Looking for birth / parents of Richard Gray BELL - COMPLETED

[Aus_Mike]

Hi David,

So, latest findings are:
- older brother Richard Grey born 1821 - presumably deceased in infancy
- Richard Gray born 1823
- younger brother William Bell born 1827
- mother Elizabeth probably born 1798 to William & Mary in Bluntisham-cum-Earith

However, I'm interested in finding out what happened to family after William's birth but have hit the wall.

Do you have any further suggestions?

Regards,
Mike

[bedfordshire boy]

We were working in parallel, as I'd just found the other two children!

The National Archives at http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=272-kcar6-2_1-1&cid=30-6-9#30-6-9 has a reference to an 1830 map of Cambridge drawn by Richard Gray Baker.

I'm pretty convinced this is the right family, and am checking censuses at the moment

David

[bedfordshire boy]

Robert Gray Baker infant was buried at Bluntisham on 6 Jan 1822

Robert appears to be an error for Richard

[bedfordshire boy]

You may have seen this already - a newspaper letter from Richard Gray Bell http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18960514.2.199&l=mi&e=-------10--1----0--

Also at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pauatahanui/PriscillaRobertsBell.html there's a transcript of a letter from Richard's wife Priscilla who had recently married an Italian.

David

[Aus_Mike]

david,

Thank you again for continuing to pursue this.  The newspaper article, maps & letter really contribute aspects to the story that I'd never thought achievable.

I must say I'm in awe of the diversity of your sources and the speed with which you can draw on them.

I've now found the VIC cert for Priscilla's marriage to Giovanni (1873/reg 2284).  The letter nailed it.  I'd previously been searching much later and missed it.  I'll also (when I figure out how  ) try to get the divorce / desertion notice.

I had also tried to check the censuses to find out what happened to Richard Gray senior and mother Elizabeth but still don't have enough detail to filter out the many options.  I'm down to a likely 4 for Elizabeth's death purely on birth year and location (if that's valid) - Cambridgeshire 1875 Q2/3b/315, Leicestershire 1969 Q4/7a/22, Norfolk 1866 Q3/4b/42 & Nottinghamshire 1874 Q4/7b/2.

Let me know how you go.

Regards,
Mike

[bedfordshire boy]

Your deaths  seem to be those of Elizabeth Bell. I'm not at all sure about her reverting to her maiden name. Richard Gray Baker might have changed his name to Bell for any number of reasons when he went to NZ.

What's the source, presumably in Oz/NZ for his birthplace being Earith?

Still struggling with censuses

Searching Cambs Archives online catalogue at http://calm.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ArchiveCatalogue/SearchArchives.htm for Richard Grey Baker throws up a couple of hits - the 1830 map of Cambridge which I mentioned earlier,  and a prosection for theft in 1823 from Richard Grey Baker, surveyor of Earith.

David

[Aus_Mike]

David,

My apologies for the delay in responding.

I've spent a fair bit of time scouring the indexes (FamilySearch, FreeBMD, Ancestry, ...) since you last post trying to validate what may have happened to Richard Gray senior and Elizabeth but with little success.  Despite exploring many options the only items of note I found were:
- Marriage of Richard Gray Baker to Elizabeth Williard - Sussex 1840 (Q1/7/389)
- Census 1851 for Richard G. Bell & Elizabeth - Stepney, Middlesex - birth 1793 Staffordshire (but v. difficult to read original image) 
- Death of Richard Gray Baker - Stepney, Middlesex 1852 (Q4/1c/345)

I checked all Richard Bakers born Staffordshire 1790-1800 but found nothing definitiive.

If it's OK with you, I'd like to park this for now and focus on other branches of the family in Wales, Ireland and somewhere in England :-).

Thank you again very much for all the help and I hope it wont be too long before our paths cross again.

Regards,
Mike

PS:  The reference to Earith came from an Ancestry public family tree - Moore's I believe - but focussed on Richard Gray junior's wife's family, the Bottrells.

[Aus_Mike]

Hi David,

I hope this note finds you're well & still on-line with RootsChat.  Many thanks again for your help in the past with this case. 

After a 5-year break, I've now retired and have recently resurrected my genealogy research and have an update regarding Richard Gray BELL.

Recall that we believed that he was born Richard Gray BAKER & had adopted his mother's maiden name when he emigrated to New Zealand. 

Well, I found "confirmation" of this in the form of an 1874 solicitor's advertisement "to his advantage" in an Auckland newspaper, Daily Southern Cross. 
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=DSC18741110.2.2.3&srpos=1&e=01-01-1874-31-12-1876--50-DSC-1----2richard+bell--

I was quite chuffed by this bit of luck and thought you'd like to see it.  Also, energised by this discovery, I've since found :

- Baptism of Richard Gray Baker senior - Lincolnshire 17/01/1793 to Thomas & Rebecca Baker
    http://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5510b4d9e93790332e890127?search_id=576a440bf493fd192d0002c5

- 1841 Census Richard Gray Senior, Elizabeth #2 & William with the Willards (Sussex, HO107, 1095/24, p10)

- Death of Elizabeth Baker in 1838 (Q3/7/229) & burial 22/07/1838 (Rusper, Sussex)

I have still to find Richard's burial details as I'm coming to the UK in August & thought I might visit the headstones.  Also, I might try to find out what the probate was for Richard Gray Baker's estate. :-)

Best Regards,
Mike