Brief Life History of John Watson
When John Watson Bell Jr was born on 23 June 1842, in Hartland, Niagara, New York, United States, his father, John Watson Bell Sr, was 37 and his mother, Ann Fish, was 30. He married Laura Celestia Roberts on 1 January 1866, in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States. They were the parents of at least 7 sons and 8 daughters. He lived in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States in 1860 and Utah, United States in 1870. He registered for military service in 1857. He died on 2 August 1917, in Kline, La Plata, Colorado, United States, at the age of 75, and was buried in Kline Cemetery, Kline, La Plata, Colorado, United States.
Photos and Memories (16)
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Family Time Line
Sources (46)
- Robt W Bell in household of Jno Bell, "United States Census, 1860"
- Legacy NFS Source: John Watson Bell Jr. - Government record: birth-name: Robert John Watson Bell
- John Watson Bell, "United States Western States Marriage Index"
Spouse and Children
Children (15)
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Parents and Siblings
World Events (8)
1846
U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.
1847
Historical Boundaries: 1847: Pottawattamie, Iowa, United States
1863
Abraham Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, declaring slaves in Confederate states to be free.
Name Meaning
English (northern) and Scottish (Lowlands): from the Middle English personal name Bell. As a man's name this is from Old French beu, bel ‘handsome’, which was also used as a nickname. As a female name it represents a short form of Isabel .
English (northern) and Scottish (Lowlands): from Middle English belle ‘bell’ (Old English belle), in various applications; most probably a metonymic occupational name for a bell ringer or bell maker, or a topographic name for someone living ‘at the bell’ (as attested by 14th-century forms such as John atte Belle). This indicates either residence by an actual bell (e.g. a town's bell in a bell tower, centrally placed to summon meetings, sound the alarm, etc.) or ‘at the sign of the bell’, i.e. a house or inn sign (although surnames derived from house and inn signs are rare in Scots and English).
English: from Middle English bel ‘fair, fine, good’ (Old French bel ‘beautiful, fair’). See also Beal 1.
Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.
Possible Related NamesStory Highlight
Autobiography of Laura Jane Bell
PREFACE As I labored to type Grandmother's handwritten recollections from a very badly faded copy, I was torn between many requirements. I wanted to preserve her thoughts and style as far as possible …
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