Bell family papers

Abstract

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.

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.
Finding Aid Author
Jennifer Rawe
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

Correspondence, 1800-1911, undated

  • Box 1, folder 1
To top

Clara D. Bell and Sydney Sayre personal items, 1884-1937, undated

  • Box 1, folder 2
To top

Genealogy documents, 1839-1855

  • Box 1, folder 3
To top

Financial and legal documents, 1838-1928, undated

Bell family wills, 1886-1892

  • Box 1, folder 4
To top

Bell Place Specifications and receipts, 1878-1885, undated

  • Box 1, folder 5
To top

Clara D. Bell financials, 1897-1923, undated

  • Box 1, folder 6
To top

D.D. Bell financials, 1877-1898

  • Box 1, folder 7
To top

General financial holdings, 1839-1902, undated

  • Box 1, folder 8
To top

Henry Bell financials, 1838-1886

  • Box 1, folder 9
To top

Sayre family wills, 1899-1900, undated

  • Box 1, folder 10
To top

Sydney Sayre financials, 1893-1928

  • Box 1, folder 11
To top

Bell Place Land Co. additions, 1908-1911

  • Box OS-17, folder 1
To top

Scrapbooks and newspaper clippings, 1910-1911, undated

Bell Place newspaper clippings, 1910-1911

  • Box 1, folder 12
To top

General newspaper clippings, undated

  • Box 1, folder 14
To top

Loose prints from scrapbook, undated

  • Box 1, folder 15
To top

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

  • Box 2, item 1
To top

Clara D. Bell as a child with unidentified woman, 1884

  • Box 2, item 2
To top

Clara D. Bell as a youth, 1880s

  • Box 2, item 3
To top

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"

To top

Clara D. Bell (Center, with unidentified individuals), 1880s

  • Box 2, item 5
To top

Clara D. Bell outside, 1890s

  • Box 2, item 6
To top

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."

To top

Group of unidentified young girls with a dog, undated

  • Box 2, item 8
To top

Street corner, undated

  • Box 2, item 9
To top

Show horses, undated

  • Box 2, item 10
To top

Tree near Bell Place, undated

  • Box 2, item 11
To top

Wedding ceremony, undated

  • Box 2, item 12
To top

Wedding ceremony, undated

  • Box 2, item 13
To top

Wedding ceremony, undated

  • Box 2, item 14
To top

Wedding ceremony, undated

  • Box 2, item 15
To top

Two unidentified men on the front porch of Bell Place, undated

  • Box 3, item 1
To top

One unidentified man standing in front of Bell Place, undated

  • Box 3, item 2
To top

Clara D. Bell with Shetland pony, Booky, 1880s

  • Box 3, item 3
To top

Clara D. Bell, 1902

  • Box 3, item 4
To top

Clara D. Bell, 1902

  • Box 3, item 5
To top

Clara D. Bell, 1902

  • Box 3, item 6
To top

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"

To top

Clara D. Bell with a small elephant, undated

  • Box 3, item 8
To top

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"

To top

Interior view of Bell Place, including young Clara D. Bell, 1880s

  • Box 3, item 10
To top

Interior view of Bell Place, undated

  • Box 3, item 11
To top

Interior view of Bell Place, undated

  • Box 3, item 12
To top

Interior view of Bell Place, undated

  • Box 3, item 13
To top

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"

To top

Unidentified man in a horse carriage in front of the carriage house at Bell Place, undated

  • Box 3, item 15
To top

Unidentified man, seated, 1917

  • Box 3, item 16
To top

Unidentified group photo, undated

  • Box 3, item 17
To top

Clara D. Bell as young adult in riding habit, undated

  • Box 3, item 18
To top

Unidentified man, undated

  • Box 3, item 19
To top

Unidentified group of men, undated

  • Box 3, item 20
To top

Arthur Cary, undated

  • Box 4, item 1
To top

Clara D. Bell riding a Shetland pony, Booky with an unidentified man, a pony and foal in front of Bell Place, 1880s

  • Box 4, item 2
Scope and Contents

Photograph captioned: "Miss Christmas"

To top

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)

To top

Clara D. Bell in carriage pulled by Shetland pony in front of Bell Place, 1880s

  • Box 4, item 4
Scope and Contents

Photograph captioned: "What do you think of us?"

To top

Clara D. Bell as a child with D.D. Bell at Bell Place, 1880s

  • Box 4, item 5
To top

Clara D. Bell, as a young adult, with horse, 1890s

  • Box 4, item 6
To top

Clara D. Bell, as a young adult, with horse, 1890s

  • Box 4, item 7
To top

Clara D. Bell, 1896

  • Box 4, item 8
Scope and Contents

Photograph captioned: "Davis & Sanford, 12 years old"

To top

Church interior with Christmas decorations, undated

  • Box 4, item 9
To top

El Paso, Texas fair trophies, 1915

  • Box 4, item 10
To top

Family portrait, unidentified individuals, undated

  • Box 4, item 11
To top

Unidentified woman, portrait, undated

  • Box 4, item 12
To top

Unidentified group of children on porch of Bell Place, undated

  • Box 4, item 13
To top

Unidentified group of men, undated

  • Box 4, item 14
To top

Unidentified man reading, undated

  • Box 4, item 15
To top

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"

To top

Bell family photograph album, undated

  • Box 5, item 1
Scope and Contents

Photograph album includes 37 pages with 148 photographs. All photos are undated but include subjects such as unidentified men and women, horses, dogs, other farm animals, and Bell Place.

To top

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.

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.

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.



Submit a request for SCRC materials.




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.