Medcalf A. Bell - Bishop Post, G.A.R.

It is no wonder that Mr. Bell often went by his initials, as his first name seemed to be a challenge to 19th century spellers.  He was Metcalf, Medcalf, and Medkiff in various records.  Even the United States government seemed unsure of the correct spelling on his war documents.

M. A. Bell was a Defiance County boy from birth until death.  Highland Township was his birthplace, there born to parents M. P. and Margaret Bell on August 21, 1845. In 1850, he had siblings D. L. (Demetrius), Melissa, Caroline and V. S. (?).  Later a sister, Anna, was added.  His father worked as a sawyer.






By the 1860 census, his father had died and his widowed mother moved to Defiance where Demetrius, 21, worked as a laborer and Caroline, 17, worked as a servant.  These two jobs supported the family of five, as apparently V. S. had also passed away.  Metcalf was only 13 then, according to the census, but just one year later, he would be a soldier.

According to the 1890 census and his pension card, Medcalf A. Bell enlisted in Company F, 48th Ohio Infantry on November 8, 1861 and he served four years and seven months.  His discharge was dated January 19, 1865.  The 48th was heavily involved in the bloody Battle of Shiloh in 1862, where they lost 1/3 of their men. They fought on in many other battles, including the Battle of Vicksburg.  He was just a boy.

In 1866, Bell married Mary Ann Bluff and the couple would go on to have two children, neither of whom survived infancy.  In each census, Bell was listed as working in a livery stable.  The house at 412 Harrison Street was their home for many years.  In 1910, when M.A. was 64, he was retired, but Mary Ann, at 65, worked on as a dressmaker.  

M. A. Bell last appears in the 1920 census as Alonzo M. Bell and his wife was Anna M. Bell, both in their mid-seventies.  On February 1. 1927, Medcalf Alonzo Bell died and was buried in Riverside Cemetery, Defiance.

 

Riverside Cemetery       www.findagrave.com

 (This is part of a series on Civil War veterans of Defiance County who were part of the G.A.R., Bishop Post, that headquartered in the city.  Formed in 1879, the post was named after a local man, Captain William Bishop, Company D, 100th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Army who died as a result of wounds received in battle.  The veterans' photos are part of a composite photo of members that has survived.  If you have other information or corrections to add to the soldiers' stories, please add to the comments!)