The Bell Family
This information contributed by Al Barrs
Bell Family Tree of Evia Adetha Bell
With a history in Duplin and Sampson Counties North Carolina…by Al Barrs, Junior,
son of Evia Adetha Bell-Barrs.
< EARLIEST DISCOVERED BELL GENERATION>
John Bell
Birth: About 1490-1500 in York, Yorkshire, England
Death: 1556 in Worcester, England
Note: Served Henry VIII of England, elevated to a status of ‘privileged family’ of England
and become a judge and eventually the bishop of Worcester (1539-1543); retired and became
priest of Worcester, England.
Children:
1. William Bell (?) was born about 1530 Norfolk, England; died Northampton England
2. Robert Bell was born about 1537 Norfolk, England; died London England in 1577
Note: This Robert Bell became Sir Robert Bell of Northampton and London England, and
was a principal, along with several of his sons and grandsons, in The Virginia Colony
of America in 1606. (aka The London Company) a trading business venture.
William Bell
Birth: about 1530-1540 Norfolk, England
Death: 1598 Northampton County, England
Children:
1. George Bell born about 1576 Wayneford, Northampton County, England
Note: First of our Bell lineage to immigrate to America was the following George
Bell born about 1576 in England.
George Bell
Birth: about 1576 Wayneford, Northampton County, England
Death: about 1655 Northampton County, Virginia
Children:
1. Richard Bell born about 1605 Wayneford, Northampton County, England
Richard Bell
Birth: About 1605 Northampton County, England
Death: 1700 Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Note: Virginia was former from The Virginia Colony in 1634
Wife 1: Sarah _____ County Durham, England
Father: George Bell
Mother:
Children:
1. George Bell born about 1630 County Durham, England
Note: The preceding Bell family members have not been fully validated because
of a lack of historic data in English parish and Crown records. Al Barrs
Note: It appears that George Bell, born in 1575 in England, and his son Richard
Bell, born 1605, were our first ancestors to immigrate to America before 1650,
maybe around 1640.
We have not determined with how many children, if any, Richard Bell and his wife,
Mary, immigrated to America with. We believe that at least one son, George Bell
and his wife Hester Webster, born in 1630 and 1634 respectfully in County Durham,
England and their two oldest children John and Margaret immigrated to The Colony
about 1660.
We do know that George Bell, son of Richard Bell, and his wife Hester Webster
with their two children John Bell and Margaret Bell immigrated to The Colony
about 1660. Our Bell family members may have traveled with the Clements on
their yacht “George” at different times and different trips from County Durham,
England to “The Colony,” in which the Clements and Sir Robert Bell, a distant
cousin, were principal stockholders.
There is little doubt that they would have been recruiters for employees of The
London Company that was willing to immigrate to the Virginia Colony in America,
which was first chartered in 1606.
George and Hester Bell’s son, Robert Bell, would marry Penelope ‘Polly’
Clements in 1704 upon their return to “The Colony” from their studies in
County Durham, England on the Clements’ yacht “George”.
At least one of this Richard Bell’s sons, George Bell and his 1st wife Hester
Webster with their two children, followed his grandfather George Bell and
parents Richard and Mary Bell, to America and settled in Isle of Wight County
Virginia about 1660. Other children fathered by George Bell were born in
America but we don’t know if all or how any were Hester Webster’s children,
although she did not die until about 1702. Richard Bell and his son George
Bell both married a 2nd time in Isle of Wight County, Virginia after their 1st
wives had died in Isle of Wight County.
< NEXT GENERATION>
George Bell
Birth: about 1630 Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
Married: about 1655 Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
Death: NOV 9, 1702 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Burial: NOV 11, 1702 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Father: Richard Bell
Mother: Sarah _____
Marriage1: Hester Webster
Birth: About 1629-34 in Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
Married: Probably about 1655 in Durham, England
Death: Before 1702 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Burial: Before 1702 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Marriage 2: Joyce _____ in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Children: born in County Durham, England
1. John Bell
Birth: 1656 in Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
Christening: 2 MAR 1656 in Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
2. Margaret Bell
Birth: 1657 in Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
Christening: 15 FEB 1657 in Blaydon, Ryton, Durham, England
Note: English records of George and Hester Bell end here. This normally means
that a person or family migrated to America or elsewhere. I believe George and
Hester Bell immigrated to America about 1660. Our Bell line, Robert Bell, was
born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia in 1675. I know that because the George
Bell and Hester Webster born 1630 and 1634 in County Durham England appear
in English records and a George Bell and Hester Webster appear later in Isle of
Wight County Virginia records. It is unlikely that two George Bell married wives
named Hester Webster born the same dates. And, we do not know exactly how
many children George and Hester Bell had in America, or what number our
Robert Bell born 1675 was.
