Alice J. Fuller & Henry Bell

Photo with great thanks from Maria Potts - August 2006

More About HENRY BELL:

Birth Ref.: No. 5014/1858

Burial: West Wyalong Cemetery, Church of England West N.26 (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Death Ref.: 14850/1939

Occupation: Labourer at Spring Flat at time of Marriage and 1911 listed as labourer (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

More About HENRY BELL and ALICE FULLER:

Marriage: 01 Sep 1884, St John's Church, Gundagai, New South Wales

Child of ALICE JANE FULLER is:

2.                i.    SARAH ANN (BELL)⁷ FULLER, b. 22 Aug 1883, Gundagai, New South Wales; d. 10 Sep 1937, Grenfell, New South Wales.

Children of ALICE FULLER and HENRY BELL are:

3.               ii.    ELEANOR JANE (GRAN)⁷ BELL, b. 07 Jul 1885, Gundagai, New South Wales; d. Sydney, New South Wales.

                 iii.    WILLIAM GEORGE (GEORGE) BELL (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins), b. 18 May 1887, Spring Flat, New South Wales; d. 05 Jan 1939, District Hospital West Wyalong, New South Wales;

                         m. MARY JANE RICHARDS (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins); b. 1882, Cowra, New

                         South Wales; d. 05 Dec 1955, West Wyalong, New South Wales.

William (George) and Mary

Photo with thanks from Maria Potts - August 2006

Notes for WILLIAM GEORGE (GEORGE) BELL:

William was always called by his middle name George.  He was happy go lucky sort of

fellow, always singing and playing jokes on people.  If he could get anyone to listen to

him he would tell stories all day.

George was a big man about 6' 2" tall, slim build, light brown hair, blue eyes.  For many

years he and his father were market gardeners in Wyalong. The vegetables they grew were

taken door to door to sell from a covered wagon with two horses.  He was a wonderful

home gardener with flowers everywhere.

George never married, but he lived with Mary Jane Richards for about 30 years.  Mary

had been married before to Luke Cross and they had a son.  Both Luke and Mary's son

were killed in an accident.

More About WILLIAM GEORGE (GEORGE) BELL:

Electoral Roll: 1930, Labourer - Wyalong, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Labourer - Cassin Street, Wyalong, New South Wales

Burial: West Wyalong Cemetery, New South Wales, Australia, Church of England West S.5 (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Occupation: Market Gardener (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) - 2005, Date of Import: 23 Aug 2005.)

Notes for MARY JANE RICHARDS:

She was a funny little thing about 4' 4" with very bad eyes with ingrown eyelashes and

she had to pluck the lashes out when they were small.  Needless to say the sun played

havoc with her eyesight.  She always hat to wear a large hat for protection.  She had a head

of lovely thick black hair that touched the floor when she was standing up.  She would

comb and plait her hair every morning with ease.  After it was plaited she would coil it up

around her head.  She had lovely jewellery and she would wear about 6 rings on each hand

and lots of armlets and dozens of bangles.  They were all heavy gold pieces.

Mary loved making toys.  She was always cooking and cups of tea were always ready.

Mary and Luke Cross had one son and both Luke and his son were killed in an accident.  Mary then lived with William George Bell. 

When George died Mary married Arthur Greenwood.  Mary died in 1955 at West

Wyalong and is buried there with George and Arthur - the three graves are close together.

More About MARY JANE RICHARDS:

Baptism: 1882, Cowra, New South Wales, Australia (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Electoral Roll: 1930, Home Duties - Wyalong, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Home Duties - Cassin Street, Wyalong, New South Wales

Burial: West Wyalong Cemetery, Church of England West S.6 Erected by nephew William

Richards (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Cause of Death: Toxaemia, Appendicial Abscess (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

More About WILLIAM BELL and MARY RICHARDS:

Partners:  (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) - 2005, Date of Import: 23 Aug 2005.)

4.              iv.    ALICE AMELIA (MIN) BELL, b. 16 Oct 1888, Spring Flat - Gundagai, New South Wales; d. 07 Sep 1963, Temora, New South Wales.

5.               v.    MARY ELIZA (LYDE) BELL, b. 25 Jun 1890, Gundagai, New South Wales; d. 03 Aug 1966, Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales.

6.              vi.    HENRY EDWARD (NED) BELL, b. 26 Mar 1892, Gundagai, New South Wales; d. 29 Mar 1968, West Wyalong, New South Wales.

7.             vii.    MARIA JANE (MUN) BELL, b. 31 Oct 1893, Cootamundra, New South Wales; d. 16 May 1950, Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales.

8.            viii.    MARGARET LOUISA (LOU) BELL, b. 28 Jul 1895, Forbes,  New South Wales; d. 09 Jul 1976, Lake Cargelligo,  New South Wales.

9.               ix.    ELSIE MAY BELL, b. 08 June 1900, South Forbes, New South Wales; d. 01 Jul 1972, Sydney, New South Wales.

