Joseph Francis Bell (b. 21 May 1884, d. 8 Jun 1961)
Joseph Francis Bell (son of William Bell and Elizabeth Sharp) was born 21 May 1884 in Tangarang nr Marulan, NSW, Aus, and died 8 Jun 1961 in Goulburn, NSW, Aus (Kenmore Hospital). He married Gladys Ilean Shepherd on 7 Aug 1909 in Marulan, NSW, Aus (All Saints Church).
Notes for Joseph Francis Bell: The following information was provided by Joseph's daughter Lydia May Thorburn (formerly Warren nee Bell) from a taped interview conducted on Saturday 6th June 1987 at her home at 78 Willarong Road, Caringbah. Joseph Francis Bell worked at South Marulan Mine and before this he worked as a woodcutter.
When working at the mine he was a powder monkey until he lost the sight of his eye which occurred when a wire fence he was 'straining' snapped and caught him in the eye. He was taken to hospital and he had to have his eye removed. He lived on sel-pity afterwards, didn't work for a hell of a long time, and afterwards they had him out at Marulan South in the finish pottering about after he gave up the powder monkeying because of his eye. That's where he finished up working for Marulan South Mine.
Joseph and Gladys Bell owned property in South Marulan Road and also owned 500 acres called Myall Creek in Bungonia Road up the back of the other property. They kept a few sheep, cattle and gardens. Less Cooper bought the property from Gladis following the death of Joseph. He still lives at South Marulana nd still owns the shop there (1987). He practically owns half of Marulan South as far as shops and things like that are concerned.
The old farm house in South Marulan Road was burnt down not long after being sold.
The Public Trustee had control of Joseph's property and after the sale of the property bought the house at 10 Victoria Parade, Goulburn for Gran (Gladis) and they kept Joseph Bell (before he died in Kenmore Hospital, Goulburn) and when he died there was not ;much left of the estate after the cost of keeping Joseph there. The sale of the property at South Marulan (I believe it was a 99 year lease) less costs incurred for Joseph etc., the house in Victoria Parade (No. 10) was purchased.
A memory held dear in the heart of his Great Grand-daughter (Diane Joy Little) is one of her last memories of Joseph Bell. 'I cannot remember much of Joe Bell with the exception of the fact that he was there in the background whenever we visited the farm at Marulan. By this time he had retired due to his health and I can my memories of him is sitting in the kitchen next to the old wood stove or sitting out on the verandah in an old chair and on his lap was a little baby joey (wallaby). I do not know how he came by this joey, possible it was found in the pouch of its mother which was shot during a shooting outing by Joe and some other members of his family or he could possibly have found it by the roadside when its mother was killed by a passing car. I will always think of him as this quiet, gentle man always in the background but while I cannot remember any conversation I actually had with him I have this inner feeling that he was a caring, loving man.'
'I remember the wonderful school holidays I spent down on Gran and Grandpop's farm at Marulan - out along the road to South Marulan on the right-handside. The house was very small, built of slabs of timber and the roof at that time was corrugated iron, I think. One old photo I saw showed the roof being made of flat sheets of paperbark (or similar material) held in place by logs of timber. This home was always warm and welcoming and always Gran would meet you with a beautiful smile on her face.
While the adults were seated around the kitchen table beside the woodstove the kids were sent outside to play in the paddocks but we were always warned not to go down near the old well. This had been the water supply for the family but had long since been covered for safety reasons. I always had the feeling that it was very deep and as it was quite close to an old creek bed this must have been the means by which water was obtained.
We were always being 'told off' by Grandpop for playing in the barn. It was a very large building situated to the right hand side of the house a bit of a distance away. I can vividly remember the huge piles of bales of hay in the barn and it was a wonderful time for us kids to clamber up and over and through the hay. We would try to make cubby houses, forts or burrow our ways through the tunnels we tried to make in the hay. Countless times we would hear Grandpop yelling at us kids to 'Get out of the bloody barn..... don't blame me if a bloody snake gets ya!'. We never worried about the snakes.... we were having too much of a good time.
