John Bell Papers, 1855-1930, bulk 1871-1918

Printable guide [HTML]
Request items

Summary

Creators:
Bell, John
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Irish immigrant John Bell (born circa 1830), who was an insurance and loan agent in Richmond, Indiana, in the 1860s-1870s and in San Jose, California, beginning in 1875-6. Includes diaries chronicling Bell's oceanic travel to Central America and his overland journey from Indiana to California, as well as documents, correspondence, ephemera, and 49 volumes related to Bell's business in both San Jose and Richmond.
Extent:
3 boxes and 49 volumes.
Language:
The records are in English .

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains 330 items. The manuscripts and diaries are arranged alphabetically by author and consist of 13 items including John Bell's account of his ocean voyage from New York to Central America, his overland journey by train from Indiana to California and his stay in London. The correspondence is also arranged alphabetically by author and consists of 27 letters, most of which were written to either John or Hannah B. Cooper Bell. The ephemera is arranged alphabetically by type and consists of 219 items, most of which are receipts and statements for property taxes in both the states of New York and California. The ephemera includes the publications: "California Prune Surprise: 100 Recipes for Delicious Prune Dishes" published by the California Cured Fruit Association; "Divine Protection through Extraordinary Dangers, During the Irish Rebellion in 1798" by Dinah Wilson Goff who was John Bell's great-aunt; "An Appeal for the Ancient Doctrines of the Religious Society of Friends," written in 1847; "The Testimonies of Friends," written in 1860; and two insurance manuals. Other ephemera relate to John Bell's business and family life in San Jose. There are 71 items in the volume section arranged alphabetically by title and then chronologically. Forty-nine of these items are volumes relating to John Bell's business in both San Jose (Calif.) and Richmond (Ind.). The other items are notes included in the volumes.

Subjects include: Acapulco Bay, Mexico; California Cured Fruit Association; Chinese in Nevada; American Christian Poetry; London; Colón, Panama; The Geysers, California; Home economics; Insurance agents; Irish Rebellion of 1798; Ocean travel; Prunes in California; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Quakers in California; Railroad travel; James Rolph; San Jose, California; Society of Friends; Sierra Nevada; Tabernacle of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Women from 1870-1920.

Materials addressed to or written by Hannah B. Cooper are listed under Hannah B. Cooper Bell; materials referring to H. B. Bell are referring to Hannah B. Cooper Bell; some of the cash books include short entries regarding the Bell family.

The collection is arranged in the following series: Documents, Diaries, Correspondence and Ephemera (Boxes 1-3); Volumes

Biographical / historical:

John Bell was born about 1830 in Ireland and immigrated to the United States with his father before his 21st birthday. He was an insurance and loan agent in Richmond, Indiana in the 1860s and 1870s. He moved to San Jose, California between 1875 and 1876 and continued working as an insurance and loan agent. Sometime after 1881, he married Hannah B. Cooper, John L. Cooper's widow, and helped raise her two daughters, Elizabeth P. and Anna J. Cooper. John and Hannah B. Cooper Bell had a daughter of their own named Mary Elma.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from William P. Wreden, July 24, 1963.
Rules or conventions:
Finding Aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Website