HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



26: 



John Bell (father) came to Philadel- 

 phia, Pennsylvania, an orphan, and sub- 

 sequently became a well known and re- 

 spected citizen of Old Northern Liber- 

 ties, having established an extensive 

 business as caterer and confectioner. He 

 was united in marriage to Mary Lang- 

 enstein, who was born in Gros-Glatt- 

 bach, Wurtemberg, Germany, daughter 

 of Frederick and Anna Mary (Wein- 

 gartner) Langenstein, whom she accom- 

 panied to America in 1839, settling in 

 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frederick 

 Langenstein was a son of Michael and 

 Eva Dorothea (Schaefle) Langerstein, 

 both of Gros-Glattbach, Wurtemberg, 

 Germany, and grandson of Michael Lan- 

 genstein, who served in the capacity 

 of burgomaster of the aforementioned 

 place. John Bell (father) died at the early 

 age of thirty-six years, his son Frank F. 

 being then only two years of age. 



Frank F. Bell was born in the city of 

 Philadelphia, May 26, 1855. Upon 

 reaching the qualified age he was entered 

 ■as a pupil at Girard College, Irom which 

 institution he was graduated with high 

 honors at the conclusion of the eight 

 years' course. After his graduation he 

 entered upon the study of architectural 

 drawing in the office of Professor Rich- 

 ards, of the University of Pennsylvania, 

 and later he accepted a position in the 

 manufacturing firm of W. C. Allison & 

 Sons. He had a special aptitude for ac- 

 counts which rapidly brought him to 

 promotion in the counting room of this 

 great firm. Not long after, however, 

 an opportunity arose which promised 

 him an opening in the political arena, 

 and served to afiford opportunity for the 

 study of law, which he had already de- 

 cided to follow as a profession. He was 

 offered a position of trust in the office 

 of the receiver of taxes, which he ac- 

 cepted, and at the same time became a 

 law student in the office of Hampton 

 Todd. Shortly after his acceptance of 

 this new office an investigation of its af- 

 fairs was ordered by the city comp- 

 troller, which proved to be prolonged 

 and exhaustive, and Mr. Bell acquired 

 a reputation in this investigation which 

 led directly to his future advancement. 

 Shortly after its conclusion William B. 

 Irvine was elected city treasurer of 

 Philadelphia, and he. having a knowl- 

 edge of the executive ability of Mr. Bell, 

 tendered to him the important office of 

 ■chief of the department for the collec- 

 tion of revenue due the commonwealth. 

 The successful efiforts of Mr. Bell in this 

 position brought him prominently into 

 public favor, and resulted in making him 

 the nominee of his party to succeed Mr. 

 Irvine. The public confidence in his 

 fitness for the office was expressed by a 

 popular majority of 21,106 votes, and he 

 met the responsibilities and fulfilled the 

 duties of the position in' a highly cred- 

 itable manner. In his business and po- 



litical relations he was eminently con- 

 sistent and reliable. His matured capa- 

 bilities had received ample and thorough 

 training in the great trusts and in all 

 the departments of activity to which he 

 had been called, and in his handling of 

 the millions of dollars in the city treas- 

 ury there was not the slightest whisper 

 of the innuendos and scandals so fre- 

 quently alleged of men in public life. 



Mr. Bell was a member of the Union 

 League Club of Philadelphia; of the 

 Philadelphia Athletic Club; of the Al- 

 gonquin Club of Bristol; and of the 

 Stock Exchange of Philadelphia and 

 New York. 



In i88r Mr. Bell was made a Mason 

 in Oriental Lodge, No. 385, and four 

 3'ears from that date was chosen wor- 

 shipful master, and this rapid rise in 

 Masonry and in the affections of the 

 craft was but a reflex of his walks in 

 life. The following is an extract from 

 the eulogy paid to Frank F. Bell by 

 Past Master Z. Taylor Rickards : "Ac-. 

 quaintance with him elicited admiration, 

 intimacy was to love him; to contribute 

 to his ambitions was but to do right and 

 receive his gratitude always. To-mor- 

 row we shall look for the last time at 

 the face of our dear friend and brother, 

 stilled, no longer to respond to the 

 cheerful greeting he had for all who 

 knew him. We shall not look again 

 into those soul-lit eyes. He is dead— 

 and what is this condition we call death? 

 What of it? It has come to Frank F. 

 Bell at forty-eight. When it will come 

 to each of us, no man can tell, but of 

 him we know that in this preparing 

 room he leaves a record so good that we 

 believe it is well with him now. Let us 

 emulate his virtues and remember him 

 for his ever kindly walks with us here." 



On January 18, 1888, Mr. Bell was 

 married to Helen Geneva Edwards, of 

 Philadelphia, daughter of James and 

 Elizabeth (Atmore) Edwards, paternal 

 granddaughter of James and Mary Ed- 

 wards, maternal granddaughter of Will- 

 iam Penn and Caroline (Stowe) Atmore, 

 maternal great-granddaughter of Will- 

 iam and Mary Magdalene Stull, and ma- 

 ternal great-great-granddaughter of 

 George and Caroline Lausatte, who were 

 born in Alsace or Lorraine, France. 

 William Penn Atmore came to America 

 in the same ship with William Penn and 

 settled in Philadelphia. George Stroup, 

 maternal great-great-grandfather of Mrs. 

 Bell, served with Washington during 

 the revolutionary war, as did also his 

 son. The children of Frank F. and 

 Helen G. (Edwards) Bell are as follows: 

 Frank Frederic, born September 25, 

 1888, is being educated at Swarthmore 

 preparatory to entering the Institute of 

 Technology at Boston, Massachusetts; 

 Helen Florentine, born January 29, 1891, 

 is a student at the Holman School, Phil- 

 adelphia; Dudley Edwards, born Octo- 



