William Bell

William Bell, son of John and Margaret (Painter) Bell, was born in Holmes County, Ohio, May 10, 1826, and married Bridget Boyles, February 24, 1853. Bridget Boyles was born in Holmes County, Ohio, April 3, 1830. Her mother was born in Virginia and her father came from Ireland. Children of John Bell were: George, William, Barbara (married Fry), John, Hannah (married Henry Hersh, April 3, 1853 and moved to Wood County, Ohio). A son Samuel D. was born from a second marriage. Sons of William and Bridget Bell were: John Edward, born February 6, 1854; William Jr., April 8, 1855; Albert, January 31, 1857, were born near Nashville, Holmes County, Ohio. The summer of 1857, the William Bell family left Holmes County for more level farm ground. They lived one year in Washington Township, Wood County, Ohio, where Ambrose was born, May 9, 1858.

The home of William Bell was built in 1868.

On February 5, 1859, William Bell purchased 80 acres in the N.W. corner of Section 13, Damascus Township, Henry County, for $900.00 from his brother George who also lived in Washington Township, Wood County. George had come earlier, a three day trip by horseback, purchased land but did not stay. The William Bell family moved to their new home and lived in a log house. The snow blew into the upstairs where the older children slept. They would find snow on the covers and step out of bed into snow. A frame house was built, probably about 1868. Francis J. was born February 18, 1860; Sylvester, born and died November 7, 1861; George Oren, born April 8, 1863; twin girls, Flora and Mabel, May 13, 1869. The children attended the local school, but the terms were shorter. They did not have nine months of continuous school. Ray's Arithmetics and McGuffey's Readers were used. George Oren had further studies and taught school for several years, later becoming a carpenter. He died September 21, 1942. His children: Glen, Bernice Elwell, Bessie Hickey, and Myrtle are all deceased. John was unmarried and died August 18, 1894. Flora Bell died August 10, 1902.

On October 26, 1874, William purchased 80 acres in N.W. corner of Section 14, Damascus Township, on the same road as the first farm. When Ambrose married Amanda Elizabeth Van Scoder in 1881, a new house was built on this farm for them. They had five children: Clifford; Hattie, married Frank King, son of Samuel King, who lived on the south river road just east of Turkeyfoot Creek (they moved to a farm near Lindsey, Ohio); Lulu, married Elias G. Curdes, son of the Napoleon baker, George Curdes (Elias was a R.R. mail clerk and they moved to Toledo about three years later. Their children are: Miss Lorene, Elizabeth Lydia (deceased) and Elias G. Jr., of Toledo. Lulu and Elias celebrated their 60th anniversary April 30, 1975); Maude M., taught school several years before marrying William C. Chubb, owner of Chubb's Bakery (Their children are: Kathleen, married George McColley; Marian (deceased); Dorothy, married William S. Vocke; William (twin of Dorothy) married Mary

Ann Meineke, is a dentist in Findlay, Ohio); Marjorie, married Ted Turko and lives in Closter, N.J.; Harry Bell married Marguerite Gill and a few years later moved to Napoleon where Harry was a baker in Chubb's Bakery, later Dick's Bakery (Their children are: Barbara Jean Gardner and Richard). Amanda Elizabeth Bell died August 18, 1931, and Ambrose Bell died June 15, 1934. Lulu Curdes and Maude Chubb are the surviving children of the Ambrose Bell family. Richard, son of Harry and two of Maude Chubb's children, Kathleen McColley and Dorothy Vocke live in Napoleon.

Bridget Bell died April 15, 1887, at the age of 57. A few years later, William Bell purchased a home in Grand Rapids, Ohio, and moved there with his daughters. Francis J. and Louise (Armbruster) Bell moved to the home farm. They had one daughter, Jessie, who married Herbert Schering, a professor at Toledo University. When William Bell died, December 7 1899, he left the 80 acres in Section 13 to Francis J. and Albert; the 80 acres in Section 14 were left to Ambrose and his sisters. After the death of Ambrose the farm was sold, and after the death of Jessie Schering, her farm was sold. Leaving only 15 acres of the original Bell farms owned by a Bell descendant. Mabel Bell died September 18, 1956.

The Albert Bell family in 1924: Grace M., Paul W., Albert, Albert Lloyd, and Margaret.

On January 1, 1885, William Jr. and Albert purchased the farm adjoining their father's on the south, known as the Shull farm. The T.St.L.&W. R.R. took 2.77 acres from this 80 acres. In 1893, William Jr. and Albert moved to their farm and lived alone until Albert's marriage to Margaret Adams, November 27, 1898. Their children are: Grace Marie, Albert Lloyd, and Paul William. Grace Marie married Glenn S. Carter, son of Frank and Mary Jane (Ludwig) Carter; their children are: Margaret Anne Austermiller, a teacher in the McClure School for 14 years; Rosemary G., wife of Russell M. Dirr, a farmer near Pleasant Bend, and she is a substitute teacher; Robert G. Carter, married Lois LaVonne Short, and is Comptroller of Champion Valley Farms, Bloomsburg, Pa. Albert Lloyd married Sarah Burrell, daughter of John and Ruth Burrell of Toledo, and a granddaughter of Sylvester Williams of Damascus Township; their children are: Donald Lloyd, an electrical engineer at General Motors, Flint, Mich., married Alice Ingwerson, and they live in Grand Blanc, Mich. Nancy Ruth married Richard H. Gear, is a part-time teacher, and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio; Janet Laurel married Dennis McElroy, and they live in Kentwood, Mich. Lloyd worked in the offices of Toledo Edison in Toledo, Ohio, until retirement. Lloyd and Sarah celebrated their 50th anniversary, August 2, 1975. Paul William, married Clara Spicer, daughter of Charles and Cora Estella (Hutchinson) Spicer. They have one son, Albert Charles, a minister of the Christian Church and a teacher in the school at Amanda, Ohio; his wife, Mary, received her B.S. in Elementary Education in December, 1974. They live in Chillicothe, Ohio, with their children Mark and Marlene.

Albert Bell died February 23, 1930, and William Bell Jr. died May 26, 1930. After the death of Margaret Bell, June 10, 1955, Paul W. Bell purchased the farm, January 1, 1956. He also owns 15 acres of the original Bell farm which is still woodland. Later they purchased 9 additional acres, making their farm extend to the railroad.

The first Foltz School (District No. 6) was a frame building near the N.E. corner of the acre of school ground. The brick school was built near the S.W. corner. Across the road, west of the school ground, was a log church,known as the Damascus M.E. Church. In 1881, a new brick church was built on the south side of what is now U.S. Rt. 6, a little west of the Wood-Henry County Line road. The three Bell families were members of this church, which was damaged beyond repair by a tornado in March, 1948. The congregation separated, some going to McClure or Weston, but most to Grand Rapids, Ohio.

The corner where Sections 13, 14, 23 and 24 meet is on a sand ridge. The sand extended about 1/2 mile north, then heavy ground. It also extended about lh mile south, when the road became lower and was very wet in the spring. To make the road passable in wet weather, logs were laid across the road, covered with dirt, making a "corduroy road." When traveling over this when muddy, the buggy wheels would go bumpety-bump over the logs. In 1925, when this road was being graded for stoning, the logs were scraped out and found to be still solid.

Submitted by Mrs. Glenn Carter