Washington DC - Genealogy Trails - Enoch George Bell, Biographical documents

Washington District of Columbia
Biographies

Enoch George Bell
1815 - 1878
Furnished by : John G. Sharp

Enoch George Bell
1815 - 1878

Enoch George Bell (1815 - 1878) a son of George and Sophia Bell was born a slave on the plantation of Rachel Pratt. In essence George Bell in order to free his children had to buy each of them from the Pratt family. The law then required George Bell if he chose to manumit his children, in each instance, he had to go before a District of Columbia Magistrate and demonstrated his legal ownership of the child, he would then be allowed to manumit or free them from servitude for the nominal sum of one dollar as in the above instance.
See my Biography of George Bell for the details as to how George Bell and Sophia Browning Bell were able to manumit all their children and grandchildren.
1835 - Manumission

REGISTRATION No. 1250 (Vol. 2, page 360) George Bell } MANUMISSION } Recorded 12 June 1835 to } } Enoch Geo Bell } Know all Men by these Presents that George Bell (a colored man) of the City of Washington in the District of Columbia for divers good causes and considerations are thereunto to moving and in consideration of the natural love & affection which I have and bear to my son Enoch George Bell a slave to me and for consideration of The sum of one dollar to me in hand paid have released from slavery, liberated and manumitted and set free and by these Presents do hereby release from slavery liberate, manumit and & set free the said Enoch George Bell being about twenty one years of age and able to work & gain for himself a good and sufficient livelihood and maintenance and him the said George Enoch Bell I do declare to be hence forth free manumitted and discharged from all manner of servitude to me my executors & administrators forever. In Testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name and after my seal this 12th day of June 1835 his Signed sealed & delivered } George X Bell {SEAL} in the presence of } mark Geo Naylor } G. Middleton } District of Columbia County of Washington to wit Be it remembered that on this 12th day of June in the year 1835 personally appears George Bell party to the foregoing instrument of writing before me the Subscriber a Justice of the Peace in & for the County and District aforesaid and acknowledges the same to be his act & desire for the purposes therein mentioned and the said Enoch George Bell therein named to be henceforth manumitted according to the law in such cases made & provided Acknowledged before and certified Geo Naylor [signed]

1840 US Census of the District of Columbia US Census enumerates Enoch Bell head of household "free colored" and lists 6 others in the household Ann E. and five children.
1850 US Census for New Bedford, Massachusetts 3^rd Ward. Enoch Bell is enumerated as 34 years of age. He is living in boarding house and working as waiter no family is listed on this census.
1863-1865 US Civil War. Enoch Bell listed as: Private, 112^th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry. NARA
1867, Records of the Freedmen's Bank Washington DC

Below is an image from the National Archives and Records Administration, of the Freedman's Bank record, of 1867, for depositor Enoch G. Bell. The account was opened when Bell was residing in Washington DC. The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, popularly known as the Freedman's Bank, was incorporated by Congress on March 3, 1865, and the bank maintained some 37 offices in 17 states, including the one in the District of Columbia that Enoch Bell opened his account at.
Because of mismanagement, abuse, fraud, and other economic factors, the Freedman's Bank failed in 1874, leaving tens of thousands of its depositors in economic ruin. The original records of Freedman's Bank are housed at the National Archive facility in College Park, MD, and are available on microfilm at College Park and the National Archives Building downtown.
While the failure of the Freedman's Bank was tragic and left many African Americans with feelings of distrust of the American banking system, the records created by the bank are a rich source of documentation for black family research for the period immediately following the American Civil War. It is unclear how much, if any money, Enoch Bell lost in the Banks failure.
What make these records so important are the thousands of signature cards that contain personal data about the individual depositors. In addition to the names and ages of depositors, the files can contain their places of birth, residence, and occupations; names of parents, spouses, and children, here, Enoch Bell lists two of his children: Lewis A and Anna P., there also in some records listing names of former slave owners though Enoch Bell had been free since 1835. These records however, are not indexed; thus making research in them time consuming and frustrating, however they are now on Ancestry.com The following is a transcript of the original Freedman' Bank record.

Account opened April 4, 1867
Name Enoch G. Bell No, 711
Height and Completion: 5ft 3 Yellow
Name of Children: Lewis A. Anna P.
Place of Birth: Washington DC
Residence: Washington DC 337 15^th Street SE
Occupation: Laborer
Remarks: $ 200
Signature: Enoch G. Bell [signed]

1860 US Census for New Bedford, Massachusetts 3^rd Ward enumerates Enoch Bell as 46 years old a Occupation Rope Maker with real property worth $2,000.00 and personal estate worth $100.00 His wife Ann E. Bell is age 41, son Lewis A. Bell is 19 years of age, daughters Catherine P. is 14 while Ann is age 7. Ann was born in Mass.
The 1870 US Census for the District of Columbia 4^th Ward, enumerates: Enoch Bell as 58 years of age with real property worth $ 5, 000.00 and personal estate worth $2,000.00, occupation laborer; his wife, Ann E., Age 57; Lewis Bell, age 28 occupation clerk; Sebastine Bell female age 23; Hamilton Bell age nine months; Annie P. Bell, age 19 teacher and Albert Crouch age five.
At his death in 1878, Enoch Bell, left considerable other property to his family See Dorothy S. Provine,
District of Columbia Free Negro Registers Volume 1 page 266
Death 1878 Last Will and Testament of Bell Enoch G., Box 65

