Twentieth Century

The Sloman's and the Bell's - a joining of two families 

The Sloman's were originally from Southwestern Ontario from the Lucan and London communities.  Josephine Butler Sloman had deep roots in the Wilberforce Colony near Lucan, Ontario.  Her great-grandfather Peter Butler was one of the first Black Americans to establish the Wilberforce Colony.  

Richard Nelson Bell's family similarly had deep roots in Black settlement in Southern Ontario.   His grandparents, Stephen and Susan (Jones/Taylor) Bell and Lewis, Jane and Alice Tyrrell were amongst the many former Black slaves to make their way from Virginia and Missouri along the Underground Railroad to safety and freedom in Canada.  The Bell family settled in St. Catharines, Ontario.   Many of their descendents still live in the Niagara Region.  

Wedding Day - May 22, 1938

On 22 May 1938, Iris Elizabeth Sloman married Richard Nelson Bell.   Iris, born in 1912 in London, Ontario, was the daughter of Albert and Josephine (Butler) Sloman of Niagara Falls, Ontario.   Richard Bell, born in 1911, was the son of Charles Henry and Mary (Tyrrell) Bell of St. Catharines, Ontario. 

The happy couple 

Certificate of Marriage signed by Rev. George Ellerton Crawford of the Nathanal Dett Chapel, BME church, Niagara Falls, Ont. 

Who wants cake? 

Bert Sloman, Richard Bell, Iris Bell and Shirley Sloman

L to R: Charles Bell, Josie Sloman, Richard and Iris Bell,  Mary Bell, Albert Sloman

Richard and Iris Bell flanked by Bell family members