Freestone County, Texas
Biographies


A History of Texas and Texans, Volume V
By Francis White Johnson, Ernest William Winkler
Published 1914
The American Historical Society

[pages 2251-2252]

JUDGE J. ROSS BELL.  The lifelong professional activities of Judge J. Ross Bell,
of Teague, Texas, have been confined within the limits of Freestone and 
adjoining counties, and his acquaintances in the district is a most 
comprehensive one, indeed, though not exceeded by his prominence as a member of
the well known law firm of Boyd & Bell.  Judge Bell is not a Texas product in
reality, though he is essentially such by reason of having been a resident of 
the state from earliest infancy, and in spirit and purpose no native Texan is
more nearly a part or product of the Lone Star state.

J. Ross Bell was born in Guilford county, North Carolina, on May 25, 1858, and 
a few months later, in the same year, the family moved to Texas.  He is the son
of James Hamilton and Louisa (Robbins) Bell, and the grandson of ____ Bell, the
latter a Virginia man who died in North Carolina in early life, and whose wife
was in maidenhood a Miss _____ Vance.  The children of these parents were six
in number - four sons and two daughters, and were James Hamilton, father of the
subject; Col. Robert J., who died in Highport, North Carolina; Benjamin F., who
passed away in Seattle, Washington, in 1911; Samuel, who died in Tehuacana, 
Texas, in 1881; Mrs. Lula Sullivan, who passed out in Greensboro, North Carolina,
in 1878, and Mrs. Lucy A. Lindsey, a resident of Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas.

James Hamilton Bell was reared in North Carolina, and in his native vicinity he
married Louisa Robbins, a daughter of a Protestant Methodist minister of North 
Carolina.  The wife and mother died in 1901, and her issue are George A., who 
died at Kingsville, Texas, July 19, 1913; he was former member of the Texas 
State Legislature, and had been active in the practice of law; Robert T., of 
Coolidge, Texas, who spent his life in the lumber business and as a farmer; J.
Ross, of this review; Mrs. Alice Mitchell, of Mexia; Samuel Bascom, a lawyer, 
of San Antonio; Mrs. Lula Peyton, of San Antonio; Miss Ada, a well known voice
teacher of Chicago, who long maintained a studio in Bush Temple, that city, and
is still active in her work.

James Hamilton Bell came to Texas in 1858, bringing his family, and settled first
in Navarro county, taking up his residence near Dresden, and there devoting him-
self to the business of agriculture.  In the fall of 1869 he moved to Tehuacana
Hills, in Limestone county, and there he spent his remaining years of his long 
and busy life, passing out in 1898.  In Tehuacana Hills he became one of the 
first trustees of Trinity University, and it was there that his children had 
their college training.  He was an active man in the Presbyterian church all 
his life and was one of the largest contributors to the building of the large 
stone college building at Tehuacana, Texas, which was presented to the 
Methodist Protestant church.

Mr. Bell, it should be said,served in the Confederate Army, enlisting from 
Navarro county early in the war period, and served in Col. Harrison's regiment 
of Waco.  His command did duty in the Trans-Mississippi Department, and he 
participated wiht it in the Mansfield campaign, which included Pleasant Hill 
and Yellow Bayou battles, besides the activity at Mansfield, and he continued
with his command to the end of the struggle, without suffering wounds or 
capture.  His original company was a cavalry organization, but it was dismounted
early in the war.  He was discharged at Hempstead, Texas, in May, 1865, after 
having passed through four years of military activity in the interests of the
southland.

Mr. Bell was a Democrat, but he never held office nor permitted himself to be 
named as a candidate, being one who was absolutely without predilection for
offical service or political preferment.

