I am looking for any information about a community of Bells Mills that was mentioned on the 1920 and 1930 census in Columbia County. There is a Bells Spring up river from the US41 crossing and that may be the location. From the indication of several heads of household there was a sawmill there, although sawmills were plentiful during those boom years all over the state. One of my subjects is supposed to be buried in an apparently unknown cemetery, per family knowledge. I am looking for the burial site of George Washington Waldron b. 1832 d. 28 May 1898 and his wife Mary Minshew Waldron b. 1843 and d. ????. They supposedly moved there around 1875 from Georgia. Their son George Washington Waldron b.1864 is buried in the Mt. Zion Cemetery in Lake City. Any input would be appreciate, thanks in advance.

Pat

Pat,
I needed a break from mowing the yard. A review of "A Register of Columbia County, Florida Cemeteries, 1988" from the Columbia County Historical Society lists the following as buried in Mt. Zion Cemetery:
George W. Waldron - 4/19/1832 - 5/28/1898
Mary A. Waldron - 2/9/1843 - 10/28/1911
Eunice Waldron - 1899
Infant Waldron - no dates
Elias Waldron - 1866-1945
Sarah A. Waldron - 1877-1946
B. B. Waldron - 2/21/1859 - 2/21/1935
George W. Waldron - 11/19/1864 - 11/24/1937
Laura L. Waldron - 2/2/1876 - 1/25/1955
Martha A. E. Waldron - 12/26/1858 - 11/8/1902
Clyde W. Waldron - 1903-1906
Vasso J. Waldron - 7/1/1906 - 7/11/1935
"The material may be used by students and other interested readers whose objective is not for a profit"

Couldn't find anything on Bells Mills.
Tem Moody

I found the following by typeing in the Google search engine:
Bells Mill is a community or populated place (Class Code U6) located in Washington County (Florida) at latitude 30.662 and longitude -85.575 (Bells Mill Panoramio Photos). The elevation is 56 feet. Bells Mill appears on the Wausau U.S. Geological Survey Map. Washington County is in the Central time zone (GMT -6). Observes DST? Yes. Current Time.

The 1920-30 US Census may show more information as to the location. Sometimes those census titles were copied incorrectly. All of the Originals of EVERY census was deposited with the State or County. Almost all of what we see today are transcribed "copies" of those originals. That is why there are so many mistakes in these records.
Good luck. Mitchell Sapp

You may want to look at tax records in Columbia Co. for a Bell's Mill. That could be a location that did not have a post office. Tax records might pin down the actual location of Bells, Mill. It could have been a grist mill also.

Tem, that is great information. I did attempt to find them on Find-A-Grave but nothing there. You mention a review of a register for the historical society, is that online or do you belong to that society? That listing appears to be at least two families, George W. 1864 was son to George W. 1832. Apparently there are two Mt. Zion Cemeteries in Columbia County with one located in a small community called Lulu.

(Next Day) Last night I found a reference to the publication you mentioned and it was in the library in Lake City. Got there today and got a copy of the location of the cemetery and now plan on making a “cemetery” trip to locate it, unable to find it on a Google map. I did also find last night a map from 1890
(list of Florida Counties maps, http://fcit.usf.edu/%E2%80%8Cflorida/maps/galleries/county/i... )
1890 map with location of Bells Mill. This location is in the same area of the current day Interstate 10 and Interstate 75 junction just west of Lake City. http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/pages/2100/f2163/f2163.htm 1890 map of Columbia County


Bells Mill post office 1885-1889 (from Columbia County Post Office List) http://genealogytrails.com/fla/columbia/ColumbiaCountyPostOf... apparently there was a post office there as well.

Thanks so much for your quick reference, it has really helped in locating these people and the long forgotten place they called home.

Pat

Thanks Mitchell but that county is way out of the area my family was living, it is in the North West part of the state around Pensacola. Reference my reply and you will see where my Bells Mill was located, good history lesson.

Pat

bells mills was a grist mill out on lake jeffery road one mile before you get to huntsville cemetery.this is the birth place of my mother and siblings (wiggins)

I found the Huntsville cemetery on Google Map. There is a “Old Mill Road” just southeast of Lake Jeffery off Lake Jeffery Road. It winds around the southeast end of the lake and then runs south of the lake and parallel to the railroad track. It looks like it ends up being a drive way for a house that is on Lake Jeffery on the west side of the lake. Do you know much of the grits mill as to where it was located and when it was in operation? It seems that Bells Mill was a rather large community but today I have found no existing evidence that it even existed, other than a couple of mention in old maps and the census of the 1920’s. Found mention of a post office but have no idea where it was located.

The cemetery I was looking for and found courtesy of Tem Moody back in April 2010. Very nice location although there is no identifying markings on the fencing. By looking over the stones I was able to confirm that it was correct. A couple months later I noticed on Find A Grave that a nice gentleman, Alton Christie, had taken photos of all the graves and posted them on Find A Grave. He has the cemetery listed as Mount Zion Cemetery but I believe the correct name should be Mount Zion Baptist Church Cemetery although the church was move many years ago.

As for the Wiggins name I have a couple in my line from my 3x Great Grandparents on my maternal side. Mary Wiggins b.1807 in Irwin Georgia and married to Jacob Darby b. 1803 in Georgia. They both died in Hernando/Pasco County Florida. I also have a second wife to my other 3x Great Grandfather Robert Duke Bradley b. 1790. She is Nancy Wiggins b. 1818 in Georgia. They to died in Hernando/Pasco county Florida.

Pat