Humphrey Bell

Notes:

HISTORICAL RECORDS

Humphrey Bell?s American agent was his nephew, Humphrey Hill of Hillsborough, King & Queen County. Bell had rescued Hill from an English orphanage called Christ Hospital School (Bluecoat), London, where his father, Thomas Hill, had abandoned him in 1716 after the death of the boy?s mother, Edith Bell, Bell?s sister. Bell obtained his discharge on 20 January 1720, raised the boy and commissioned him to manage his Virginia investments. Bland Ballard was overseer of land for both investors, and was likely furnished a residence near Fredericksburg on one of the plantations. Haydon, pp. 10-11; footnote 11, p. 313.

Source: Spotsylvania Co. Va. Deed Book C, 1734-42

Dated 6 February 1740, recorded 7 April 1741: Thomas Hill of St. Geo. Parish, Spotsylvania Co., Merchant, mortgage to Humphrey Bell of London, Merchant, £382.16.2. Wit: Wm. Cowne, John Blake, Benja. Hubbard.

Dated 6 February 1740, recorded 7 April 1741: Thomas Hill [his nephew] of St. Geo. Parish, Spotsylvania Co., Merchant, mortgage to Humphrey Bell of London, Merchant, £250. Mortgage of lands & plantations in Orange Co. Wit: Wm. Cowne, John Blake, Benja. Hubbard.

Source: Spotsylvania Co. Va. Deed Book E, 1751-61 (Crozier p. 204).

Dated 30 May 1757, recorded 7 June 1757: Humphrey Hill of King & Queen, Gent., & Frances, his wife, to Humphrey Bell of London, Merchant, £8.5. 2 lots in town of Fredericksburg, purchased by said Hill of feoffees of the town as by deeds 3 December 1728. Wit: Ambrose Camp, John Hill, Robt. Baylor, John Smith.

Source: Spotsylvania Co. Va. Deed Book E, 1751-61

Dated & recorded: 1 October 1759: George Nelson, Esq., Alderman of London, in Gt. Britain & Mary, his wife; Latham Arnold & John Maynard of London, Merchants; to Thomas Coleman of Spotsylvania Co., Va.

Whereas, Humphrey Bell, late of Clapham, in Surry Co., and of Old Swan Lane, in the City of London, Merchant, by his last will & testament dated 12 February 1757, recorded in Prerogative Court of Archbishop of Canterbury, & thereby did leave his property in Virginia to sd. Nelson, Arnold & Maynard, in trust for purposes stated in the will; & whereas by deeds dated 19 April 1757 recorded in King William Co. the said Bell did convey to sd. Arnold & Maynard his lands & plantations in King Wm, King & Queen, Caroline & Spots Cos in trust to sell & convey land said Bell died seized of (a tract of 1,395 ac. in Spots) which Humphrey Hill, Gent. (As agent) did sell to the sd. Thomas Coleman for £299 curr.; said Nelson, Arnold & Maynard by this deed convey the estate to Coleman. [no witnesses]. [similar transactions following: to Daniel Trigg, 500 acres, £80; to Robert Coleman, 2,680 acres, ?Iron pan? for £500; to Thomas McNeil, 141 acres, £42.

Source: Crozier, William Armstrong, ed. Virginia County Records - Spotsylvania County Records, 1721-1800. Being transcriptions from the original files at the County Court House of wills, deeds, administrators' and guardians' bonds, marriage licenses, and lists of revolutionary pensioners. New York, NY: Fox, Duffield & Co., 1905.

Name: Humphrey Hill
Date: 30 May 1757
Location: King and Queen Co., VA
Property: Two lotts in town of Fredksbg.
Notes: This land record was originally published in "Virginia County Records - Spotsylvania County, 1721-1800, Volume I" edited by William Armstrong Crozier.
Remarks: Humphrey Hill of King and Queen Co., Gent., and Frances, his wife, to Humphrey Bell of London, Mercht. 8 5s. curr. Two lotts in town of Fredksbg., purchased by sd. Hill of Feoffees of the the town as by deeds, 3 Dec 1728. 7 Jun 1757.
Description: Grantor
Book: E
Occupation: Gentleman

Name: Humphrey Hill
Date: 4 Jun 1760
Location: King and Queen Co., VA
Property: Lots Nos. 23 and 24 in town of Fredksbg.
Notes: This land record was originally published in "Virginia County Records - Spotsylvania County, 1721-1800, Volume I" edited by William Armstrong Crozier.
Remarks: Humphrey Hill of King and Queen Co., Gent,. as well for himself as for George Nelson, Esqr., Latham Arnold and Jno. Maynard, Execrs. of the last will and testament of Humphrey Bell, late of London, Mercht., Decd., to Alexander Wright of Fredksbg., Mercht.
Description: Grantor
Book: E
Occupation: Gentleman

Source: The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Jul., 1948)
contains: Virginia Gleanings in England
pp. 323-327

Virginia Gleanings In England expands on this transaction in Prerogative Court of Archbishop of Canterbury. George Nelson, and Alderman of London City, is Humphrey Bell?s son-in-law. Humphrey was indebted to George Nelson, Latham Arnold and John Maynard. So he left them all of his plantations and land in Virginia along with ?all Houses, Edifices, and Buildings, Mills, Stills, Coppers, Slaves, Negros, and Stock.? All of his English properties were to be sold to pay debts and whatever was left over was to go to his daughter, Mary Nelson. He gave each of his nieces Mrs. Rebecca Arnold, Elizabeth and Hannah Nicholson, Mary Brown and Ann Roe £100 each; to his nephew Humprey Hill of Virginia, £100.

The will?s executors were George Nelson, Latham Arnold and John Maynard.

London merchants had extensive holdings in Virginia and frequent acquired property and morgages on land and slaves securing debts owed to them by colonists. Humphrey Bell had extensive holdings in King William, Caroline Spotsylvania, and King and Queen counties. He sent his nephew Humprey Hill to act as his agent in VirgInia.




Christened:
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Name: Humphrey Bell
Gender: Male
Christening Date: 03 Mar 1678
Christening Place: CHRIST CHURCH GREYFRIARS NEWGATE,LONDON,LONDON,ENGLAND
Father's Name: Christopher Bell
Mother's Name: Mary
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: P00134-1 , System Origin: England-ODM , GS Film number: 845234

Died:
"Virginia Gleanings in England" The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Published by: Virginia Historical Society, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Jul., 1948), pp. 323-327.

Humphrey married . [Group Sheet]

1. Mary Bell was buried , Chancel, St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, London England.

Notes:

Died:
Unconfirmed, but a likely prospect

England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, index, FamilySearch.org

England Deaths and Burials
Name: Christopher
Gender: Male
Burial Date: 20 Jan 1716
Burial Place: St. Sepulchre, London, England
Father's Name: Christopher Bell
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: B02062-3 , System Origin: England-EASy , GS Film number: 374999 ,

Christopher married Mary. Mary died Bef 31 Dec 1712, London, England; was buried 31 Dec 1712, St. Bride Fleet Street, London, England. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Died:
Not confirmed, but a likely prospect given she's buried in the same cemetery as her daughter, and died within 2 years. Need to view the record.

"England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991," index, FamilySearch.org
Name: Mary Bell
Gender: Female
Burial Date: 31 Dec 1712
Burial Place: St. Bride Fleet Street, London, England
Reference ID: Vol 2 , Indexing Project (Batch) Number: I03370-6 , System Origin: England-EASy , GS Film number: 380172