10.              x.    JAMES STANLEY BELL, b. 13 Feb 1904, Junee, New South Wales; d. 01 May 1943, WW2 - Australia.

                  xi.    CHARLES WALLACE BELL (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins), b. 06 Jan 1906, Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia (2758) (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins); d. 18 Jan 1906, Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia (1049).

More About CHARLES WALLACE BELL:

Baptism: 16 Jun 1906, Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Generation No. 2

4.  ALICE AMELIA (MIN)⁷ BELL (ALICE JANE⁶ FULLER, GEORGE⁵, WILLIAM⁴, BENJAMIN³,

THOMAS², JOHN¹) (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) was born 16 Oct 1888 in Spring Flat -

Gundagai, New South Wales, and died 07 Sep 1963 in Temora, New South Wales. 

She married ALBERT WALTER RICHARDS (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) 1906 in

Cootamundra, New South Wales.He was born 1886 in Cobar, New South Wales, and died 11 Jul

1942 in Temora, New South Wales.

Alice & Albert (from Roma Warldron's book "The Bell-Worldon Connection") 

More About Alice Amelia (Min) Bell:

Baptism: 26 October 1888, Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Electoral Roll: 1930, Home Duties - Top Town, Temora, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Home Duties - Top Town, Temora, New South Wales

More About Albert Walter Richards:

Electoral Roll: 1930, Labourer - Top Town, Temora, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Labourer - Top Town, Temora, New South Wales

More About Albert Richards and Alice Bell:

Marriage: 1906, Cootamundra, New South Wales (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

5.  MARY ELIZA (LYDE)⁷ BELL (ALICE JANE⁶ FULLER, GEORGE⁵, WILLIAM⁴, BENJAMIN³,

THOMAS², JOHN¹) (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) was born 25 Jun 1890 in Gundagai, New

South Wales, and died 03 Aug 1966 in Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales. 

She married WILLIAM PRICE (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) 18 Mar 1908 in Temora, New

South Wales, son of THOMAS PRICE and MARY WILLIAMS.  He was born 30 Oct 1884 in

Wallenbeen New South Wales, Australia, and died 15 Mar 1967 in Griffith  New South Wales.

More About Mary Eliza (Lyde) Bell:

Burial: Lake Cargelligo Cemetery New South Wales, Australia - Anglican Section (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Electoral Roll: 1930, Home Duties - Cargelligo, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Home Duties - Cargelligo, New South Wales

More About William Price:

Birth Ref.: No. 33839/1884

Burial: Lake Cargelligo Cemetery New South Wales, Australia - Anglican Section (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Electoral Roll: 130, Labourer - Cargelligo, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Labourer - Cargelligo, New South Wales

More About William Price and Mary Bell:

Marriage: 18 March 1908, Temora, New South Wales (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

6.  HENRY EDWARD (NED)⁷ BELL (ALICE JANE⁶ FULLER, GEORGE⁵, WILLIAM⁴, BENJAMIN³,

THOMAS², JOHN¹) (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) was born 26 Mar 1892 in Gundagai, New

South Wales, and died 29 Mar 1968 in West Wyalong, New South Wales. 

He married (1) MARY ANN MARTIN (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) 04 Sep 1914 in West

Wyalong, New South Wales. She was born 1894 in Kanandra, near Yass, New South Wales and

died 1926 in Cowra, New South Wales. 

He married (2) HELEN GRACE (ELLEN) MENZ 1925 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales,

Australia (as Harry (Source): She was born 16 Feb 1894 in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales

and died 24 Sep 1974.

Notes for HENRY EDWARD (NED) BELL:

Henry married Mary Ann Martin in 1914 and they lived at Top-Town Cootamundra for a while. 

Mary worked most of the time, she was a very good cook and was never out of work.

Ned worked at the Flour Mill.  Mary was used to money and very nice clothes and she had a

bad temper and there was continual fighting.  Ned and Mary had only one child, a son, Athol in 1918. 

He was less then two pounds born and very sickly, they carried him about in small pillowcase.

Mary packed herself up and left Cootamundra for Newcastle where she had a job cooking.  She

left Athol with Ned's sister Maria for quite a time.  Ned often stayed at his sister Maria's.

Times were hard for families in the late 1920-1930's - droughts and no work about.  Rabbiting

was the going work at this time, so the men were away for months at a time, they were paid four

pence for a pair of rabbits, ten pence a pound for skins and they had to travel miles to find

rabbits.He was a great climber and could spring from limb to limb.

Ned married Helen (Ellen) Menz in 1925 at Wagga Wagga and they had 7 children.

