James W Bell Frontier peace officer

Frontier peace officer. James .W. Bell was a deputy sheriff of Lincoln County, NM under Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. Bell, along with fellow deputy Robert Olinger, was killed in the line of duty by Billy the Kid when he escaped from custody in Lincoln while awaiting hanging for the murder of the previous sheriff, William Brady. The murders of Bell and Olinger have been dramatized in the various Hollywood treatments of Billy the Kid. Deputy Bell is memorialized on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC at Panel 13, W3.

Bell’s grave was unmarked for over 100 years, but was located and an impressive headstone erected in 2003.


Inscription

James W. Bell Deputy Sheriff Born – 1853 – Died April 28, 1881 Murdered by William Bonney A.K.A. “Billy the Kid” during his escape from the Lincoln County Jail Lincoln N.M.

Gravesite Details Recent research (as of 2010) has cast doubt on whether this is actually Bell’s grave site. It may be appropriate to characterize this headstone as a cenotaph rather than an actual grave marker.

Frontier peace officer. J.W. Bell was a deputy sheriff of Lincoln County, NM under Sheriff Pat Garrett in 1881. Bell, along with fellow deputy Robert Olinger, was killed in the line of duty by Billy the Kid when he escaped from custody in Lincoln while awaiting hanging for the murder of the previous sheriff, William Brady. The murders of Bell and Olinger have been dramatized in the various Hollywood treatments of Billy the Kid. Deputy Bell is memorialized on the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC at Panel 13, W3.

Bell’s grave was unmarked for over 100 years, but was located and an impressive headstone erected in 2003.


 

Gravesite Details

Recent research (as of 2010) has cast doubt on whether this is actually Bell’s grave site. It may be appropriate to characterize this headstone as a cenotaph rather than an actual grave marker. Note: there are no authenticated photos of Bell.

 

Possible pictures found of BELL

James W Bell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

James W Bell

James W Bell

James W Bell

James W Bell

 

James Bell

in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Name: James Bell
Age in 1870: 17
Birth Date: abt 1853
Birthplace: Maryland
Dwelling Number: 263
Home in 1870: Wilkes Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania
Race: White
Gender: Male
Post Office: Wilkes-Barre
Occupation: Laborer
Father of Foreign Birth: Yes
Mother of Foreign Birth: Yes
Cannot Read: Yes
Cannot Write: Yes
Inferred Father: James Bell
Inferred Mother: Isabella Bell
Household Members Age
James Bell 38
Isabella Bell 38
James Bell 17
Abraham Bell 15
Agnes Bell 13
William Bell 7
Isabella Bell 3

 

James Bell

1880 United States Federal Census White Oaks

Name: James Bell
Age: 27
Birth Date: Abt 1853
Birthplace: Georgia
Home in 1880: White Oaks, Lincoln, New Mexico, USA
Dwelling Number: 9
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Single
Father’s Birthplace: Virginia
Mother’s Birthplace: Virginia
Occupation: Miner
Neighbors:  
Household Members Age Relationship
James Bell 27 Self (Head)

1880 CENSUS Pennsylvania

 
Name: James Bell (HIS FATHER)
Age: 50
Birth Date: Abt 1830
Birthplace: Scotland
Home in 1880: Wilkes Barre, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, USA
Dwelling Number: 192
Race: White
Gender: Male
Relation to Head of House: Self (Head)
Marital Status: Married
Spouse’s Name: Isabella Bell
Father’s Birthplace: Scotland
Mother’s Birthplace: Scotland
Occupation: Engineer
Household Members Age Relationship
James Bell 50 Self (Head) father
Isabella Bell 45 (Wife)mother
Abraham Bell 23 Son
Agnes Bell 20 Daughter
William Bell 16 Son
Isabella Bell 12 Daughter

Newspaper Clippings

5 Newspaper Clippings for James Bell

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Lincoln County Ownership

 

Results for your Search by Grantee: BELL J W
For official copies of documents, please visit the County office.
  Grantee Rec Bk       Grantor Instrument Description Doc#
  BELL J W 1 B       AMERICAN

GIRL

18800925 NOGAL

MINING

DISTRICT

188010196
    1         GRAY EAGLE     188010196
    1         HERCULES     188010196
    1         HOMESTAKE     188010196
    1         MOSCOW     188010196
    1         MOSCOW EXTENTION     188010196
    1         SUNSET     188010196
    1         TEXAS STAR     188010196
    1         TEXAS STAR EXTINTION     188010196
    1         VICTORIA     188010196
    1         WATTS JAMES     188010196
    1         ZEBRA     188010196

 

 

For official copies of documents, please visit the County office.

Reception Information

     

(ADDED BY WEBSITE)

Grantee Information

 BELL J B (MOST LIKELY HIS FATHER ON DEED ALSO)
 BELL J W (KILLED BY BILLY THE KID)

 

Grantor Information

 AMERICAN GIRL
 GRAY EAGLE
 HERCULES
 HOMESTAKE
 MOSCOW
 MOSCOW EXTENTION
 SUNSET
 TEXAS STAR
 TEXAS STAR EXTINTION
 VICTORIA
 WATTS JAMES (1st surveyor in White Oaks)
 ZEBRA

 

Description Information

 NOGAL MINING DISTRICT

 

Legal Description

NONE

See Interactive Map  Ownership (None listed)

Ancestry.com

When James Walter Bell was born in 1853, his father, James, was 21 and his mother, Isabella, was 21. He died on April 28, 1881, in White Oaks, New Mexico, at the age of 28, and was buried there. He lived in New Mexico on April 28, 1881.

Find a Grave

See more here

White Oaks Pioneer From 1880-1900?

No

Gold Miner?

No

James W Bell Tombstone

New Information added 3-29-2024

This information came from Steven Sederwall, Author on:

The Dirty on Billy the Kid:  Link Here

 

James W Bell letter

James W Bell Gun

James W Bell Gun

James W Bell Gun

Below shows James Bell as Constable  and Pat Garrett as  Deputy?

James W Bell Letter

Here are all the links provided in the search results:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_the_Kid
  2. https://www.whiteoaksnmgoldrush.com/james-bell/
  3. https://www.odmp.org/officer/reflections/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w-bell
  4. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8364624/james-w_-bell
  5. https://www.odmp.org/officer/1713-deputy-sheriff-james-w-bell
  6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_W._Bell

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