Proof: Virginia records and deeds stipulate: George Bell, born 1530, show that
he was in Isle of Wight County Virginia in the 1660s; Bell family descendants
George Bell who was born about in 1630 in County Durham, England. This
George Bell sold 755 acres of land in Isle Of Wight County Virginia and then
sold more land there on 7 Feb 1663; George Bell’s 1st wife Hester Webster,
was born in 1629 in County Durham England. Hester Webster died before 1702
in Isle of Wight County, Virginia and George Bell died 9 November 1702 in Isle
of Wight County, Virginia and was buried on 11 Nov 1702 in Isle of Wight County,
Virginia; George Bell fathered at least 5 sons: John, Thomas, George, William
and Robert Bell, only John was born in County Durham, England. At least one
daughter, Margaret Bell was also born in County Durham, England before the
family immigrated to America.
Note: George Bell’s children, who were born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, after
George, Hester, children John and Margaret Bell emigrated from England with or
shortly after George’s parents were the following. The mother of George Bell’s
children who were born in Virginia is uncertain, but Hester did not die until 1702
and probably gave birth to most, if not all of them; however some may have been
born to George’s 2nd wife Joan _____-Bell, George’s 2nd wife.
Marriage 2: Joan ________ married after 1702 in Isle of Wight County Virginia
Children: born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Thomas Bell born ____ Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Note on Thomas Bell: I can’t find this Bell in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Thomas may
have been a son of the Accomack County Virginia Bell family who were related but direct
descendants of Sir Robert Bell of London. However, a Thomas Bell was a signatory on one
of our Bell family line land deeds, so hemay have been related after all..
Richard Bell born about 1661 Isle of Wight County VA
George Bell born 1662 Isle of Wight VA
William Bell born ____ Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Note on William Bell: I can’t find this Bell in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. William may
have been a son of the Accomack County Virginia Bell family who were related but direct
descendants of Sir Robert Bell of London.
Robert Bell born 1675 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia; died 1738 Bertie County, NC
Note: There was at least 3 Robert Bell who immigrated to The Virginia Colony in the
1600s. Two were the son and grandson of Sir Robert Bell, London, England, a principal in
The Virginia Colony venture (company) which was chartered by the King of England in
1607. Robert Bell born 1675 was born in Isle of Wight County Virginia, America and that
accounted for 3 Robert Bell in The Virginia Colony after 1704, when our Robert Bell
returned to The Colony after his education in County Durham, England.
< NEXT GENERATION>
Narrative:
Robert Bell of Virginia Colony, Chowan and Bertie Counties, North Carolina
(Was born in 1675 and died in 1738)
Robert Bell was transported to Virginia from England about 1704. However, this
does not necessarily mean that he was born in England, as some researchers
speculate. It was common practice for the children of the early Virginia Colonists
to be transported to England for their education and then be transported back to
the Colonies, with land awarded for their transport back to America. Robert Bell’s
ancestors had attended school and colleges so it would have been sensible that
Robert’s father would send him to be educated. That would have been relatively
easy since they were well acquainted with the Clements family of County Durham,
England who owned and operated their yacht “George” routinely between England
and America and into the family which Robert Bell would marry into in 1704 upon
his and Polly Clements return to America from England after their education had
been completed.
Robert Bell was born in Isle of Wight County Virginia in 1675. Robert Bell was a
son of George Bell and Hester Webster-Bell. George Bell was born in 1630 in
County Durham England to Richard Bell. Robert Bell 1st married Penelope “Polly”
Clements in Virginia shortly after he and she arrived back in Virginia in 1704 on
Polly’s family yacht “George”.
One may speculate that Robert Bell and Penelope Clements had been transported
to England by their parents to be educated and had arrived back in Virginia together
in 1704. The Clements family owned and passed down ownership of their yacht
“George” to various family members over its useful lifetime. Jeffrey Clements
married Elizabeth Fuller and they had five children. Third son, Jeremiah, was born
in 1607. Jeffrey Clements died in 1609 and his widow Elizabeth Clements and four
small children came to America on the "yacht George", landing at Jamestown,
Virginia, June 10, 1611. She married in Virginia again in 1621 to Colonel Ralph
Hamor. Without question, various Clements family members used their yacht
“George” to travel back and forth from England to America and the Virginia Colony
on a regular basis. One branch of the Clements family was also from County
Durham England, the same county which the Richard and George Bell family
had lived before immigrating to the Virginia Colony.
