Humphrey Bell

Male Bef 1678 - Bef 1757  (~ 79 years)


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  • Name Humphrey Bell 
    Born Bef 03 Mar 1678  London, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Christened 03 Mar 1678  Christ Church Greyfriars Newgate, London, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • 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
    Gender Male 
    Died Bef 27 Sep 1757  London, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • "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.


    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.


    Person ID I29492  Master File
    Last Modified 29 Apr 2015 

    Father Christopher Bell,   d. Bef 20 Jan 1716, London, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Mother Mary,   d. Bef 31 Dec 1712, London, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F12530  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Children 
    +1. Mary Bell,   bur. Chancel, St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, London England Find all individuals with events at this location
    Last Modified 29 Apr 2015 
    Family ID F12539  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart