Mary (Bell) JONES 1847 - 1930

 

 

Mary Bell was born in the Gorbals district of Glasgow to Janet (McGill) and James Bell. She was the youngest and only girl, having five older brothers. Her father James was a mill wright and engine fitter and he died of paralysis (third attack) at 53 years of age. Her mother worked as a boot binder and lived with one of her sons.

When Mary was 20 she married William Valentine Jones, an orphan. William was a pattern maker and they lived in Glasgow where their first six children were born.

William and Mary emigrated to Australia, initially to Adelaide probably because several of Mary's brothers had emigrated there. Her eldest brother David Bell went on to establish Bells Stores in several South Australian towns including Strathalbyn.

The journey to Australia took six weeks and for most of the journey the weather was reasonable. However, once the ship reached the 23-degree south latitude (Tropic of Capricorn) “it freshened into a S.E. gale with high head sea, shipping large quantities of water, causing the hatches to be battened down. This lasted until off King George's Sound.”

On 17 May 1884 William, Mary and the six children finally arrived in Adelaide. Just THREE days later Mary gave birth to their final child. Can you imagine spending six weeks on a boat while heavily pregnant!

A couple of years later the family went to Melbourne and then William suddenly died of meningitis hemiplegia - he was 44. Mary was left a widow to raise the children on her own. Apparently she ran a boarding house in Footscray.

Mary lived independently most of her life although in her later years she lived with her daughter Janet and family. She was 82 when she died in Footscray in 1930.