He and his first wife, Mary Ann "Polly" Nelson, a daughter of Alexander Nelson and Ann Mathews (daughter of Sampson Mathews and Mary Lockhart) were married at the bride’s home, Popular Grove, 6 miles northeast of Staunton, Augusta, VA. They made their home in Bell’s Valley, Rockbridge, VA, where he engaged in farming and acquired a large acreage of land which is said to extended along the valley from the Rockbridge-Augusta line southwest to Goshen, and which he subsequently divided among his children. He is said to have built several homes, two of which are “Bell View”, built in 1815, and “Cameron Hall” built later, both of which he loved in with his family. Bell View was given to his son Wm. Harvey Bell, who sold it in 1858 to Samuel Miller, who in 1861 sold it to S.M. Dickenson, whose descendants still (1954) live in it. Cameron Hall near Goshen VA, was the home of Joseph Bell at the time of his death. He and his first wife, and 26 of their relatives were buried in a small private graveyard on a knoll near Cameron Hall. This farm passed out of the Bell family about 1941 when it was sold by Addison “Ad” Davidson Bell. Lebanon Presbyterian Church, in Bell’s Valley, was built on land acquired by Joseph Bell from John Bratten, in 1812, and deeded to the trustees of the church, 16 September 1816. The first pastor of this church was Rev. John Montgomery, who for a time taught Liberty Hall Academy and whose son John Montgomery Jr. was a brother-in-law of Joseph Bell. Joseph Bell was given a license to operate a tavern in 1826 He was a justice of the Peace in Rockbridge County 1817-1843 and sheriff in 1845. [1] He had 15 children. They were:
Their descendants are further identified at [2]
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