( From the history of Rangiora)
Location : Corner of West Belt and Oxford Road
In 1887, a passenger stop and platform for the Rangiora –Oxford Railway, was built on the northwest corner of West Belt and Oxford Road at therequest of the Borough Council. Jonathan Bell was farming in that area. The small station was at the side of his property.
Dont know if this one is connected ?! :
BELL.
Funeral Notice. Wellington.
Charles William Bell, died on the 25th March 1882. No other details
Hope this is of some help
Cheers
Del
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Delboy,
Thanks a lot.
It started out as an enquiry to solve an unsent letter.....................
Now, I can see myself having fun for months following up the details you've sent me.
I'm very grateful, and I will try to keep you updated on progress.
Thanks again,
Michael
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Hello Michael,
Here is some more for you.
From "Rangiora" by D N Hawkins, published by the Rangiora Borough Council, 1983.
Page 117:
Jonathon Bell --- had walked noth from Ferrymead carrying a spade and testing the soil as he went. He finally selected his land on the west side of Rangiora and bought an acre of bush to provide timber for the framework of his house and to fence his farm. He broke his cross-cut saw but finished his sawing with what he had left. The walls of the house were made of planks and the roof thatched with wheat straw and he dug a twenty-two foot well and lined it with curved bricks. The farm was called Foston after Bell's native village in Lincolnshire and the paper road which ran along its boundary to the Ashley (River became known as Bell's Road.
Mrs Bell was an experienced maternity nurse and her work in the Rangiora settlement helped to raise the money for further land purchases. Jonathon Bell was a good farmer and he was among the first to buy a threshing plant driven by a horse-drawn engine, a chaff cutter and dressing machine. He eventually built a second sod house on adjacent land and left Foston to a son, also Jonathon.
The younger Jonathon Bell was a clever man, very skilled with his hands. He had a blacksmith's shop and carpenter's shop on Foston, built his own telescope to further his interest in astronomy and played in an orchestra whenever one played in Rangiora. He had fourteen children of whom eleven survived and his third son, Charles William Bell, became mayor of Rangiora.
Jonathon Bell senior's daughter Lucy married Edmund Land who bought a rural section on the south side of the Oxford Road opposite Foston. Lucy Land died in 1865 and Edmund Landf went to America for a number of years ----.
Page 289:
Relph gave up the mayoralty in May 1908 and his successor was C W Bell, a son of Jonathon Bell of Foston, and a leading member of the Beautifying Society and the Poultry Club. A business man, Bell had a tailor's shop on High Street, a few yards east of Durham Street ----.
More to follow,
Regards,
Jean
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Hello Michael again,
This time from:
"Beyond the Waimakariri, A Regional History", by D N Hawkins, published 1957, published and printed by Whitcombe and Tombs Ltd, Christchurch.
Page 39 - 40:
By the end of 1857 quite a number of rural sections had been taken up on all sides of the bush, and the population of the settlement Rangiora had been increased by the arrival of Samuel Andrews, Samuel Golding, Edward Good, Edmund Robinson, William Vincent, Edward Pentecost, Stephen Mounsey, George Lock, Smith Howard, and Jonathon Bell. Some time before they left England Ivory and Stapleforth saw a brightly-painted dray at Charing Cross station, and were told that it belonged to a man named Bell who was migrating to New Zealand. Months later, while tramping into Christchurch, they saw the same dray standing beside a cottage at Heathcote. Two years later its owners, Jonathon Bell and his father, left Heathcote to look for a section of good land, taking with them a spade to test the soil. They literally dug their way north, and finally found soil of the quality they required near Rangiora Bush, about a mile away from Mr Ivory.
Page 297:
At Rangiora a ploughing match was first held in August 1865, on a paddock now occupied by the railway station. Jonathon Bell won a prize for the best ploughing with a horse and bullock harnessed together, but was disqualified from winning the main trophy for exceeding the time limit.
