Allegedly on her death bed Cate vowed to “haunt John Bell and all his kith and kin to their graves.” This is absolutely untrue. For an unknown reason, after the transaction for the land, Cate asserted that Bell had cheated her on the land transaction. There is a frequent claim that a portion of the property was purchased from a neighboring farm owned by a relative named Caty (or Cate) Batts. It was located on a slight elevation in the plane, nearly a half-mile back from the river, a large orchard in the rear, and the lawn well set in pear trees. The primary industries in the county were cotton and brandy.Ī double log house, one and a half stories high, a wide passage or hallway between, and an ell-room with passage, the building weather boarded on the outside, furnishing six large comfortable rooms and two halls, and was one of the best residences in the country at that time. A second source claims that his land was purchase was 323 from William Barnes.Īt that time Bell arrived, the county was home to 9,938 citizens and their slaves. In August 1807, Bell purchased 220 acres along the Red River near the Kentucky border from William Crawford of Louisiana. By April 1805, John Bell had been accepted as a member of the Red River Baptist Church. John Bell moved the family to the Red River Valley. During the winter of 1803-1804, the Bells, along with a dozen other families (including Cate Batts and her husband Fredrick), made their way through the Tennessee mountain passes and stopped in Port Royal. So he sold his land in North Carolina and prepared to journey west to colonize Tennessee. Records show in September 1803, John Bell received a letter of dismission from Union Baptist Church which released him from him current church to join a new one. Bell had five living children by that time and one of their slaves had eight children. In January 1803, the family had grown too large to stay at that farm. During this period John Bell joined the Union Baptist Church near Tarboro. In addition to the farm in Edgecombe, Bell owned large amounts of land near Tarboro, a 1760 settlement on a crook of the Tar River. In 1782, he married Lucy Williams, the daughter of an extremely wealthy family.Īlong with two slaves, the couple bought a farm in Edgecombe County, NC. He was as firm in his convictions as he was dignified in character and generous in hospitality, consequently he was a tower of strength in the community. He was always forehanded, having money ahead, and was accommodating to his neighbors, who were not so fortunate. He paid as he went, and accumulated rapidly from his farm by economy in management. In describing John Bell’s character, it was said that: He fought as a soldier in the battles of Horseshoe Bend and New Orleans. While John Bell loved farming, he was apprenticed to learn the cooper business (barrel maker). John Bell was born in 1750 in Halifax County, North Carolina as the son of William Bell, a prominent farmer. Elizabeth “Betsy” Lucy (January 1806-1888) Esther (1800-1859, married Alex Bennett Porter in 1817and moved out of the home).ħ.
(1793- 8 April 1862 according to the receipt for his gravestone)ĥ. Jesse (1790-1843, married and lived locally)Ģ.
Barrett in the 1930s classified this as a poltergeist event.Īs a historian and a paranormal investigator, in looking at this story, it is necessary to shake away two hundred years of exaggeration, hype, and deliberate misdirection.Īround 1804, John Bell settled near Adams Station in Robertson County, Tennessee near the Kentucky state line with, his wife Lucy, their children:ġ. In a modern sense, we would classify this as a case of demonic activity. This case has the physical attributes of a poltergeist case but the verbal interaction of the haunting breaks the stereotype. As will be discussed, there is validity to the argument that this case resembles a haunting but the entity is more powerful than a typical apparition. While there are elements of the story that suggest the events are magic and the result of witch’s curse, these are at best superficial. Over time this became simply the Bell Witch. So when describing the events surrounding John Bell, people would discuss the problems as being caused by the witch that cursed John Bell.
During the early 1800s, any kind of unexplained event was attributed to magic and witchcraft. Of, course, this story could also be just another fairy tale.īefore it is possible to explore the Bell Witch event, the question of where is the witch in the story is usually lingering in the end.
Depending on your perspective, this is the story of a visiting angel or plaguing devil. This is the story of the Bell Witch that plagued Robertson County, Tennessee in 1817. Some stories begin “once upon a time.” And end with happily ever after.
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