In keeping with the original intent of this blog I submit the following article. It was written by Debra Daniel and appears on page 160 of the “Benton County Genealogical Society Quarterly”,Vol. 19, No. 4, October, November, December, 2007.

Bell Family

John Houston Bell was the son of John W. and Georgianna Pegram Bell. He was born and raised in Perry Co., TN, where he met and married Malinda (Millie) Sanders. Millie’s birth is 25 January, 1855. Her parents were, Berryman and Naomi Williams Sanders.


John and Millie’s family consisted of seven children: (1) Lula was born 2 November 1880 and died 10 September 1895, from burns after falling into a fireplace. (2) Alma was born 2 February 1885 and died 14 August 1886. (3) William Ben was born 1882 and died in 1910. He married Molly O’Quinn and had one child. (4) James Oscar was born 25 May 1883 and died 31 October 1963. He married Ida Cantrell and they had 9 children: Lottie Bell Spence, Selma Bell Morris, John, Roy, Byrd, Hairty, Ben D., Laverne Bell Cagle and Beatrice Bell (1931-1935). (5) Ida Estell was born 5 June 1888, died 17 September 1965, married Claudie Deaton and had 5 children: Jessie Mae, Linnie, Bonnie, Perrin and G. Claudie. (6) Lucy was born 29 May 1890, died 6 April 1976, married Lester Hudson and had one child, Elliot “Hud” Hudson. (7) Grover J. was born 6 November 1893, died 13 December 1953, married Ida Hartley and had 11 children: Louis, Lynn, Mildred, Cecile, Ralph, Joyce, Kenneth, Franklin, Julian, Jimmie and Nellie Ann. Burial for John Houston Bell, Lula Bell and Alma Bell is in the Hartley Cemetery, at Hog Creek, in Perry County, Tennessee.


After John H. Bell passed away, Millie moved the family to Camden, Tennessee, to a house on Main Street, where today Nunnery’s Burger and Shake is located and across the street from the Camden City Cemetery. Ida moved her family back in with Millie when her husband was murdered in Arkansas. Ida would walk through the cemetery to get to the train station, to go see family in Carroll County. Someone once asked her if she was afraid of “them dead people” and she replied she was more afraid of the live ones.


When Millie passed away, it was a cold and bitter winter and they could not get her body to Hog Creek, so she is buried at Post Oak Cemetery, outside Camden, Tennessee. The weather dominated many decisions in those days. Millie only got to see her family from Perry County, about twice a year and only when the river was down enough to cross in a low spot in summer or frozen enough to get a team of horses over in winter.


John H. Bell’s father, John W. Bell, served in the Civil War, was wounded and died at the age of 38 years. Georgianna Pegram Bell later married A Sutton and had a son, Frank Sutton. John H. also had a sister, Sally Bell Marchbanks.


John W. Bell’s parents were John Bell, born 1801, died before 1880; his mother was Esther McDaniels, born 1805, died between 1854-1860.
John Bell’s parents were, Thomas Bell born in 1760, mother Martha Pegram, born 1760, died 1847. They were married in 1782. They are buried in the Thomas Bell Cemetery, in Cheatham County, Tennessee. Martha’s father was Daniel Pegram.



As always, thanks for stopping by, hope this was beneficial to someone and comments are welcomed and encouraged. Until next time, have a great day and try to stay cool! The weather folks are saying we're in store for several hot days ahead here in the South.

Westward Ho!

For me genealogy is not just a word, it is a connection to all those folks, family who lived before me, my parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and even those I never met. Weird huh? But in looking at say a 1920 census entry and seeing my grandparents in their late 20’s, early 30’s I wonder how much different they were then than they were, when I knew them and they were in their 70’s. I go back to the 1880 census and see who were neighbors and without much looking I run across a name that in one way or another connects to my family. And, I go back to the 1840 census, scratch my head and wonder why, why didn’t the census ask for names other than the head of household? I could have had so many questions answered if beginning with the first census in 1790, if everyone’s name was given. Of course it would be much easier if folks could spell better and write more legible. Oh well, sounds like I’m wishing someone had just left me a diary, each generation precisely recorded for posterity. And while that is an interesting and maybe even tempting thought, it would take the fun out of finding your ancestors.

Yes, it is fun, finding a name and approximate age and following their steps to unexplained places. Why did they leave Tennessee for Arkansas or Kentucky or Missouri or Texas? Probably the same reason those before them left North Carolina and Virginia for Tennessee or today some leave their homes for even farther away lands. Perhaps we all have “nomads” in our heritage, travelers with an “itch” to see other places. Perhaps there are some who relocated for jobs or seeking the proverbial “pot ‘o gold” or are just restless souls with challenges to conquer?