Page 298:
The first threshing machine to be used in the north was imported by the Rev. John Raven, about 1856. This machine was simply a revolving drum turned by horses harnessed to a capstan. Raven attached two spirited horses to his thresher when he first tried it out, but the clattering of the gears frightened them and they bolted around the paddock dragging the noisy machine behind them. Jonathon Bell of Rangiora also had a similar machine. While the horses worked a man fed in the sheaves. The grain was then dressed in another machine, and a day in which two hundred bushells was thus treated was considered a good one.
Regards,
Jean
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And I think this is the last I can add:
Edmund Land married Lucy Bell 1856, Folio # 0335
from NZ BDM's
Regards,
Jean
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Well Done, team.
8)
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Hello Jean,
Thanks ever so much for your information - not only putting flesh on the bones, but for the skin and the hair also - a bonus!
I'm glad you mentioned the origin of the name Foston, as this has solved another puzzle - Jonathan Bell's baptismal place was Allington.............. and it turns out that Foston is about half a mile north of Allington, they both being small villages near Grantham - it certainly removes any lingering doubts about this being the 'right' Jonathan Bell.
I suppose then next step is to trace the chldren and grandchildren to see whether any became watchmakers..........
Thanks again for your digging and help.
Michael
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Hello all,
Again my thanks for all your help - I did promise to fill in the English bit - which your efforts helped me to unravel - the key clue being knowledge of Jonathon's daughter, Lucy and her marriage to Edmund, which rather set Jonathan's age range
Jonathon Bell, New Zealand Immigrant
He is, certainly, one of the children of William Bell and Ann, who lived at East Allington. They had thirteen children between 1781 and 1808.Jonathon was chr 12 Aug 1798, followed by Catherine (my line) 19 Aug 1800, Elizabeth 6 Feb 1803, Lucy 13 Aug 1805, and Mary 16 Oct 1808.
Jonathon Bell married Elizabeth Lowe, 4 Apr 1825, subject to verification and has recorded, children, (via IGI batch No C055341, for Foston) Anne Bell 23rd Nov 1828, Lucy 27 Feb 1831, Mary 6 Apr 1834, and Elizabeth 15 May 1836, and by census record, Jonathan Bell born in 1843.
(The Jonathon Bell recorded as being chr 16 Oct 1832 was a son of Daniel Bell, a brother of Jonathon Bell, and Lucy Charles and can thus, now, be discounted)
1841 Census for Foston: Jonathon Bell, 40, Ag Lab; Elizabeth Bell, 35; Sarah Singleton, 20; Ann Bell, 13; Lucy Bell, 10 and Elizabeth Bell, 5 (No Mary Bell, 7, or a Jonathon Bell as a son)
1851 Census for Foston: Jonathan Bell, 52, Ag Lab, born Allington; Elizabeth Bell, Wife, and Dressmaker 49, born Gt Grimsby; Elizabeth Bell, Daughter 14, born Foston; Jonathan Bell, Son 7, born Foston
A Jonathan Bell, classified as a labourer, emigrated to Lyttelton, Christchurch, New Zealand on the "Caroline Agnes" arriving 16 August 1855, after leaving London on 19th April 1855. He was accompanied by a wife and son (not named). There were two passengers, classified as female servants with the names of L and E Bell. (Could these have been Lucy and Elizabeth Bell?)
If this is the 'right' Jonathon Bell, then he would have been about 57 when he emigrated - this seems to make sense as his daughter Lucy would have been about 24 at the emigration, and about 25 when she married Edmund Land in 1856. (The Jonathan Bell born about 1832 would have been too young to have a marriagable daughter in 1856!)
All the best,
Michael
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In the interests of good housekeeping, I’ve moved this post to completed.
Assistance has been provided …….
