Thomas Bell Sr. ¹

Thomas Bell Sr. is probably the same Thomas Bell who, with Robert Berry, purchased 100a of tract N81 from William Berryman in 1644 and then sold that same tract to George Hack in 1653 (See Whitelaw, Volume I, page 444).

In 1654 (surveyed, patent 1661), 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).

Thomas Bell Sr. patented more land, in 1657, for 227a identified in Whitelaw as tract N86 which in modern day (2017) includes the land roughly in western Nassawadox, VA surrounded by Franktown Road to the south, Bayside Road to the west, Rogers Drive to the north and Road T-681 to the south, encompassing the area where the Nassawadox Hospital now stands. In 1674, Thomas/Mary Bell gave this land to Thomas and Elizabeth Giddens (as Gittings). (Whitelaw, Vol. I, page 454). This is Bell's daughter and son-in-law and explains why Elizabeth only gets "one shilling" in Thomas' will of 1678 (she had already gotten her share of his estate).

Thomas Bell Sr. wrote his will Jul 6 1678 and it was proven on Dec 10 1678 in Northampton Co., VA:
- To son Thomas, my 250a plantation where I live also 350a in Northampton Co. on the seaboard side near Machepungo as mentioned in my patent dated Oct 20 1661 subscribed by Francis Morrison and Thomas Ludwell., also my handmill
- To sons William and Robert, 300a which belongs to the land I now live on equally divided
- To son George, one shilling and I hereby disinherit him from any part of my land
- To my daugher Elizabeth Giddins, w/o Thomas Giddins, one shilling
- To John Giddins, youngest son of daughter Elizabeth, one heifer
- To loving wife Mary, her fill 1/3rds, the remaining 2/3rds to be divided by my children Thomas, George, William, Robert, Anthony, daughter Mary Maddux, and granddaughter Elizabeth Gethings
- Wife Mary to dispose of remainder as she sees fit
Witnesses: Morgan Dowell, Thomas Barton, John Burroughs (NoVAW-XII10:312)

Thomas married Mary Harrington, daughter of Edward Harrington and Unknown. (Mary Harrington died after 1678 in Northampton Co., VA.)