Isabella Bell

Died October 2nd 1849 

 Above: : Christening records of three Bell children

Isabella Bell was living in Paikes Street, when she died from cholera on 2nd October 1849. She was 44 years old. According to her obituary in the Newcastle newspaper she was the wife of John Bell, shoemaker.

We found several large families of Bells, but we found a suitable John baptised on 7th August 1803 in the Green Batt Meeting House. He was the first of many children born to Robert and Jane (Foreman) Bell between 1803 and 1823. These included “Eloner “ born 21/3/1806 when her father  Robert was a clogger, in Clayport : Jane b 1/6/1808 : Elizabeth b 4/2/1810: Robert born 10/12/1811 but died age 5, in 1817 : Dinah b 18/2/1817 and died the USA : a second Robert b 17/4/1819 and David Paterson Bell b15/4/1823. Eloner later married William Mien and they emigrated to the USA.

Robert wrote his will in 1842 before dying in 1847. He shared his assets between his many children, these included a tannery and many houses, one of them let to Michael Sanderson –see later. He left his household effects to his widow Jane, who sold them the following April. Jane lived on until 1866, residing in Market Place Alnwick.

Son John married Barbara Mackenzie, from Scotland on 19/2/1824 in Alnwick with the consent of their parents as they were both under 21 years of age. Barbara died in 1834 when she was only 28. Several of their children were buried with their mother, John, age unknown: James in 1834 age 1: William in 1836 age 7 and Joseph in 1837 age 6. ( See later for stone). So by the 1841 census John was a 35 year old shoemaker, living in Clayport with his remaining children, Ann 15 : Robert 14, a draper’s apprentice, and John 13.

That year, on 8th December 1841, he married Isabella who had also previously been married and was a now widow. Isabella was one of the five daughters born to John Thew (b 1748) and Mary Brown. So she was Isabella Thew when she married John Graham a gentleman farmer or yeoman born 1774, as recorded on the birth of their son, baptised in 1826, and named John Thew Graham. They had another son, Thomas born in 1828 but he died  five month later on 25th July 1828.

Isabella’s first husband died on 11/11/1832 age 58, so she was a young widow  when she married John Bell in 1841. She was also landlady of Grey’s Inn, Clayport St and was living opposite John Bell, who was her tenant. Isabella and John married  in December 1841. They had two sons: William Bell born in 1842 and David Paterson Bell baptised 10/1/1847. They were both young when their mother died from Cholera on 2nd October 1849.

Isabella was buried in St. Michael’s Church Yard with John’s first wife Barbara and her young children. The inscription, although difficult to read says “Isabella, second wife of the husband of Barbara Bell” .

                            

                                                                                       Above:  The unusual inscription

John continued working as a shoemaker in Paikes St, and two years later, the 1851 census shows John (47) a master shoe maker employing eight men, living with sons William (9) and David (4) and stepson John Thew Graham (25). John Thew Graham was a cabinetmaker.

Ten years later John was still in Paikes Street living with just William a draper. John died in Alnwick in 1867. William went to Manchester (his descendents later emigrated to Canada) and John Thew died in Alnwick in 1874 age 48.