no image
Privacy Level: Open (White)

Mary (Blackner) Bell (abt. 1716 - aft. 1781)

Mary "Mollie" Bell [uncertain] formerly Blackner
Born about in Lunenburg, Virginia, British Colonial Americamap [uncertain]
Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Wife of — married 1746 [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died after after about age 65 in North Carolina, United Statesmap [uncertain]
Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jim Vondrak private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 18 Nov 2011
This page has been accessed 1,663 times.

Contents

Biography

Mary (Blackner) Bell is a member of Clan Bell.

An Ancestry family tree has her birth a 8/27/1716 Lynchburg, Campbell, Virginia with a death date of 1759 Guilford, NC.

Based on her marriage date, if this was the first marriage for her, she may have been born as late as 1730 rather than 1716. Otherwise, it would be unusual for her to wait till age 30 to marry.Vondrak-7


Her husband Samuel has not been identified as being in Guilford until 1762. Further details of her death and sources may be attached to the Ancestry Tree - which requires a subscription to view. If anyone has access, please note whether any sources exist for her birth and death.

Fort Christanna was in operation from 1714 to 1718 and around the fort settled indentured Scottish servants who were deported after being convicted during the Jacobite rising of 1715. See[1] for more information regarding this. Perhaps Mary's father was one of those who was imprisoned.

Locations

Unless explicitly otherwise indicated, locations mentioned in this profile are current counties.

Lunenburg County was created 6 May 1745 from Brunswick County. Brunswick County was created 2 November 1720 from Prince George County.

David Bell correctly states that Lynchburg Va did not exist at the time of her birth and that it is likely she was born in Lunenburg County, Va, established in 1746.

DOD

Her husband's death is noted in the August term of 1781 in Guildford County and she is referred to as w&r meaning widow relict and thus as alive at the time of his death. So a date of after 1781 has been noted.

Also, in the Life and Labors of the late Rev Robert Donnell which was published in 1867 the story is told that when Samuel died he said to her "Mollie, what is this; is this death?[2]

Name

According the the history of the Rockfish Presbyterian Church ( formed in 1746) https://rockfishpresbyterian.org/index.php/about/heritage/ - its first pastor was Samuel Black. He is mentioned on a historic road sign for the Rockfish Church at https://vcris.dhr.virginia.gov/HistoricMarkers/ (enter Rockfish Church in the search box)


Mary's husband Samuel was involved in the giving of land for this church. This suggests he was a wealthy man. See Bell-3884, his profile, for details.

It is possible Mary's maiden name was 'Black' not 'Blackner'.

From Albemarle County in Virginia; giving some account of what it was by nature, of what it was made by man, and of some of the men who made it by Edgar Woods (1827-1910)

"Samuel Black a native of Ireland settled as pastor in Donegal Presbytery in Pennsylvania. In 1743 he accepted a call from Mountain Plains Church in Ivy Creek VA. One of his children was named Mary."

Samuel Black was born about 1700, so a birth date of 1728 for a daughter named Mary is plausible.

Rev Samuel Black had a brother John born 1696 who died in 1769 He was married and had children including a daughter name Mary. One of his children was Samuel born in 1727. John Black had land in Beverley Manor as did James Bell who could be the James who was Samuel Bell's brother. Mary is not mentioned in John Black's will but she may not have been alive when John died. The link for the Mary who was John's daughter however states she was married a Ramsey and died in 1786.

For more about, John Black see We Relate-John Black.

There was a Blackwood family living in Augusta County, VA in the 1700's - including a Samuel who died in 1778. Samuel in Beverley Manor in 1753.

A WIlliam Blackwood (Aug. 8, 1706 - ) born in Londonderry, Northern Ireland had several children, including a daughter Mary. But his first child was born about 1732 - and his Mary was born in 1745. So this is not the person in this profile. His information is presented below because he perhaps had an older brother who also came to North Carolina, possibly from Glencairn, Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. He was christened on 11 Aug 1706 in Glencairn, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, United Kingdom.

