And We're Back!

After a two week intermission, we're back to Elisha's life. Just in time for it to end.

Elisha continued to buy and sell land throughout the years he was in Robertson County.[1] Elisha stayed in Robertson County at least until late 1830 when he appeared in the census in Robertson County, Tennessee.[2] Sometime before his death, it appears he moved to Montgomery County to live with his son Jeremiah. Elisha died on 10 April 1839 at the age of 79 in Woodlawn, Montgomery County, Tennessee. He was buried on 12 April 1839 in their Family Farm Cemetery, Montgomery County, Tennessee.[3]

As far as I have been able to determine, Elisha Bellamy and Nancy Parker had the following children:

                      i.   Samuel Bellamy

                     ii.   Jesse Parker Bellamy

                    iii.   Jeremiah Parker Bellamy

                    iv.   David King Bellamy

                     v.   Jan Jean Bellamy

                    vi.   Elizabeth Bellamy

                   vii.   Cinderella Bellamy

                  viii.   Cynthia Bellamy

                    ix.   Narcissa Bellamy

                     x.   Hallie Bellamy

                    xi.   Elizabeth Garner

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[1] Robertson County, Tennessee, vol. A, vol. B: 19, 107, 174, vol. O: 267-268, vol. R: 136, 137-138, land deeds.

[2] 1830, Robertson County, population schedule, 430, line 20, Elisha Bellamy; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 22 October 2011); NARA Series M19 Roll 179.

[3] LDS, “New FamilySearch,” Elisha Bellamy death information.

"Saved from the Gallows"

After nine long years of arrest, dismissal, trials and prison, Peter Bellamy was acquitted. The news was reported in the New York Times on 6 February 1886. Dr. Bellamy's initial arrest took place 1877.

It is difficult to imagine all the emotions that would have accompanied these nine years. I'm sure there was a nasty concoction of fear, relief, anger, indignation, sadness, guilt, regret, and gratitude. Peter's children were only ten- and twelve-years-old when all of this started in 1877. By the time he was fully acquitted of all charges his daughter was nineteen, his son was twenty-one. Peter had missed his children's late childhood and early teenage years.

The trials also ruined the Bellamy family financially. Legal fees, lawyers, bonds, and inability to work all took their toll. The family went from financial prosperity to financial hardship. All for helping a family member hide his crimes.

But, Peter did escape the gallows—something his brother-in-law William Morrow wasn't lucky enough to claim.

Bellamy Cave Murders

We're going to take a quick break from Elisha's story and jump to some more sensational news. Excited? A few weeks ago I was editing a Wikipedia article for a homework assignment. Somehow, while I was editing, I discovered that there is a cave in Tennessee called Bellamy cave. More distracted research showed that the cave is located in Montgomery County, Tennessee--the same county where Elisha Bellamy had his family farm! Curious, I probed deeper.

Using a Google search, I found a newspaper article mentioning Bellamy Cave. I clicked on the link and an article popped up talking about the "Bellamy Cave Murders." Apparently, one William Morrow had been using the cave to hide bodies. Then . . .

Dr. Peter F. Bellamy!! Why would Elisha's grandson be listed as an accomplice to the murders? My ancestor was in prison? Excitedly--and a little stunned--I ran to tell my roommates. Their jaws dropped in an eerie unison. My ancestor was a murderer.

 It's funny, the information we get excited about as family historians. But it was a story full of a lot of details! However, let's take a step back and look at the source: the National Police Gazette. A quick Google search of this publication reveals that the National Police Gazette was a popular weekly newspaper published mainly for entertainment. It's not that all of the information was wrong, but it may have been sensationalized to make a better story.

The article never said that Dr. Bellamy killed anyone, just that he helped his brother-in-law cover up the murders his brother-in-law had committed. Still, it makes a person think. This seems to have been a case where racial tension caused people to make choices that are so obviously wrong today. I wonder what social pressures and personal viewpoints led to such drastic decisions. What stigmas have I picked up from society that could make awful decisions seem right? I love how family history makes me think. . . .

Don't miss the podcast on this discovery! A link is located at the bottom of the right-hand menu.

Death, Marriage, and Mystery

Marriage Certificate for Elisha and Hannah

In 1799, Nancy died. She was only thirty-six.[1] It is likely she died due to complications from giving birth to her tenth child, a daughter named Hallie, who was born the same year. Elisha was left with ten children, the oldest of which was only fifteen. Not surprisingly, Elisha soon remarried. On 28 October 1800 in Davidson County, Elisha Bellamy and Hannah Standsberry were joined in marriage.[2]    

Davidson County, Tennessee Marriage Register showing marriage of Elisha Bellamy and Hannah Standsberry

Hannah must not have lived long after their marriage though because six years later Elisha is listed on a marriage certificate again, this time to a Sarah McNight. They were married on 3 October 1806.[3] 

Elisha Bellamy and Sarah McNight Wedding Record

Then again, in the marriage registers Sarah McWright  is listed as marrying an Isaac Bellamy on 3 October 1806. Is this just some strange coincidence? A mistake? Did Hannah really have a long and happy life as Elisha's wife? 

