Does anyone know anything about my Bell Cousins or my gr grandfather Sylvester? Many in the family were active in buried at St John's Anglican Church in Bromont. Here is what I know already and am trying to find out 1-- Are there any cousins in Quebec? MORRISONS? BELLS? HUBBELLS? 2-- Any info about Sylvester, birthdate, the trial - newspaper or court records 3-- Where his children [my grandfather] were born? 4-- Where his mother -Nancy KENNISON was born? 5-- Did any of his brothers or sisters come to VT? Sylvester Henry Bell b:1834? 1826? 1843? W.Shefford,P.Que d: Jan 1,1892 [Executed - hanged by prison] St.Albans,VT +Marcia Anne Farnsworth b: Dec 10,1828 Fairfield,Vt m:Nov 10,1860 St Albans? VT d: Feb 1, 1899 Randoph, Vt Here's what I have found and would be most apperciative if you could shed any light on any of this. There must have been something written up about the time of the trial or the murder. My father began searching 70 years ago and I am now just uncovering the story. Thanks so much for any information you can offer about this mystery in my family and his dark secrets. The cronology-- 1826/33/43-- born -- W.Shefford, P.Que 1880--Census -- VT with wife [my gr grandmother] and 5 children 1884--Divorced--. May 1,1884 "Intolerable Severity" in St Albans, VT 1887--Mar 2nd----- Dec 1,1887 wife Emma Lock ------ Fairfax Town Clerk [2nd marriage cert. said he was farmer, born in Canada, living in Fairfield VT father Samuel Bell, mother Nancy K . ----Rev, Folsom officiating] 1889--21 mo later--wife Emma d. Dec 26,1889-- Her death certif says "shot by husb....29 yrs." [newspaper says 35 yrs] 1892--2 yrs later -- Jan 1,1892 executed in St Albans VT- hanged ."Legal Executions in New England, 1623-1960" by Daniel Allen Hearn. He states that Sylvester Bell was hanged at the Vermont State Prison in Windsor, Vermont. [If the bodies of the executed weren't claimed by the family, I think they were buried in Windsor.] Winter [1996/97] edition of "Vermont History" published by the Vermont Historical Society article is titled "Blood Calls for Vengeance" - The history of Capital Punishment in Vermont. It mentions Sylvester but only in a brief passage. This is what it says: "Between 1882 and 1905 Vermont's Courts sentenced only 7 people to die, and only Sylvester Bell, who murdered his wife brutally in 1889, was hanged." The only newspaper account that I have Burlington Clipper -Burlington,VT Jan.2,1890 (no page #'s-buried in middle of paper) " WIFE MURDER AT FAIRFAX Sylvester H. Bell fatally shot his wife at Fairfax on Thursday. It appears that Mrs. Bell had left her husband and applied for a divorce. Thursday she, in company with Deputy Sheriff Hall, went to the house to remove her things. Bell met them very pleasantly and permitted her to pick up her goods. As she was about ready to leave she went up stairs and he followed her. Soon afterward a pistol shot was heard and Officer Hall rushed up, and Bell met him at the door of the room into which Mrs. Bell had gone and handed him the pistol, saying, "Take this. I have done the deed." The ball entered the head of the unfortunate woman, just back of the ear, and she lived about thirty minutes, unconscious. Bell was put under arrest and for a time the excitement, and sympathy was so strong for the murdered woman that it looked as if Bell would be lynched, but the law will now be allowed to take its course. The murdered woman was of comely appearance and of quiet demeanor. Her maiden name was Emma Locke. She was married to Bell some three years ago being his second wife. She was at the time of her death 35 years of age and Bell is 57 years old. Bell's reputation with his wives is bad. He tried to kill his first wife some five years ago and shot her, but the wound was not a fatal one. He was arrested for the crime, tried, and acquitted. He has two daughters and three sons by his first wife and is a farmer by occupation." I would certainly say he qualifies as having a bad reputation with wives!! I am searching for my father who tried for more than 50 years to find out about him but it was a very secure family secret so he also never knew about his cousins. Sylvester's parents also had a bad divorce so I guess there is even more to the story. Here is the family line- parents, siblings, and children. All Sylvester and Marcia's children were born at her sister's "over the border in Canada" at Marcia Farnsworth's sisters home. That may have been Harriette Farnsworth-HUBBELL or Fanny Farnsworth-CAMPBELLE. 1 Samuel BELL b: Jan 25,1804 Shefford,Quebec d:May 29,1888 WShefford (St Johns Anglican-Bromont) +Nancy KENNISON b:1803 NH [w/ Elizabeth Kikzebach '61] d:Abt.1883 res.Shefford Quebec 1861 2 Rachel BELL b:Feb 13,1826 d:Feb 17,1826 (Anglican Cem) Bromont PQ 2 Julia Ann BELL-HUBBELL b:Aug 15,1829 W Shefford Que d: W Enosberg VT +Edward Gilbert HUBBELL b:Abt.1820 d: W Enosberg VT 2 Laura Diana BELL-MORRISON b: Sep 14,1831 d: 1876 W Shefford P.Q. +Peter MORRISON b: W.Shefford P.Q. 2 Sylvester Henry BELL b:1834??WShefford PQ d:Jan 1,1892 [Exec] St.Albans,VT m-1+Marcia Anne FARNSWORTH b: Dec 10,1828 FairfieldVTd:Feb 1,1899 RandophVT (m-2 +Emma LOCK b: Bet.1860 & 1864 New York d: Dec 26,1889 FairfaxVT-29/33) 3 Hattie BELL-AUSTIN b:Dec 8, 861 W Shefford ? P.Q.(aunts) d:1898 Fairfax VT +T.Seymour AUSTIN b: Abt.1850-1860 d:Res-Fairfax Essex Jct VT 3 Asahel BELL b Jul 3,1863 WShefford?PQ(aunts) d:May22,1925cemWestfordVT +Laura A 3 Flora BELL b: Jul 16,1866 W Shefford ? PQ(aunts) d:1966 Waterbury VT-100y 3 Homer Bennett BELL b:Nov 11,1868 W Shefford? PQ(aunts) d:Feb 26,1937 Rutland VT +Clara Adelaide DUBOIS b:Jul 9,1872 West RandolphVT d:May 3,1930 Randolph 3 Arthur Jay BELL b:Jun 4,1871 WSheffordPQ (aunts) d: Mar 7,1919 Lebanon NH +Nancy JONES-STONE b: Abt.1880 d: Lebanon NH 2 Justus/Justin BELL b:Abt.1841 d: Sep 27,1873 32y Bromont PQ(St John Anglican) +Ellen Amelia PERCY-BELL b:Iowa? d:Iowa-left with children 2 Samuel BELL, Jr b: Jun 9, 1846 (cous Rich-Bromont) d:May12,1905 St John Ang 2 John BELL b:1847 WShefford PQ. d:Sep 26, 1906 or Mar 3,1863 MorrisvilleVT +Olive NELSON b: Ella Dyke? Hartford 2 Richard BELL b:Abt.1848 W-Shefford P.Q aunts d: Ellenberg -Malone NY 2 Judson BELL b: Abt.1849 W Shefford P.Q. d: Boston no info Any information about my family would be most welcome as I would finally love to meet some cousins. Rachel Bell --------Dutchess Co. NY "New England Genes" http://www.angelfire.com/ny/newenglandgenes/index.html