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Deaths on December 20

John Bell (farmer)
1820Dec, 20

John Bell (farmer)

John Bell, American farmer (b. 1750)
John Bell (1750 – December 20, 1820) was an American farmer whose death was attributed to supernatural causes. He is a central figure in the Bell Witch ghost story of southern American folklore. In 1817, Bell contracted a mysterious affliction that worsened over the next three years, ultimately leading to his death. According to the story, the Bell Witch took pleasure in tormenting him during his affliction, finally poisoning him one December morning as he lay unconscious after suffering a number of violent seizures.

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Events on 1820

  • 6Feb

    American Colonization Society

    The first 86 African American immigrants sponsored by the American Colonization Society depart New York to start a settlement in present-day Liberia.
  • 3Mar

    Missouri Compromise

    The U.S. Congress passes the Missouri Compromise.
  • 6Mar

    Louisiana Purchase

    The Missouri Compromise is signed into law by President James Monroe. The compromise allows Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, brings Maine into the Union as a free state, and makes the rest of the northern part of the Louisiana Purchase territory slavery-free.
  • 24Aug

    History of Portugal

    Constitutionalist insurrection at Oporto, Portugal.
  • 15Sep

    Lisbon

    Constitutionalist revolution in Lisbon, Portugal.