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

[SpudKiwi]

Hi Team,

I'm still waiting for the book to arrive, but in the meantime I have been researching Allen's brother John's line. And this had led to a "discovery"! John Bell remarried in 1891, by which time in NZ you had to put parental details on the marriage certificate. John Bell's marriage certificate says he was born in Crumlin  (same as Allen) and that his parents are John Bell (farmer) and Margaret Bell (nee Carmichael or least I think that is what it says).

So John at Glenfield is the father, Robert the Scoundrel and Henry the Broke are uncles.

Can anyone verify for me now if John and Margaret had more children?

Cheers
SpudKiwi

[TheWhuttle]

SpudKiwi,

Thanks for sending the marriage record thru' directly for my opinion on the surname.
[N.B. It is generally reckoned OK to post snippets from out of such when trying to decipher hand writing.
 There are many experts aboard this conference/board who can help you out.]

Reckon that it is CORMICHAN or CORMICKAN, a native Irish name.

[Such is a diminutive, or pet form, of CORMICK.
 It was quite common to do this to Gaelic names, roughly equivalent to the "Mc" or "Mac" prefixes.
 c.f. CORRIGAN = CORRY + GAN, etc.]

There are people recorded with both spellings in the public statement of support of the impending turn-of-the-19thC Union.  Belfast Newsletter 11-OCT-1799.
http://www.ucs.louisiana.edu/cgi-bin/belfst/QueryForm1.cgi

----
The spelling seems to have become rationalised later as CORMICAN.

Ref: Advertisements & Notices, The Belfast News-Letter, Friday, May 22, 1829; Issue 9595.
1369 Philamy CORMICAN of Portmore (just South of Glenavy), Barony of Upper Massereene, applies to register his freehold (and hence imminent right to vote) as a holder of land & houses valued at £10.
1373 Edward CORMICAN, Portmore

A selection of others of interest to you listed there are:
1279 Edward BELL, Trummery
1283 Isaac BELL, Dogheremisk
1308 Henry BELL, Crumlin
1310 David ALLEN, Ballshanaghy
1349 John BELL, Ballyvorally & Bally...
1351 Meredith BELL, Ballyvorally
1388 Brent BELL, Trummery

The 1901 Census lists people with this CORMICAN surname as resident in:
Aghnadarragh, Crumlin, Ballynadentragh, Ballyvorally, Portmore, etc.

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John BELL gave his age as 45 on 21-MAY-1891 when he took Annie Elizabeth TAYLOR as his second wife in Flemington, Ashburton, New Zealand.

So, assuming that this age was accurate, he would have been born between 22-MAY-1845 and 21-MAY-1846.
[Too early for civil registration of births in Ireland, so have to rely upon church records.]

The marriage between his parents John BELL and Margaret CORMICAN (CORMICHAN, CORMICKAN) could therefore have taken place as late as the end of 1845, so might just make it in to the civil records (which commenced that year for marriages of Protestants).  However, it is more likely to have been earlier, forcing reliance upon church records once more.

----
I read that the CoI folks in Crumlin would resort to Killead to do their churching.
So, you need to include that place in your search, as well as Glenavy.
[Ref: 1832-38 O.S. Memoirs of Ireland, Vol. 21, South Antrim, Camlin parish, P.72 Public Buildings]

The CORMICAN listings within the 1901 census show an overwhelming adherence to Roman Catholicism, so it is highly likely that Margaret CORMICAN also followed this religious persuasion.  As such the couple, involving a dissenting partner, may have had to apply for a special licence from the CoI hierarchy.  They may have been married by an RC priest first.
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/

I searched for a notice of the wedding in the Belfast Newsletter, to no avail.
[Searched 1828-1856 BMD notices for "John BELL",
 as well as (separately) all variations of Margaret's surname.]

Capt. Jock

[SpudKiwi]

Hi Capt,

Thanks for passing your expert eye over the document. I didn't know how to include a picture in the forum so I figured emailing it to you would be easier, for me at least! I see now why you think it ends in "n", I was wondering myself where the "l" was given that other writing is visible beyond the end of the surname. And Flemington and Ashburton both seem to end in a similar style.

It is conceivable perhaps that a marriage may not even have taken place? John was simply lying about his parents being married to cover illegitimacy? I don't think there would have been much checking going on back then. That doesn't concern me overly much though. I have parental names now which should help to focus the Ireland research.

Goals from here on are to establish if there were other children, and where John and Margaret may be buried.

The Ordnance Survey book arrived today so will get onto that soon.

Cheers
SpudKiwi

[TheWhuttle]

Hi again SpudKiwi,

The marriage certificate requires only the names of the parents, so implies nothing about their formal relationship.

