Biographical Sketch of D. L. Bell, Johnson County, Missouri,
Washington Township.

>From "History of Johnson County, Missouri," by Ewing Cockrell,
Historical Publishing Company, Topeka, Cleveland, 1918.
**********************************************************************

D. L. Bell, an honored and highly respected pioneer of Johnson county,
residing in Washington township, was born in Maryland in 1851.  He is 
the son of David R. and Rebecca (Looman) Bell, the latter a daughter of
thomas Looman.  The Bell family is of Scotch and English descent. David
R. Bell was the thirteenth child born to his parents.  He was born in
1800.  John D. Bell, a half brother of David R., was a veteran of the
Revolutionary War, and C. S. Bell, a brother, was the noted master
mechanic of Ohio.  Although the relationship has not been traced, it is
not improbable that Alexander Graham Bell, of Massachusetts, the inven-
tor of the telephone, is a member of this family. Rebecca (Looman) Bell
was born in 1812 and she is now deceased.  David R. Bell died in 1882,
at the advanced age of eighty-two years.  The Bell family emigrated to
Ohio in 1858 and in 1865 migrated to Johnson county, Missouri.  At the
age of 21 years, D. L. Bell began life for himself, engaging in farming
on the old home place in Grover township.  In 1876, he purchased a
threshing machine, an old fashioned horse power thresher, and for four
years was engaged in threshing wheat in different parts of Johnson cou-
nty.  He purchased a steam threshing outfit in 1880 and was in great
demand from Knob Noster to the country east of Dresden.  The pioneer
wheat threshing was John Spurgeon, who in a much earlier day owned and
operated a "ground hog" thresher in the neighborhood of Knob Noster. In
1882, D. L. Bell was united in marriage with Sarah M. Shaw, the daugh-
ter of Newton Shaw, who moved from Ohio to Missouri in 1880.  To D. L.
and Sarah M. (Shaw) Bell have been born three children: Homer, who is
married and has four children, Frankie Lee M., Louise, Mary Opal, and 
Alice Rose, and resides at Knob Noster, Missouri; John and George, both
of whom live at home with their parents.  In 1888, Mr. Bell purchased a
farm near Knob Noster, which place comprised 150 acres of splendid farm
land, and a few years later he increased his holdings and is now the
owner of 168 acres, which he is converting into a stock farm, devoting
most of his time to stock raising.  He still operates a threshing out-
fit and prior to 1917 operated two machines.  He and his sons also 
operate a saw mill.  When Mr. Bell came to Johnson county, there were
very few fences, most of the land being open prairie.  Wild game was in
abundance and he frequently saw as many as twelve deer in a herd, and
thousands of prairie chickens.  The early settlers were always sure of
plenty of meat.  Their trouble was to get bread.  William Thornton 
built the first log cabin in the neighborhood of Knob Noster, in 1835.
Within a very few years there were many of these rude log homes.  There
was little that one would call comfortable in these cabins, but the
pioneers always had one beautiful thing in their homes and that was the
open fire.  The fireplace was so large that great logs could be burned
in it and as they carckled and burned, the room, rude and primitive
though it was, would be filled with rosy light.  Among the early day
school teachers, whom Mr. Bell recalls, were Mr. Walker, of Lamonte,
Missouri; and Mr. Robertson.  He remembers two pioneer preachers: Rev-
erend Spurgeon, a Baptist minister, and Revernd Ing, a Methodist minis-
ter.  A brother of D. L. Bell, H. R., makes his home with Mr. and Mrs.
Bell. 

====================================================================
     USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing
         free information on the Internet, data may be used by
         non-commercial entities, as long as this message
         remains on all copied material. These electronic
         pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit
         or for presentation by other persons or organizations.

         Persons or organizations desiring to use this material
         for purposes other than stated above must obtain the
         written consent of the file contributor.

         This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb
         Archives by:  <>
		      Penny Harrell <Incog3678@aol.com>

====================================================================