James D. Bell
James David Bell (September 29, 1845 – November 1, 1919) was an American lawyer from New York.
Life
Bell was born in New York City, New York, on September 29, 1845. He was of Welsh parentage.[1]
Bell was attending the College of the City of New York as part of its Class of 1863 when the American Civil War broke out. Although he was only 16 at the time, he managed to convinced the recruiting officers he was old enough to enlist.[2] He enlisted in October 1861 and was mustered in as a private in Company B of the 1st New York Mounted Rifles Regiment. He was promoted to corporal later that month. He was wounded in battle on the Blackwater River on November 1862. He was promoted to sergeant in December 1862. He re-enlisted on February 1864. He was promoted to commissary sergeant in July 1864, regimental commissary sergeant in October 1864, and later that month to first sergeant of Company E. He was captured in Weldon, North Carolina, in April 1865. He was released at Sister's Ferry, Georgia, in May 1865. He was mustered out in June 1865.[3]
After the end of his military service, Bell spent the next eight years working with newspapers, starting as a staff member for the New York Graphic. After the paper was suspended, he became a Washington correspondent for the
In 1885, Bell was elected
Bell was an active member of the
Bell served as the Grand Marshal of the Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade five times. He was a member of the Brooklyn Club, the Hanover Club, the Brooklyn League, the Royal Arcanum, and the Elks.[4] He also owned one of the largest private libraries in Brooklyn, with almost 10,000 books and a number of rare volumes and first editions, including copies of the original Federalist Papers. He was a member of the Long Island Historical Society, the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences, and the Seldon Society of London. In 1872, he married Matilda Hamilton. Their children were Alfred, Viloa, Ida, and Mrs. Clarence A. Hebb. Alfred was a well-known Brooklyn physician.[2]
Bell died at home from hardened arteries on November 1, 1919.[11] He was buried in Cedar Grove Cemetery.
References
- ^ Government Printing Office. 1921. p. 241 – via Google Books.
- ^ The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 79, no. 303. New York, N.Y. 1 November 1919. pp. 1–2 – via Brooklyn Public Library: Historical Newspapers.
- ^ Annual Report of the Adjutant-General of the State of New York for the Year 1895: Registers of the First and Second Mounted Rifles, in the War of the Rebellion. Vol. I. Albany and New York, N.Y.: Wynkoop Hallenbeck Crawford Co. 1896. p. 503 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Gunnison, Herbert F., ed. (1908). Flatbush of Today. New York, N.Y. p. 142 – via Google Books.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 46, no. 306. Brooklyn, N.Y. 4 November 1885. p. 6 – via Brooklyn Public Library: Historical Newspapers.
- ^ "S. V. White's District" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. XXXVI, no. 10976. New York, N.Y. 5 November 1886. p. 8.
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 48, no. 10. Brooklyn, N.Y. 11 January 1888. p. 4 – via Brooklyn Public Library: Historical Newspapers.
- ^ "Candidates in Brooklyn" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. XLV, no. 13795. New York, N.Y. 7 November 1895. p. 9.
- ^ Dickinson, Edward B. (1896). Official Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention Held in Chicago, Ill., July 7th, 8th, 9th. 10th, and 11th, 1896. Logansport, I.N.: Wilson, Humphreys & Co. pp. 182, 445 – via Google Books.
- ^ Blumenberg, Milton W. (1904). Official Report of the Proceedings of the Democratic National Convention Held in St. Louis, Mo., July 6, 7, 8, and 9, 1904. New York, N.Y.: The Publishers' Printing Company. p. 73 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ a b "Col. J. D. Bell, Head of Grand Army, Dies" (PDF). The New York Times. Vol. LXIX, no. 22562. New York, N.Y. 2 November 1919. p. 22.
- The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol. 79, no. 58. New York, N.Y. 28 February 1919 – via Brooklyn Public Library: Historical Newspapers.