Researching John Bell, his wife Agnes Rainey and their children: Mary Agnes, Jane (b1829), John, Robert and Margaret. They were Presbyterian and left Antrim Ireland before 1851 and migrated to Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland. I am looking for ideas of how to access records to help learn more about their lives in Ireland. From family records I learned they lived in the Parish of Conner and Kells.
Did John & Agnes die in Scotland? If so, the Scottish death certs should say what their parents names were, what their occupations were and whether they were alive or dead at that time. Did they have any children born in Scotland in 1855? If so, birth certs for that year only contain a lot of additional information eg parents ages and places of birth, where & when they were married. If you have any of that information, post it here.
You might find the childrens baptisms in Kells Presbyterian church records. I don't think they are on-line anywhere. There's a copy in PRONI (the public record office) in Belfast. They start around 1819. (Their marriages don't start till 1845).
I can put you in contact with someone who is writing a book on the Bell family at the moment.
Drop me an email: josullivanban@gmail.com
John Bell
Born - about 1808 in Ireland. Living with 5 children: Mary A., Jane, John, Robert and Margaret. His occupation an Alum Work Labourer. (1851 Scottish Census)
Married twice:
1st Agnes Rainey/ Rennie. Born unknown and died before 1851 census
2nd Spouse - Elizabeth Doyle – Born about 1815 at Campsie– Died Sept 27, 1880, Lennoxtown, Campsie, Statuary Register of Deaths (no marriage record found)
Died- July 1st, 1874, aged 67 at Parish of Campsie, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Parent’s names: Allan Bell and Mary Mahaffy (ScotlandsPeople -Statuary Register of Deaths).
Children of John Bell and Agnes Rainey (aka Rennie) all born in Conner, Antrim, NI and married in Scotland as follows:
Jane Bell b. 1829-30 married James Hyndman born 1831 Drumhome, Donegal Married June 15, 1855 at Lennoxtown, Campsie, Stirlingshire , Scotland.
Robert Bell b. 1834 married Elizabeth McKinlay, 14 Jun 1856 at Campsie, Sti, Scot
John Bell b. 1836 married Elizabeth Watson, 31 December 1857 at Kirkintillock,
Margaret Bell b 1840 married John Graham, 17 April 1860 at Clachan of Campsie
No records found for Mary A.
John Bell - Born about1807/8. In 1851 Scottish census 5 children: Mary A., Jane, John, Robert and Margaret are living with him in Lennoxtown, Campsie, Stirling, Scotland. His occupations is Alum Work Laborer and his family are employed at the Calico Printfields.
John was married twice 1st Agnes Rainey/Rennie and John is a widow in 1851. 2nd wife, Elizabeth Doyle are married by the 1861 census. She died on Sept 27, 1880. John died July 1st, 1874 at Campsie and his parents are listed as Allan Bell and Mary Mahaffy (Scotlandspeople Statutory Death Records)
Children of John Bell and Agnes Rainey/Rennie all born in Ireland and thought to be born at Conner, NI and married in or near Campsie, Scotland. Jane Bell married James Hyndman of Drumhome, Donegal in Lennoxtown June 15, 1855. (This record provided several key names, dates and place for my research). These are my ancestors.
Robert Bell married Elizabeth McKinlay in 1856 at Campsie, John Bell married Elizabeth Watson, 1857 at Kirkintillock, Scotland and Margaret married John Graham, 1860 also at Campsie. Mary A.Bell no records found yet.
Jane Bell Hyndman immigrated to Manitoba Canada as did 3 of her children. Her brother, John and his wife, Elizabeth Watson Bell immigrated to U.S. and lived at McKeesport, PA.
Does anyone recognize these names? I would like to correspond if you do.
The church your family likely attended would have been Connor Presbyterian (note correct spelling of Connor by the way). There is also a Presbyterian church in Kells but it was an overflow congregation and did not open till about the 1870s.
Connor Presbyterian’s baptism records start in 1819, marriages in 1845. You may find the childrens baptisms in those records. That apart, if the family were labourers or weavers there may not be any other records of them in Ireland. The early censuses were lost and labourers tended to lives most of their lives below officialdom’s radar.
1835 tithes list folk with land, so mostly farmers, not labourers. But here’s the tithes for Connor & Kells. You’ll see both Bell and Mahaffey were common names in the parish. Townlands are given for those farmers so that helps narrow any search for them.
http://www.irishgenealogyhub.com/antrim/tithe-applotments/connor-parish…
You could write to the current Minister of Connor Presbyterian and ask if he/she will look up the baptism records for you:
https://connorpresbyterianchurch.org/contact-us/
If unable to assist then you could get a researcher to look them up in PRONI in Belfast. Researchers in the PRONI area: http://sgni.net
If you want to learn about life in Connor & Kells in 1833, you might read the Ordnance Survey memoirs (Volume 19) which give a detailed description of the parish and it’s inhabitants. Available from the Ulster Historical Foundation. Sample page attached.
Being Presbyterian and living in Co Antrim strongly points to your family being of Scots origins. They likely moved to Ireland in the 1600s. Most of the population in that local area have similar origins.