Ross Augustus Bell, late Tax Collector of Wilkinson
County, was born a few miles Southwest of Irwinton,
March 14, 1864, the son of John Ross Bell and Mary
Webster (Brooks) Bell, (the daughter of Philip
Brooks, a veteran of the War of 1812). John Ross
Bell was the son of John Bartlett and Elizabeth
(Herndon) Bell. The Bells are of Scotch descent,
having migrated first to Ireland and later to
Virginia. John Bartlett Bell was born in Virginia
and removed from there to North Carolina first and
later to Wilkinson County, he died about 1868. His
son, John Ross Bell, served faithfully in Co. D,
57th Ga. Regiment during the War Between the States.
When he first enlisted he could not write his name
but the necessity of writing home caused him to get
other members of the Company to teach him and in
three months he was writing his own letters.

Our subject's education was obtained mainly at
Bethel,

Lindsey and Irwinton Schools. Growing up as he did
during the terrible Reconstruction Era, when the
youth of Wilkinson was so busy rebuilding the losses
inflicted by Sherman's Army and the aftermath of the
war, his schooling was necessarily limited but he
took advantage of the opportunities he had and made
the most of them. Honest, honorable and upright, Mr.
Bell won the respect of all those who knew him best.
He owned, at his death, January 8, 1930, a well kept
farm where he lived and was considered one of the
best and most progressive farmers of his section.
Mr. Bell, at the insistence of his many friends,
entered the race for Tax Collector in 1924, and was
elected. So well did he fill the position to the
satisfaction of the voters that in 1928, he was re-
elected to this office.

Mr. Bell was married April 3rd, 1890, to Sarah
Hatfield, the daughter of John Richard and Sarah
(Hughs) Hatfield, who was the daughter of Whitfield
Hughs and granddaughter of Rev. John Hughs, one of
the most prominent Baptist preachers in the history
of the county. Richard Hatfield was the son of
Joseph and Martha (Freeman) Hatfield who was the
daughter of George Washington Freeman, a descendant
of John Freeman. Joseph Hatfield was the son of
Richard (1765-1859) and Rebecca (Player, [Brown?],
1767-1860) Hatfield. Both Joseph and his son, John
Richard, served in the War Between the States.
Joseph died on the march of Western Confederate army
from Kentucky. John Richard was detailed to guard
prisoners in Andersonville and was there at the
close of the war, bringing home his sword and
blanket. One of Mrs. Bell's most cherished
possessions is her father's sword. After the
creation of the Board of County Commissioners he
served as a member for several years.

According to family traditions, Richard's father was
a Scotch sailor on a vessel plying between
Charleston and the Old Country, and brought Richard
with him from Scotland when only seven years of age.
Richard's daughter, Frankie, who married Fletcher
Reed, had the Scotch brogue. Richard's children
were: Jane, Mary Ann, Bernetta, Martha, Frankie,

Caleb, John, Samuel William, Joe, Huckaby and James.
On all their lines of ancestry, both Mr. and Mrs.
Bell can justly claim descent from the best original
pioneer stock of Wilkinson County and on the Hughs
line, Mrs. Bell can trace her ancestry to the
Revolution.

Mrs. Bell is one of nature's sweet and lovable,
noble women, kind and considerate, neighborly and
hospitable. She visits the sick and ministers to the
needy. To know her is to love her. She is a faithful
member of the Ball's Methodist Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Bell have reared four children: Jack
Ross, L. Wesley, Otho W., Raleigh, and had one
daughter, Mary Lora, who died 1912. They have given
their children all the advantages of the best school
the county afforded. Their oldest son, J.R., was
married to Emmie Ruth Pennington, Dec. 17, 1916, and
in 1925 while in the employ of the Pynetree Paper
Company at Gordon, he was accidentally killed by a
heavy roll of paper falling on him. He left two
sons, Jack, Jr., and Billy.

L. Wesley was married in 1925 to Jessie Mae Shepherd
and is farming near Irwinton.

Otho W., after graduating at the Irwinton High
School, assisted his father in the management of the
duties of the Tax Collector's Office until his death
and was appointed to fill the vacancy until an
election could be held, which resulted in his favor.
He, in all probability, holds the record for being
the youngest Tax Collector in Georgia. He was
married in 1928 to Ethel Jackson, a successful
school teacher of the county.

Raleigh is a student at the Irwinton High School.

Marriage Cert to Sallie Hatfield