Regardless of the reason, our ancestors were traveling folk from Europe, Asia and literally all parts of the world. Westward Ho, and west they went!

As always thank you for stopping by, hope you enjoy my words and remember, comments are welcome and encouraged.

Have a GREAT evening!

"Expect the unexpected"

First, I want to thank the reader for the comment, at least someone read my ramblings.


I believe the CBS reality series “Big Brother” has the slogan, “expect the unexpected”. Based on my experience in researching my family tree, the same could be said about genealogy. I remember a number of years ago going to a library in Carroll County, Tennessee, hoping to learn more about my Mother’s family. This was my first trip outside my home county and I didn’t know what to expect. Honestly, I felt a bit intimidated, imagining others being there, armed with much more experience than I had, them knowing exactly where to look and me being oh so obvious that I was still wet behind the ears, a novice, a rookie. However, the librarian was extremely helpful, no one else was there and almost immediately I felt comfortable. Now, I think of how silly I was and how silly this sounds, but for me feeling totally inferior to someone is not a good feeling. I have seen too many poke fun and worse at others because they felt superior, even when that superiority was more imagined than fact. And not that I had anticipated someone actually commenting on my inexperience, I just didn’t want to appear to be as lost as I surely was.

My trip was a “bust”! I found nothing of Mama’s family, primarily due to my inexperience and not knowing where to look; however, the librarian made a comment I’ve remembered all of these years. She could see I wasn’t finding anything and told me, “if all of our relatives were criminals, they would be much easier to find”. An odd way to look at it, but she made a good point. Court records, even then, gave much more information than what one could learn of a farmer planting his crops.


Less than two weeks later, I stumbled onto a snippet in a book, addressing a murder trail in Benton County, Tennessee in 1845. Suddenly the Carroll County librarian's words had a whole new meaning. This murder trial involved my family and no, I didn’t have a family member murdered, my family were the murderers! Wow murderers!!
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The following was taken from "A History of Benton County to 1900", by Johnathan K.T. SMITH; pages 38-39:


One of the most tragic murders ever committed in the county was brought before the Circuit Court of Benton County in January 1845.


On the jury of inquest at that time were: Alfred Brewer, John C. Cherry, Green Flowers, Willie ARNOLD, William A. Hudson, Uriah Phifer, Nicholas Brewer, John Phifer, Thomas W. Pully, John L. Melton, Thomas Jones, and John Garrett. They found Joshua and Harriett YATES guilty of manslaughter and recommended that both be incarcerated in the state pentitentiary for 2 years.


From the Circuit Court records, it would appear that Joshua and Harriett YATES, "not having the fear of God before their eyes, but being moved and seduced by the devil, on 23 December 1844, attacked and killed James H. Cleghorn, with a fifty cent knife, inflicting a mortal wound on his left breast, five inches deep and three inches wide. The murderous intent of this deed seems manifest."


In the original bill of indictment, Elisha (Lige) YATES, widower, and his children: Joshua, Charlotte, Harriett, Adaline, Johannah and Salitha YATES were said to have been all guilty of this crime. However, after the testimonies of witnesses were heard and evaluated, it became evident that only the two YATES, heretofore named were really guilty of inflicting the mortal wound.


The case was to be heard fully the following autumn; at one time feeling was so high that it was necessary to take several of the YATES family to the Huntingdon jail for their safety. The principals of the deed were placed on bond, which was absconded and the murderers disappear from the scene (Elisha YATES had died in the meantime), leaving the afterwards curious, wondering what really happened.


Poor Cleghorn (how had he aroused such murderous sentiment?) lies still in his lonely grave, three-fourths of a mile west of the Camden-Lexington road, near Crossroads.
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At the time, my wife was working in the Benton County Circuit Court Clerks office, the office was open only a half day on Saturdays, so we spent the following Saturday afternoon going through court records investigating this trial. Elisha or Elijah Yates died 13 February 1845, while incarcerated in the Carroll County, Tennessee jail. This family’s relationship to James Harvey Cleghorn is not known, but it has been suggested he was possibly a brother to Elisha/Elijah Yates deceased wife. I can neither prove, nor disprove this theory; however, I suspect Elisha/Elijah Yates married Charlotte Casey, 15 July 1819, in Williamson County, TN. If my suspicion is true, the brother-in-law theory seems unlikely.


