Alexander (Hugh A) "Alec" Bellingham

Bellingham grandparents Death Hugh Alexander Bellingham Movanagher 1953 aged 57 culmorehill

Alexander was born on August 6th, 1895.

• Birth Notes

  Date of Birth from Al Luce using Civil Records at General Registry Office, Belfast.  Birth registered by 14 year old sister, Matilda.  Called Hugh A in 1901 census and Alec by family.

Alexander's father was Thomas Bellingham and his mother was Rachel Georgina [Lisheegan] MacKay.  His paternal grandparents were Thomas Bellingham and (Margaret or Mary) Jane McCart; his maternal grandparents were William [Monaghan] Mackey and Matilda [Bellaghbeddy] Boyd. He had five brothers and five sisters, named Thomas, William, Francis, John, Francis, Jane, Matilda, Margaret, Elizabeth and Frances.  He was the second youngest of the eleven children.  He died at the age of 57 on August 5th, 1953.

• Death Notes

  D/1953/96/1008/17/487    Hugh    Bellingham    5th August 1953    57        Male    Coleraine(pre-1973 Q4)
  
  Registration details
  Registration number
  D/1953/96/1008/17/487
  Registration district
  Coleraine(pre-1973 Q4)
  Registration sub-district
  Kilrea
  Deceased details
  Deceased name(s)
  Hugh Alexander Bellingham
  Sex of deceased
  Male
  Marital status of deceased
  Married
  Date of death
  5th August 1953
  Age at death
  57
  District of death
  Coleraine(pre-1973 Q4)
  
  Just ordered the death cetificate. Chronic Nephritis, Hypertension (malignant) and myocarditis, thats what's on the death certificate
  
  

• General Notes

  1901 Census:
  Residents of a house 4 in Culmore (Killoquin Lower, Antrim)
  Surname    Forename    Age    Sex    Relation to head    Religion    Birthplace    Occupation    Literacy    Irish Language    Marital Status    Specified Illnesses
  Bellingham    Margaret A    18    Female    Daughter    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmer's Daughter    Read and write    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    Lizzie A    13    Female    Daughter    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Scholar    Read and write    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    Thomas    60    Male    Head of Family    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmer    Read and write    -    Married    -
  Bellingham    Frank H    2    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    -    Cannot read    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    Hugh A    5    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    -    Cannot read    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    John    9    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Scholar    Read and write    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    Thomas M    16    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmer's Son    Read and write    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    William J    14    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmer's Son    Read and write    -    Not Married    -
  Bellingham    Georgina    48    Female    Wife    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    House Keeper    Read and write    -    Married    -
  
  1911 Census:
  Residents of a house 8 in Culmore (Killoquin, Antrim)
  Surname    Forename    Age    Sex    Relation to head    Religion    Birthplace    Occupation    Literacy    Irish Language    Marital Status    Specified Illnesses    Years Married    Children Born    Children Living
  Bellingham    Thomas    72    Male    Head of Family    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmer    Read and write    English    Widower    -    -    -    -
  Bellingham    John    19    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmers Son    Read and write    English    Single    -    -    -    -
  Bellingham    Alexander    15    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Farmers Son    Read and write    English    Single    -    -    -    -
  Bellingham    Herbert    11    Male    Son    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    Scholar    Read and write    English    Single    -    -    -    -
  Bellingham    Elizabeth    23    Female    Daughter    Church of Ireland    Co Antrim    -    Read and write    English    Single    -
  
  Called Alexander in Civil Record of birth, Hugh A in 1901 census, Alexander in the 1911 census and Alec by family.
  
  In his will, Thomas Bellingham left his farm of 23 acres, "known as Culmore Hill" to this "Hugh Alexander Bellingham".  We think this farm was sold during the 1930s, however.
  
  One intriguing question which had been bothering me was why Jack and his brother, Alec, sold the farms so assiduously collected by old Thomas Bellingham and both ended up in poverty. You would think that being a landowner, even if the farm was quite small, would make you quite wealthy but, according to Norman Bellingham, son of Jack, land was almost worthless in the 20s and 30s.  In fact it was a millstone round their necks.  That was why the two older Bellingham boys, and Lizzie and my grandmother, Maggie, had all escaped to America where the streets were of course paved with gold.  Both men sold their farms “for buttons” as Norman put it.  His father got £1800 for his 38 acres!  Alice Turner Young says that her husband's father bought this farm.
  
  Margaret says that the family moved to Movanagher,where they lived behind Movanagher School.  This must be after 1929 as they are not in the final book of the GVRBs.
  
  According to family lore, "[He] worked on the River Bann for the fisheries.  There was also a story of his car being riddled with bullets one time.  She also spoke of him playing the fiddle at home in the kitchen.  It sounded quite a hard life with not much money."
  
  Norman Bellingham, the son of Alec's brother, Jack Bellingham,  told me that his Uncle Alec sold his 23 acre farm to buy a car!  That was the relative value of a car and a farm in those days!  He wanted the car to start up a taxi business but it didn’t last long.  Norman said Alec and his mates proceeded to “run girls all over the place and took no money from them”!  Before long all the money was gone and he had to sell the car.  He then had to get a job on the Bann fisheries.
  
  Norman Bellingham also related the story of his uncle Alec’s premature death aged circa 55 and I have to say, it is very sad.  The Bann is a wide deep fast flowing river and has always been regarded as treacherous and I suspect there were not too many safety precautions at the fisheries in the 50s.  Alec was on a flat bottomed boat in the middle of the river, along with an older man called Bob Leech, when they got caught in a current which carried them towards “the wall”.  I asked what “the wall” was and it was clearly a type of weir because on the other side was what Norman called a “boiling pit of water”.  Norman said that Alec had to do all the rowing to save them because Bob was too old.  When he went home Alec went straight out into the garden and began to vomit blood.  He died later that evening having probably ruptured some blood vessel with his exertions.  Poor old Rachell.  However, his death cert states, "chronic Nephritis, Hypertension (malignant) and myocarditis", no time of illness given, so perhaps malignant hypertension is high blood pressure.
  
  Alec left a family of 12.
  

Details of Alexander's family with Rachell McMullan