Bell family papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Bell family papers
- Date
- 1800-1937, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 1.08 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Architecture -- Kentucky -- Lexington -- History
- Bell Place (Lexington, Ky.)
- Neighborhoods -- Kentucky -- Lexington
- Bell, Clara D., 1884-1940
- Bell, D.D. (David Davis), 1849-1892
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format.
- Preferred Citation
- 1997ms164: Bell family papers, 1800-1937, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- David Davis Bell (D.D. Bell) was born in 1849 to Henry Bell and Clara Davis. He grew up in Woodside, a large home completed in 1846 in Lexington, Kentucky. The home was passed along to D.D. upon the death of his father in 1883. After an 1884 fire, D.D. worked with Cincinnati architect Samuel Eugene Des Jardins to rebuild the home, which is present-day Bell Place. During his life, D.D. made his fortune as a dry goods merchant and kept show horses across the state. In 1880, he married Sydney Sayre and they had one daughter, Clara D. Bell in 1884. Clara grew up in the reconstructed Bell Place with her mother and father, until his death in 1892. Sydney Sayre was remarried shortly after to Arthur Cary.
- D.D. gave Clara D. Bell the majority of his fortune and all of Bell estate. Clara enjoyed showing horses in her free time and at the age of 21, she married Julius Walsh Jr. of St. Louis. Clara would continue her involvement in business, travel, and social gatherings. Later the couple would divorce in 1911 and Clara would eventually move into the Plaza Hotel in New York, selling most of the land surrounding Bell Place. Clara passed away in 1940 and gave Bell Place to the city of Lexington.
- Scope and Content
- The Bell family papers (dated 1800-1937, undated; 1.08 cubic feet; 5 boxes and 1 oversized folder) consist of correspondence, financial and legal material, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, and photographs that document the Bell and Sayre families of Lexington as well as their house known as Bell Place. The bulk of the collection details the financial activity and involvement with the Safety Vault Company of Kentucky of D.D. Bell, his wife Sydney Sayre, and their daughter Clara D. Bell. The collection also contains a significant amount of material about the Bell Court neighborhood, including specifications and receipts for the 1884 rebuilding of the still-standing Bell Place and information about the sale and subdivision of land on the larger estate. The Bell family papers also include more personal documents such as correspondence between Clara and her mother, family photographs at Bell Place, and genealogy records of the Bells and Sayre families. Included in the collection are photographs of unidentified individuals, many African-American, believed to be employed at Bell Place as servants. Those photographed could be any of the following individuals: Geo Mitchell, Elle Mitchell, Evalina Mitchell, Bush Mitchell, May Mitchell, Sallie Sanders, Sam Sanders, Lucy Shark, Lonnie Shark, Larkin Johnson, Letta Johnson, Bob Johnson and William Johnson.
- Items of note include the will of D.D. Bell giving gave Clara control of Bell Place on her twenty-first birthday; a 1905 Supreme Court brief for the case of Security Trust and Safety Vault Co., Trustee of Clara D. Bell vs. The City of Lexington; a memorandum detailing the purchase price, guidelines, and subdivision of the land surrounding Bell Place; a 1908 plat map of Bell Court labeled with names, prices, and divisions of the land handled by Bell Land Company; and a Bell family photograph album.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Correspondence and personal papers, 1800-1937, undated
Financial and legal documents, 1838-1928, undated
Bell Place Land Co. additions, 1908-1911
Scrapbooks and newspaper clippings, 1910-1911, undated
Photographs, 1880s-1930s, undated
Scope and Contents
Photos arranged by size into four boxes. Also included is a photo album with unidentified subjects and dates.
Bride and groom, wedding ceremony, undated
Clara D. Bell as a child with unidentified woman, 1884
Clara D. Bell as a youth, 1880s
Clara D. Bell as a youth, 1888 September 20
- Box 2, item 4
Scope and Contents
Handwritten note on back: "My Li[?] September 20th 1888 4=years"
Clara D. Bell (Center, with unidentified individuals), 1880s
Clara D. Bell outside, 1890s
Clara D. Bell, 1936 August 3
- Box 2, item 7
Scope and Contents
Handwritten note on back: "Your Baby Le[?] Crowned Queen of the Europa at the Flower Fete Aug. 3 1936."
Group of unidentified young girls with a dog, undated
Street corner, undated
Show horses, undated
Tree near Bell Place, undated
Wedding ceremony, undated
Wedding ceremony, undated
Wedding ceremony, undated
Wedding ceremony, undated
Two unidentified men on the front porch of Bell Place, undated
One unidentified man standing in front of Bell Place, undated
Clara D. Bell with Shetland pony, Booky, 1880s
Clara D. Bell, 1902
Clara D. Bell, 1902
Clara D. Bell, 1902
Clara D. Bell with two unidentified individuals. Clara pictured on right, 1914 September 16
- Box 3, item 7
Scope and Contents
Handwritten note on back: "Clara - [Florence [?] 2 Jimmin Harreinan [?] [?] Sep 16] 1914"
Clara D. Bell with a small elephant, undated
Group photo (including Clara D. Bell, Sydney Sayre, Mary Sayre Combs, Graddy Cary, and other identified Sayre family members), 1939
- Box 3, item 9
Scope and Contents
Handwritten on the back of photograph: "photo by Lafayette Studio, Lexington, KY" Handwritten note on back: Sat. 4/15/39 Graddy Cary (Louisville, KY), Suzanne Mason, Clara Bell Walsh (N.Y. City), Lucas B. Combs, Mary Sayre Combs. Sydney Sayre Cary (84 yrs. young), Eliza Beth Courtney Gordon (Louisville, KY), Lucy Humbphry Johnstone, Chas N. Manning, Mrs. Heaoly, Rev. and Mrs. Miles, Mr. and Mrs. Matt Clay Jr., Florence Ingals Clay, Allie Hunter Manning, Mrs. Jos. Humphrey, Hattie Rarrles Searles, Elsie Stoll Coleman, Anna Pearce Carrick, Norma Stevenson Bradley, Marie Burnett Cary, Ione Schaeffer Sears, Carolyn Steele Goodloe, Dr. Robt. Coleman, Clayton Clay, Mrs. Aruthur Hancock, Gus Wheeler and 3 singers, Geneva, Eliza, Rosa, Margaret, Louise, Louella"
Interior view of Bell Place, including young Clara D. Bell, 1880s
Interior view of Bell Place, undated
Interior view of Bell Place, undated
Interior view of Bell Place, undated
Mr. Lankow portrait, 1924 November
- Box 3, item 14
Scope and Contents
Handwritten note on front of photograph: "What is the Eighth World Wonder? Clara's laugh!! from her obedient audience [H. W.] Lankow Nov. 1924"
Unidentified man in a horse carriage in front of the carriage house at Bell Place, undated
Unidentified man, seated, 1917
Unidentified group photo, undated
Clara D. Bell as young adult in riding habit, undated
Unidentified man, undated
Unidentified group of men, undated
Arthur Cary, undated
Clara D. Bell riding a Shetland pony, Booky with an unidentified man, a pony and foal in front of Bell Place, 1880s
Clara D. Bell with Shetland pony, 1880s
- Box 4, item 3
Scope and Contents
Photograph captioned: "Booky and Me"(duplicate of Box 3, item 2)
Clara D. Bell in carriage pulled by Shetland pony in front of Bell Place, 1880s
Clara D. Bell as a child with D.D. Bell at Bell Place, 1880s
Clara D. Bell, as a young adult, with horse, 1890s
Clara D. Bell, as a young adult, with horse, 1890s
Clara D. Bell, 1896
Church interior with Christmas decorations, undated
El Paso, Texas fair trophies, 1915
Family portrait, unidentified individuals, undated
Unidentified woman, portrait, undated
Unidentified group of children on porch of Bell Place, undated
Unidentified group of men, undated
Unidentified man reading, undated
Unidentified group of men and women with tennis racquets, 1889 August 29
- Box 4, item 16
Scope and Contents
Handwritten note on back of print, illegible due to damage: "[?] Chicago [?] August 29, 1889"
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