It's hard to tell since I haven't been able to locate a death record for Hannah. But it does seem pretty coincidental. Any suggestions?

Isaac Bellamy and Sarah McWright Marriage Record

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[1] LDS, “New FamilySearch,” Nancy Parker death date.

[2] Davidson County, Tennessee, Marriage Records, Book 1: p. 17, Belemney-Standsberry, 1800; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

[3] Davidson County, Tennessee, Marriage Bonds and Licenses, Ballamy-McNight, 1806; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Three in Tennessee

In 1784, Nancy and Elisha were still living in Cumberland County where Nancy gave birth to their first child: a boy named Samuel after his paternal grandfather.[1] Sometime after the taxes were recorded in 1785, Elisha moved his family along the Wilderness Road—like many others of his time—to the edge of the wilderness: Tennessee. He purchased land in Robertson County in 1797 where they stayed nearly until Elisha’s death.[2]

  Above is the 1784 personal property tax list for Cumberland County, Virginia. Below is the tax list for 1785. After that date, Elisha didn't show up again in Cumberland County taxes. But he did show up in Tennessee land records. My Bellamys must have jumped on the migration bandwagon and moved to Tennessee.

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[1] Elisha Bellamy, image 42, line 2, vol. 1784, Personal Property Tax Lists, 1782-1844; Commissioner of the Revenue; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Joe David Bellamy, The Bellamys of Early Virginia, 111

[2] Robertson County, Tennessee Deed Book, vol. B: 19, Samuel Hollis to Elisha Bellamey, 14 July 1797; Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

And Then There Were Two

In about 1781, Elisha married Nancy Parker. Nancy was born in the early 1760s.[1] There are two different sets of parents listed on new FamilySearch for Nancy, but I have found no information to distinguish which set of parents listed is actually hers. Nancy would have grown up in the same atmosphere as Elisha with the severely separated wealth classes in a county just changing from frontier life to more settled homesteads.

Although I am not sure what class Nancy would have fit in, I picture her among the more humble class. Life was certainly quite colorful for that group of people. Though it may be hard to picture now, days in a mid-eighteenth century farming community started with the rising of the sun and ended with its setting (unless someone planned a social gathering). “There has come down to us stories of these early parties with their stringed instruments and their merry dancing. . .” where there would be drinking for the men, sewing and gossiping for the women, dancing for the young people, and playing games for the children.[2]

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[1] LDS, “New FamilySearch,” Nancy Parker birth and parental information.

[2] Garland Evans Hopkins, The Story of Cumberland County Virginia, 20.

A Beginning

Elisha Bellamy was born on January 10, 1760, in Cumberland County, Virginia. Though I still have not unearthed a primary record confirming this date, it seems to be the consensus of most of the secondary sources I’ve found. The secondary sources also suggest that Elisha was the first of eight children born to Samuel and Amy Bellamy.

Cumberland County was much like the rest of colonial middle Virginia: a frontier county on the western border of Virginia which gradually became a middle county, acting like a buffer between the frontier and the more heavily populated tidewater area.[1] Elisha was born as the county began its transition toward middle county-hood. As a result, the community that surrounded Elisha during his growing up years would have been more established than it had been in Cumberland’s frontier days: multi-storied brick houses would have marked where the county’s wealthy planters lived. Tobacco fields would have added a sense of civilization by breaking up the woodlands with their even, well-manicured rows.

Still, the wealth of the upper class did not hide the poverty of those not privileged to be born to planters. Slaves’ and poor farmers’ dwellings dotted the countryside around the plantations. There were clearly distinct and separate lifestyles that could be lived in Cumberland County. Although more research is needed to be sure about Elisha’s early situation in life, it is probable that Elisha grew up in a comfortable farming home on its way to becoming planter elite in the next few generations. Or if he didn’t come from such background, but rather from a poor farming home, he was able to build a rather successful future from meager beginnings.

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[1] Garland Evans Hopkins, The Story of Cumberland County Virginia (privately issued, 1942), 18.

What's Elisha's story, Wishbone?

Everyone loves a good story. Children grow up hearing stories read and told. We use stories to teach and to entertain. I believe that stories have power, and as a family historian I collect stories.

A lot of people think family history is akin to genealogy: hours spent in archives looking up old, dusty records no one else wants to read just to find a single birth date. What a bore! Or so they think. I agree that looking through dust-encrusted records for hours on end may not be appealing to everyone—it wasn’t to me until recently—but family history is much more than that. Yes, we love census records. And yes, old dusty records are a little bit exciting. But that’s because every record tells a story: stories of death and life, stories of heartbreak and love, stories of anguish, and stories of peace. That is why we research. That is why I research—to find stories.

Does anyone remember the Wishbone episode where a family friend of the Talbot’s, a Native American story teller, is setting up a story-telling night at the local library? In it, he talks about stories. He says, “[The old stories of my ancestors] tell me who I am. Each story is a path—a trail—that leads to a good place every time I follow it. . . . You follow the trail, but you don’t know where it’s gonna lead, what you’re gonna find along the way.”

I hope that my research—and this blog—will help give light to Elisha Bellamy’s stories and the stories of his family.