Tunbridge on Family Tree Circles

Jeanie/Jane Scoular SMITH
Grandmother

Jeanie (or Jane) Scoular Smith was born 20th May 1885 in a small village called Boghall in Broomhouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland, the daughter of Matthew Smith and Marion Wallace. She was trained as a Domestic Servant and this was her profession at the time of her marriage in 1905. She was residing at 48 Park Place, Dalziel, Hamilton, Lanarkshire when she married.

Shortly after her husband William immigrated and then obtained employment in Pennyslvania, USA, Jeanie and their son, Thomas, immigrated as well, arriving onboard the ship”Columbia” in New York on the 22nd August, 1908. Jeanie and Thomas travelled to "Bens Creek", Myra, Cambria County, Pennyslvania to meet up with her husband. The ship's manifest lists Jeanie's mental and physical health as "good", her height was 5 ft. 8 in., her hair was brown, her eyes were blue. The Manifest also records that Jeanie's last known residence and family member/friend, prior to leaving Scotland, was a "Mrs. Allison of 2 Clydeford Road, Cambuslang, Scotland". Mrs. Allison could be a family friend, or a married sister or sister-in-law? It would appear that Jeanie and her son, Thomas, went to live with this Mrs. Allison after her husband left for Pennyslvania and until Jeanie herself immigrated to the USA.

Jeanie is presumed to have died between 1908 (her arrival in the USA) and 1910 (the 1910 USA Federal census which indicates her husband to be a "Widower"). It is not known if Jane and Thomas got as far as Pennyslvania or not and there is no record of death to be found for Jane. Her orphaned son, Thomas (my father), then became the responsibility of several and various relations living throughout the USA.

Henry Wesley BELL – Great Grandfather

Henry Wesley Bell was born at 3 Tynwald Street, Douglas, Parish of Onchan, Isle of Man on the 28th August, 1885. When Henry was just 14 years of age his mother died. His father was very ill at that time and was not capable of caring for Henry, who was then cared for by his father’s sister, Annie Amelia and her husband Eli Barnett, residing at 10 Fairfield Terrace, Tynwald Street, Douglas. While living there, he was recorded as being a "Wood Carver Apprentice". In 1902,when he had just turned 17 years old his father died, leaving him and his sister (Doris Mamie) orphans.

On the 16th of July 1903 onboard the vessel “Runic” Henry travelled to the Cape,South Africa. According to family rumour, Henry attempted to get work with the DeBeers Consolidated Mining Co., however, this has not been determined.

Henry met his future wife, Violet Steven, in South Africa and the couple were married at Krugersdorp in the District of Witwatersand, Gauteng in South Africa, on the 24th September 1906. At the time of their marriage Henry was employed with the Robinson Gold Mining Company in Randfontein (about 35 km from Krugersdorp), and living in the company’s housing estates. Henry stayed in South Africa for some 4 ½ years, travelling back to the UK on the 23rd December 1907, arriving at Plymouth. Only 3 months later Henry travelled to Canada, arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia onboard the vessel "Dominion" on the 23rd March, 1908, and then travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia where he gained employment at the "Art
Emporium" for a short time. His earnings for the year 1910 were reported to be $l,080.00 (Canadian). He then opened his own photography and art store on West Georgia Street in Vancouver, called Bell's Art Store. He and his wife also ran a boarding house in their home on Dundas Street (now known as Powell Street). He operated Bell’s Art Store up until the time of his death in December 1920.

Henry's two daughters were born in Douglas on the Isle of Man in 1907 and 1908 respectively, and later joined Henry in Vancouver in 1910.

Henry was a talented singer and artist. He sang at the P.N.E. grounds during WWI. for the soldiers who were getting ready to be shipped overseas, and also performed on stage at various opera houses in Vancouver. He attended Art School in the Isle of Man but was never
accredited, however the sketches the family have are a testimony to his artistic talent.

Henry attended Tynwald Street School in his younger years on the Isle of Man and at the age of 14 years one of his textbooks, dated 1899, includes a practice letter he wrote to the postmaster in Douglas, I.O.M. applying for a position upon leaving school. He has written this
letter in calligraphy; another sign of his artistic prowess.

Henry died of lombar pneumonia and the effects of a brain tumour on the 1st December 1920 at his home on Powell Street, at the very young age of 35 years. He is buried in the Ocean View Cemetery in Burnaby, B.C.

Henry Wesley BELL
3rd Great Grandfather

Henry Wesley Bell was the youngest of 8 children born to Simon Bell and his wife Jane Clague. He was christened on the 30th October 1827 in the Parish of Kirk Michael, Isle of Man.

Henry married his first wife Mary Ann Monk in Braddan on the 3rd of January 1852, and all 9 of his children were born to this wife. When she died in 1876, Henry then married a second time to Ann Mylechreest (nee Quayle), on April 28th, 1879 at St. Thomas Church in Douglas. As Henry was the father of 9 young children, it would have been necessary to have a wife to assist him in looking after them. This second marriage produced no children. Henry's mother was the sister to his first wife’s grandmother and therefore Henry and Mary Ann Monk were first cousins, once removed.

For most of Henry’s life he was employed as a “horse, gig and cab” proprietor, operating out of his several residences at various times on James Street, Hanover Street and Tynwald Street.

