Joab Bell ¹

In 1654, Joab Bell's great grandfather, Thomas Bell, patented 350a of land that is identified as tract N83 in Whitelaw. This is the land in the NW quadrant of where modern day (2017) Seaside and Red Bank Roads intersect and what he left to his son Thomas Bell Jr. The younger Thomas sold this parcel to Francis Pettitt in 1680. Interestingly, a portion of this parcel reenters the Bell family when Thomas Sr.'s great grandson Joab Bell (Thomas-George-George-Joab) purchases 130a in 1766, this compiler's 6x great grandfather and 2nd cousin 8x removed. Joab Bell sold 43 1/2a to Hezekiah Brickhouse in 1767 used the remaining acreage as his dwelling plantation which he left to son George Bell excepting 1/2a to go to a meeting house on the property for the "baptist preachers." This 1/2a is now (2017) the Red Bank Baptist Church and is located right at the intersection of the aforemention two roads (Whitelaw, Vol. I, page 449-50).

According to Whitelaw, George Bell grandfather of this Joab, comes to own 200a of tract N84 in 1680 and he and wife Hannah deed this to sons George and Jeodiah to become effective at their deaths. (Whitelaw, Vol I, page 451). Whitelaw seems to misattribute saying that Thomas (elder George's father) assigned this land in 1680 but Thomas had died in 1678 leaving no land to George in his will. It could be htis land goes to George Bell earlier than Whitelaw's datum of 1680. In 1734. Jeodiah and his wife Sarah deeded his part to Ezekiel Bell. George Bell's portion is left to son Joab Bell in 1772 and Joab and wife Keziah left the 100a to son Isaac Bell. Whitelaw states that an 1839 survey showed this as 105a for Edmund Bell. N84 is land located in the modern day (2017) on the seaside including the tiny hamlet of Marionville and to its east, SE of Nassawadox, out towards Red Bank.

Joab Bell wrote his will on Oct 27 1794 and it was proven in Northampton Co., VA on Dec 9 1794:
- give 1/2 acre where the meeting house now stands to the use of the Baptist preachers for their use to preach
- To loving wife Keziah during her widowhood, the use of all the land where I live, 1/3rd of land at the marsh where my son Isaac now lives and n. Pleasant forever.
- To son Isaac, the 100a where he now lives
- To son George, the land where I livve after wife's widowhood
- To son William, all the land I recovered of John Major
- To four daughters Abigail Dolby, Sarah Matthews, Ann Bell and Ador Gleason, all moveable estate to be divided after wife's widowhood.
- Wife, son George and Rickards Dunton to be executors
Witnesses: George Brickhouse Jr., Daniel Scott, Thomas Smith (NoVAW-29:312)

Joab married Keziah Brickhouse, daughter of William Brickhouse and Abigail Bell, about 1750 in Northampton Co., VA. (Keziah Brickhouse was born in 1731 in Northampton Co., VA and died before 12 Oct 1812 in Northampton Co., VA.)