Rosalie asked to assist with photograph poser

Date: 1991 to 1991
Location: Magherafelt, County Londonderry, Ireland
Surnames/tags: Bell Tipping

Contents 1 Rosalie asked to assist with photograph poser 1.1 Analysis 1.2 See also 2 Sources

Rosalie asked to assist with photograph poser

An article was published in the Larne Times 1991 where Nola Robinson, granddaughter of George Pepper Bell (abt.1864-1941) who lived near Lawrence, Otago, NZ, was seeking information about George's ancestors.

The title of this article refers to the mayor, Alderman Rosalie Armstrong, who was contacted by Nola after being seen in a newspaper article with people with related surnames, and this eventually led to a genealogist from Desertmartin researching the family.

The information reported in the article was: ^[1]

• George Pepper Bell and his sister Mary Jane Bell emigrated to New Zealand in 1884 as Assisted Immigrants aboard the Ionic sailed from Derry.
• George never talked of the family left behind in Ireland.
• His father James Bell, a farmer and weaver of Castledawson, died in 11898 (sic) age 82.
• He married Mary Pepper, daughter of Gardner Pepper of Magherafelt. The children were:
  • John (1847-1873)
  • Joseph (1848-1865)
  • Elizabeth Ann (1851-1865)
  • James (1852, married Lizzie Tipping, had a son Gardner born 1874)
  • Thomas (1857-1878)
  • Mary Jane (1859, to NZ)
  • George Pepper Bell (1864-1939, to NZ)
  • William (abt. 1866, lived in Belfast as of his father's death 1898)
• John, Joseph, Elizabeth and Thomas were buried with their parents and the tombstone records that William erected it in memory of them.
• James (the father) had a brother John and possibly William.
  • His brother John married Euphemia McLean , having Sarah in 1847.
  • The parents of James (the father) might have been Joseph and Mary or Walter.
• Mary Pepper's father was Gardner Pepper who had a large family
  • John who married Eliza Thompson
  • Thomas who married Margaret Thompson
  • The wives may have been sisters.
  • Thomas Pepper's descendants included Thomas, Elizabeth, Jane, John, Margaret, James and James.
  • The latter son married Ellen Jane McKnight, having Margaret (1898) and Thomas James (1901-1986).

Analysis

Notes by McNabb-412 13:42, 17 December 2023 (UTC)

The information about the Peppers concurs with what I found from civil records (see Mary's profile).

There were two Euphemia/Euphame Bell of Annaghmore, so it could be possible there is a conflation on that profile. See Euphame (Unknown) Bell (abt.1814-1889) for further analysis.

The headstone referred to by the article appears on DiscoverEverafter at Christ Church CoI cemetery, Castledawson. The inscription says:

Erected by WILLIAM BELL in memory of his father JAMES BELL died 11th March 1896, his mother MARY died 10th Aug. 1866, his brothers JOSEPH died 7th July 1865, JOHN died 29th April 1873, THOMAS died 6th April 1878, and his sister ELIZA ANNE, died 19th Sept 1869.

Interestingly, Gardner Bell (abt.1850-1931) is not mentioned by this article as a son of James Bell and Mary Pepper, although his Scottish death registration along with his unusual forename seems to confirm that he was.

See also

• Annaghmore Townland, Magherafelt Parish, County Londonderry

Sources

1. ↑ "Rosalie asked to assist with photograph poser", Larne Times - Thursday 25 July 1991, Page 9