Bell Witch Character Biography

Esther Bell Porter (1800-1859)

 

It was Esther Bell Porter who witnessed the terrifying apparition of the “witch family” bouncing on saplings in the field across from her home.

Born in Halifax County, North Carolina, Esther was the eldest of John and Lucy Bell’s two daughters and spent her childhood at the Bell farm on Red River.  Esther was the first of John Bell’s children to wed, marrying Alexander Bennett Porter in July of 1817.

During the 1836-1840 period, the Porters moved to Panola County, Mississippi, settling near the present-day town of Oakland. They had 12 children, several of which died at birth or very young ages.  Esther Bell Porter died in 1859, and is allegedly buried in Union Hill Cemetery near Oakland, Mississippi.

 

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