Enoch George Bell 1815 - 1878
Enoch George Bell (1815 - 1878) a son of George and Sophia Bell was born a slave on the plantation of Rachel Pratt. In essence George Bell in order to free his children had to buy each of them from the Pratt family. The law then required George Bell if he chose to manumit his children, in each instance, he had to go before a District of Columbia Magistrate and demonstrated his legal ownership of the child, he would then be allowed to manumit or free them from servitude for the nominal sum of one dollar as in the above instance. See my Biography of George Bell for the details as to how George Bell and Sophia Browning Bell were able to manumit all their children and grandchildren. 1835 - Manumission
REGISTRATION No. 1250 (Vol. 2, page 360) George Bell } MANUMISSION } Recorded 12 June 1835 to } } Enoch Geo Bell } Know all Men by these Presents that George Bell (a colored man) of the City of Washington in the District of Columbia for divers good causes and considerations are thereunto to moving and in consideration of the natural love & affection which I have and bear to my son Enoch George Bell a slave to me and for consideration of The sum of one dollar to me in hand paid have released from slavery, liberated and manumitted and set free and by these Presents do hereby release from slavery liberate, manumit and & set free the said Enoch George Bell being about twenty one years of age and able to work & gain for himself a good and sufficient livelihood and maintenance and him the said George Enoch Bell I do declare to be hence forth free manumitted and discharged from all manner of servitude to me my executors & administrators forever. In Testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my name and after my seal this 12th day of June 1835 his Signed sealed & delivered } George X Bell {SEAL} in the presence of } mark Geo Naylor } G. Middleton } District of Columbia County of Washington to wit Be it remembered that on this 12th day of June in the year 1835 personally appears George Bell party to the foregoing instrument of writing before me the Subscriber a Justice of the Peace in & for the County and District aforesaid and acknowledges the same to be his act & desire for the purposes therein mentioned and the said Enoch George Bell therein named to be henceforth manumitted according to the law in such cases made & provided Acknowledged before and certified Geo Naylor [signed]
1840 US Census of the District of Columbia US Census enumerates Enoch Bell head of household "free colored" and lists 6 others in the household Ann E. and five children. 1850 US Census for New Bedford, Massachusetts 3^rd Ward. Enoch Bell is enumerated as 34 years of age. He is living in boarding house and working as waiter no family is listed on this census. 1863-1865 US Civil War. Enoch Bell listed as: Private, 112^th Regiment U.S. Colored Infantry. NARA 1867, Records of the Freedmen's Bank Washington DC Below is an image from the National Archives and Records Administration, of the Freedman's Bank record, of 1867, for depositor Enoch G. Bell. The account was opened when Bell was residing in Washington DC. The Freedman's Savings and Trust Company, popularly known as the Freedman's Bank, was incorporated by Congress on March 3, 1865, and the bank maintained some 37 offices in 17 states, including the one in the District of Columbia that Enoch Bell opened his account at. Because of mismanagement, abuse, fraud, and other economic factors, the Freedman's Bank failed in 1874, leaving tens of thousands of its depositors in economic ruin. The original records of Freedman's Bank are housed at the National Archive facility in College Park, MD, and are available on microfilm at College Park and the National Archives Building downtown. While the failure of the Freedman's Bank was tragic and left many African Americans with feelings of distrust of the American banking system, the records created by the bank are a rich source of documentation for black family research for the period immediately following the American Civil War. It is unclear how much, if any money, Enoch Bell lost in the Banks failure. What make these records so important are the thousands of signature cards that contain personal data about the individual depositors. In addition to the names and ages of depositors, the files can contain their places of birth, residence, and occupations; names of parents, spouses, and children, here, Enoch Bell lists two of his children: Lewis A and Anna P., there also in some records listing names of former slave owners though Enoch Bell had been free since 1835. These records however, are not indexed; thus making research in them time consuming and frustrating, however they are now on Ancestry.com The following is a transcript of the original Freedman' Bank record.
	Account opened April 4, 1867 Name Enoch G. Bell No, 711 Height and Completion: 5ft 3 Yellow Name of Children: Lewis A. Anna P. Place of Birth: Washington DC Residence: Washington DC 337 15^th Street SE Occupation: Laborer Remarks: $ 200 Signature: Enoch G. Bell [signed]
1860 US Census for New Bedford, Massachusetts 3^rd Ward enumerates Enoch Bell as 46 years old a Occupation Rope Maker with real property worth $2,000.00 and personal estate worth $100.00 His wife Ann E. Bell is age 41, son Lewis A. Bell is 19 years of age, daughters Catherine P. is 14 while Ann is age 7. Ann was born in Mass. The 1870 US Census for the District of Columbia 4^th Ward, enumerates: Enoch Bell as 58 years of age with real property worth $ 5, 000.00 and personal estate worth $2,000.00, occupation laborer; his wife, Ann E., Age 57; Lewis Bell, age 28 occupation clerk; Sebastine Bell female age 23; Hamilton Bell age nine months; Annie P. Bell, age 19 teacher and Albert Crouch age five. At his death in 1878, Enoch Bell, left considerable other property to his family See Dorothy S. Provine, District of Columbia Free Negro Registers Volume 1 page 266 Death 1878 Last Will and Testament of Bell Enoch G., Box 65

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