More About HENRY EDWARD (NED) BELL:

Baptism: 30 Jun 1892, Gundagai, New South Wales, Australia (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collin)

Electoral Roll: 1930, Labourer - Cassin Street, Wyalong, New South Wales

More About HENRY BELL and MARY MARTIN:

Marriage: 04 Sep 1914, West Wyalong, New South Wales (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

More About Helen Grace (Ellen) Menz:

Electoral Roll: 1930, Home Duties - Cassin Street, Wyalong, New South Wales

 (Henry & Helen) (from Roma Warldron's book "The Bell-Worldon Connection") 

More About HENRY BELL and HELEN MENZ:

Marriage: 1925, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia (2674 & 2764) as Harry (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins)

7.  MARIA JANE (MUN)⁷ BELL (ALICE JANE⁶ FULLER, GEORGE⁵, WILLIAM⁴, BENJAMIN³,

THOMAS², JOHN¹) (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) was born 31 Oct 1893 in Cootamundra,

New South Wales, and died 16 May 1950 in Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales. 

She married JOHN (NEE MAHER) MARTIN (Source: Maria Potts (nee Collins) 13 Sep 1911 in

Temora, New South Wales. He was born 25 Apr 1890 in Murringo or Marengo, New South

Wales, and died 16 Jun 1957 in Dubbo, New South Wales.

Notes for MARIA JANE (MUN) BELL:

After the marriage John and Maria (pronounced Mar I a) continued lived at Cootamundra where

two children (Mary 1912 and Pheobie 1914) were born.  Then on to Cowra where Nellie was born

in 1915.  A further move to Narrandera where Sonny was born in 1917.  John then got a job in

the flour mills at Cootamundra where Wiggy was born in 1919.  They moved to Cootamundra by train. 

They were only there for two weeks when John got appendicitis, he was very sick and required

surgery, his young family thinking that he was going to die.  It was very hard on Maria with no

wages coming in and six children at that time.  The next child, Dulcie being born at Temora in

1921.  They continued living at Cootamundra where two more children were born, Marjorie in

1924 and Doug in 1925.

John smoked like a train, but was rarely drunk.  The big rabbit plague came in 1925 and John

decided to try his luck rabbiting in the wild bush of Lake Cargelligo where one more children

were born (Lorna 1927) the family now totalled nine.  There next move was to Wellington in 1927

during the big depression years.  They had a lovely home at Wellington right on the bank of the

river and the children had many happy hours swimming and eating mulberries of their tree.  The

children received one shilling for a little billy of picked black berries.  The depression and the

drought didn't get any better and the family returned to Lake Cargelligo around 1929 where

Thelma was born making the family total of ten children.  John tried his hand once again at

rabbiting and had contracts to ring bark trees, clearing and burning off, from these ventures he

made very good money.  The family slept in wagonettes which were pulled by 2 horses.  They

also had a horse and sulky.  Later they bought tents and a motor vehicle.  Although times were

very hard and the drought was still there with hundreds of people on the roads looking for work

the family had good times with the children playing cricket, rounders, tennis and often fishing

trips with their mother. 

The family then lived in Euabalong for a few years where their last child Mavis was born in

1931, her birth was recorded as Lake Cargelligo, the family total was complete at eleven children.

John's health wasn't very good as he had high blood pressure and very bad legs.  He was often

in tears from the pain.  John was one of the hardest working men you were likely to see.

The three older girls were married and John moved out of the family home and the marriage

broke down, he moved to Dubbo where his daughter (Tommy) lived around 1933.  He worked

picking vegetables until he received the aged pension.  John had a stroke and spent two and a

half years in hospital at Dubbo before he died in 1957.  He was buried as John Maher for that

was his birth name.  Some of his children later had the headstone changed to include the name Martin.

More About MARIA JANE (MUN) BELL:

Baptism: 21 Nov 1893, Cootamundra, New South Wales, Australia - Church of England (Source:

Maria Potts (nee Collins)

Electoral Roll: 1930, Home Duties - Cargelligo, New South Wales

Electoral Roll-1: 1936, Home Duties - Cargelligo, New South Wales

Notes for JOHN (NEE MAHER) MARTIN:

John was born in Marengo near Boorowa, New South Wales, Australia.  John fell in love when

he was 21 when he married Maria Bell in 1911 at Temora.  John and Maria had a large family of

11 children and he was a very stern man and did not show any affection.  John was an extremely

hard work and was a tall man being a little over 6' and  very slim.  He carried himself well with a

straight back, was very proud and is remembered as having no sense of humour.

He was a very clean man and even after a hard days work, he would come home spotless.  He

never swore or went to the hotel and his only vice was smoking for which he used a cigarette

holder.

John came home with a new car and the children were very excited, but their joy soon turned to

disappointment when he informed them that they were not to touch it as it was for his use only.

John worked away from home camping out all week and when John's brother James came over

he used to take the children driving all over the place.  When they were finished the children

would wash and polish the car and put the cover over it.  They would then sweep all around it

so John wouldn't know the car had been moved.

John never seemed to get much fun out of life, all he seemed to do was work and he took

everything seriously.  He was not satisfied with making do with what was available like the rest

of the family, he had to have everything spot on, near enough was not good enough.

John left his family when Mavis was about 2 years old and Maria continued to raise her large

family on her own.  John passed away in 1957 and was laid to rest in the old Dubbo Cemetery

and is buried under the name John Maher.

More About John (nee Maher) Martin: