From History of Walworth County Wisconsin by Albert Clayton Beckwith, Vol. II, 
Publ. 1912 - Page 1072-1075
 
HIRAM SEARS BELL.  Standing today among the representative citizens of 
Walworth county, which has been the arena of his interesting and successful 
life work, Hiram Sears BELL, now living in retirement in the village of 
Walworth, has performed well his part in the local drama of civilization, 
having been active in the various stages of development here from the pioneer 
epoch.
 
Mr. BELL was born in Walworth township, a little over a mile northwest of the 
village of Walworth, this county, June 28, 1844.  He is the son of William and 
Sarah (MOSHER) BELL, the father born at Berne, Albany county, New York, June 
20, 1806, being the fifth child of Robert and Clara Bell.  Robert BELL was the 
third child of James BELL and he was born in Rhode Island in 1776.  James 
BELL's father, also named James, was born near Newport, Rhode Island, and from 
there he moved to Rensselaerville, New York.  According to family tradition he 
was descended from John AUSTIN, of Scotland, who was a noted metal worker and 
designer and made a great improvement in the composition of bell metal and 
bells during the reign of James I, King of England.  He was the first to make 
a tulip shaped bell, having discovered a process of molding it in one piece.  
For his skill as a bell maker and scientific metal work he was knighted by the 
King and called Sir John BELL and given a crest.
 
William BELL, father of Hiram S. BELL, received a good common school education 
and for a number of years he followed teaching in early life.  In 1828 he 
moved to Albany, New York, where he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he 
worked for eight years.  He and Sarah MOSHER were married June 10, 1829.  She 
was born at Queemans, Albany county, New York, December 14, 1808.  She was of 
English descent and the daughter of David and Anna (IRISH) MOSHER, being the 
seventh of nine children, namely: John, Ruth, Nathaniel, Peter, Polly, Nancy, 
Sarah, Thankful, and Harriett.  Her mother died about 1818 and her father 
about three years later.  Mrs. BELL was adopted by a Mr. PALMER, after the 
death of her parents, and she grew up in New York.  Wisconsin was still a 
territory when, in 1837, William BELL and wife came to Walworth county, thus 
being among the earliest settlers.  Locating at the head of Lake Geneva, they 
lived two years at what is now Glenwood Springs, then Mr. BELL entered a farm 
at what is now known as Bell's Corners, Walworth township, his place having 
contained eighty acres of prairie and forty acres of timber and later he got 
eighty acres of school land.  He took an active interest in public affairs, 
and was the first justice of the peace in this locality, which office he held 
many years.  He established the first postoffice and was postmaster at Bell's 
Corners for fourteen years, thus being the first postmaster in the township.  
He was also the first county assessor of this county.  He was a member of the 
first constitutional convention of Wisconsin.  He was very influential in 
public life and was a man of exemplary character, a zealous lover of liberty, 
an independent thinker, both in regard to religion and politics.  During the 
Civil war he was loyal to the government.  Two sons, William James and Lucius, 
died in the service, the former having been a private in Company A, Tenth 
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and the latter was in the Second Regiment of 
Colonel Berdan's Sharpshooters.  William J. was killed in the battle of 
Perryville, Kentucky, October 8, 1862.  Lucius died at Columbia College 
Hospital, Washington City, January 11, 1862.  The other children of William 
BELL and wife were Almira, born at Albany, New York, December 7, 1830, and 
died when sixteen years old; Robert, born at Berne, New York, August 8, 1832, 
died at Shenandoah, Iowa, September 27, 1881, leaving three sons and one 
daughter; Florence, born at Albany, New York, July 18, 1835.
 
Clara Anna BELL, born July 8, 1837, at Fontana, was the first white child born 
in Walworth township, and her death occurred here on October 21, 1858; 
Harriett, born at Walworth, April 1, 1839, died April 25, 1890; William J. and 
his twin brother, who died unnamed, were born May 10, 1840, at Walworth; this 
was the son that was killed in battle at Perryville; Lucius, the other soldier 
from this family, was born at Walworth, July 23, 1842; Hiram S., of this 
review; Manley and Amanda, twins, were born at Walworth, on September 2, 1847; 
the former, who lives at Fresno, California, married Nellie BETRIDGE, 
September 17, 1875, and has two daughters, also a son who died when twenty-two 
years old; Amanda lived only about a month; Jane Almira, born at Walworth, 
February 25, 1850, died March 24, 1888; Lola BELL, born at Walworth, March 23, 
1854, died in Elkhorn, April 23, 1891.
 