The Clements had immigrated to the Virginia Colony earlier than our Richard
Bell family, in 1611, and may have been the family that persuaded the Bell
family to immigrate during 1640s and 1660s. Plus, the Clements would have
received payment from the Virginia Company for bringing the Bell family
members over and probably transported them on their yacht “George.” Both
families lived in County Durham England prior to immigrating to America.
Penelope ‘Polly’ Clements was born in Surry County, Virginia to John and Mary
Clements in 1680. Her Grandfather, John Clements, was a Captain in the
American Bacon’s Rebellion of 1675 in “The Colonies.” Penelope Clements’s
father, John Clements, was an Indian Trader in America and may have been
responsible for Robert Bell moving his family to the Bertie County North Carolina
area around 1715 and after Polly had died.
Robert Bell was also closely associated with a Henry Woodnot (Woodnut),
before 1715. Henry Woodnot lived in Essex County, Virginia where Robert had
bought land and lived with his wife Polly Clements. Robert and Polly Bell had
three children while living in Essex County, Virginia. Robert Bell would eventually
receive Henry Woodnot’s estate ‘by instruction’ in Mr. Woodnot’s Last Will
and Testament dated December 29, 1718 and which was probated on 29th
June 29, 1719 in Bertie County North Carolina. Robert Bell would marry Henry
Woodnot’s daughter Anne Woodnot, the widow of John Ferguson (Fargeson),
who is also know to have been in Essex County Virginia in 1704 and died there
in 1715, the same year Penelope Bell died. Old documents show that Henry
Woodnot (Woodnut) and John Ferguson were on the same jury on February 10,
1704 in Essex County Virginia.
Robert Bell married Anne Woodnot, the widow of John Ferguson, after his 1st
wife Penelope Clements’s death in 1715 and about the same time the Bell
family moved to the Cashie River region in the Chowan and Bertie County area
of North Carolina. We don’t know if Robert Bell married Anne Woodnot in Essex
County, Virginia or in Chowan, North Carolina. By 1715 they were in Chowan,
North Carolina on the Cashie River.
Robert Bell's children, born to his 1st wife, Penelope Clements, were: 1) Robert,
Jr who died at age 7 in Essex County, Virginia; 2) Jean Bell and 3) Mary Bell
born in Essex County, Virginia. After Penelope Clements-Bell’s death, Robert
Bell married the widow Anne Woodnot-Ferguson shortly after his 1st wife Polly’s
extended illness and death in 1715.
I believe Penelope Bell had suffered a long and serious illness before she died in
1715. There was a long period of time between the birth of their daughter Mary Bell
and George Bell the first born with Anne Woodnot-Bell. We know that by 1715, or
certainly by 1716, Robert Bell had moved his family to property on the north bank
of Cashie River in Chowan County, North Carolina (Later to become the Chowan
Precinct of Bertie County) near what would become Windsor, North Carolina in
1768.
Robert Bell and his 2nd wife, Anne Woodnot-Bell (formerly the widow Ferguson),
brought a daughter, Isabella (Isobel) Ferguson into their marriage. Isabel Ferguson
was the youngest daughter and perhaps the only child of Anne and John Ferguson
and she is often referred to in records as “Isabel Bell” and in some instances as
the “wife of Robert Bell” which is not correct. The facts are, Anne brought Isabel
Ferguson, her and John Ferguson’s daughter, into her 2nd marriage with Robert
Bell. Isabel was the stepdaughter of Robert Bell. Whether or not Robert Bell
officially adopted Isabel is not known. Isobel would live in Robert Bell and Anne
Woodnot-Bell’s home on the north bank of the Cashie River from 1715-16 until
her marriage to Michael King III in 1720. I have as yet no validated information
or the family tree of John Ferguson (Fargeson) and/or his family, but continue
to search old documents. Isabel’s father was John Ferguson. John Ferguson
was recorded to have died in 1715 in Essex County Virginia, which is the same
year that Anne married Robert Bell and the same year Penelope Bell, Robert
Bell’s 1st wife died. Isabel and Michael King had 7 children in Bertie County
North Carolina.