Familysearch

He was a Presbyterian minister between 1747 and 1772 in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and one of the elders of New Hope Presbyterian Church in Orange County, North Carolina.
William Blackwood signed a will on 8 Oct 1772 in Orange County, North Carolina.
"In the Name of God Amen I William Blackwood of the County of Orange and Province of North Carolina and Parish of Saint Matthews thro the abundant Mercy of God Tho weak in Body Yet of a sound and perfect understanding and memory do constitute this my Last Will and Testament and desire it may be received as such. I must humbly bequeath my Soul to god my Maker beseeching his most gracious acceptance of it thro the all sufficient merits and meditations of my most Compassionate Redeemer Jesus Christ who gave Himself be an attonement for my sins and is able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him suing that he Ever Liveth to make Justification for them and who I trust will not reject me and returning pentinent sinner when Home to him for mercy in this hope and consideration I render up my Soul with comfort humbly beseeching the most Blessed and Glorius Trinity One God most holy most merciful and Gracious to sustain me for the time of my destitution and then to take me to himself into that Peace and Rest and incomparable felicity which he has prepared for those that love and fear his holy name Amen Blessed be God Imprimis I give my body to the Earth from whence it came taken in full assurance of its Resurrection from thence at the last day as for my burial I desire it may be in the present manner at the discretion of my Executors her after named as to my worldly estate I will and positively order that all my debts be paid Item I give and bequeath to my dear and loving wife Elizabeth I give her the third of all I now posses excepting my land as for my son James & my son John and my daughter Martha Mary Jennet Elizabeth and Ann Each of them and every one to have one pistole ( a pistole was a Spanish gold coin common in Virginia into the 1760's) and to my daughter Ann ten pounds over and above her pistole and my land that I am now possessed of at New Hope I give and bequeath to my son William and to my daughter Margaret I give one third of what I possess of my movable estate the remainder I give to my son William after all debts and expenses is paid and my desire is that my wife Elizabeth live with my son William and I constitute and appoint Charles Johnston and John Craig to be my Executors of this my Last Will and Testament revoking and disannulling all will or wills here to fore by me made expecting and ordaining my executors to in this fully completed and confirmed in witness whereof I have her unto set my hand & seal this Eighth day of October in the year of Our Lord God one Thousand Seven Hundred Seventy Two Signed Sealed & Delivered his mark

::William / Blackwood

in Presents of us
Alis. Mebane
William Tate
Mary Sampale
Test L Nash
William Blackwood died on 9 Jun 1774 at the age of 67 in Orange County, North Carolina.
The date June 9, 1774 is evidenced by references to a will and land transfers by his son William II during the mid-1770s.
The DAR Patriot Index, Volume 1, Page 63 indicates that the date of his death was 1790.
His estate was probated after July 1774 in Orange, North Carolina.

The History of North Carolina, pp. 77-38 traces the route taken by the Scots-Irish coming to Orange County.

"How did these thousands of Pennsylvania emigres--Scots-Irish, Germans, Welsh, and others . .'with horse and wagon and cattle, ' reach their destinations in the North Carolina back country? They made their southward trek over 'The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road,' frequently called 'the bad road,' which began at the Schuykill River Ferry opposite Philadelphia, ran west through Lancaster to Harris's Ferry on the Susquehenna, thence through York to Williams' Ferry on the Potomac, where it entered the 'Great Valley of Virginia,' passing through Winchester, Strasburg, Staunton, crossing the James River at present Buchanan, and turning almost due south to the site of present Roanoke; thence eastward throught the Staunton Gap of the Blue Ridge, thence southward, crossing the Blackwater, Irvine, and Dan Rivers, and thence to Wachovia on a tributary of the Yadkin - - and, after about 1756, on to Salisbury (NC)."

