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From:
Subject: BELLfry: FELLOWS, FRASER, GASSON, LANGE, LOTHROP & NOAKS
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 09:27:26 EST


Dear friends,

One of your number, I'll spare his blushes, has been rummaging for me in the
Cape Town archives, and has turned up with some (to me) astonishing
information.

My Scottish GGG Grandfather, William BELL (1762-1834) had 16 children, of
whom one, Edward Russell BELL, was an almost complete mystery. He married
twice, and according to an uncheckable source had ten children by his second
marriage, only one of whom we knew anything about. He was a Glasite, and
they didn't record their BDMs in conventional registers in the UK where he &
his wife Mary Anne CRICHTON originated.

Bingo, it appears that they emigrated to South Africa between 1836 and 1843,
with some or all of their surviving young, and there their sons and
grand-daughters in particular married and created a considerable clan.

With the aid of NAAIRS searches and look-ups in Cape Town I've managed to put
together a speculative family tree stretching nearly 150 years towards the
present. The latest results from Cape Town have produced about twenty more
look-ups which might forward the research, but I think it beyond reason to
trespass on the goodwill of my marvellous helper, to look into and transcribe
all these for this complete stranger (me) half the world away in England.

So, may I try some names on you all?

What I am looking for are descendants of any of the following - who may have
the whole extended Edward Russell BELL family already documented.

??? FELLOWS, who married Kate Evelyn BELL (d. ca. 1924)
??? FRASER, who married Laura Vivienne BELL (d. ca 1937)
George GASSON (d. ca 1935), who married Estelle Mary BELL
Peter LANGE (d. ca 1943) who married Edith Gordon BELL (d. ca 1953)
Percy Dunbar LOTHROP (d. ca 1940) who married Irene Gordon BELL (d. ca 1950)
Gordon Dunbar LOTHROP, their son, whose second wife died ca 1971
Benjamin NOAKS (d. ca 1946) who married Constance Helen BELL

and, of course, any other BELL descendants of the previous generation:

Edward BELL (b. 1829) - lawyer in Queenstown?
John Crichton BELL (1831-1873) & his wife Marion BELL (b. 1830-1920),
magistrate, Stockenstroom.
Archibald Crichton BELL (1833-1901) & his wife Josephine Benjamina BARNETT
or BURNET (d. ca 1886) - lawyer or farmer near Queenstown?
Stainforth Crichton BELL (1843-1892) & his wife Elizabeth Maria CHABAUD (d.
ca 1930), travelling manager, Union Insurance Company.
Herman Crichton BELL (??-ca 1896) & ???

or, finally

Sydney Smith BELL (d. ca 1945?), whose family owned a number of properties in
Rondebosch between 1910 and 1950 - and maybe to this day?. This is NOT the
Sir Sydney Smith BELL who was Chief Justice in the Cape in the 1860s, but a
nephew or great-nephew, named after the old judge.

So, dear people, do any of these names ring a . . no, I can't say it!
PLEASE get in touch if they do.
Regards to all searchers from
Don Montague

---------------------------------
Thorn Cottage
11 Old Brewery Walk
BRACKLEY
Northants
NN13 7HG
England
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Tel/fax : 01280-841719 (in the UK) or
(44) 1280 841719 (from outside the UK)
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