J. Ross Bell had his higher education at Trinity University, at Tehuacana, 
Texas, and upon completion of his college course he turned his attention to
teaching.  He put forth his first efforts in that work in the Navarro schools,
subsequently having similar work in the schools of Hill county, spending one
year in Navarro county and one in Hill county.  Having chosen the profession of
law for his life, work Mr. Bell began preparation for his career in the offices
of Col. J. M. Anderson, of Waco, and he was admitted to the bar there in 
February, 1884, before Judge Rhimes, following his examination, which was 
conducted by Judge Prather, Col. Alexander and W. D. Kelley.

Immediately upon his admission to the bar Mr. Bell went to Fairfield, Texas, 
and there formed a partnership with his brother, George Bell, who was there 
prominent in active practice of their joint profession.  In the autumn of 1886,
J. Ross Bell was elected County Attorney, serving one term in office.  Then 
resuming private practice, he continued there until the latter part of 1902,
when he was elected county judge of the county, serving two terms as the 
successor of Judge H. B. Davis, now District Judge of this district.  At the 
end of his second term he was sent to the legislature as Freestone county's 
representative to the Thirtieth Legislature Assembly, and he was re-elected to
the Thirty-first Assembly, having his election on the Democratic ticket.

His services in the legislature were varied in their nature.  In his committee
assignments he was chairman of the committee on counties and he was a member of
the committee on education, taxation, privileges and elections, and on the 
committee of criminal jurisprudence.  In the second session he served on 
practically the same committees.  He took an active part in the Campbell 
measures, especially the "full rendition" measure, as it was called, and the 
bank and guaranty laws.  He was the author of several bills amending the 
statutes which were passed.  He served on several conference committees to 
adjust differences between House and the Senate, and in many ways his service
was especially valuable and pleasing to his constituents.

When Judge Bell was elected county attorney he severed his connection with his
brother, but later resumed it, though he finally seperated from him again to 
engage in a partnership with B. H. Gardner.  This event took place in 1890, and
the firm was known as Gardner, Bell & Boyd.  A year later the firm became 
Gardner & Bell, and continued as such until 1902.  He then became a member of 
the firm of Bell & Moses, and still later practiced with Mr. R. M. Edwards 
under the firm name of Bell & Edwards, until he was elected to the office of 
County Judge, when the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent.  He did not
again associate himself in practice with another until 1909, when G. W. Fryer
became his partner.  In October 1911, Mr. Bell moved to Teague and joined W. R.
Boyd in practice in this city, the firm of Boyd, Bell & Fryer coming into 
existence then, with office in Fairfield and Teague, and in May 1913, was 
organized the firm of Boyd & Bell, which is now operative in the city.

In his political activities Judge Bell did some work in the Bailey campaign as 
an anti-Bailey man, and he also was active in the candidacy of Judge R. V. 
Davidson as governor.  He was a Wilson man, and was alternate delegate to the
Baltimore convention from the Sixth Congressional district of Texas, but did 
not attend.  In his earlier days of political work he attended several of the 
State conventions, beginning with the "Car-shed" convention at Houston, in the
year 1892.  He was a Hogg supporter and managed Freestone county in he 
interests of that gentleman.  In his senatorial preferences he supported Morris
Shepherd, and his sympathies have always been anti-Colquitt.  He is a strong
prohibitionist, in practice as well as in theory and is the advocate of state-
wide prohibition, voting for it in the legislature and speaking in behalf of 
that provision.

Judge Bell was married December 22, 1891, to Miss Bessie Anderson, a daughter 
of James L. Anderson, of Farifield, Texas, a Confederate soldier, who came to 
Texas from Mississippi, prior to the War period.  Here he married Miss Paralee
Chandler and Mrs. Bell is one of the three sons and three daughters born to 
them.  Judge and Mrs. Bell have had two children - Gladys and Fannie Vivian.
The last named daughter died at the age of eleven years.

The Judge is fraternally identified by his affliation with the Blue Lodge of 
Masons, Fairfield, and with the Woodmen of the World.  He and his family are 
also members of the Order of the Eastern Star.  He and his daughter are members
of the Presbytrian church, and the judge is an elder in that church, which 
office he has held for quarter of a century.