From "History of Wheeling City and Ohio County, West Virginia and  
Representative Citizens," by Hon. Gibson Lamb Cranmer, 1902. 
 
Typed by E. J. Heinemann 
 
p. 693 
 
DAVID BELL, an old and highly respected resident of Wheeling, whose  
portrait is presented on the opposite page, is a member of the firm of  
Joseph Bell & Company, which deals in stoves.  This is one of the  
reliable old business houses of the city, and has an established trade.  
Mr. Bell was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, March 31, 1818, and is a  
son of Thomas Bell. 
     Thomas Bell was born in England and came to the United States when 
a young man.  He was a seaman for many years, and after locating at  
Wheeling at an early day was engaged in boat building until his death,  
in 1833.  He married, in England, Miss M. Godfrey, a native of that  
country, and they had two sons,-Joseph, a prominent business man, of  
Wheeling, and David. 
     David Bell had limited educational advantages, having attended 
school only up to his twelfth year.  He worked for Mr. Sweeney in the 
glass manufacturing business for a period of twenty years, and in 1862  
enlisted in the 11th Reg., W. Va. Vol. Inf., of which he was a  
commissioned officer. He saw hard service throughout the war, and  
established a good record as a soldier.  After the close of the war, he  
returned to Wheeling, and under the firm name of Joseph Bell & Company  
engaged in the stove business, which he has continued up to the present  
time.  he is possessed of unusual business ability, and the same  
sagacity and keenness characterize his transactions, as in his younger  
days.  He is well known to the residents of Wheeling, and enjoys the  
universal good-will of his fellow men.  He is one of the oldest native  
born inhabitants of Ohio county. 
     In 1844, Mr. Bell was joined in wedlock with Mary Mosslander, who 
was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1821, and is now living.  
They reared four children, as follows: Joseph G.; Mary M.; Susan W.; 
and George T.  Politically Mr. Bell is a stanch supporter of the 
Republican party.  He is a member of Franklin Lodge, No. 3, I. O. O. 
F., and is the oldest member of that order in West Virginia, having 
been an Odd Fellow for more than sixty-two years.