John S. Bell, of Brooklyn, was a veteran of the Civil War. He was born in Sussex County, New Jersey on February 9, 1842. His parents, Almond and Mary (Sutton) Bell, were natives of the same state, the former born in 1800 and the latter in 1821. John’s paternal grandfather, Josiah Bell, was in the Revolutionary War, and took part in that famous crossing of the Delaware, leaving his blood-stained tracks upon the ice and snow.
John’s parents were married in New Jersey and lived there a number of years before coming west in 1848 when Bell was 6. They came to Dane county, staying for a few weeks in Cooksville, and then settled in Rutland Township, buying 120 acres of land of Rogers & Cummings.
John went to public school of district number five, and was a young man of nineteen at the breaking out of the Civil War. He attempted to enlist at Camp Randall in Madison, WI. He was rejected because of his small stature. Determined to contribute his support for the cause, Bell went to Janesville to enlist again. He enlisted as a private in Company D, Second Wisconsin Infantry on May 19, 1861, was sworn into the U.S. service June 19, and mustered out July 1865, following the close of the war.
John participated in Bull Run Battle where he was shot in the head. He then was carried by Rebels to a prison in Manassas where he laid for 10 days; never receiving any care. Then, he was transferred to Libby Prison where his skull was trepanned with silver. During his recovery, he was sent to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for an additional four months. From there Bell was forwarded to Salisbury, North Carolina where he was released. Returning home, he was ordered to Benton Barracks, St. Louis. When Indian troubles broke out in Minnesota, Bell was sent with his regiment, the Second Wisconsin, to Bayfield near Ashland to protect the settlers. The following spring his regiment was ordered to go to Philadelphia to protect the city against the advancing Rebels under Lee. There, the Battle of Gettysburg was fought. The Second Wisconsin unit united with Sixth Wisconsin and fought in the Battle of the Wilderness.
John was wounded in the head again at the second battle of Hatcher’s Run and landed in the field hospital for a short time. During the final movements of the war that forced Lee to surrender, John’s regiment was continually on the march; not stopping more than two hours at a time. After the surrender on April 9, Bell and others divided their rations with the hungry Rebels.
Bell returned home and worked on the family farm for a year before selling the farm and renting another. For a few months he worked at a flouring mill at Steubenville, than at Dunkirk Mills. He returned to the area to purchase a farm in Rutland.
He was married to Elnora V. Colburn on November 4, 1873 at Madison. She was the daughter of Hobart and Katherine (Prouty) Colburn, who came from Vermont and settled in Rutland. Hobart died in 1904.
Early in their marriage, John and Elnora lived in Rutland but eventually moved to Brooklyn. John and Elnora had 5 children; Bertha M. (Mrs. Albert Winkler), of Iowa; Dr. Hugh R. Bell, of Ft. Atkinson; Harvey H., who is in the west; Leslie H., of Iowa; LeGrand L., at home. All were born in Rutland and educated in Brooklyn and Madison.
In 1881, Bell launched a depot of agricultural implements in the settlement of Brooklyn. Bell’s inventory included equipment for horse drawn farming, plus repairs of agricultural machinery.
In the 1891 Patrons Directory, J.S. Bell was listed as a dealer in choice confectionery, domestic; California and tropical fruits, carbonated beverages, tobacco, ice cream and oysters; when in season. Leather, lace, belting, temple pumps and fixtures were available too. Bell rented stable space with feed too. These businesses were located on the west side of the tracks, across from the cheese factory. Having twelve years of success, Bell managed the hotel; earlier mentioned for three years.
In the years following, John suffered a considerable financial loss through several fires. John Bell lived in the Brooklyn settlement for twenty-five years. Beginning June 15, 1897, he officiated as the postmaster at Brooklyn while attending to his 100-acre farm in Rutland.
John was a Republican and was treasurer of the town of Rutland for four years, and postmaster in the village of Brooklyn for eight years. He was a charter member of the Masonic and Modern Woodmen’s lodges in Brooklyn, and Master for first five years after organization. He was also a a charter member of the Evansville chapter of I. O. O. F. and a member of G.A.R. Post, No. 41, of Evansville.
John was one of the charter members of the Brooklyn Lodge #251 and the Modern Woodmen Fraternity of Brooklyn. He was the First Master of the Masonic Lodge in Brooklyn for its first five years and belonged to the T.L. Stevens Post #41 G.A.R. at Evansville and the Wautoma Lodge #90 at Cooksville where he became a Mason in 1871.
John Bell lived in Brooklyn for 25 years until his death on July 24, 1910 at the age of 68. He is buried in Rutland Center Cemetery.
Elnora died in 1937.
Sources referenced:
- 1906 History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Western Historical Association, Madison, WI, p. 80-81 accessible at https://archive.org/details/historyofdanecou02keye
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15680403/john_s-bell
- https://brooklynwi.gov/john-bell/