Date: 1777 to 1892
Location: Vesta Community, Lebanon, Wilson County, Tennessee
Surname/tag: Bell

BELL CEMETERY

"Southeast of the church on up Hurricane Creek there is a cemetery known as the Bell Cemetery. If you visit this cemetery, you will find the monuments of the following..."^[1]

LOCATION: The BELL Cemetery is located in the Vesta community, between Vesta Road and Gwynn Road. Heavily overgrown, very old rock wall fence around cemetery. Recorded by Donna Ferrell & Diane Weathers May 1993.^[2]

James, son of Robert and Mary Bell

Born August 23 1777

Died June 22 1823

Rebecca Robertson, daughter of James and Mary Bell

Born February 24 1816

Died September 22 1840

Ira Dean, son of James and Mary Bell

Born January 22 1808

Died July 15 1827

Tennessee Elenor, daughter of Robert and Sarah A. Bell

Born 30 December 1845

Died 8 August 1868

Sarah Ann, wife of Robert Bell

Daughter of Berryman and Martha R. Bugarsn [this spelling on stone]

Born January 21 1815

Died February 11 1876

Robert, son of C.E. and Sallies Bell

August 8 1886

October 3 1886

Mary, daughter of William and Elenor Tase Dean

Wife of James Bell

Born July 12 1777

Died August 8 1829

Sarah Campbell, daughter of James and Mary Bell

Born February 20 1822

Died July 7 1827

Patrick Henry, son of R. and S.A. Bell

Born Oct 1 1855

Died 28 August 1868

Thomas Stroud, infant son of R. and S.A. Bell

Died 8 April 1853

Age 1 month & 18 days

Polly Frizzell, wife of Robert Bell

Daughter of Benjamin and Anne Hooker

Born 25 May 1811

Died 3 June 1841

Robert, son of James and Mary Bell

Born in Davidson County Tenn

November 15 1805

Died September 1892

Another list has 1866 for Patrick's death^[3] and provides added detail:

"Patrick died at the age of thirteen. He has a stone shaped like a cedar stump with a rope and spear engraved into the stone."^[3]

This second list, with Patrick and five others,^[3] is not as extensive as the record made by Ferrell & Weathers in 1993,^[2] but includes Albert Bell, who is not shown in the Ferrell/Weathers record but whose years match those recorded for Robert Bell in their record.^[2] Perhaps the differences are due to the stone's readability.

1. James Bell (born August 23, 1777; died June 22, 1823)^[3]
2. Mary Bell, James' wife (born July 12, 1777; died August 18, 1829)^[3]
3. Albert Bell (born 1805; died 1892)^[3]
4. Rebecca Robertson Bell (born February 24, 1816; died September 20, 1840)^[3]
5. Sarah Bell (born February 2, 1822; died July 7, 1827)^[3]
6. Patrick Henry Bell (born October, 1855; died August 28, 1866)^[3]

About Oak Grove (now Vesta)

1. ↑ From the "History of Vesta blogspot", posted 15 June 2009, accessed 24 November 2021. The church mentioned appears to be Vesta Church of Christ, although Wesley's Chapel Methodist Church is built on land donated by Robert Bell:
   
   

   "In 1860 Major Robert Bell came to the community’s rescue and deeded a plot of land that was used for both church and school. In 1868, with the members united efforts, they built a new building on the present land given by Robert Bell surrounded by the beautiful oak trees. The church joined the Lebanon Conference and was added to the Lebanon circuit and was dedicated as Wesley’s Chapel Methodist Church in December 23, 1897. It was no longer known as Oak Grove."
   
   

   The area had been known as Oak Grove since 1851, when "the community changed its name from Miles’ Meeting Place to Oak Grove".
   
   

   "There was a 55 mile route from Nashville to Liberty passing through Oak Grove (now Vesta) receiving weekly mail.... The first post office [in Oak Grove] was built across the road from the Church of Christ on the Wesley’s Chapel Church grounds."
   
   

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Record of the Bell Cemetery, located in the Vesta community, made by Donna Ferrell & Diane Weathers in May 1993; posted online in 1999; still viewable as originally posted - when Rootsweb was freely accessible - courtesy of archive.org (accessed 24 November 2021).
   
   
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8} "History of Vesta blogspot", posted 15 June 2009, accessed 24 November 2021.