Currituck Co., N.C. Houses

 

One of the Branson Bell Homes

Located on Bullyard Road near Snowden.  There is some English siding still near the eaves of the house, and the Bible-and-cross front door is there.  However, the Bible panels of the door have been replaced with glass panes.  Mr. Enoch Payne lived there and it is sometimes called the Payne place.

UPDATE 2/23/2006 from Anne Jennings:  The Branson Bell Home is no longer standing. A farm shop was later built on the site and is in use by a farm today.

In Currituck County Will Book 3 is an entry for Branson Bell, January 7, 1816. February 1816. Wife. Sons Caleb, Branson.

Eadey Bell appears in Will Book 2, Jan 7 1800. December 4, 1800. Sons: Caleb, Duke, Brickhouse and Branson.

In Will Book 4, Edney Bell, November 9, 1843. August 1846. Sons: Caleb, Branson.

According to a letter written in 1957 by Margaret Bell Stover to Alma O. Roberts, her uncle, Branson Bell, caught pneumonia and died in Petersburg during the Civil War and was buried at Blanton Cemetery.  According to records kept by Alma O. Roberts and obtained from Mrs. Stover, Caleb Bell was married several times. His father was Branson Bell. His first wife was Sarah Duke. Children were Haywood Bell (married Elizabeth Whitehurst), Joseph Etheridge Cartwright Bell (b. 16 May 1843 - d. 27 July 1909), Jessie (killed in war), Branson C. Bell (married "Louisa"), and Wiley (never married). According to these records, the father of Caleb Bell was also named Branson. The Branson C. Bell that died during the Civil War would have been the grandson of Caleb Bell’s father, Branson Bell.

In Currituck Will Book 1 on page 215 a will is recorded for "Caleb Bell the Elder" who "dyed Thursday, 21, Feb. 1788" and was "Recorded and exam’d 20 Mar. 1788".

This information is in no way complete and I find it to be somewhat confusing. There seems to have been more than one Branson Bell and more than one Caleb Bell. What is known is that the Bell family was in Currituck before 1788 and owned a large area of land in the general area of what is now known as Bullyard and to the west of Snowden. This one of the Branson Bell homes once stood on land that was part of that large plantation. There were at least six homes built by members of the Bell family along Indian Ridge prior to the beginning of the Civil War.

More information about the Bell Homes can be found with the James Bell house, Bell House on the Old Bell Farm, Bell House, Charlie Bell Home, and Caleb Bell Home and Quarters Kitchen. The Hall Place behind the Charlie Bell Home was also situated on the old Bell Plantation.

 

This photo and information are from the project "Old Homes in Currituck County to 1860" originally compiled June 1960 by Alma O. Roberts and Alice Flora of the Currituck County Historical Society.   We are indebted to Barbara B. Snowden, president of the Currituck County Historical Society for permission to reproduce this collection on the internet, and also to Gerri Andrews and Diane Ferebee of the Currituck County Public Library who provided digital copies of the photos.  No part of this document may be used for any commercial purposes; however, please feel free to copy any of this material for your own personal use and family research.  Images are for personal use only, not for redistribution.

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© 2005 Marty Holland