Greenbrier County, West Virginia Biography of ROBERT MARION BELL. This biography was submitted by Sandy Spradling, E-mail address: This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm History of Greenbrier County J. R. Cole Lewisburg, WV 1917 p. 160-161 ROBERT MARION BELL. The people of Greenbrier and Monroe counties, West Virginia, and of Pocahontas county, Virginia, are indebted to Robert Marion Bell for the organization and successful operation of 1,000 telephones in the three counties above named, with home offices in Lewisburg. Mr. Bell, the originator of this splendid telephone system, and a son of Robert J. Bell, received his education in the public schools and the Military Academy of Lewisburg. After a clerkship of ten years in the store of Henry Thomas Bell, he went to work, in 1906, for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, obtaining right of way for them in West Virginia and in Georgia. A connection with them of two years' duration led to the formation of the present system here. In January, 1907, he got an option and in May he organized, with H. L. Van Sicler, president; John B. Laing, vice-president; Mason Bell, secretary and treasurer; R. M. Bell, manager. The present officers of the company are E. L. Bell, president; P.. M. Bell, vice-president and general manager; Mason Bell, secretary and treasurer. Mr. Bell was married to Alma Linton Walton, June 21, 1911. She was a granddaughter of Dr. James William Phillips, of Mecklenburg county, Virginia, her paternal grandfather being Dr. Richard Peyton, of Cumberland county, Virginia, and a daughter of Charles Courtland Walton, of the same county, and Mary Kear-ney Phillips, of Dyersburg, Dyer county, Tennessee. Mr. Bell was mayor of Lewisburg in 1911, '12, '13; was president of the Chautauqua in 1915 and elected for 1916. He is a member of the Old Stone Presbyterian Church; of Greenbrier Lodge, No.42, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; of Ronceverte Chapter Chapter, No.21, Royal Arch Masons; of Greenbrier Commandery, No.15, Knights Templar; of Beni Keden temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Charleston, W. Va.