Octavia Donnell Note states her name as 'Mary Montgomery'.

Lowry, 1867, p. 11, states her nickname as 'Mollie'.

"His mother's maiden name was Bell. She was the daughter of Samuel Bell, the great grandfather of Hon. John Bell, of Tennessee. Samuel Bell was an elder in the Presbyterian church, and died on his knees, while praying in his family. His wife discovered that his voice faltered, and rose from her knees and went to him. He was barely able to speak, but said in broken accents, " Mollie, what is this ; is it death?"—and immediately expired. Mr. Donnell's mother had five brothers : Samuel, Francis, James, Thomas and Robert. The Donnells and Bells formed a large connexion ;and were much respected for their moral worth and standing as citizens, and were generally members of the Presbyterian church."


Sources

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobite_rising_of_1715
  2. https://archive.org/details/lifelaborsoflaterev00lowr/page/10/mode/2up?ref=ol&view=theater&q=Bell
Source S686
Media: Book
Abbreviation: Samuel Green Bell - Lewis
Title: Samuel Green Bell of North Carolina and Tennessee
Author: Lewis, Leroy Carlisle
Note: Pages provided by Paula Norman Snyder 02/14/09. Apparently

from Tennessee State Archives and Library

Octavia Donnell Note provides the only evidence of the last name of Samuel Bell I's wife.





Is Mary your ancestor? Please don't go away!
 star icon Login to collaborate or comment, or
 star icon contact private message the profile manager, or
 star icon ask our community of genealogists a question.
Sponsored Search by Ancestry.com

DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Mary by comparing test results with other carriers of her mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known mtDNA test-takers in her direct maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Mary:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.



Comments: 8

Leave a message for others who see this profile.
There are no comments yet.
Login to post a comment.
Mary was very likely Samuel's second wife based on a number of factors including the gap in birth of Robert and Agnes (11 years),

Removed Mary from Samuel son - Robert.

posted by Jim Vondrak
I think that Mary Blackner (b c1728, m 1746) needs to be detached as mother of Robert Bell I, unless all the sources on his page/linked from his page indicating that he was born 1736/1737 are wrong?

For example, from Space:Draper,_1841-44:

(From his son, Rev. Robt. Bell of Pontotoc (county) Mis. (Mississippi)

Maj. Robt. Bell was born in Penn at 12 years of age his father moved to Amherst County, VA. subsequently to Caswell, & in '71 to Guilford County, N.C. When he, Maj. B., was about 34 years old. At the age of 28, he had married Miss Catherine Walker, ..."
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Unknown-94465 and Blackner-2 do not represent the same person because: Mary appears to be second wife (m 1746). Unknown-94465 represents mother of Robert Bell I (who was born December 1736).
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
please note: some of my comments were on the profile (since merged) that was for Robert's mother... who was not Mary B., who married Samuel in 1746.

I just noticed that this profile is no longer attached as a wife of Samuel. Shouldn't she be? She married Samuel 1736 or earlier, based on Robert born Dec 1736 (per DAR records). Dates for Mary B... - m 1746/b 1728 - means she cannot be Robert I's mother.

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
unknown wife of Samuel Bell, m c1736, died before 1746.... which would mean Mary (Black/Blackner/Blackler/Blackwood) would have been Samuel's next wife, not a duplicate of the wife represented by this profile.
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Unknown-94465 and Blackner-2 appear to represent the same person because: A lot of this information is the same. And FamilySearch matches both. I believe that this is my great great great great great great grandmother. She married Samuel Bell, my 6th grandfather.
posted by [Living Harrison]
Joe - I'm not sure I like what I did with first name here (changed from Unknown). Feel free to change back to Unknown if it seems weird to you too. Cheers, Liz
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett

Rejected matches › Mary Unknown (abt.1718-)

B  >  Blackner  |  B  >  Bell  >  Mary (Blackner) Bell

Categories: Clan Bell