Butte County
Biographies
FRANCIS T. BELL
FRANCIS T. BELL.—The
son of a prominent pioneer family of Butte County, Francis T. Bell is making
good in his home county, and has shown the enterprising and liberal tendencies
for which his father was noted. Born on the Humboldt Road, at the Fourteen Mile
House, above Chico, he is a son of Hugh and Eleanor Bell, whose biographies are
given in this history. Both the father and mother were natives of England and
came to California, settling in Butte County, in the early days of the county’s
history, and here became numbered among the representative members of the
community.
Francis T. Bell was reared on his father’s
ranch from the age of five years. He received a good education in the public
schools at Nord, and supplemented this with a course
at Woodman’s Academy, in Chico. He was a willing lad, and early became
proficient in handling teams and farm machinery, and in the care of stock. On
reaching his majority, he leased land and began raising grain on his own
account. He operated one of his mother’s ranches, and, as he succeeded, he
bought land and added to his original purchase until he now owns six hundred
acres of good, productive land, in four different parcels, or farms, lying
within five miles of Chico. He is raising wheat and hay, and meeting with
splendid success, at present operating twelve hundred acres, all sowed to
grain, some for wheat and some to be cut for hay.
A resident of the county since his birth,
Mr. Bell has had every opportunity to study agricultural conditions in this
section, and his success shows his good judgment in ranching operations. He is
progressive in all things, and ever ready to do his share toward upbuilding Butte County. Fraternally, he is a member of
Great Oak Camp, Woodmen of the World, of Chico.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
16 October 2008.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages
1064-1065, Historic
Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's Butte
County Biographies