Robert Bell and Anne Woodnot-Bell had additional children while living in their
home on the north side of the Cashie River in Chowan/Bertie County North
Carolina in what would become the Windsor area of North Carolina. Windsor
was created on the south bank of the Cashie River and the Robert Bell family
lived on the North Bank of the Cashie River.
George Bell was born to Robert and Anne Bell in 1718 in Chowan County, North
Carolina and he was the oldest living son of Robert Bell. Robert Bell’s first son
Robert Bell, Jr. had died at age 7 in Essex County, Virginia. Then Archibald Bell
was born in 1719 in Chowan County, North Carolina; John Bell was then born in
1720 in Chowan County, North Carolina. He died after 1783. Penelope Bell was
the last child born to Robert and Anne Bell in 1724 in Bertie County, North
Carolina on the north bank of the Cashie River where Robert Bell had moved his
family in about 1715 or 1716. I am certain Robert Bell’s last child was named
after his 1st wife, Penelope “Polly” Clements, who was the daughter of John, the
Indian Trader and Mary Clements.
As was often the case, Indian Traders such as John Clements, because they ranges
far from settlements and into the wilderness and up rivers to trade with the Native
American tribes, would return with information about new and better lands to settle
and establish tobacco, cotton and corn plantations. Perhaps this is what enticed
Robert Bell to migrate with his family and other families and friends from the Isle
of Wight County, Virginia to Chowan County, North Carolina, which would become
the Chowan Precinct of Bertie County North Carolina in 1722.
John Clements died in 1734 in Bertie County, North Carolina. John Clements willed
his estate to Robert Bell and each of Robert Bell’s children. John Clements’s Last
Will and Testament does not mention that the Clements and Bell were related by
marriage and this has confused some Bell researchers. Robert Bell’s 1st wife was
Penelope “Polly” Clements, John Clements’s daughter who had died in 1715.
By the 1730s the Bells were also well connected to the Bird or Byrd family of Bertie
County North Carolina. Robert Bell’s daughter Mary Bell married John Bird or Byrd
and her sister Jean Bell married John's brother, William Bird or Byrd. Robert Bell's
son, Archibald Bell, moved to Duplin County, North Carolina along with his
brother-in-law William Bird or Byrd. The area they settled in Duplin County would
become part of Sampson County in 1784. Other Bell family members would move
to Duplin and later Sampson County, North Carolina. Duncan Bell would be born
in Sampson County in 1795 to Hezekiah Bell and Martha Baggett. Hezekiah was
the son of George and Mary Bell.
By 1721-1722 Robert Bell and his family were living on the north bank of the Cashie
River across the river in what would become the town of Windsor, Bertie County,
North Carolina in 1768. Robert Bell had bought land on the north side of the Cashie
River to build a home and clear forests for tobacco, corn, cotton and other cash crops.
Chowan County became a part of Bertie County in 1722. Chowan became the
Chowan Precinct of Bertie County. Robert Bell bought 640 acres in Bertie County,
North Carolina from a Sarah ROSE on May7, 1726.
Robert Bell died on January 2, 1738 at age 63 in his home on the north bank of the
Cashie River and was buried with a “dedicated cemetery,” at a place called the
“burial ground,” on the north bank of the Cashie River, on January 6, 1738. The
“burial ground” on the Cashie River is located near where he and his family had
lived and farmed. Robert Bell’s 1st wife, Penelope Clements-Bell was laid to rest
in Essex County, Virginia where she died in 1715. We are uncertain as to where
Anne Bell was laid to rest, but believe the location to be the same “burial ground”
in which Robert Bell was laid to rest. In 1759 Robert Bell’s oldest son, George
Bell, bought the same land (200 acres) his father had first owned and sold, to
preserve his father’s resting place among others who had been buried there earlier.
We don’t know who else was buried there and can’t locate the cemetery exactly
today. We believe the “burial ground” was across the Cashie River from what would
become Windsor, North Carolina on the bank of the Cashie River in 1768.