Henry was buried at Braddan Cemetery on April 10th 1890 in Grave #919 0 alongside his first wife and 3 children who died probably from the flu or whooping cough as all died within months of each other. The monumental inscription reads, "also in Loving remembrance of Henry Wesley Bell husband of the above who departed this life April 7th 1890 aged 63 years”.

Henry Edward BELL
2nd Great Grandfather

Henry Edward Bell was christened in St. Matthews Chapel in
the Parish of Kirk Braddan, Douglas, Isle of Man on the 12th
August 1855, however his actual date of birth is not known.
All censuses indicate his birth occurred circ 1855-56. He had
9 siblings, and he was the second child and eldest son born to
Henry Wesley Bell and Mary Ann (nee Monk).

Henry lost his mother in December 1876 as a result, possibly,
of smallpox or influenza and the following year 3 of his siblings
also died at very young ages within a few short weeks of each other.

Henry’s occupation through most of his life was that of a “Car
Proprietor” and Boarding House Keeper. He would have been
the owner and operator of a horse and buggy pickup service,
probably transporting his guests to and from his boarding house.

Henry married Mary Richardson in the Braddan parish church on
the 27th February 1882 and the couple had 3 children born to them;
Henry Wesley, George Oates and Doris Mamie. Their son George
Oates Bell was born March 10, 1888 and unfortunately died just
one year later on the 22nd March 1889 from Bronchitis.

On the 29th of June 1899, Henry’s wife died due to heart disease
and Henry died just 3 years later on the 21st September 1902 while
a resident of the Ballamona Hospital in Braddan, at 47 years of age.
The cause of Henry’s death was “General Paralysis”. He is buried in
the Braddan Cemetery.

Elizabeth OATES
3rd Great Grandmother

Elizabeth Oates was born in Douglas, Isle of Man between
1821 and 1826, the daughter of Robert Oates and Mary Thomson.
She met David Richardson about 1839 somewhere in
England probably, and they had four children born in England and
one on the Isle of Man before emigrating to the USA in 1848. I have found no record of marriage between Eliza and David, therefore it is very likely theirs was a common-law relationship only.

After Elizabeth’s arrival through Ellis Island in 1848, she and her
family finally settled in Galveston, Texas, where two more children
were born. A son was also born in Louisiana in approximately 1848,
just prior to their travelling to Texas.

When Elizabeth and David parted ways in the mid 1850s, Elizabeth
returned to the Isle of Man taking her two youngest children with her,
(Mary and George); the remaining children staying in the USA. Upon
her arrival in the Isle of Man Eliza began supporting herself and her
children by the operation of a lodging and boarding house in Douglas.

At the time of Elizabeth’s death in 1876 she was also known as Elizabeth
Wilson or Richardson, according to her Last Will & Testament, however
no record of marriage has been located between her and a Mr. Wilson.
She left all her assets, including real estate property, to her still unmarried
daughter, Mary Richardson.

Elizabeth was buried in St. George’s Churchyard in Douglas on the 1st of
May 1876, and the monumental inscription reads “In loving remembrance
of Elizabeth Richardson who died 25th April 1876 aged 55 years”.

David RICHARDSON
3rd Great Grandfather

David Richardson was born in Cumberland, England and christened
on the 25th December 1818 at Hutton-In-The-Forest in Cumberland.
His parents were David Richardson and Sarah Monkhouse. David married in 1839 to Sophia Short, however whether Sophia died or the couple simply parted ways is not known.

The mother of David's first several children was Elizabeth Oates, however they were very likely never married, but had a relationship only. The couple’s first four children were born in England, their fifth child in the Isle of Man and their final three children were born in the United States. The family emigrated to the
USA in 1848, arriving at Ellis Island on May 9th.

By the year 1850 David was working in partnership with Willard Richardson
(no relation), producing the newspaper known as the “Galveston Daily News”.
David was involved with several newspapers as follows: Texas Almanac
(Galveston & Austin), Galveston News (Galveston & Houston), Texas
Almanac Extra-renamed Tri-Weekly State Gazette (Austin), Texas State
Gazette (Austin). He either was an employee, a co-owner, owner, editor,
co-editor, or publisher at any given time during his involvement with these
newspapers.

David and Eliza ended their relationship in the mid 1850s and he married a
second time to Jean St. Clair Irving on the 5th October 1858 in the Trinity
Church in Galveston. Jean was the mother to five more children, all of them
born in Texas with the exception of their last child who was born in Jedburgh,
Roxburgh, Scotland in 1866. Jean died in 1869 in New Orleans, Louisiana,
leaving David with several very young children to take care of, and he subsequently
married for a third time to Mrs. Catharine (Kate) Roberts on the 9th February 1871,
literally on his death-bed. He died a relatively very wealthy man on the 27th
February 1871 at his residence in Jersey City, New Jersey, and is buried in the Episcopal Church Cemetery at Hackensack.

These are my ancestral lines which I have been researching for several years now, but included are collateral connections through marriage. For example, Smith, Forsyth, Scoular, McCormack, Grant, Gray, Clague, Monk - and many, many more.

I have solved many brick walls and discovered new living family, both here in Canada and abroad in England. I am still amazed at how educational and so very interesting family research can be. I have learned so much more than I ever did in high school.

I am willing to share information with folk who are also agreeable to sharing with me. As well, if I can be of any help with regard to searching for information in Canada, I am most willing to do so.