Bertie COUNTY NC Cemetery Thunderbolt ( Collins - Mizell - Bell _ ********************* Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.org/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.org/nc/bertie ******************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Al Barrs, Jr. e-mail: albarrs@wfeca.net Collins - Mizell - Bell Family Burial Ground There were four visible headstones. More headstones were there according to land owners. The names are: Levi Burn, age 18, died 1805 Susan Mizzell, age 70, died 18?5 (was difficult to read) Elizabeth Collins (no date on stone) One completely unreadable headstone. Other possible burials: Mary Collins, mother of Edward Collins. Based on Collin's sons deed of property. Edward Collins and Mizzell family members yet to be identified. Robert Bell death January 2,1738 on home plantation which may be Thunderbolt. Still being investigated. The Old Burial Ground, at Thunderbolt Landing, is located on the North Bank of the Cashie River. This "burial ground existed prior to Bertie County becoming a North Carolina county in 1722. My (Al Barrs) and Terri Lynn Ferguson-Bell’s 6th Great Grandfather and other family members and friends are believed to have been interred there. Robert Bell was interned on January 6, 1738 after having passed away on January 2, 1738 in his plantation home on the north bank of the Cashie River. The old burial ground is located near the Thunderbolt house and Thunderbolt Landing. Following is our basis for the above statement: Robert Bell’s home place of his 200 acre plantation was located on the north bank of the Cashie River. Deed: In Chowan Precinct Deed Book C page 368 – Robert Bell buys 200 acres of land from Roger Snell. An abstract of the transaction: ROGER SNELL of Chowan Prect. to ROBERT BELL of the same Prect. __ Aug 1721 for 30 £ 200 acres on the south side of Sams Branch on Casia River, joining Col. Pollock, Major West and the river. Wit: John Crombie, Samuel Ratliffe (‘R’) his mark. Ack at Chowan Court 16 October 1722. Test: William Badham D.C.C. Reg. 31 May 1723. Our (Al Barrs’ and Terri Lynn Ferguson-Bell’) 6th Great Grandfather, Robert Bell, born 1765 in Isle of Wight Virginia to George Bell and Hester Webster-Bell, migrated to Chowan North Carolina with his family, relatives and friends in 1716 from Essex Virginia and died at age 63 at this plantation home on the north bank of the Cashie River on January 2, 1738. He was buried in a "dedicated burial ground" located on the north bank of the Cashie River on January 6, 1738. We have found only one cemetery fitting the above 1722 deed description and that is what we will call for locating sake the "Thunderbolt Cemetery". Most headstones in the old burial ground are unreadable because of age and decoration and some are no doubt buried in the many years of accumulated debris and others may have been taken unfortunately as souvenirs over the years. Of those headstones that are still standing and readable there are the following. Contribued by: Al Barrs, Jr. e-mail: albarrs@wfeca.net NOTE: By a Collins deed, the gravesite of Edward Collin's mother, Mary Collins, is also buried here. Luke Mizell (1683-1756) deeded some land in 1737 to his daughter, Mary Mizell and her husband, Edward Collins [1735 in Bertie County]. This is possibly some of that same land. There was also a landing there known as Thunderbolt Landing and later, during the Civil War as Mizelle's.