I have found the following on J. Harvey Cleghorn. He married Mary Hall in Benton County, TN, 7 September, 1840 and had a daughter, Mary Catherine, born 17 January 1845, nearly a month after his death. Mary Catherine Cleghorn married Thomas J. Redick, 12 March 1868 and had a son , William Monroe Redick.


The above article by Mr. Smith is a brief synopsis of the crime. The following was taken from the actual court records -
Adaline and Selitha Yates
Found not guilty Jan Term of court 1845
Jurors:
John Garrott, A W Brown, Will ARNOLD, Thomas W Pulley, John Phifer, Uriah Phifer, Thomas Jones, Nicholas Brown, Jr, J L Melton, John S Cherry, Green Flowers, W A Hudson.
Benton CO TN Sept 1845 Court Term


Adeline Yates was in jail in Carroll CO TN 12-27-1844 to 1-12-1845
Carroll CO reimbursed 18 days at 37 1//2 cents for each day $ 6.75
2 turn keys at 50 cents each 1.00 Total: 7.75


There were other records, but I have used these as an illustration of things one can find when researching their family’s roots. Mary Adeline Yates, was my 2nd great-grandmother, a daughter-in-law of George Bell. One other thing of note, the knife used to take the life of James Harvey Cleghorn, was said to cost fifty cents. Land records for this period of time, in Benton County, TN, indicate an acre of land was valued at 12 ½ cents. I wonder, was this an expensive knife considering it had the same value as 4 acres of land?


I will end this for now, hope it made sense. Sometimes I have a tendency to stray from my intended message. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my ramblings! As always, comments are welcomed and even encouraged.


Have a great day!

Without the past there is no today, nor tomorrow - Part II

It is my belief, we oftentimes get caught up in our day to day lives, nibbling on the fruits of modern day conveniences and never think about the sacrifices our ancestors made that put us where we are today. But wait, it wasn't just the sacrifices of pulling up their roots, packing their lives and venturing into the world of the unknown or the hardships they experienced. It was also their daily life in general.

Take a moment, fast forward beyond the days of horse drawn wagons, treacherous terrain and uncertainty and look back one generation, to our parents. Think of the conveniences we enjoy today that were unheard of when our parents were the age we are. For me this would include cell phones, computers, the internet and while they were available, my parents never had a microwave oven. How in the world did they, my parents, do it? Popcorn was popped on the stove, today we pop a bag in the microwave and two minutes, ten seconds later it's popped and ready to eat! Yes, this is a silly comparison, but hopefully my point was made. I loved my parents dearly, I'm a big fan of popcorn and truly enjoy researching my ancestry, but not once have I ever compared the ease of eating popcorn now to when I was a child.

Yeah okay, maybe I got a bit carried away and off the wall using popcorn preparation, but so many go about their daily lives never taking the time to appreciate the struggles our ancestors endured. Each generation had it easier than the previous one and this is a good thing, but we should never forget what those before us did so we would have it easier. And, isn't it our responsibility, the current generation, to preserve as much of our heritage as possible?

For those who trace or have traced your family, imagine how much it would have helped if someone before you had taken the time to do the things you have done. For me personally it would have been a tremendous benefit. Yes, without the past there is no today, nor will there be a tomorrow, so why not help your children and grandchildren and gather as much information as you can and write it down, put it on your computer or even make a video, just something to allow future generations to know who you are, who your parents are, etc. Someone will want to know!

Have a great Sunday!

"Without the past there is no today, nor tomorrow" Part I

Genealogy is defined as, a record or table of the descent of a person, family, or group from an ancestor or ancestors; a family tree. For many, perhaps most, this is an assumed endeavor, looking toward the future without an inkling of an idea the struggles and hardships their ancestors encountered. Oh, there are some, second or third generation Americans, who have been told and remember the stories of their parents or grandparents coming to the United States, but each generation seems to lose the compassion and understanding of the sacrifices those before them made that allows them to be where they are today.

I really do not believe it is a matter of lacking appreciation. Our world today is so fast paced and the more conveniences that are invented, the faster paced our lives become, leaving little time for the simple things in life. The things our hard working ancestors had and took time to enjoy. Need an example, when was the last time you admired the magnificence and beauty of a sunset or closely examined a rainbow?

A couple of years ago, I was traveling East on Interstate 40 in Tennessee. It was dark when I reached the Cumberland Plateau, traffic was primarily semis and I was in line with them. I glanced at my speedometer and this "convoy" was traveling at speeds of 80-85 mph and I was in the right lane. I had already driven several hundred miles and it was tiring just keeping up, but the alternative was to pull off and I needed to be another hundred or so miles by morning, with a good night's sleep. Suddenly my thoughts shifted to my ancestors, those who had crossed that same mountain two hundred years earlier. They didn't have a paved road, a trail at best and maybe it was little more than a path, nor did they have a power, leather seat on which to sit or shock absorbers or rubber tires! How did they do it? In the early 1800's, were there hostile Indians or highwayman? How did they feed their horses or mules and was it horses or mules that pulled their wagons across the mountain? And their wagons, could I load my family and all my belongings into one wagon? Would I have had the courage to embark on such a journey, a journey of the unknown?