A deed proved January 15, 1759 in Chowan County, North Carolina Court to George
Bell [eldest living son and administrator of his father, Robert Bell’s, estate] of Duplin
County, NC bought from John Campbell, Merchant of Bertie County, dated December
27, 1758, property on the Cashie River. George Bell paid John Campbell 50 pounds
‘proc’ money (Proclamation Money) for 200 acres, which Roger Smith “sold to my
father” (Robert Bell) on August 7, 1721 and was recorded in Chowan Precinct on Oct
16, 1722, and then was recorded again in Bertie County North Carolina on November
1, 1739 by George Bell. The “burial ground” and the 200 acre parcel of land were
located on the north side of the Cashie River. The boundaries of the 200 acre parcel
were describes as follows. “North side of Cashie River, joining Colonel Pollock’s
property, Sam’s Branch and Major West’s property.” George Bell stated in the deed
that he was “reserving the burying ground where my (George Bell’s) father (Robert
Bell) and others are laid.” Robert Rainey and Samuel Barron witnessed the deed to
George Bell, dated January 15, 1759.
Robert Bell’s long association with Michael King (III) and his family is not completely
understood by some Bell family researchers. I will try here to explain the connection.
Michael King III, who was born in 1698 in Nansemond County, Virginia and died in
1741 in Bertie County, North Carolina, had a marriage relationship with Robert Bell a
nd his family. Michael King wrote his Last Will and Testament in 1741. Michael King
III was the oldest son of Henry II and Catherine King. Michael King III lived most of
his life in the Chowan Precinct and Bertie County North Carolina. Michael King III
married Isabel Ferguson. Isabel was Robert Bell’s stepdaughter and the daughter of
Robert Bell’s 2nd wife, the widow Ferguson, Anne Woodnot. Michael and Isabel King
had seven children. Isabel was not Michael King’s 1st wife. Michael King, born 1698
and died 1741 married Isabel Ferguson (Bell) in 1720. This was Isabel’s 1st marriage,
but not her last.
Isabel and Michael King had 7 children before his death in 1741. One son of Isabel
and Michael King, Michael King (4th) or “Jr.” born about 1722 in North Carolina
patented 711 acres in Duplin County North Carolina on March 29, 1753 below
George Bell’s property, on Six Runs Creek in Duplin County North Carolina.
George Bell had moved earlier to Six Runs Creek with the King family and settled
in Duplin County North Carolina after Michael King, III had died in 1741 in Bertie
County.
Movement of Robert Bell, born 1675 in America:
Robert Bell born 1675 was in the following American counties in;
1675: Robert Bell born in Isle of Wight County Virginia;
1700: Robert Bell transported to County Durham, England for education
1704: Robert Bell and Penelope Clements returned from England to Virginia;
- Robert Bell married Penelope ‘Polly’ Clements;
1705: Robert and Penelope Bell in King and Queen County formerly New Kent County Virginia;
- Robert Bell, Jr. born in 1705 in Virginia and died in 1712 in Virginia at age 7 (seven);
- Jean Bell born in 1708 Virginia;
- Mary Bell born in 1710 in Virginia;
1715: Robert Bell in Essex County Virginia;
- Penelope Clements-Bell died in Essex County VA;
- Robert Bell married Anne Woodnot (the widow Ferguson);
- George Bell born in 1718 in Chowan County died 1792 Sampson County, NC;
- Archibald Bell born in 1719 in Chowan County, NC died in 1779;
- John Bell born in 1720 in Chowan County, NC died after 1783;
- Penelope Bell born 1724 in Bertie County, NC
1719: Robert Bell in Chowan County North Carolina;
1722: Robert Bell in Bertie County North Carolina and
1738: Robert Bell died and was buried on north side of Cashie River, Bertie County NC
Robert Bell
Birth: 1675 in Isle of Wight County, Virginia North America
Death: JAN 6, 1738 in Bertie County North Carolina
Burial: January 1738 in the dedicated “Burial Ground” on the north side of
Cashie River in Bertie County, North Carolina
Father: George Bell
Mother: Hester Webster
Marriage 1: Penelope (Polly) Clements
Birth: 1680 in Surry County, Virginia
Death: about 1715 Essex County Virginia
Married: 1704 in Virginia
Note: on Penelope Clements’s family:
Father: John Clements born 1659 Surry County, Virginia; married
Mary ____ before 1680 in Virginia and died in 1734 in Bertie
County, NC
Father: John Clements was born 1631 in Surry County, VA;
married about 1658 in Virginia; Commander-in-Chief for
Nathaniel Bacon in the Bacon's Rebellion of 1676 and
died in Surry County, Virginia.