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I have just found this site in March 2011, some years after the post started, by Googling the name Jonathan Bell, Canterbury, NZ and was directed here. I do not know if the original poster still comes on and being a new chum I am still finding my way around. Now that I have found it I can tell you that my wife is a direct descendant of Jonathan Bell who came out on the Caroline Agnes named above and was a Bell until she married me. Her ancestors on both sides were early settlers in Rangiora and feature in its early history. So if you are still around Mensor 38 we might be able to help in your search. Cheers.
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Hi Barcroft Lad,
Yes, I'm still around and pleased to hear from you, perhaps we can compare notes sometime. This brief note is just to establish contact
Mensor38
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Hi Barcroft Lad,
Yes, I'm still around and pleased to hear from you, perhaps we can compare notes sometime. This brief note is just to establish contact
Mensor38
Hi Mensor 38. Thanks for this. Sorry for delay in response, just a tad busy! My wife's sister is just visiting from Canada and she says that she has a family tree so is going to send a copy and when she returns home is going to follow up on this thread. She is thrilled to hear of the link and the connection.Cheers.
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Hi Barcroftlad,
Thanks for the reply - the family tree sounds to be very interesting and I wait with bated breath .......................
Mensor38
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Hi Mensor 38
There is another sister who also has info and she says that she will follow up on this thread. My info is second hand and from memory. You might as well deal with the family direct. I hope that you don't run out of breath in the meantime. Cheers
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Hi Mensor,
Sorry to take so long but I did think one of my sisters in law might be getting in touch. However, today I received a package from Canada with a heap of info on both sides of the family and in reference to your posts above, one page is devoted to the Bells going back to the marriage of Jonathan Bell and Elizabeth Lowe. This shows 5 children to them, William married Ann Harvey, Ann m. John Smith, Jonathan m. Eliza Deal (14 children), Lucy m. Edmund Land, Elizabeth m. ? Brady (9 children inc. twins). So we are on the same family.
In my wife's line, Jonathan and Eliza , had Cyril Edwin Bell, my wife's grandfather, he married Maude Jones, and they had one son, Noel Herbert Cyril, my late father in law. Cyril was badly wounded and gassed in France in WW1 but came home thank goodness although his quality of life was diminished.
There is another page showing Jonathan's father Jonathan (1769) with two sisters Priscilla (1751-1832) and Catherine, and their parents Catherine Barclay m. David Bell of Stamford and in brackets, maybe Daniel Bell of Tottenham. This latter page is in the handwriting of my late father in law and I can work it back to being written in either 1964 or 65, just before I came into the family. I hope all this makes sense. I am just coming to grips with it. Cheers.
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Hello Michael,
I"m not sure if you are still around and looking for information on the NZ BELLS. I am descended from William Bell, the mystery man who has been described as the brother of Jonathan Bell, from Foston Farm England. I saw this post some time ago, and it has led to some head scratching because you did not mention William.
In 1851 William and his Sister Ann are recorded as passengers on the Sir George Pollock to Lyttleton. The Lyttelton Times reports that William set himself up in Ferry Road as a farmer and Ann returned to England to report on conditions to her brother Jonathan. I Think they must have meant her Father. When the family emigrated on the Caroline Agnes in 1855 the passenger list shows Jonathan Bell, 54, labourer: Elizabeth Bell, 52, wife: Lucy Bell, 20, daughter: Elizabeth Bell, 18, daughter: and Jonathan Bell, 10, son. It is unlikely that she would be reporting back to a 10 year old boy.
Before 1875 BDM registration was not compulsory, and those that were registered were pretty rudimentary with just the Bride and Grooms names, plus the date of their marriage in many cases.
When William Bell died suddenly in 1884 at Foston Farm, his death was reported in the Lyttelton Times and an autopsy was carried out. This determined that he died of a stroke, and because there was an autopsy his death certificate contained more details that would normally occur in this historical error. So from the death certificate we can see that he was the oldest son of Jonathan Bell and Elizabeth Bell (born Lowe). It also states that he was 59 years old, born at Foston Lincolnshire England, was married to Ann Harvey and they had a daughter, 28, (my ancestor) and a son, 26.
