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Bell Genealogy and Bell Family History Information

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Profiles

  • 1st wife of William Bell (b. - bef.1728)
    An intensive search of available records was made, about 1895 to 1910, by two of William Bell’s descendants, Maj. Henderson M. Bell (source #8), Staunton, VA and Judge Samuel M. Wilson, Lexington,KY (s...
  • Abigail Bell (1738 - 1789)
  • Abigail Bell (1679 - 1727)
    2nd Great Grandmother to Millard Fillmore 13th President of the USAAbigail married twice – John Fillmore and Robert Bell. She had 7 children, one being illegitimate.Information below taken from Roots W...
  • Abigail Bell (1737 - 1826)
  • Abraham Bell (1657 - d.)
    *The Bell family in America being an account of the founders and first colonial families, an official list of the heads of families of the name resident in the United States in 1790 and a bibliography ...

About the Bell surname

The surname Bell may derive from the French bel, meaning fair , beautiful, or handsome. Since the derivation is descriptive, common ancestry cannot be assumed for all those bearing the surname. The name was sometimes taken from the sign of an inn or shop. The sign of a bell was frequently used - "John at the Bell" became "John Bell."

Origin: There is no particular country or province of origin, though the name was fairly prevalent in medieval Scotland, Ireland, and England.

Sources:

This Bell name is short for Bellarusse, the part of East Europe that that family emigrated from. The name was Turetsky, but was changed when the first son, Alex, entered the United States. The family legend says that the officials were not able to spell Turetsky . They asked Uncle Alex where his mother came from. When he said Bellarusse they changed it to Bell. All of the brothers , when they entered the US, took the name Bell, but the brother who moved to Israel kept the name Turetsky. I believe there were 5 brothers and 2 sisters.