Mother: Mary _______ born abt 1635 in Virginia
Children of Penelope Clements and Robert Bell:
1. Robert Bell, Jr. born in 1705 in Virginia and died in 1712 in Virginia at age 7 (seven)
2. Jean Bell born in 1708 VA; married William Byrd in 1727 in Bertie County, NC and
died after 1765 in the Sumter District of South Carolina
3. Mary Bell born in 1710 in Virginia; married Robert Byrd in 1725 in Bertie County NC
and died in August 1745 in Bertie County, NC
Marriage 2: Anne (Woodnot) (the widow Ferguson) was born 1682 in VA and
died in 1738 in Bertie County, North Carolina
? Father: Henry Woodnot
? Mother: Mary ________
Married: About 1715 in Essex County Virginia or Chowan County, North Carolina
Children of Robert Bell and Anne Woodnot:
1. Isabelle Ferguson was born in 1706 in Nansemond County, Virginia to Anne Woodnot
and Mr. Ferguson. Isabel 1st married Michael King about 1720, but it was not Michael’s
1st marriage. Isabel and Michael had 7 children. Michael King died in 1741 in Bertie
County, NC. Isabelle died in 1780 in NC. Michael King’s Last Will and Testament was
dated 1741. Isabel and Michael King were the great grandparents of William Rufus
King, Jr. the 13th Vice President of the United States of America, under President
Franklin Pierce.
Note: Isabel lived with Robert and Anne Bell, her mother, and was called “Isabel Bell”
beginning about 1715 and until her marriage to Michael King III in Bertie County North
Carolina in 1720
2. George Bell born in 1718 in Chowan County died 1792 Sampson County, NC
3. Archibald Bell born in 1719 in Chowan County, NC died 1779
4. John Bell born in 1720 in Chowan County, NC died after 1783
5. Penelope Bell born 1724 in Bertie County, NC
Note: Bertie County was divided from Chowan County in 1722.
Note: There are conflicting opinions about Robert Bell’s children’s mother. Following
is my measured opinion based on all the evidence and data I have found. There was
a period of years between the birth of Mary Bell, in 1710 to Polly Clements-Bell, in
Virginia and the birth of George Bell, in 1718 to Anne Woodnot-Bell, in Chowan/Bertie
County, North Carolina.
There apparently were no children born to Robert Bell between 1710 and 1718, a
period of 8 years. This leads me to believe that Penelope Clements-Bell was the
mother of Robert Bell, Jr. who died at age 7, as well as the mother of Jean Bell
and Mary Bell who were born in Virginia.
Some speculation exists that Robert Bell married Anne Ferguson “shortly after his
first wife died,” which is plausible, but is in need of an explanation or at least
speculation regarding what may have been going on with the Robert Bell family
during the 8 year period between 1710 and 1718. One possible and plausible
explanation follows.
With Robert Bell’s first child, Robert Bell, Jr having been born in 1705 and his second
child, Jean Bell, born in 1708, and then the third child, Mary Bell born in 1710, and
then no children born until George Bell was born 8 years later in 1718 to Robert Bell’s
2nd wife, Anne Woodnot-Bell, and after Mary Bell had been born, in 1710, simply defies
logic without some sort of explanation. So, here goes! I believe Robert Bell’s first wife,
Penelope Clements-Bell, probably had an extended illness before her death in 1715,
which was not unusual for wilderness wives of that period. I believe her illness began
about 1711 or 1712 and that was the reason no more children were born to Robert
Bell until after Polly’s death in 1715.
This being the case, Robert may have and probably did remarried shortly after Polly’s
death in 1715 to the widow Ferguson, Anne Woodnot. It was customary for widowers
or widows, with young children, to seek out a replacement spouse immediately upon
the death of their spouse. A widow was considered the ideal candidate for a 2nd
marriage because she would have experience with raising children and would be in
need of a household and family to care for her own wellbeing. We recall, that is exactly
what Frontiersman Daniel Boon did when his first wife died and left him with young
children. Robert and Anne Bell had their first child, George Bell, in 1718 in Chowan
County North Carolina. The rest of Robert and Anne Bell’s children were born in Chowan
County or the Chowan Precinct of Bertie County North County.
