Cincinnati, May 17th 1893
My Dear Cousin,
I received your kind letter sending me a copy of father’s letter to Isaac English, written in 1852. About that time there appeared in Cincinnati one John [Watson], who, I think, had a letter from Isaac English. He was a queer fellow. I never understood his relationship to the Carrolls. Can you tell? He was from Dublin.
I send you herewith various letters and memoranda touching the Carrolls and Bells. Some of these you may keep or destroy; others I shall be obliged if you will return. Those I desire returned, I have marked “please return”!
I have two other papers which I will copy for you if I have not already done so and forward: one is a copy of the will of our great grandfather Edward Carroll and the other a letter from my uncle John Carroll to my father written in 1822, from Rio Grande, Brazil. It is possible I may have heretofore sent these. I shall wait to hear.
As to the Bells, I send you some references. I think I have some where, but I cannot put my hands on them. Some papers indicating that the Bells originate in Scotland (Dumphrieshire probably, if there be such a county). Thence went to Cumberland and thence to Ireland. From the extract from Mrs Edminston’s [?] journal which I enclose it appears that Archibald Bell, whose wife’s name was Jane, was an old and feeble man in 1707; so that it is not likely that Sarah Bell, who married Edward Carroll twenty one years later (1738) [1728?] was his daughter. From a paper I have from Thomas Greer, it appears that Elizabeth Bell, daughter of Archibald and Jane Bell married one Thos Greer; the date of the wedding is not given, but the fourth child Sarah Greer, in 1746 married another Thos Greer so that it is fair to assume that this Sarah Greer, a granddaughter of Archibald Bell, was born certainly as early as 1726 and her mother, the daughter of Archibald Bell, as early as 1700, probably earlier. Sarah Bell, who married Edward Carroll in 1738 may be assume to have been born as early as 1720 and so to have been a co-temporary of her cousin Sarah Greer, but too late to have been the daughter of Archibald Bell who also was old and feeble in 1707. What was her father’s name I have not found out but I presume he was one of the three who Isaac Bell says came from Cumberland two settling in Trummery (Trumera) and one at Lurgan. It is possible Archibald may have been one of these brothers the oldest of the three- and the other one that settled in Trummery may have been the father of Sarah Bell. But it looks more plausible that the old man should have been the father of the three brothers who came to Ireland. We may find out some day.
As to Abram Bell, who emigrated to New York, he must have come pretty early in the century- possibly before 1810. One of my letters – I think from James Carroll of Cork, son of Isaac, says he was first cousin of my and your Grandfather. He must then have been a son of Sarah Bell Carroll’s brother, though the present Isaac Bell of Trummery thinks he belonged to the Bells of Lurgan. He is probably mistaken, for relations of my grand-father and his family with Abram Bell were very close. Uncle John seems to have been engaged with him in business relations. In 1822 a letter from Uncle John to father came from South America in care of Abram Bell of NY and was forwarded. Abram Bell died many years ago- certainly before 1850. He was succeeded by his sons, as Abram Bell’s sons who finally broke up and disappeared from New York. I once called at their office in Park Place and saw one of them, who treated me as if I had come in to solicit a favour or to bore him. I took my departure and never went back. I think one of the sons was named Isaac. According to the present Isaac Bell of Trummary another Isaac Bell , probably a brother or cousin of Abrams, went to New York at an early day, but I never knew of him. Aunt Sallie, I am told, used to talk of a cousin Isaac Bell. She was intimate with in Ireland, and this was probably he. She was 19 in 1801. I suspect it was Abram Bell, not Isaac, who was [contemporary your father’s house. Isaac may have been the son of “Abram Bell & Co”.].
Isaac Bell of Trummery who is alive now must be 75 years of age, says his grandfather Bell married a sister of our grandfathers- who was his first cousin, and also named Sarah. He does not give me his fathers and grandfather’s names, thought I have a memorandum that the name of his grandfather who married Sarah Carroll was Richard- where I got that fact I can not recall, but I suppose it is a fact. When I was a boy, one William Bell- a more or less near cousin or ours- came to Cincinnati and finally settled at Richmond, Indiana. I think he was of the Lurgan Bells. He had a son who went to California, and a daughter Isabella- a rather brilliant girl- who married an Episcopal preacher, and also went to California and died there. I believe is about all I can now tell you about the Bells.
Now for another branch, to wit, the Greers. I have a genealogical chart, prepared by Thos. Greer, granduncle of Thos of Sea Park and dated Aug 1st 1855 originally compiled in 1824, from authentic documents in the hands of his grandfather and father. His grandfather was Thomas of Rhonehill, born 1724, and married to Sarah Greer in 1746, who was the daughter of Thos Greer of Redford and Elizabeth Bell of Trummery, daughter of Archibald and Jane Bell. The Bells and the Greers seems to have bred in and in to a great extent.
Thomas Greer of Rhonehill, who married Sarah Greer in 1746 she a daughter of Elisabeth Bell of Trummery had a cousin [?] Greer of Lurgan born 1681, who had a daughter Sarah, born 1711. This daughter was doubtless marriageable, say, in 1730 when she was 19. When or after she became marriageable she wedded, date not given, one John Carroll. Collate this with the fact that Edward Carroll, in 1738, married one Sarah Bell, and consider the intimate relationship and their natural association as members of the society of friends of the Bells and the Greers and the fact that Lurgan and Trummery are probably not over 12 miles apart; and we are driven to the conclusion that it is more than probable that John Carroll and Edward Carroll were very nearly related, probably were brothers. When John Carroll married into the Greer and Bell connection, it was in the natural order of events that his younger brother should have been introduced into the same circle and marry in it. We have no further account of John Carroll or of his descendants; but there was a branch of the Carroll family settled at Amargh, not far as you know, from Lurgan, and these Carrolls were related to Elisabeth Carroll, who married John Dobbin and who was a relation of ours. About 1830 or early in the reign of William IV, in fixing a borough from a member of Parliament the description begins: “From Mr Carroll’s windmill on the west of the city in a straight line in the direction of the spire of [Grange Enmore?]” and finally back “to Mr Carroll’s windmill.” See Lewis’s typographical Dictionary of Ireland- Appendix. There were several of the Greers who lived at [ Grange] near Amargh as I suppose.
I once got the address of one of these Carrolls of Amargh and wrote him. The reply indicated that John was the prominent name in the family, being given to the eldest son, and Thomas next in importance- which peculiarity applies as well to our branch.
My own conclusion is that John Carroll and Edward Carroll were elder and younger brothers and married into the same circle of society. The Carrolls of Trummery except the first Edward became Quakers whilst those of Amargh, including John Dobbin were members of the Church of England.
Something might be learned of the family from the land records, if there are such in Ireland, as we have here. For instance, in the farm in Trummery, apparently owned by Edward Carroll as far back as 1729, when your grandfather was born, was held under a lease. It may still be preserved and if they could be found would probably throw some light on the subject.
The “Trumra House” in which Isaac Bell now resides, is a two story stone building of ancient date. Lewis’s Typographical Dic. mentions it as the seat of the Spencer family. Thos. Greer is under the impression that the Bells held it in the time of our great grandfather. There is a place near at hand called “Belltown”, which I suppose took its name from our family; whilst the Carroll homestead is possibly 3/4 the of a mile south east just west of “Brown Hedge” . Please forgive interlincations and the tedious length of this, and believe me
Your affec. cousin
Robt.W Carroll
addressed to Jos.Hatton Carroll Esq, Cork, Ireland
Carroll Family History 