Tried a search on the FindMyPast newspaper database, also to no avail.
No JB = MC marriage in its Irish Newspapers collection.
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search/irish-newspapers

Searched the UHF church records databases.
Only one BELL = CORMICAN marriage was found, in 1870.
http://www.ancestryireland.com/search-irish-genealogy-databases/

This must be that of ...
William Alexander BELL of Killead, son of Alexander BELL, who married
Jane CORMICAN of Glenavy, daughter of Edgar CORMICAN,
in the Parish Church at Glenavy on 25-FEB-1870.
[As detailed in a note, against entry (156), at http://www.glenavyhistory.com/glenavy_parishChurch_burials.php]

So, there is an example of a legitimate BELL=CORMICAN marriage which (apparently) was NOT reported in the newspapers.
[Posting such a notice cost money, perhaps such not being ready to hand ...]

----
PRONI's guide to the extant church records can be seen here:
http://www.proni.gov.uk/guide_to_church_records.pdf

P.212 Glenavy CoI: Baptisms from 1707; Marriages from 1707; Burials from 1707.
P.213 Glenavy RC: Baptisms from 1849; Marriages from 1848.
P.237 Killead CoI: Baptisms from 1838; Marriages from 1845; Burials from 1873.

Capt. Jock

[SpudKiwi]

[As detailed in a note, against entry (156), at http://www.glenavyhistory.com/glenavy_parishChurch_burials.php]

Hi Capt, I looked up this link and saw "On 25th February 1870 William Alexander Bell, Killed a farmer aged 27 years, " and thought, Blimey, if we're not trying to pass off dodgy cheques we're murdering people! Then after some consideration I realised it was meant to say "Killead"!

It's a bummer there seems to be nothing to corroborate the JB-MC connection. Thanks for looking into that for me. So I'll just keep picking and scraping and maybe I'll get another lucky break.

I've read the Parish of Camlin section of the Survey book. My Dad always said we were bog-Irish (pretty sure that wasnt complimentary!) so I had pleasure in informing him that according to the book "There is no bog in this parish"!

Cheers
SK

[SpudKiwi]

Also, the British Newspaper Archive has several items in a newspaper called the Northern Whig which confirm that the lands of the townland of Ballygortgarve were known by the name of Glenfield, near the town of Crumlin. Sale notices confirm that in the late 1830s, it was in the ownership of a Robert Bell, then in the late 1840s, in the ownership of John Bell.  Several of the notices carry a detailed description of the property.

So in all my googling and research I have not managed to find these newspaper items. Gaffy, if you are still popping in here, could you please show me where to find them.
Thanks, Spud

[TheWhuttle]

SK,

The Northern Whig (from 1832) is included as one of the offerings within
http://search.findmypast.co.uk/search/irish-newspapers

Stick "bell" in to the surname field of the "Who?" section, and "glenfield" in to the "What Else?" section, and execute a Search.  Change the "Order By" criteria to "Date" then again to "Date Ascending" to get a listing starting with the earliest hit.

ADDENDUM: Under the "Narrow Your Search" pane, click the "Show Filters" opposite "By Newspaper".  Select "N" from the index, and then select the "Northern Whig", and click "Apply Filters".


This certainly picks up the action in the 1840s, but nothing in the 1830s.
[Leaving the surname out, and just looking for keyword "glenfield" doesn't find 1830s stuff either ...  Yet another "indexing" quality issue?  The character recognition appears to be very poor.]

You need to subscribe to FindMyPast in order to gain access to the detailed text of the articles.

----
The following registered their holdings (in order to be allowed to vote as newly enfranchised voters in the forthcoming Parliamentary Election) in 1829:

No. Name, Residence: Holdings, Barony, Townland, Registered Value
13 John BELL, Ballytromery:  House & Lands, Upper Massereene, Ballytromery, £10
14 John BELL, Glenfield:  House & Lands, Upper Massereene, Ballygortgan, £10
15 Robert BELL, Crumlin:  House & Lands, Upper Massereene, Ballytromery & Ballygortgan, £20
52 David BELL, Boltnaconnel: Houses & Lands, Lower Massereene, Boltnaconnel, <n/a>

Ref: Advertisements & Notices .
The Belfast News-Letter, Tuesday, September 29, 1829; Issue 9631.

N.B. This complements the previous notices in BNL issue 9595 dated 22-MAY-1829, mentioned before.

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Was much amused by your earlier comments, particularly w.r.t. "bogs".

I remind you of:
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.

On Sunday last, at his house in Aughadalgon, Mr. Robert Bell, aged 69. [?89]
Northern Whig - 19-JAN-1832

The late Mr. Robert Bell, who was <b>intimately acquainted with the Irish peasantry</b>, in the period when Ireland is said to have been most prosperous ...
Northern Whig - 28-MAR-1833

Coming out of 5 generations of a bog-dwelling family myself, I can tell you that there is no shame involved!  All bogs were the property of the Crown, so we had great influence over Affairs of State ...  and were exempt from paying Tithes.  We got so flush that we finally splashed out and installed flushing toilets at the pub in the 1970s.

The early English "Adventurers" referred to the indigenous population as the "mere Irish" .

----
The "Whig" part of the Northern Whig's name derives from "Whiggamore".
This was an obsolete word for a mounted Scottish robber.

It came to prominence in the late 1680s Royal Succession crisis, when the normal centuries-old rules of primageniture dictated that Charles I's younger son James (who had embraced Catholicism) should succeed his elder brother Charles II.  The Liberals, with many Scottish Protestants in their midst, wanted to prevent this, by stealing away the Crown and giving it to a Protestant.  Their opponents labelled them with the derogatory epithet of "Whigs" - which badge they adopted promptly with pride!