< NEXT GENERATION>
George Bell
Birth: 1718 Chowan County North Carolina
Death: 1792 in Sampson County, North Carolina
Father: Robert Bell born 1675 Isle of Wight County, Virginia
Mother: Anne Woodnot born in Virginia
Marriage 1: Debra (Debory or Deborah) _______
Married: 1739 Chowan County, North Carolina
Children:
1. Robert Bell born about 1740 in Chowan County, North Carolina; died 1803
2. Hezekiah Bell born about 1758 in Chowan County, North Carolina; died 1803
3. Elizabeth Bell
4. Jesse Bell
Marriage 2: Elizabeth ________
Married: 1747 Sampson County North Carolina
Children: None
< NEXT GENERATION>
Hezekiah Bell
Birth: born about 1758 in Duplin County, North Carolina
Death: about 1803 Sampson County, North Carolina
Father: George Bell
Mother: Debra ______
Marriage 1: Martha Baggett was born 1760 in Duplin County, North Carolina; died 1832
Decatur County, GA at age 72, probably while living with her son Duncan Bell, Sr. and his
1st wife, whose name we do not know, or while living with her daughter Elizabeth Bell-
Morgan.
Married: December 10, 1778 in Duplin County, North Carolina
Children:
1. Abraham Bell born 1780
2. Perthena Bell
Birth: About 1785 in Duplin County, North Carolina (Sampson divided from Duplin 1784)
Death: 1847 in Lowndes County, Georgia
Religion: Baptized 12 SEP 1835 Bethlehem Primitive Baptist Church
3. Duncan Bell, (Sr.) born 1795 or 1800 in Sampson County, North Carolina
4. Elizabeth Bell
Birth: About 1802 in Sampson County, North Carolina
Death: 5 MAY 1838 in Decatur County, Georgia
Marriage 1: Duncan Morgan born 8 JUN 1806 in Sampson County, North Carolina
Married: 15 FEB 1826 in Duplin County, North Carolina
< NEXT GENERATION>
Duncan Bell, Sr.
Birth: 1795 in Sampson County, North Carolina
Death: 1861 in Lafayette County, Florida
Military Service: Enlisted 1838 during the 3rd Seminole Indian War in Madison County
Florida and served in the East Florida Mounted Volunteers. It is stated in muster rolls that he
rode his own “bay horse.”
Occupation: 5 JUL 1852 served as Justice of the Peace, 11th District, Madison Co., FL
Occupation: 4 OCT 1852 served as Clerk of Election, Bell's District, Madison Co., FL
Occupation: Farmer
Father: Hezekiah Bell
Mother: Martha Baggett
Marriage 1: Unknown probably to a daughter of a Sampson County NC family
and may have been of Native American blood
Married: about 1827
Children:
1. George Bell born 1828 in Sampson County, North Carolina
2. Abraham (“Abram”) Bell born 15 AUG 1830 in Decatur County, Georgia
Note: Decatur County GA was formed in 1823 from Early County Georgia
3. Martha Bell born 1833
4. Patrick Bell born 1835 in Georgia
5. Duncan Bell, Jr. born 1837 in Georgia; CSA soldier, died of disease on 25
April 1863 in Tullahoma, Tennessee Military Hospital
6. Lydia J. Bell born 25 OCT 1842 in Florida
7. Enoch Bell, Sr. born 1841 in Florida
Marriage 2: Nancy T. Shortridge (No children born to Duncan and Nancy Shortridge)
Married: 8 AUG 1855 in Madison County, Florida
Note: Lafayette County FL was formed in 1856 from Madison County Florida, so they may
have been living in what would become Lafayette County Florida.
< NEXT GENERATION>
Abraham (“Abram”) Bell
Birth: 15 AUG 1830 in Decatur County, Georgia
Death: 29 MAR 1900 in Mayo Junction, Lafayette County, Florida
Burial: 1900 Rogers Cemetery, Day, Lafayette County, Florida
Military Service enlistment 1: enlisted CSA *Muskogee County, Georgia
Military Service Regiment: served in the 5th Georgia Infantry Regiment, CSA
Occupation: 2 OCT 1867 served as County Coroner for Lafayette County, FL
Occupation: Farmer
Father: Duncan Bell, Sr. born 1795 or 1800 in Sampson County, NC
Mother: Unknown probably of a Sampson County NC family
Marriage 1: Susan Ann Clark born 25 DEC 1832 in Muskogee County, GA
Married: 17 SEP 1857 in Madison County, Florida and buried Roger’s
Cemetery Day, Lafayette County, Florida
Children:
1. Joanna Bell born 14 AUG 1858 in Lafayette County, Florida
2. Judge W. Bell born 4 OCT 1860 in Lafayette County, Florida
3. Susan Ann Bell born 6 MAY 1869 in Lafayette County, Florida
4. William Andrew Bell born 30 SEP 1871 in Lafayette County, Florida
5. Sarah Ann Bell-Cowart born 1 APR 1877 in Lafayette County, Florida
6. Laura Bell born 1880 in Lafayette County, Florida
< NEXT GENERATION>
Judge W. Bell
Note: There has been a question from some researches as to who Judge W. Bell and
Judge Wilborn Bell were and how they were related. Judge W. Bell was a son of Abram
Bell and Susan Ann Clark. Judge Wilburn Bell was the son of William Andrew Bell, a
younger brother of Judge W. Bell and son of Abram Bell and Susan Ann Clark. However
I believe Judge W. Bell’s middle name was ‘Wilborn’ and was written as such by his
Granddaughter Eva Adetha Bell and my Mother and oldest daughter of Judge W. Bell’s
son Wilford Franklin and Maude Annie Bell…AF Barrs, Jr.
