Elijah H. Bell (1812 - 1875)

Elijah H. Bell, also Elisha Harvey Padgett / Beall, was the son of Rhoda "Roady"Padgett and the son of Alpheus Beall Sr of Upson GA, whose paternity was acknowledged by an Act of the Georgia legislature in 1843. He was born 12 Jun 1812 Mvskoke Kawita "Lower Creek" territory and died 10 Aug 1875 Chickasaw territory (Marshall MS). He was Chowan / Shawnee. Traditionally, children inherit their nation and clan from their mothers.

Another source says he was born Carroll Parish LA. A descendant with the middle name Hamilton believed the H. was for Hamilton, this is doubtful and cannot be documented. The legend he was the orphaned child of Elizabeth Gray and William Beall (an uncle of Alpheus Sr) is unproven. As one of the Beall "orphans" at age ten, he drew land in the 1832 Gold Lottery of GA. Two of the four Bell "orphans", Elijah / Elisha H. (Harvey) and his brother William H. (Hiram) Padgett / Bell / Beall were formally adopted 23 Dec 1843 by Alpheus Beall Sr, Upson GA their "reputed father" by an Act of the GA Legislature. Under the anti-miscegenation laws of the Jim Crow era (which ended in 1967) their father - "White" Euro-American would have been unable to marry their "Indian" (Shawnee - Chowan) mother legally. The adoption by their biological father was likely so they could "pass as white" otherwise they would have the status of their mother.

Elijah married Columbia GA 11 Jun 1840 Martha Eliza Miles born 16 Mar 1823 in the Marion District SC died 21 Jan 1888 Columbia GA. Martha was the daughter of Rebecca Coxe and Thomas Miles Sr. The Miles family - who originate in colonial Virginia - are Pamunkey (Powhatan), Algonkin language speakers like the Chowan (Shawnee) Indigenous peoples.

Note records seem to indicate that Elijah and his wife and two children were in Lousiana during the Trail of Tears "Indian" Removal (1838-1839)

According to the 1832 Treaty Article IV with the Chickasaw and their Indigenous allies who remained in their Mississippi homeland there would be an allotment by General Land Office (GLO) of "... a comfortable settlement for every family in the Chickasaw nation, to include their present improvements, if the land is good for cultivation, and if not they may take it in any other place in the nation, which is unoccupied by any other person. Such settlement must be taken by sections. And there shall be allotted to each family as follows (to wit): To a single man who is twenty-one years of age, one section--to each family of five and under that number two sections--to each family of six and not exceeding ten, three sections, and to each family over ten in number, four sections". Elijah Bell received an allotment of two sections (one section was 160 acres) 9S 1W now Lafayette MS, which was granted for a family of five and under, so this would have been Elijah, his wife, and three or less children, although perhaps his mother Rhoda "Roadey" Padgett settled with them. See Map for Mississippi number 178, Chickasaw homeland, yellow section, to locate Township 9S Range 1W where Elijah and his family lived.

More about Elijah H.:

# Burial: + Mt Moriah Cemetery, Laws Hill, Marshall MS # Memorial: Find A Grave # 40376022 (this has the incorrect and undocumented "Hamilton" for "H" name)
(note Alpheus Beall Sr is his legal father after 1843 due to an act of the Georgia Legislature)

# Census:
1820 GA Wilkinson: son age 0-10 in Roadey (Rhoda) Padgett household, next door to Alphas (Alpheus) Beall;
1830 GA Muscogee: E. H. Beall + 2 M (bros William and James) age 10-19 (all born 1811-1820);
1840 GA Lumpkin: Elisha Padget (Elijah H. Bell) age 20-30, mother Rhoda age 30-40, son (?Miles Bell) age 0-5;
c 1841-1849 Chickasaw Territory 9S 1W now Lafayette MS
1850 GA Cobb, Powder Springs, Elijah age 36, Martha E. age 26, Martha E. age 9, Thomas age 5, Isaac age 4, Emma age 2
1860 GA Campbell (now Fulton GA) Elijah age 48, Martha age 34, Mary age 9, Thomas age 16, Isaac age 13, Emma age 12, Robert age 11, Martha age 7, William age 2
1870 Waterford, PO Holly Springs, Marshall MS, E. H. age 58, Martha age 47 housekeeper b. GA, I. N. age 23 m farmer b. GA, R. W. age 19 m farmer b. GA, M. E. age 17 f at home b. GA, N. F. m age 12, R. J. m age 12, Walter m age 5 b. GA, William T. Smith age 15 m b. GA;
1880 Douglas GA, 139 Dist (June), Martha age 56, Robert age 23 (29), William age 22, Walter age 16

# Deeds:
1827 GA Wilkinson, Captain Mayo District: W. H. & E. H. Padgette Section 9 (Coweta County) District 4 Lot 29, illegit;
1832 GA Elijah is believed to be one of the three "orphaned" BELL children who drew land in the Gold Lottery;
1849 GA Harris: William, bros James and Elijah signed deed to sell above land;

# Land:
Chickasaw Land Allotments: Chickasaw territory, now Lafayette MS - from BLM records
1842 Apr 9 Elijah Bell, Chickasaw, Sec 15 Township 9S Range 1W 160.66 acres;
1842 Apr 9 Elijah Bell, Chickasaw, Sec 27 Township 9S Range 1W 160.28 acres

