Person:Reason Bell (1)

Valparaiso Republican, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana, Thursday, July 25, 1867, page 3, column 5.

"Died – At his residence, in Washington Township, Porter County, Indiana, on the 16th of July, 1867, Reason Bell, Sen. Mr. Bell was born in Green County, Pennsylvania, on the 31st day of December, A. D., 1797. and would have reached his 70th birthday on the 31st of December next. He was married August 28th, 1819, to Miss Sarah Darnall***, who survives to mourn his departure.

They moved to LaPorte County in July, 1832, and came to Porter County in April, 1833. Mr. Bell's family is said to have been the third family to settle in this County. For about one year past Mr. Bell has been troubled with disease of the heart and gradually failing in strength, though suffering comparatively little.

Mr. Bell took a prominent part in the public affairs of the County during the early years of its history and until added years and failing health admonished him that his days of activity were over. He raised a family of boys and girls to be respectable and influential men and women and when death claimed his body a large concourse of friends followed his mortal remains to their last resting place. The funeral services were conducted by Mr. Gurney, and attended by more old people than are seen in one congregation. So pass away the pioneers one by one leaving their work on earth to others while they pass to the land of spirits." 

Vidette-Messenger 17 Feb 1989

The Stroller (by William O. Wallace) Reprint of an article published in the 1950s-1960s Reason Bell typical Porter pioneer Washington Twp.-- The story of the life of Reason Bell, Sr. depicts the condition of pioneer life in Porter County better than most others. The Bell family, consisting of Reason (pronounced Re-Ason) and his wife Sarah and their six children, was the third family to settle in Porter County. They came from Green County, PA in 1830, arriving in LaPorte in 1832, and in the area that became Porter County in 1833. They drove a couple of covered wagons, and four yoke of oxen, and headed first for what was then called "The Ohio Country." Finding that region already in the hands of speculators, or permanent settlers, they moved onward into "The Indian Country." They had with them a small flock of chickens, some pigs, a couple of horses, and the family cow. They moved slowly and carefully. Reason Bell knew exactly what he wanted and kept moving until he found it. For two years they "camped out" with their equipment until as Sarah once expressed it, "it seemed as if we'd never known any other sort of life."

Seek ideal spot They arrived in LaPorte in 1832, and for a year Reason and one of the older boys walked over the adjacent country, seeking the ideal location. They found it in what is now Washington Township. Under the permission of an erstwhile Indian owner Reason made a deal for the land, and made a tentative settlement thereon. Feeling Assured that both his Indian title and his "possession" would enable him to buy that particular site when the government land sales opened in 1835, he immediately began to build a log cabin. The Morgans, the Adams and the T.A.E. Campbell families did likewise. This group of families became the mainstay of the new settlement. In spite of the numerous drifters and speculators who came and attempted some sort of "shenanigans" to defraud the newcomers, this group applied the test of "common sense" to every proposition, and brushed the fantastic "offers" aside. This group was the nucleus of the whole early Porter County development, and Reason Bell was the unofficial leader of the settlement. He was elected one of the county commissioners and until 1844 he took an active part in the community growth.

Reason Bell died July 16, 1867, almost exactly at the three-score-and-ten mark, which, in those days, was a ripe old age. He is buried in the Luther cemetery, and there, too, lie many of his family. The cemetery visitor frequently notes that July was a fatal month for several of the Bell clan, for the headstone on Sarah's grave says July 12, 1881, and Reason Jr.'s headstone says July 15, 1899. When Reason Bell and his family arrived in this area the Indians were still here. Their first home was and 18 x 20 log cabin with a "stick-and-mud" chimney, and greased paper for windows. Wood pegs stuck around the walls offered facilities for hanging garments, and the settlers went to Michigan City for supplies, or to Kingsbury for a grist mill. When Reason Jr. died, the first automobile had made its appearance.

1. ↑ Robert Blake bladerph1@@home.com.
2. ↑ Census, 1900, Valparaiso, Center Twp., Porter County, Indiana.

   Census, 1900, Valparaiso, Center Twp., Porter County, Indiana. (information re son, James A. Bell)

3. ↑ Obituary for Reason Bell, Sr., Valparaiso Republican, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana, Thursday, July 25, 1.
4. ↑ Gravestone photo, Reason Bell, Sr., Luther Cemetery, Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana.
5. ↑ Census, 1850, Washington Twp., Porter County, Indiana.