John Bell (middle name possibly Bevan or Belvin) was born in 1812 (unsure of actual birthplace) and died 27 December 1865 in Rich Hill, Muskingum, Ohio, USA. No one seems to know his ancestry or immediate parentage. He had a wife, Rebecca McVicker (1814-1842)and they had 3 children Drusilla,Eliza and John Milburn. His second wife was Elizabeth McComas (1915-1902)(my husband's grandmother) they had 5 children. John and Elizabeth's children were:Sarah Camelia; William Edward (our Bell line) who married Alta West {this is a very famous line}; Elcy Elizabeth; Violet; and Elmira.

It does not really seem to bear out that John was John Bell the statesman from Maryland. There was a ship's captain that carried slaves, but the dates don't really match him either. One record seems to show a John and Elizabeth Bell as indentured servants perhaps, but the information is very minimal (just a list)but the dates and place names match.

In 1860 in a census we find him living with John Milburn. I think it is possible that our John was related to the Beals that came from Largo, Fife, Scotland [Col.Ninian Beal b 1625]See his story at the bottom of this post. FYI, Alexander Graham Bell went to Scotland and researched the history of the Bell family origins, he found that all Bells originated in Scotland and the Beal line came from Bell and was changed to Beal but no one knows why.

Col.Ninian Edmonston Beal had 3 wives and many children. The lines that came from him did seem to connect directly to our John's line but then the dates did not quite match and I could not prove the same names and childre so another dead end. Perhaps I have not been patient enough, but I could not tease out an actual connection.
Our Bell family is related directly to the Beals from Hannah (Beal) Deaver. Col. Ninian was her father, her son was Antil Deaver; his daughter Hannah married William McComas the great grandfather of Elizabeth McComas.




Here is part of Ninian's story if you are interested.
Ninian Beall was buried on his own property and when the city of Washington, DC was laid out and Gary Street put through, his remains were dug up and found in a perfect state of preservtion, his red hair having grown to his shoulders.

From Colonial Families of the United States, by George Norbury Mackinsie (Vol. 11, page 66) "Ninian Beall was born in Largo, Fifeshire, Scotland, in 1625. He held a commission as cornet in the Scotch-English Army, raised to resist Cromwell. He fought in the battle of Dunbar, September 3, 1650 against Cromwell. He was made prisoner oat that battle and sentenced to five years servitude. He was sent with 150 other Scotchmen to Barbadoes, West Indies. About 1652 they appeared in the Province of Maryland. Ninian Beall served his five years with Richard Hall, planter of Calvert County. It seems that these military prisoners were entitled to acres of public land after completing service."

In Liber II, folio 195 - Maryland Land Ofice, is the follwoing: "16 Janurary 1677 - Then came Ninian Beall of Calvert County, planter, and proved his r ight to 50 acres of land for his time service performed with Richard Hall of name County. This servitude which came to him not on account of crime but through fortunes of war, was an honor. Ninian Beall's military ability in the Scotch-English Army seems to have been made good use of the Province of Maryland, as shown by the following notations: 1688, records of Annapolis, dated 31 October call him Lieutenant Ninian Beall. 1676, commissioned Lieutenant of Lord Baltimore's yacht of war Loal Charles of Maryland, John Goade, commander. 1684, Deputy Surveyor of Charles County. 1688, Chief Military Officer of Calvert County. 1692, High Sheriff of Calvert County. 1694, Colonel of Militis, by the Assembly, 30 July 1694. 1697, on a commission to trat with the Indians. 1697-1701, member of the General Assembly. 1699, the General Assembly passed an "Act of Gratitude for the distinguished Indian services of the Colonel Ninian Beall."

"His signatures to official papers are bold and free. As he signed his will (January 1717) by witnessed mark, it would indicate he must have been in very feeble condition of body at the time; he was then ninety-two years old.

"He seems to have identified himself with the Presbyterian Church in 1690. During that year 200 Presbyterian emigrants came over from Scotland under his supervision. He located them along the Potoma River and called the settlement New Scotland. These emigrants brought with them Rev. Nathaniel Taylor, who received a deed of gift from Col. Ninian Beall on land in upper Marlboro, upon which to build a church.

"In 1707 Col. Ninian Beall presented the church a costly silver communion set made in London (a portion of this set is now in the Presbyterian Church at Hyattsville, MD."