Obituary of James H. Bell ~ 1925

Contributed by Josh Waller





" Aged Countian Dies While On Visit at Dawson Station" "James Bell, 80, a retired farmer 
and Confederate veteran, died at Dawson Station, where he was visiting, at 4:30 this 
morning. The body was brought here to be prepared for burial. Mr. Bell was known to 
many persons. He was the father of Julius Bell of Kinston, Charlie and Herman Bell of 
Gainesville, Fla., Eric Bell of Montgomery, Ala., and Mrs. J. T. Smith of Parmele, N.C. 
Mr. Bell was a native of Lenoir and resided in the county all his life. He spent most the 
past summer at the residence of his son here. His wife died eleven years ago. The 
funeral will be held at 3 Wednesday afternoon. Burial will be made in the Maplewood 
Cemetery. Freeman Heath, of the staff of Gordon Street Church of Christ, will officiate." 

-Have you ever seen this obit? Do you have any idea what paper it would have been in? 
Were the other sons deceased? My grandfather's notes say that "Jas. Henry Bell was 
born May 15, 1844 on old Bell Farm above Wheat Swamp Church in Lenoir County, 
N.C. He died October 12, 1925. Said he did not remember when he started chewing 
tobacco, but quit at age 71 to show his sons he could. He did not resume the habit. 
He had six sons and a daughter." Did you know that James H. Bell and Mary John 
Rouse were second cousins through the Creech family? 
(Email from Molly Kirkpatrick, descendant of N. Eric Bell)

-STANDARD CERTIFICATE OF DEATH

PLACE OF DEATH, COUNTY: Lenoir Co., STATE: N.C., REG. NUMBER: 27, TWP: 
Vance, FULL NAME: JAMES HENRY BELL

-PERSONAL AND STATISTAL PARTICULARS: SEX: male, COLOR: white, widowed, 
DOB: May 15, 1844, AGE: 81, OCCUPATION: Cabinet maker, BIRTHPLACE: Lenoir 
Co. N.C., NAME OF FATHER: Henry Bell, BIRTHPLACE OF FATHER: Lenoir Co., 
MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER: Mary Creech, BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER: Lenoir 
Co., INFORMANT: Julius H. Bell, ADDRESS: Kinston, N.C., FILED: Jan 2, 1926, 
J. Taylor, 

-MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF DEATH: DATE OF DEATH: Oct, 12, 1925, I 
HEREBY CERTIFY THAT I ATTENDED DECEASED FROM August 3, 1925 TO 
Aug. 14, 1925, THAT I LAST SAW Him ALIVE ON Aug 14, 1925 AND THAT 
DEATH OCCURED, ON THE DATE STATED ABOVE, AT 5pm, THE CAUSE 
OF DEATH WAS AS FOLLOWS: Trouble of stomach, DURATION: few months 
of ???, DID AN OPERATION PRECEDE DEATH: no, WAS THERE AN 
AUTOPSY: no, WHAT TEST CONFIRMED DIAGNOSIS: clinical, SIGNED: 
Clifton F. West, M.D., 10/12/25, Kinston., PLACE OF BURIAL: 



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