Williams's Death Certificate is 1884004857.
William and Ann are buried in the Church of England Cemetery, Rangiora in unmarked graves on the other side of the path to the monument erected to the early settlers of Rangiora, which is over the graves of his parents.
Hope this helps. Does fill in any of the gaps in your family jigsaw? I am going to add what you said to what I know, and see if it works for William's descendants here.
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It's 2014 and I have just found this site after googling William Bell (my ancestor) and Jonathan Bell (his brother). I too am from Canterbury, and am looking to learn some more about the Bells of Rangiora. I have William Bells death certificate (he died at Foston Farm 1884) and have got as far back as Elizabeth Lowe - his mother and Jonathan senior's wife...and I am sure they go back a bit further than that. Also a good source for information is paperspast if you have approx. dates.
I am still trying to work how to use this site and get in touch with people in the forum, so hope you get this.
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Hello Mensor,
It's late, 2014, and I have just read your post re the Bells of Rangiora. I am a descendant of the William Bell/Ann Harvey union and currently live in Christchurch, NZ - where William and Ann met and married in 1855. It was interesting to hear about Cyril Edwin Bell - very little is know about him, apart from the fact that like his brother Charles William he was mayor of Rangiora.
You mentioned seeing a page where Jonathan (1769) had two sisters Priscilla and Catherine and that their parents were Catherine Barclay and David Bell of Stamford or Daniel Bell of Tottenham. If you have not seen it "The Descendants of John Bell" mention a Jonathan Bell with sisters Priscilla and Catherine on page 277. The same page states that there were 10 children, and then goes on to list eleven....I'm obviously not the only one who is confused. I don't know if this is the same family or not.
I have been given 1798 for the birth date of Jonathan Bell snr., but if he was 54 when he arrived in Lyttelton on the Caroline Agnes this does seem right.
Just when I think I have it sorted something else pops up.
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I'm an Aussie not a Rangioran, but we may have a connection...
I have a Bell ancestor married in 1755 in Westborough (a couple of miles from Foston). (Possibly a brother of William who married in 1749 in nearby Claypole).
He is Jonathan Bell, and his great grandson Norris ended up in Wellington around 1874. Several of his descendants remain in NZ from Whangarei to Christchurch.
My line goes Jonathan~1730 William1756 Thomas1797 Norris1841.
Tantalizing isn't it ?
KeithCanberra
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Hi, KeithCanberra again.
It seems Jonathan1708, born in South Collingham to Sarah Bell, is the common ancestor.
He married Anne Wells in Clarborough in 1733, and there they had Jonathan1733 and John1736 (as well as Elizabeth1739 and Mary1749).
Jonathan1733 married Anne Parker in 1755 in Westborough where they had William1756 +8 others.
John1736 and Mary Kircheval/Kirchefell had William1756 and 5 others in Kilvington from 1749-61.
The William1756's produced Thomas1797 in Waddington - and Jonathan1798 in East Allington respectively ... and the rest is history!
Kilvington is in Nottinghamshire close to Westborough and East Allington (and to Foston).
All are just South of Newark-on-Trent while South Collingham is just North.
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Hi all,
It's now 2021 and I've fallen into a rabbit hole of research after a local historian has uncovered a lot of info regarding the Bells that relate back to Rangiora, aka my hometown.
The youngest Jonathan was my great, great, great grandfather. I live around 100m from where the farm would have once been, the station masters house from when the railway went through there was recently sold after being restored hence all the info has come back up again.
There's quite a bit on the family in local Rangiora Facebook pages and also some belongings in the local museum, I believe my nana also has the original tickets from the ship when they emigrated.
I have some screenshots of the original land plans and also a picture of the cottage that was first on the site but I can't work out how to resize them.for this site unfortunately, if you search me on Facebook (name above and town Rangiora) then I can send them through there if anybody is interested
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for help on how to re-size your images
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,372537.0.html
Regards
Sarah