The other side had many English and Irish Catholics in their midst, so the Whigs labelled them "Tories".  A Tory was a bog/wood-dwelling robber in Ireland.  The "Tory" Party wanted to steal away the long-established Protestant succession.

So, you will see, that the Northern Whig was the "Liberal" newspaper in the region.  Such political views were adopted by most of the merchants and prosperous farming middle-classes, with the Landlords and High Churchmen (mostly) aligning themselves with the Tories.

Emancipation (right to vote) was legalised for Catholics in 1829, and the franchise extended across the population to  holders of property worth more than £10.  This had a huge effect at the 1830 election, with the Landlords power dramatically weakened.  This change was deemed to have been "too much", so the the threshold was raised soon after to holdings worth at least £40.  This threw the balance of power back to the landlords, such causing the great political "land problem" issues of the late 19thC, resulting in most of the land being made available to the tenantry via the compulsorily-imposed-by-the-UK-Government "Land Purchase Acts" of the early 20thC, giving them full ownership rights for ever of their holdings.
The SEYMOUR-CONWAYs, granted most of SW Antrim following the 1603 end of Elizabeth's nine-years-war with the Ulster Gaelic Lords, no longer possess any lands in Ireland.

----
You're riding a great race there!

I've more ideas for you on how to conduct your research task.
Next time!

Capt. Jock

[SpudKiwi]

There has been much going on behind the scenes, thanks to Capt Jock, who is an excellent guide and mentor.

John BELL (father of Allen) appears to have lived out his life in Crumlin, dying there Nov 1878. Brother Henry absconded to Liverpool in the 1850's to escape his debts. And brother Robert has emigrated to Tennessee, (probably after getting out of prison ca.1845).

I have been unable to determine any link with the BELLs in Aghnadarragh, nor with Edward BELL who farmed in Lennymore which must be quite close to the Glenfield farm in Ballygortgave.

I have also been unable to determine the more immediate family members of John other than the three children (Allen, Catherine, and John) who ended up in New Zealand. There is mention of a sister, a nephew, and two nieces, one of whom was named Susannah White in a Law Report in the BNL (Oct 1882). I am presuming he married based on the marriage certificate of his son John who immigrated to New Zealand, where he has put his parents names as John BELL and Margaret BELL formerly CORMICAN.

The hunt continues....

[Gilby]

I've read through this thread and I feel I've probably picked up a few tips. I thought I'd go in search of something I could add so I'd have an excuse to post.  If this is relevant it’s probably only a (distant?) sideline...

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.

PRONI has the will of a Dolway Bell who died in 1865:

The Will of Dolway Bell late of Bellgrove Glenavy in the County of Antrim Surgeon deceased who died 18 February 1865 at same place was proved at Belfast by the oath of Martha Bell of Bellgrove (Glenavy) aforesaid Widow one of the Executors

Looking at other (later) wills it seems Bellgrove was in Aghnadarragh.  It’s already been suggested here that that townland may have been the (original?) home of the Bells (before they spread to Glenfield?). 

I checked the Griffiths map for Aghnadarragh.  No Bellgrove, but there is a Bellbrook House and a Bellvale.  Was John Bell in NZ thinking of an old family home when he called his second farm Belgrove?

I tried to search the OSI historic (1830s) map, but I haven’t been able to load that map viewer for a few weeks now.  It may still be worth a look if it works for you:

http://www.osi.ie/Home.aspx

(PRONI also apparently has an 1833 map that covers Aghnadarragh, Ballygortgarve and a few other townlands in between.)


The will of Dolway Bell mentions, among others:
Wife Martha
Son Arthur Bell
Daughters Mary, Anne, and Dalwina Bell
Brother Arthur Bell

“... after payment of [...] £50 to William Robert Bell as the fortune or portion of his wife Jane Anna Bell my daughter...”


From the Directory of Ulster Doctors:

Bell, Dolway (1799/1800-65), Glenavy, county Antrim;
Born 1799/1800; studied medicine at Glasgow University; LFPS and LM Glas 1854; medical officer to Glenavy Dispensary District, of Bellgrove, Glenavy; married 23 December 1854* in Soldierstown, county Antrim, Martha Heastie, daughter of John Heastie of Aghalee; died 18 February 1865 at Bellgrove; buried in Glenavy Roman Catholic Graveyard; probate Belfast 27 April 1865.

[* Should this be 1824?  The Directory lists the Belfast Newsletter, 31 Dec 1824, as a source for his.  However, I don’t see any marriages in that edition.  Also Dolway’s will refers to a marriage settlement of 1836...?]

[Northern Whig, 13th Dec 1836]
On the 1st inst,by the Rev. A. MacCaldin, Dalway Bell, Esq., Bellgrove, to Martha, youngest daughter of Robert Huston, Esq., Coleraine.

Something has got mixed up here...?  Did he marry Martha Huston or Martha Heastie, or both?