Yes, the next hundred miles passed rather quickly and I gained an even greater respect and more admiration for my ancestors, who had made the decision to leave North Carolina and go West.

This is the first part of a continuing entry on my heritage, my thoughts and genealogy in general. Please visit again, comments are welcome and encouraged. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my ramblings. Have a great day!

Installment # 2

Okay, it appears I'm talking/writing to myself, but hopefully, and yes I still have hope, in time others will find my blog and contribute, if nothing more than to just say hi. While that is not my goal, it would be an accomplishment for now. Of course it has only been a few hours short of two days since I began, but patience has never been one of my strong suits.

Since my initial post I have given my objective, of finding and connecting family members, a bit more thought and perhaps the idea of sharing family information on the internet would make some uncomfortable. So I may have a solution, share a "teaser" so to speak, such as a name and birth date, spouse, etc., just something to allow others to determine if you're possibly related. Then communication between the parties can be through email. It's not just my good looks that attract folks to me, it's also my brains. Note: There should be a big smiley face inserted here, but I haven't set up any emoticons yet.

Here's a bit of advice for anyone just starting out. Any and all information you gather, regardless of how large or small it may be, record your source. If it came from Grandma or Gramps or Aunt Alice or Uncle Bud be sure you write/type it and attach it to he information you obtained. As I mentioned in my first post, it was roughly 28 years ago when I first started, but some of the information I discovered back then, I now have no idea where it originated.

One final note for this post, I suppose it might be comical in a sense, but for someone seriously trying to trace their ancestry, it's just not a good thing.

A couple of years I was on a website looking for kin and discovered a family tree that had familiar names in it, so I began comparing this information with my information. Not to try to sound superior, but my information was a little more thorough than what I had found. Suddenly BAM!!! This "tree" had one of my ancestors jumping back and forth from Benton County, TN, USA to somewhere in Australia. This was in the 1820's and the time frame made it obvious they weren't the same person. We all make mistakes and perhaps for me I steer to the side of caution where others may use something less than logical to connect families and individuals. I suppose this is certainly a personal choice, but I kinda like the thought of knowing I have proven my research. But, sometimes there is no way something can be "proven", right? What do I do, what do you do? Maybe someone will offer an answer, if not I'll address it in another installment.

The Beginning

The intent of this blog is to exchange information on the Bell family. Needless to say, my hope is to find relatives to aid in my genealogical quest; however, if anyone makes a connection and is able to further their search, I will feel an accomplishment has been made. Over time, if this method is successful, I will add other surnames, but for now I will keep my focus on the Bells.


I began researching my family tree more than 28 years ago, with a goal of trying to ascertain if I was related to Alexander Graham Bell. After a few trips to the local library, I was hooked! In fact, the more I learned, the more I wanted to find out. I suppose it could be said I was addicted to genealogy, unfortunately it didn't take long to discover I was not related, at least directly, to Alexander Graham Bell and that my Bell line was pretty much a dead end. Oh I found my Great, Great, Great Grandfather, George, but he died in 1843, without a will. My inexperience and limited resources, (there was no internet at that time), steered me into researching other lines, and there was more information available on them.


After a while, maybe a year or two, my time to research became more and more limited, I had pretty much peaked on the local level or so I thought in finding new information and truthfully I burned out, so my journey to find my roots ended.

Several years passed and occassionally I would look over bits and pieces of my information, but it wasn't until a couple of years ago that I decided to complete what I had started. With the benefit of the internet and various websites I have expanded my modest beginning into, well still modest for some, but much more than I originally imagined; however, the Bells remain a mystery to a great extent. I have traced them from North Carolina to Tennessee and on to Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Mississippi and filled in children of children of children, etc., but still George Bell, born about 1794, probably in North Carolina and died in April or May 1843 in Benton County, TN is as far back as I can go. Therefore, I really hope this blog will create some interest and with a lot of luck perhaps I will learn more about George and who his parents were.

Thank you for visiting, please feel free to comment and at no regular pace I will add my family a little bit at a time. Also, as I mentioned, even if you are not related to my George Bell, but have Bells in your ancestry, please feel free to use this in your quest for information.