# Tax:
1859 GA Campbell, Chestnut Log, 784th Dist 40 acres Paulding GA 1862-63 GA Fulton: 479th Dist, 40 acres, Lot No. 926 Sect. 2 Paulding GA Value $100
1864 GA Fulton: 479th Dist, 40 acres, Lot No. 926 Sect. 2 Paulding GA
1865 GA Fayette Upper 7th 40 acres Lot. No. 926 Dist 3 Sect. 2, Paulding Value $40
1867 GA Fayette Upper 7th no land listed, age 55, also listed T.D. Bell age 22 and T.J. Gable age 24
1868 GA Fayette, Tyrone, 549th Dist. E. H. Bell age 55 no land listed, T. D. Bell age 23 1869 GA Fayette, Tyrone, 549th Dist. E. H. Bell age 56, no land listed, T. D. Bell age 24, I. N. Bell age 21 1870 GA: No listing

# Military:
1864 GA Fulton: "1864 Census For Re-organizing the Georgia Militia" states that Elijah H. Bell was listed as enrolled in the Georgia militia. He is listed under Fulton County, GA, in the 35th Senatorial District - 479th Militia District. He is listed as 52 years, 7 months, a Farmer, born in GA.

# Children of Martha Eliza Miles and Elijah H. Bell
(note not all are proven, where they are not the source is given):

1. Miles Bell b. 1838 Carroll Parish LA (to Elijah & Eliza Bell) *LDS

2. Emily Bell b. 1839 Carroll Parish LA (to Elijah & Eliza Bell) *LDS

Note, the following children were born Chickasaw Allottment 9S 1W now Lafayette MS:

3, Martha E Bell* b 1841
*1850 census Cobb GA; either this child died and the name was given to a later child, or she is identical to Mary "Molly" Bell with some confusion about her name by the census taker

3. Mary Ann "Molly" Bell b. 12 Jul 1842 Lafayette MS *1860 census
           d. 1899 Chickamauga, Walker GA i Chickamauga Cemetery
      m. (1) Fayette GA 17 Jun 1860 Reuben I. Butler b c 1827 d 15 Mar 1873 Chatham GA
           i Laurel Grove Cemetery South, Savannah, Chatham GA
      m. (2) DeKalb GA 28 May 1888 M E Childress* (unproven!)
* an intensive search so far has only located M E Butler (f) m DeKalb GA 8 Apr 1888 U H Bell (m)

(4.) (dau) Bell b. 1843 (Ancestry) (doubtful info)

(5.) (dau) Bell b. 1843 (Ancestry) (doubtful info)

4. Thomas Daniel "Tom" Bell b. 20 Mar 1844 Lafayette MS d. 10 Feb 1904 Atlanta, Fulton GA
    i. Oakland Cemetery
      m. Fayette GA 10 Jan 1867 Frances "Fannie" Smith b. ca 1845 GA
           d. 9 Aug 1934 Atlanta, Fulton GA i. Oakland Cemetery

5. Isaac Newton "Newt" Bell b. 6 Nov 1845 Lafayette MS
    d. 25 Jun 1921 Holly Springs, Marshall MS i. Hill Crest Cemetery
      m. Marshall MS 26 Nov 1877 Rosa Paralie "Rocilla" Woods b. 29 Aug 1851 Marshall MS
           d. 16 Mar 1936 Memphis, Shelby TN i. 16 Mar 1936 Hill Crest Cemetery

6. Emma Norris Bell b. 10 Dec 1848 Lafayette MS d. 13 Jun 1913 Douglas GA
    i. Prays Mill Baptist Church Cemetery, Douglasville, Douglas GA
      m. GA 13 Dec 1866 Thomas Jeffrey Gable b. 17 Jan 1842 Bill Arp GA d. 21 Aug 1911
           i. Prays Mill Baptist Church Cemetery, Douglasville, Douglas GA

Note: the following children were born GA where the family had migrated after MS:

7. Robert Warren Bell b. 13 Mar 1851 Powder Springs, Cobb GA d. 12 Jun 1921
    i. Powder Springs Methodist Cemetery, Powder Springs, Cobb GA
     m. Frances "Fanny" Baggett b. 18 Jul 1857 d. 1 Mar 1920
          i. Powder Springs Methodist Cemetery, Powder Springs, Cobb GA  

8. Martha Eliza Bell b. 18 March 1853 Campbell now Fulton GA
    d. 28 Mar 1887 Douglasville, Douglas GA
    i. Ramah Baptist Church Cemetery, Palmetto, Fulton GA
      m. Marshall MS 18 Mar 1873 Harris K. W. "H. K. W." Childress
           b. 9 May 1839 Chulahoma, Chickasaw territory (MS) d. 10 Feb 1907 Palmetto, Fulton GA
           i. Ramah Baptist Church Cemetery

9. William Fletcher Bell b. 14 Oct 1857 Campbell now Fulton GA d. 26 Oct 1925 GA i. Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, Fulton GA
       m. Susan "Susie" Bartow Baggett b. 19 Nov 1862 d. 12 Dec 1953
            i. Westview Cemetery, Atlanta, Fulton GA

10. R. J. Bell b. ca 1858 Campbell now Fulton GA

11. Walter Hamilton Bell b. 26 Mar 1864 Paulding GA d. 9 Feb 1943 Clayton GA
      m. (1) ...
      m. (2) 1894 Nora Smith b. 1873

-- Researched & compiled 31 Jul 2014 by L. A. Childress, a descendant; updated 24 Sep 2014, corrected a typo 10 Dec 2014; updated 20 Aug 2017; edit 17 Jan 2018; added link to Elijah H Bell page at wikitree; added more links to wikitree, corrected place of death for M E Bell, more corrections 26 Jan 2018; updated info 27 Jan 2018