Richard Williams Bell (January 6, 1811 — October 24, 1857) was the son of farmer
John Bell (he was allegedly killed by a spirit) and the author of ''Our Family Trouble''.
Early life
Richard was born on January 6, 1811. His father, John Bell, was the only person in history whose death was attributed to the doings of a Spirit (
Bell Witch
The Bell Witch or Bell Witch Haunting is a legend from Southern United States Folklore of the United States, folklore, centered on the 19th-century Bell family of northwest Robertson County, Tennessee, Robertson County, Tennessee. Farmer John Be ...
). In 1817, his family came under attack by a witch, who was believed to be a lady called Kate Batts.
Various accounts written afterward, tell stories similar to other
poltergeist
In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...
legends. It began with noises in the walls and grew to include unusual sounds; people being slapped and pinched, objects being thrown, and animals being spooked without visible cause. Richard wrote of the events in his diary. Martin Van Buren Ingram, in 1894, wrote the book ''An Authenticated History of the Bell Witch'' which was created on the basis of Richard's diary.
[Hendrix, Grady, "Little Ghost on the Prairie; An American Haunting is definitely not based on a true story"](_blank)
''Slate Magazine'', May 4, 2006.
Authenticated History of the Bell Witch
In 1846, Bell journalized the disturbances in a comprehensive manuscript that he later passed to his son, State Rep. Allen Bell, who later shared it with his closest family members. In the late nineteenth century, Martin Ingram incorporated Richard Williams Bell's manuscript into his book, ''Authenticated History of the Bell Witch,'' in the form of a single chapter entitled, "Our Family Trouble."
Death
Richard Williams Bell died on October 24, 1857. He was buried with his parents and several siblings in the Old Bell Cemetery, aka John Bell Cemetery near Adams, Tennessee.
References
External links
The Bell Witch of Tennessee- website which includes the full text of ''An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch'' - the book upon which the legend is largely based.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Richard Williams
1811 births
1857 deaths
People from Robertson County, Tennessee
19th-century American male writers
American fiction writers
Writers from Tennessee