My times in the barn were spent with any kids who happed to be at Gran and Grandpop's at the time but those I can remember were my cousins Jan and Sue Day (daughters of Elsie Warren and Arthur Day). As I was the eldest in the family I can't really remember my youngest siblilngs there except for one of the last times we were there and it was of my brother, Peter, climbing way up to the top of the bales, Mum and Dad practically having a heart attack when he started to tumble all the way down..... bouncing all the way. But when he finally came to a rest he wasn't crying as expected but giggling his head off. At the time I think he would have been around 2 or 3 years of age.
I remember old cars, tractors, rusting ploughs of different shapes and sizes, rolls of wire fencing, old fences made of split timber weathered with age but standing the test of time for the skill involved in making these were possessed by those who had no financial means of erecting any other fencing apart from that they could make with the resources available from the land, namely local timber.
I remember walking all the way up to the gate near the road (at the time I thought it was a long way but on a recent visit to the area I looked at the distance with the eyes of an adult and not that of a child and to my surprise it would have been only a couple of hundred yards). Amazing how things in your childhood are either gigantic or miniscule depending on the item..... nothing in between.
I cannot remember much about Joseph Bell's funeral but I do know that our family attended the funeral which was held at Marulan. As with past and more recent members of the Bell/Shepherd family Joe was laid to rest in the Marulan cemetery and sad was the day when Gran had to sell the property for she was too old to be able to manage it by herself. I think for many years they did not use it as a sheep station but made the land available to a local guy to run his own sheep on it.
As Joseph Bell spent the latter part of his life in Kenmore Hospital at Goulburn the Public Trustee too over control of his property and eventually Gran had to sell the farm and moved into Goulburn where she purchased a small house at 10 Victoria Parade.
More About Joseph Francis Bell: Burial: 10 Jun 1961, Marulan, NSW, Aus (Church of England section). Burial Service: 10 Jun 1961, Marulan, NSW, Aus (All Saints Church). Christening: Marulan, NSW, Aus (All Saints Church). Occupation 1: Powder monkey. Occupation 2: 1909, Labourer. Occupation 3: 1911, Labourer. Occupation 4: 1913, Labourer. Occupation 5: 1914, Farmer. Occupation 6: 1915, Labourer. Occupation 7: 1917, Labourer.
More About Joseph Francis Bell and Gladys Ilean Shepherd: Marriage: 7 Aug 1909, Marulan, NSW, Aus (All Saints Church).
Marriage Notes for Joseph Francis Bell and Gladys Ilean Shepherd: At the time of their marriage Joseph Francis Bell was 25 years of age and Gladys Ilean Shepherd was only 17 years. Joseph's occupation at that time was Labourer with Gladys' being Domestic Duties
The consent of Gladys' father, Thomas Shepherd, was required for this wedding to proceed owing to the fact that Gladys was under the age of consent ie 21 years.
Both Joseph Francis Bell and Glydis Ilean Shepherd signed their marriage certificates with witnesses to this ceremony being William H. Bell and Alice Howe. The officiating Minister was Frederick Richmond
Children of Joseph Francis Bell and Gladys Ilean Shepherd are:
+Lydia May Bell, b. 16 Mar 1910, Marulan, NSW, Aus153, d. 23 Mar 1994, New Farm, QLD, Aus (Chateau Nursing Home, 193 Moray Street) at 2.57am.
+Raymond Joseph Bell, b. 30 May 1911, Longreach, NSW, Aus154, d. 10 Sep 1982, Goulburn, NSW, Aus.
+Edna Eileen Bell, b. 9 Feb 1913, Marulan, NSW, Aus154, d. 4 May 1913, Marulan, NSW, Aus154.
Joseph Francis Bell (b. 21 May 1884, d. 8 Jun 1961)
Notes for Joseph Francis Bell: