Personal effects of Katie Ruth Jackson (1916–1977), who claimed to be the reincarnation of the
Bell Witch — offered with verified provenance from a descendant of both the haunted and the haunter.
Adams, Robertson County, Tennessee · Est. c. 1870–1977
Available by Private Treaty
Overview
A Collection Unlike Any Other
An 1870s steamer trunk and its undisturbed contents — the personal possessions of the woman who
claimed to be the Bell Witch reborn — offered for the first time by the only known living descendant of both sides
of America's most documented haunting.
In the small town of Adams, Tennessee, in the shadow of the Red River bluffs where the Bell Witch haunting
terrorized a family from 1817 to 1821, a woman named Katie Ruth Jackson spent her entire life claiming a singular
identity: she was Kate Batts returned. Not a ghost. Not a story. The woman herself — reincarnated.
Katie was born in 1916, in Adams — the same soil where John Bell died under mysterious circumstances nearly a
century before. She published a booklet about the Bell Witch legend in 1972. She created folk remedies she called
"Kate's Remedy" and mailed the recipes to herself as poor-man's patents. She collected stones from the Bell Witch
Cave and kept them on her person. She sealed a 1937 doll inside a glass jar using the traditional construction of
a witch bottle.
When she died, her trunk — a flat-top steamer from the 1870s with hand-forged iron hardware — passed to her
niece, and eventually to her great-great-grandniece: the current owner, who is also, through her father's line, a
direct sixth-generation descendant of John and Lucy Bell.
The trunk has never been commercially offered before. Its contents have never been separated. Every item
presented here was found inside the trunk exactly as Katie left it.
Spirit Vessel — 1937 composition doll sealed in Atlas E-Z jar, found inside Katie's
trunk
Provenance
Documented Chain of Custody
Four generations. One unbroken line. Every link verifiable through government-issued documents found
inside the trunk itself.
Original Owner
Katie Ruth Jackson
Born March 17, 1916, Adams, Robertson County, Tennessee. Daughter of Robert Fred Jackson
(farmer, Adams) and Mary Ruth Morgan (Adams). Published author. Self-identified reincarnation of Kate Batts.
Died c. 1977–78.
Executrix of Estate
Betty Ann Jackson Binkley
Born February 1937. Katie's niece. Named executrix in Letters Testamentary issued January
10, 1978, Robertson County, Tennessee. Preserved trunk and contents intact.
Inherited Custody
Cynthia Kay Binkley Benton
Born January 1, 1959. Betty's daughter. Married Joseph Frank Benton (Bell family descendant)
in 1976 — uniting both bloodlines.
Current Owner
Amy Jo Benton
Sixth-generation Bell family descendant (paternal) and great-great-grandniece of Katie Ruth
Jackson (maternal). The only known living person who can document direct blood connection to both the haunted
and the haunter.
Supporting Documentation
The following original documents are included with the collection and verify the provenance chain above:
Birth Certificate — Robertson Co., TN, 1916
Letters Testamentary — January 10, 1978
"Kate's Remedy" — In Katie's Hand, March 1977
Genealogical Significance
The Convergence of Two Bloodlines
In 1976, the descendants of the haunted and the haunter married — and their daughter became the
living synthesis of the Bell Witch legend.
Verified Dual Lineage of Amy Jo Benton
Paternal — "The Haunted"
John Bell & Lucy Williams Bell
1750–1820 & 1768–1837
Subjects of the Bell Witch Haunting
↓
Esther Bell Porter
1800–1859
m. Alexander Porter, 1817
↓
Richard Williams Porter
1819–1891
↓
Thomas Clayton Porter
1860–1947
↓
Mary Porter Benton
1893–1977
↓
William Earl Benton
1935–2022
↓
Joseph Frank Benton
b. 1957
Marriage
⟷
1976
Maternal — "The Haunter"
Robert Fred Jackson & Mary Ruth Morgan
Parents of Katie Ruth
Adams, Robertson County, TN
↓
Katie Ruth Jackson
b. 1916, Adams, TN — d. c.1977
Claimed reincarnation of Kate Batts Published author, 1972 Owner of the
trunk No children
Estate passed to
niece ↓
Betty Ann Jackson Binkley
b. 1937
Katie's niece, executrix of estate
↓
Cynthia Kay Binkley Benton
b. 1959
The Convergence
Amy Jo Benton
Sixth-generation Bell descendant · Great-great-grandniece of Katie Ruth Jackson The
only known living person documented on both sides of the legend
Historical Note
Mary Catherine "Caty" Williams Batts — the historical woman known as "the Bell Witch" — was the biological niece
of Lucy Williams Bell, John Bell's wife. The original haunting was, at its root, a family dispute. Two centuries
later, in 1976, the descendants of that same fractured family reunited through marriage — and the trunk that held
one side's most sacred possessions passed to the child who carries both bloodlines.
Catalog
The Collection
Every item listed below was found inside the trunk as Katie Ruth Jackson left it. Nothing has been
added, altered, or separated. The trunk is offered as a complete, indivisible collection.
Lot 1
Victorian-Era Flat-Top Steamer Trunk
The 1870s steamer trunk — exterior view showing hand-forged hardware
11.5″ main compartment + 3.5″ removable three-section tray, green felt lined
Materials
Wood body, hand-forged iron bands, brass fittings, cast iron wheels, leather handles
Hardware
Original lock (functional, no key), ornate crown-topped latch, arrow clasps, rolling hooks
Condition
Good for age; one wheel absent; surface wear consistent with 150+ years of use
Lot 2
Sealed Spirit Vessel — 1937 Composition Doll in Glass Jar
Spirit vessel — multiple views showing traditional witch bottle construction
Doll
5-inch composition "storybook" doll, c. 1937; blonde hair (partial loss); original dress and lace collar
intact
Vessel
Atlas E-Z Seal glass canning jar, inverted over doll
Construction
Doll placed on flat limestone base, jar sealed with natural cordage and burlap wrapping — consistent with
traditional "witch bottle" construction in Appalachian folk magic
Significance
The doll dates to c. 1937 — the year the Bell Witch prophesied she would return (107 years after the 1828
visit to John Bell Jr.)
Condition
Seal intact and unbroken as found
Lot 3
Vintage Brass Lady Bell with Inscribed Clapper
Brass lady bell showing inscribed clapper markings
Type
Woman-shaped figural hand bell, solid brass
Height
Approximately 4 inches
Notable
Clapper bears inscribed markings — radiating line patterns with possible Cyrillic or runic characters
Condition
Heavy oxidation consistent with significant age; patina intact
Lot 5
Bell Witch Cave Limestone — Set of Five Stones
Set of five limestone specimens from Bell Witch Cave
Quantity
Five (5) limestone specimens, various sizes (largest palm-sized)
Origin
Bell Witch Cave, Adams, Tennessee (per family oral history)
Note
Katie was known to carry at least one cave stone on her person at all times
Lot 6
Papers, Photographs, and Personal Documents
Collection of original documents from Katie's trunk
Birth Certificate
State of Tennessee certified copy — Katie Ruth Jackson, March 17, 1916, Robertson County
Letters Testamentary
Two documents, January 10, 1978 — naming Betty Ann Korrecta (Binkley) as executrix
Handwritten Postcards
Three self-mailed "Kate's Remedy" folk medicine recipes, postmarked Bowling Green, KY, April 1977 — signed
by Katie in her own hand
Patent Envelope
Handwritten note: "Protected in manner inside for Patent for me and my heirs… to go to bank vault drawer at
1st Nat'nl Bank Sp. Tenn."
Artwork Prints
Six postcard-sized prints of Bell Witch locations (cave, house, cemetery, river) selected for Katie's 1972
published booklet
Photographs
Three vintage photographs — couple portrait, family group, children
Additional
Land deeds, legal documents, additional handwritten papers and ephemera
Assessment
Why This Collection Is Exceptional
Verified provenance via government documents. The birth certificate, Letters Testamentary,
and postmarked postcards found inside the trunk provide a documentary chain that is unusual for
folklore-adjacent collections, which typically rely on oral tradition alone.
The only known dual-lineage convergence. The current owner can document direct descent from
John Bell (the haunted, through the Porter line) and direct family connection to Katie Ruth Jackson (who
claimed to be the haunter). No other living person is known to occupy this position.
The 1937 prophecy alignment. The composition doll sealed inside the spirit vessel dates to
approximately 1937 — the precise period when the Bell Witch entity prophesied its return (107 years after
1828). Whether intentional or coincidental, the date represents a verifiable intersection of artifact and
legend.
Authentic folk magic construction. The doll-in-jar assembly — inverted vessel, natural
cordage, burlap wrapping, limestone base — follows documented Appalachian "witch bottle" traditions. This is
not a display piece; it is a constructed ritual object.
First-person documentation of identity claim. Katie's handwritten postcards, signed "Kate's
Remedy by K.R. Jackson," constitute a written record of her identification with the Bell Witch persona.
Combined with her 1972 publication, these represent primary source material for one of American folklore's
most significant reincarnation claims.
Complete and undisturbed. The trunk contents have never been commercially offered,
exhibited, or separated. Every item is presented as found. This is a time capsule, not a curated assemblage.
Acquisition
Submit an Inquiry
This collection is available by private treaty to qualified museums, institutional collections, and serious
private collectors. It is offered as a complete, indivisible set. No individual items will be sold separately.
Please include your name, institution (if applicable), and a brief statement of interest. A
complete condition report, additional photographs, and provenance documentation packet are available upon
request.
Certificate of Provenance and Certificate of
Authenticity accompany the collection. Signed lineage documentation and notarized declaration available upon
request.