Birth: 4 OCT 1860 in Lafayette County, Florida
Death: 6 DEC 1902 in Lafayette County, Florida
Burial: 1902 Rogers Cemetery, Day, Lafayette County, Florida
Father: Abraham “Abram” Bell born 15 AUG 1830 in Decatur County, GA
Mother: Susan Ann Clark born 25 DEC 1832 in *Muskogee County, GA
Marriage 1: Lular Toole (Twin to Lalar Toole-Parker) born 12 FEB 1869 in
Lafayette County, Florida
Father: Henry William Toole born 8 May 1817 in Jones County, Georgia
Mother: Hester Ann McCardle born 10 Apr 1828 in Wilkinson County, Georgia
Married: 10 Apr 1848 in Wilkinson County, Georgia
Burial: Henry W. and Hester Toole are buried in the Bethel Creek Baptist
Church Cemetery at the “Mill Creek” aka ‘Bethel Creek at double-bridges on
FL SR#53 in north Lafayette County, Florida
Married: In 1889
Children:
1. Bula Bell born 9 MAR 1883 in Lafayette County, Florida
2. Dora Bell born FEB 1890 in Lafayette County, Florida
3. Rosa Bell born 13 AUG 1891 in Lafayette County, Florida
4. Wilford Franklin Bell born 2 JAN 1894 in Mayo Junction, Lafayette Co FL
5. Claude E. Bell born 14 APR 1897 in Lafayette County, Florida
6. Richard Dennis Bell born 7 FEB 1900 in Mayo Junction, Lafayette County
Marriage 1: Liza Singletary born 1895
Married: 22 JUL 1909 in Lafayette County, Florida
< NEXT GENERATION>
Wilford Franklin Bell
Birth: 2 JAN 1894 in Lafayette County, Florida
Death: 19 NOV 1970 in Lafayette County, Florida
Occupation: Farmer
Buried: Day Lafayette County Florida Cemetery
Father: Judge W. Bell born 4 OCT 1860 in Mayo Junction, Lafayette
County, FL
Mother: Lular TOOLE born 12 FEB 1869 in Lafayette County, Florida
Marriage 1: Maude Annie Morgan born 17 SEP 1897 in Lafayette County,
Florida
Married: 24 SEP 1914 in Lafayette County, Florida
Buried: Day Lafayette County Florida Cemetery
Children:
1. Charles Elmer Bell born 1916 and died August 4, 1974
Burial Day Lafayette County Florida Cemetery
2. Evia Adetha Bell born 6 NOV 1917; died FEB 16, 1998 Orange County,
Florida; resident of Lake Kathryn, Paisley, Lake County, Florida; Burial Day
Lafayette County Florida Cemetery
3. Lular Effie Bell born 1918 and died ________
Living in Ft. White, Columbia County Florida near daughter, Myrna Lou
< NEXT GENERATION>
Evia Adetha Bell
Birth: 6 NOV 1917 on father, Wilford Franklin Bell’s, farm in Lafayette County Florida
Death: February 16, 1998 in Orange County, Florida while living at Lake
Kathryn, Paisley, Lake County, Florida
Buried: Day Lafayette County Florida Cemetery
Father: Wilford Franklin Bell
Mother: Annie Maude Morgan
Marriage 1: Alfonso Barrs, Sr. born January 24, 1917 Lafayette County FL
and died January 26, 1960 in Volusia County, Florida; buried Day
Lafayette County FL
Married: August 16, 1936 in Lafayette County, Florida
Buried: Day Lafayette County Florida Cemetery
Children: Alfonso (Al) Barrs, Jr.
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