Louis F. Bell — A contractor and builder at Wakefield, Rhode Island, for over forty years, Louis F. Bell has long been an important and familiar figure in the life of this community. His building activities have carried him through all this part of the State, and he ranks among the foremost builders of the county.
Mr. Bell was born at New Haven, Connecticut, on March 29, 1857, a son of Louis H. Bell, now deceased, who was born in Berlin, Germany, and of Martha (Walters) Bell, also deceased, who was a native of Ireland. The father was engaged as a saddler until the time of his death.
Louis F. Bell was educated in the public schools of Rhode Island, and after completing his academic training, began work in the employ of the Cranston Print Works Company, where he remained for only a short time. At the age of fourteen he started to learn the carpenter’s trade, and was so engaged until the year 1885. At the end of this time Mr. Bell established himself as an independent contractor and builder at Wakefield, Rhode Island. Here he has made his home and here his activities have centered since that time. Mr. Bell’s work has always been of excellent quality and his services are widely sought throughout the South County. In 1899 he built the Bell Block, which is the largest business block at Wakefield, and later he built the Barber Block and the Jones Block; he also built the Wakefield Grammar and the South Kingstown High School buildings; the Hazard Memorial Building at Peace Dale, Rhode Island; the South County Hospital and Nurses’ Home at Wakefield; and many others. Mr. Bell has been very successful in the field of his chosen occupation. In addition to his building activities, Mr. Bell is a director and treasurer of the Wakefield Branch Company, and of the Wakefield Trust Company. He also represented South Kingstown on the Board of Directors of the Narragansett Pier Railroad.
A Republican in politics, he has supported the principles and candidates of that party consistently, and served as a member of the South Kingstown Council and the Board of Assessors for a time, and for several years was a trustee of the Wakefield schools. He worships with his family in the faith of the Protestant Episcopal Church.
In 1879, Louis F. Bell married Emily Potter, who was born at South Kingstown, Rhode Island. They are the parents of the following children: Martha W.; Leroy V.; Myrtle; Emily; Marion; Charlotte; Carl; and William. Mr. and Mrs. Bell maintain their residence at Wakefield.
Source: Carroll, Charles. Rhode Island: Three Centuries of Democracy, vol 4 of 4. New York: Lewis historical Pub. Co., 1932.