George
Smith
Bell
Born in Monimail, File, Scotland, Scotland
Ancestors 
Son of William Bell
and Jean (Anderson) Bell
Brother of
Elizabeth Ann (Bell) Louden, Ann (Bell) Dron, Isabell Bell, Jean Bell, David Bell, William Bell, David Bell and Margaret (Bell) Matthews
Husband of
Eliza (Newth) Thomas
— married
1862 in New Zealand
Descendants 
Father of
William Mark Tchernaya Bell, George Newth Bell, Eliza Ann (Bell) Harman, Jane Elizabeth (Bell) Stiles, Amelia Ellen (Bell) Harman, James Bye Bell and Edward Earl Bell
Died
at age 53
in New Zealand
Profile last modified
| Created 14 May 2019
This page has been accessed 338 times.
Contents |
Biography
George was born in 1827. [1]
He served 15 years in the 72nd Regiment of the Highlanders and on his discharge in 1860 he headed for NZ and married Eliza Newth in 1862. [2] He married Eliza (Newth) Thomas in 1862. [3]
He passed away in 1880. [4] [5]
Research Notes
- George was born without a second name (Smith) based on the Scotland Birth record. The Bell family bible in Auckland New Zealand also has his name as George Bell and birth details 20 Feb 1827. If the same George, he is the son of William Bell and Jean Anderson and brother of the Bell siblings William Bell, Elizabeth Louden, Ann Dron, Margaret Matthews all in NZ in and around Waimea West at the time they arrived.
- Marion Stringer’s account of the family of George Smith Bell in her book “Just another Row of Spuds”, credits her source of information on the Bells to Cheryl Carnahan and Judy Bell of Auckland and this is further supported by the recollections of Jack Kelleher. This would indicate he acquired the second name of Smith around the time he left Scotland.
George was born 20 February 1827 and baptised on 11 March 1827. [6]
Research Notes
- Bell Family Tree on Geni has George dying in NZ 6 July 1880. I don't have evidence that this is the same George.
- The Monimail area where the Bell family lived is missing from the 1841 census records. See (https://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/census-for-england-wales-and-scotland-missing-pieces), this would explain why there is no trace of them in 1841.
Sources
- ↑ "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XYKM-RTY : 11 February 2020), George Bell, 1827.
- ↑ Information handed down by Jack Kelleher.
- ↑ "Births, Deaths & Marriages Online", (https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/), New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs; Marriage record; Reg No:-1862/4108.
- ↑ "Births, Deaths & Marriages Online", (https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/), New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs; Death record; Reg No:-1880/2107
- ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/184621978/george_smith-bell: accessed April 23, 2024), memorial page for George Smith Bell (20 Feb 1827–6 Jul 1880), Find a Grave Memorial ID 184621978, citing Waimea West Cemetery, Brightwater, Tasman District, Tasman, New Zealand; Maintained by Anonymous (contributor 48342275).
- ↑ Margaret (Bell) Matthews family bible inscriptions in possession of a family member in Auckland.
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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with George:
It may be possible to confirm family relationships. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with George:
-
~1.56%
~1.56%
Leanne (Watkins) Smith 
:
23andMe
Images: 1
Rejected matches › George Bell (1828-)
Featured German connections: George is 22 degrees from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 24 degrees from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 27 degrees from Lucas Cranach, 23 degrees from Stefanie Graf, 19 degrees from Wilhelm Grimm, 26 degrees from Fanny Hensel, 28 degrees from Theodor Heuss, 19 degrees from Alexander Mack, 37 degrees from Carl Miele, 16 degrees from Nathan Rothschild, 21 degrees from Hermann Friedrich Albert von Ihering and 20 degrees from Ferdinand von Zeppelin on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: Waimea West Cemetery, Brightwater, Tasman
After much deliberation and discussion within family I'm now convinced these two profiles are for the same person. the reason for the hesitancy is the second name Smith appearing later in life, which I suppose was necessary to differentiate himself from other of the same name also arriving in NZ. I've added research notes to explain better my reasoning, especially that his family are sure he is the brother of the other Bells from Waimea West that I'm descended from ie Margaret (Bell) Matthews. Regards, John