My family and my husband's family lives and have lived all over the United States mostly from New Orleans and east of the Mississippi. I'm looking for Aldridge and Disney in the Anne Arundel, Maryland area. Prestenbach, Schaubhut, Jones, and Bell (briefly in Arkansas) in the New Orleans area. Bell in eastern North Carolina. Jones in Illinois. Burkhart and Roseman in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Decossas and Luquet in France and New Orleans. Zuberbier in Bexar, Texas and New Orleans area. Jewell (from Virginia) and Miller in New Orleans. One medical fact that might be of interest to someone out there with ancestors in the Bell family from eastern North Carolina that moved to Arkansas and New Orleans. My husband great-grandmother Louisiana "Louise" "Lula" Bell b. New Orleans abt. 1859 (raised in Little Rock, Arkansas was blind. She married John Paul Jones from Illinois. They had two children, Mattie b. abt 1888 in Little Rock and son Leon soon after. When Leon was still a newborn, the family moved to Memphis to be near Louisiana's sister (either Isabella or Missouri). Baby Leon rolled off of a bed and died. Louisiana's sister, blaming the mother's blindness for the death, sought to take custody of Mattie. John and Louisiana escaped on a boat to New Orleans with toddler Mattie. As the story goes, a hurricane came up the Mississippi at the same time. The three survived with only the family Bible (which we still have) and did eventually make it to New Orleans. Fast forward to the 1990's. One of my husband's daughter's from his first marriage as a teenager began to rapidly lose her eyesight. Eventually, she was diagnosed with Juvenile Macular Degeneration which we were told is a genetic recessive disease (has to be passed on through both parents). Although, she never lost all of her sight, she is now legally blind, as is her older sister (2 out of 3 of the girls). None of my daughter's with my husband are affected, although they could be carriers. If this rings a "Bell" with anyone who has "Bell" ancestor, we would love to hear from you.

My family and my husband's family lives and have lived all over the United States mostly from New Orleans and east of the Mississippi. I'm looking for Aldridge and Disney in the Anne Arundel, Maryland area. Prestenbach, Schaubhut, Jones, and Bell (briefly in Arkansas) in the New Orleans area. Bell in eastern North Carolina. Jones in Illinois. Burkhart and Roseman in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Decossas and Luquet in France and New Orleans. Zuberbier in Bexar, Texas and New Orleans area. Jewell (from Virginia) and Miller in New Orleans. One medical fact that might be of interest to someone out there with ancestors in the Bell family from eastern North Carolina that moved to Arkansas and New Orleans. My husband great-grandmother Louisiana "Louise" "Lula" Bell b. New Orleans abt. 1859 (raised in Little Rock, Arkansas was blind. She married John Paul Jones from Illinois. They had two children, Mattie b. abt 1888 in Little Rock and son Leon soon after. When Leon was still a newborn, the family moved to Memphis to be near Louisiana's sister (either Isabella or Missouri). Baby Leon rolled off of a bed and died. Louisiana's sister, blaming the mother's blindness for the death, sought to take custody of Mattie. John and Louisiana escaped on a boat to New Orleans with toddler Mattie. As the story goes, a hurricane came up the Mississippi at the same time. The three survived with only the family Bible (which we still have) and did eventually make it to New Orleans. Fast forward to the 1990's. One of my husband's daughter's from his first marriage as a teenager began to rapidly lose her eyesight. Eventually, she was diagnosed with Juvenile Macular Degeneration which we were told is a genetic recessive disease (has to be passed on through both parents). Although, she never lost all of her sight, she is now legally blind, as is her older sister (2 out of 3 of the girls). None of my daughter's with my husband are affected, although they could be carriers. If this rings a "Bell" with anyone who has "Bell" ancestor, we would love to hear from you.