In 1870 William BELL moved to Lawrence, Kansas, and engaged chiefly in raising 
fruit.  He was a member of the Horticultural Society, in which he took an 
active part.  His death occurred on November 8, 1876, after an illness of 
several weeks.
 
Hiram S. BELL, the immediate subject of this sketch, lived on the home farm 
until he was twenty-one years old.  He received his education in Big Foot 
Academy at Walworth, also attended the academy at Allen's Grove.  He began 
life for himself by teaching school a year, then learned the carpenter's 
trade, which he followed ten years at Elkhorn.  While there, on January 27, 
1869 he married Lucilia C. BAILEY.  She was born at Walworth, this county, 
December 5, 1847, and she was the daughter of Joseph and Mary Catherine 
(SIPERLY) BAILEY.  Her father as born at Havre-de-Grace, Maryland, July 19, 
1797, and he located in Walworth county probably as early as 1838, having 
entered a quarter section where the village of Walworth now stands and the 
quarter section west of it.  He was a son of Aquilla and Rachel (BARNES) 
BAILEY.  Aquilla BAILEY was the son of Josiah and Margaret (OSBORN) BAILEY, of 
Havre-de-Grace.  Rachel (BARNES) BAILEY, was a daughter of Gregory and 
Elizabeth (MITCHELL) BARNES.  Catherine SIPERLY, born February 27, 1820, in 
Dutchess county, New York, was a daughter of Peter and Betsey (FRADENBURG) 
SIPERLY.  Betsey FRADENBURG was born January 30, 1795.  Peter SIPERLY and wife 
located just south of Delavan lake in this county.
 
Mrs. BELL was one of six children, two sons and four daughters.  Her father 
farmed in Walworth all his life, and died October 12, 1873, his wife dying 
April 9, 1901.
 
After his marriage Hiram S. BELL lived at Elkhorn until 1876, in which year he 
bought a farm west of the village of Walworth, on which he lived until 1900, 
when he moved into the village and organized the Walworth Exchange Bank, as a 
private institution, and when it was incorporated as a state bank he was 
elected its president, remaining about six months longer, then sold out and 
retired.  The success and prestige of this popular institution has been due 
very largely to his efforts.  He has been very successful in a business way 
and has a comfortable competency.  In 1904 he built a very substantial and 
attractive residence in Walworth, modern in its appointments and tastily 
furnished and this has since been his home.  About eight or ten years prior to 
going into the bank he was manager of the Farmers Cooperative Creamery 
Company.  He was also president of the Lake Geneva Land Company, the founders 
of Glenwood Springs, for about fifteen years.
 
Mr. BELL has been active and influential in public as well as business affairs 
and for a period of sixteen years he was a member of the Walworth high school 
board, and was president of the village board for two terms; he was clerk of 
the local camp of Modern Woodmen for five years, and consul for an equal 
length of time  He is also a member of the Masonic order.
 
Mr. BELL and wife had one son, Clifford Wentworth BELL, born at Elkhorn, 
September 22, 1873, and he died at the Palmer Hospital at Janesville, 
Wisconsin, January 9,1895, after an illness of three years, resulting from an 
injury to the spine; he was just past his twenty-first birthday.
 
Mrs. Sarah BELL, mother of Hiram S. BELL, died October 1, 1904, at Walworth, 
when almost ninety-six years of age.  She was one of the county's pioneer 
women, who endured the hardships of the first settlers.  She was a grand 
character, charitable, obliging, always doing something for her neighbors.  
She was always sent for at births, in sickness of a severe nature and whenever 
a strong-minded and willing person was needed in times of distress, and her 
skill was often solely depended on in the days when doctors were scarce.  She 
lived a very active life.
 
Mr. BELL has always been known as a man of broad intellect, progressive, 
hospitable and perhaps no one in the county has more friends.
 
Submitted by Carol